North Dakota

NDSU football commit Coy Okeson honors late brother with repeat North Dakota state wrestling title

Published

5 months ago

February 16, 2024

NDSU football commit Coy Okeson honors late brother with repeat North Dakota state wrestling title

FARGO — This fall, Bishop Ryan’s Coy Okeson will be joining the North Dakota State University Bison on the football field at the Fargodome. Friday, he won his second-straight state wrestling title inside the same building.

This one, Okeson said, is more meaningful than the first as he wrestled in memory and honor of his late brother Corbin.

“I got to do it for my brother,” Okeson said. “He passed away less than a week after the state tournament last year. It’s motivated me for the whole season to do it for him, wrestle for him.”

Bishop Ryan wrestler Coy Okeson faces Ben Roundy of Killdeer during the 285-pound championship match in the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

As far as how often his brother was on his mind during the match, Okeson said, “The whole time.”

“I wish he was here to see it,” he said.

The 285-pound state champion, who will join the Bison next season as an offensive lineman, was also named the North Dakota High School Coaches Association’s Class B Senior Athlete of The Year.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he said of the award. “I never thought I’d get here. I just want to thank my brother and all my coaches. I’m thankful for everyone who helped me get here.”

When it comes to Corbin’s influence on his younger brother, “He helped me become who I am today,” said Coy.

“He helped me every day,” he said. “We’d have our mats out in the summer and we’d wrestle every day year-round almost.”

The first match of the day was a 133-pound bout between Hillsboro-Central Valley’s Sawyer Owens and Northern Lights’ Alvy Henderson.

ND-classB.2.133.jpg — Hillsboro-Central Valley wrestler Sawyer Owens celebrates after winning the 133-pound championship at the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024.

Henderson entered the match as the No. 1 seed while Owens was No. 3. Once the match started the two went to battle, with multiple stoppages to patch up the wounds of their bout.

When it was over, Owens — with blood on his brow — was the winner, defeating the No. 1 seed.

“In my head, I thought I could win it,” Owens said. “When it comes down to it, seeds don’t matter, we’re both on the same mat. Anybody can win.”

ND-classB.1.133.jpg — Hillsboro-Central Valley wrestler Sawyer Owens, left, defeated no. 1 ranked 133-pound wrestler Alvy Henderson of Northern Lights 5-3 in the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024.

Owens credited Henderson for the hard-fought match, looking forward to potential matches in the future.

“Alvy is a great wrestler,” he said. “Any time we wrestle, and I’m sure we’ll wrestle in the future, too, it’s always going to be a battle. Usually, when it’s a battle, blood is shed. That’s usually what happens.”

ND-classB.1.152.jpg — Lisbon wrestler Blaze Reinke right after winning his 152-pound championship match 3-1 against Brody Hoffman of South Border in the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024.

The Lisbon Broncos added to their storied wrestling lineage with two more individual champions with Blaze Reinke at 152 pounds and Kashden Wadeson at 127. Both seniors capped off their high school wrestling careers with state titles.

“It’s been a dream since I was three years old to be at the top of the state,” Reinke said. “It just feels surreal.

“Lisbon has been a part of me for a long time and gotten me to where I am today. Just to be on the wall of guys that are all super good is just surreal, again.”

ND-classB.2.152.jpg — Lisbon wrestler Blaze Reinke faces Brody Hoffman of Killdeer during the 152-pound championship match in the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling championship match at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024. Reinke defeated Hoffman 3-1

Wadeson, who attends school in Enderlin but wrestles for Lisbon, said he “couldn’t feel any better.”

Wadeson, who won via decision 9-1, put himself in what he called his comfy spot early, taking the lead over opponent Charlie Irwin of New Salem-Almont.

“I like it when people are trying to come at me,” he said. “It just sets up a lot more of my offense. Having the lead and forcing him to make stuff happen is probably the biggest factor in the win.”

ND-classB.1.127.jpg — Lisbon 127-pound wrestler Kashden Wadeson defeated Charlie Irwin of New Salem-Almont 8-1 in the North Dakota Class B individual state wrestling tournament at the Fargodome on Feb. 16, 2024.

Other individuals crowned state champions include Northern Lights’ Bode Henderson (107 pounds), Napoleon/G-S’ Dalton Feist (114), Grafton’s Kruiser Burns (121), Kenmare-Bowbells William Cook (139), Carrington’s Corbin Clifton (145), Killdeer’s Gus Bohmback (160), Bishop Ryan’s Drew Zwak (172), Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm’s Ivan Carruth (189) and South Border’s Shane Nitschke (215).

South Border won the individual team championship with a total of 185 ahead of Lisbon at 150 and New Salem-Almont with 115.5.

Northern Lights’ coach Ryan Mitchell was named the NDHSCA coach of the year in Class B.

