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Central’s Flores rides fifth seed to North Dakota state title match

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Central’s Flores rides fifth seed to North Dakota state title match


FARGO — Grand Forks Central’s Gabe Flores III, ranked No. 5 in his 127-pound weight class, will wrestle for a state championship on Friday at the North Dakota state tournament.

The championship match run came behind a wild development.

Flores beat Bismarck Legacy’s No. 1-ranked Nick Enzminger in the semifinals 8-3.

Enzminger suffered a possible broken ankle in practice leading up to the state tournament.

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“(Enzminger) is nationally ranked and blew up his ankle last night and was literally carried to and from his mat by his teammates,” Central coach Garrett Litzinger said. “Not the way you want to have to wrestle someone. Props to Nick for biting down and being willing to compete and basically try to cement his legacy as one of the best North Dakota wrestlers of all time.

“Gabe didn’t let that affect him. (Enzminger) beat two kids on one leg. Even hurt, Nick isn’t a guy you want to mess around with. Gabe handled the uncomfortable situation and just went out and did what he planned on doing. He wrestled hard and got the win.”

Gabriel Flores III of Grand Forks Central wrestles Nicolas Enzminger of Bismarck Legacy in the 127-pound semifinal match at the NDHSAA Wrestling State Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Fargodome.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Flores will wrestle Dylan Mosset of Bismarck St. Mary’s in Friday’s 4:30 p.m. title match. The No. 2 seed in the bracket beat Flores 11-9 in the Grand Forks Sertoma tournament earlier this season and has two prior wins over Flores.

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But Flores appears to be at his best, as he beat West Fargo Sheyenne’s Grady Olafson in the quarterfinals. Olafson had beat Flores three times before Flores beat Olafson in both the region final and Thursday.

“Gabe has a shot against anybody,” Litzinger said. “Gabe lives for this. He’s a dude with ice in his veins. He’s ready to go in the big moments and loves it.”

As a team, the Knights have 12 wrestlers remaining in the individual tournament. With two wrestlers facing off against each other, Central has the chance of 11 state placers. The Knights’ school record for state placers in a season is nine in 2015.

Devils Lake’s Rylan Samuelson also advanced Thursday to Friday’s title matches. Samuelson will go up against Jake Glaser of Dickinson at 121 pounds.

Jack Clemenson of West Fargo Sheyenne wrestles Rylan Samuelson of Devils Lake in the 121-pound semifinal match at the NDHSAA Wrestling State Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Fargodome.
Jack Clemenson of West Fargo Sheyenne wrestles Rylan Samuelson of Devils Lake in the 121-pound semifinal match at the NDHSAA Wrestling State Tournament on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Fargodome.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

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In the Class B division, Sawyer Owens of Hillsboro-Central Valley advanced to the 145-pound title match. Owens will face Lisbon’s Griffin Greenley.

022026.S.FF.ClassB.Wrestling.Day1
Hillsboro – Central Valley’s Sawyer Owens takes down South Border’s Ryker Vetter at 145-pounds on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, during the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament semifinals at the Fargodome.

David Samson / The Forum

In the girls’ field, two Grand Forks wrestlers reached the finals in training partners Kyah Wiley and Sky Kopp.

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Wiley will face Alexis Storsved of Mandan at 170 pounds, while Kopp faces Cambree Anderson of Bismarck High at 190 pounds.

Wiley beat Kolbi McElwain with a pin in the semifinals to advance. McElwain had beat Wiley at state last season in a third-place match.

“(Wiley) has gotten so much better this year,” Grand Forks coach Matt Berglund said. “She got behind with a takedown (in the semifinals) but dominated the rest of the match before getting a pin.”

022026.S.FF.Girls.Wrestling.Day1
Grand Forks’ Kyah Wiley takes on Dickinson’s Kolbi McElwain at 170-pounds on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, during the North Dakota girls individual state wrestling tournament semifinals at the Fargodome.

David Samson / The Forum

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Kopp will be an underdog against Anderson, who’s a three-time state champion. Anderson and Kopp haven’t faced this season.

“It’s her senior year and is excited for another shot,” Berglund said. “She’s also got a lot better from last year and now has a chance in the title match her senior year.”

For the first time in Grand Forks’ four years as a program, the KnightRiders saw every wrestler win at least one match on the opening day of the tournament.

Among other competitors from the Herald coverage area in the girls division, Pembina County North’s Charlotte Crowston will face Bismarck Legacy’s Alicia Kenfack in the 112-pound title, while Grafton’s Alyssa Hoyles will face Bismarck Legacy’s Aleiya Cullinan at 130 pounds and Pembina County North’s Jaelyn Forrey faces Bismarck Century’s Mekayla Stordalen at 250 pounds.

Staff reports and local scoreboards from the Grand Forks Herald Sports desk.

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Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston

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Fire burns at Pallet Green Recycling storage yard in rural Williston


WILLISTON, N.D. (KFYR) – UPDATE (5/10/2026 at 11:45 p.m.): A fire broke out at a Williston recycling business Sunday evening, and no one was injured.

Multiple crews responded to Pallet Green Recycling just before 8:30 p.m., according to the Williston Fire Department. Crews arrived at the scene where they fought heavy smoke and flames.

Industrial storage containers were on scene, and officials say it is unclear what, if any, chemical residue was inside them. Officials believe there is no danger to the public.

Williston Fire Chief Corey Johnson said the fire was contained to the business’s exterior storage yard, and crews were not concerned about it spreading beyond the property.

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“Right now, the structures are protected in the area. We’re not concerned about the fire spreading off of the lot,” Johnson said.

Multiple departments from across Williams County responded, and extra water trucks were brought in due to the fire’s remote location.

The cause remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Your News Leader will provide updates as more information becomes available.

ORIGINAL STORY (5/10/2026 at 9:39 p.m.): Crews responded to a large fire at a storage yard in rural Williston on Sunday night.

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The fire is located at Pallet Green Recycling, according to the business owner.

Sylvia Luebke captured video of the scene from a distance around 8 p.m. The fire sent a large plume of smoke over the area. Luebke said it was still burning as of around 9 p.m.

Williston Rural Fire is working to battle the fire. The department was unable to comment at this time.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.

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ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission

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ND Guard officer in charge of DC special mission


Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.

WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.

The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.

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“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.

As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.

“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”

Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”

According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.

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“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.

According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.

“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”



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Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo

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Stampede stay alive with 2-1 OT win in Fargo


FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.

Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.

Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.

Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.

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