Class B

Team results

1. South Border 185; 2. Lisbon 150; 3. New Salem-Almont 115.5; 4. Northern Lights 110.5; 5. Carrington 85.5; 6. Killdeer 84; 7. Velva 81; 8. Williams County 79; 9. Bishop Ryan 77.5; 10. Kenmare-Bowbells 75.5; 11. Stanley 74; 12. Oakes 68; 13. Kindred 57; 14. Hillsboro-Central Valley 54.5; 15. Napoleon Gackle-Streeter 52.5; 16. Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm 52; 17. Harvey-Wells County 48; 18. Beulah-Hazen 44; 19. Bowman County/Beach 35.5; 20. Des Lacs-Burlington 32; 21. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion 26.5; 22. Grafton and Pembina County North 26; 24. Hettinger/Scranton 21; 25. Mondak Thunder 15; 26. Linton-HMB 6; T27. May-Port-CG and New Town/Parshall 3; 29. Northern Cass 1; 30. Rugby 0

Individual results

107

First place

Bode Henderson (Northern Lights) 48-0 won by decision over Tristian Miller (Williams County) 33-6 (Dec 9-2)

Third place

Hayes Weinberger (New Salem-Almont) 33-10 won in tie breaker – 1 over Rylan Vetter (South Border) 29-10 (TB-1 4-2)

114

First place

Dalton Feist (Napoleon G-S) 45-2 won by major decision over Josh Ternes (Beulah-Hazen) 25-6 (MD 16-2)

Third place

Cole Mogren (Kenmare-Bowbells) 31-4 won by fall over Dru Carr (Carrington) 44-14 (Fall 2:11)

121

First place

Kruiser Burns (Grafton) 38-2 won in sudden victory – 1 over Cohen Bell (Stanley) 37-3 (SV-1 4-2)

Third place

Jack Bohmbach (Killdeer) 40-13 won by decision over Pitch Hager (Velva) 44-9 (Dec 3-1)

127

First place

Kashden Wadeson (Lisbon) 36-3 won by decision over Charlie Irwin (New Salem-Almont) 41-7 (Dec 8-1)

Third place

Kash Brown (Williams County) 24-7 won by decision over Logan Werner (Pembina County North) 24-8 (Dec 3-0)

133

First place

Sawyer Owens (Hillsboro-Central Valley) 49-6 won by decision over Alvy Henderson (Northern Lights) 24-2 (Dec 5-3)

Third place

Noah Anderson (Lisbon) 22-6 won by decision over Tristen Lepp (South Border) 24-9 (Dec 3-1)

139

First place

William Cook (Kenmare-Bowbells) 42-2 won by decision over Ethan Maier (New Salem-Almont) 33-8 (Dec 9-2)

Third place

Justin Hudson (Northern Lights) 22-4 won by decision over Myles Thielges (Kindred) 15-8 (Dec 5-0)

145

First place

Corbin Clifton (Carrington) 48-9 won by decision over Carson Hildre (Velva) 27-3 (Dec 2-1)

Third place

Havlin Delong (Northern Lights) 29-8 won by decision over Carson Glaesman (South Border) 26-18 (Dec 4-2)

152

First place

Blaze Reinke (Lisbon) 41-2 won by decision over Brody Hoffman (South Border) 31-9 (Dec 3-1)

Third place

Rocker Aguilar (Williams County) 44-7 won by decision over Lincoln Spear (Kenmare-Bowbells) 38-10 (Dec 4-3)

160

First place

Gus Bohmbach (Killdeer) 48-1 won by decision over Josh Meehl (Oakes) 21-4 (Dec 6-3)

Third place

Eli Lyons (Lisbon) 41-7 won by decision over Emery Noll (Bowman County/Beach) 39-8 (Dec 8-3)

172

First place

Drew Zwak (Bishop Ryan) 53-6 won in sudden victory – 1 over Jace Nitschke (South Border) 29-10 (SV-1 3-1)

Third place

Mike Nelson (Lisbon) 26-3 won by decision over Brock Norton (New Salem-Almont) 28-9 (Dec 5-4)

189

First place

Ivan Carruth (Ellendale-Edgeley-Kulm) 40-7 won in sudden victory – 1 over Cole Henderson (Northern Lights) 39-2 (SV-1 3-1)

Third place

Trey Bohmbach (Stanley) 37-10 won by decision over Daniel Schumacher (South Border) 29-11 (Dec 1-0)

215

First place

Shane Nitschke (South Border) 35-1 won by fall over Carter Engebretson (Harvey-Wells County) 25-7 (Fall 3:21)

Third place

Cade Okeson (Bishop Ryan) 33-6 won by fall over CL Weinberger (New Salem-Almont) 36-13 (Fall 4:40)

285

First place

Coy Okeson (Bishop Ryan) 52-4 won by major decision over Ben Roundy (Killdeer) 32-5 (MD 12-2)

Third place

Rodney Wolf (Kindred) 29-5 won by fall over Cole Nitschke (South Border) 23-8 (Fall 3:00)

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North Dakota

Letter: Be wary of plans for large-scale dairies in North Dakota

Published

6 hours ago

July 24, 2024

Press Room

Letter: Be wary of plans for large-scale dairies in North Dakota

To the editor,

There is a history of confined animal feeding operations ruining the environment in many states. The new

Riverview Dairy

operations set to enter the eastern part of North Dakota near Hillsboro and Wahpeton should be looked at through the eyes of how we want our livestock industry to expand.

Twenty-five thousand confined dairy cows is huge. Yes, they have state of the art waste disposal systems — or do they? What about flooding? Not unheard of in the Red River Valley. Additionally, the water required for these animals may seem fine but what about in a drought? Do you want to compete for drinking water with cows? Aquifers are being depleted for ag use already.

Twenty-five thousand animals hooked up to machines. Not grazed. Not good.

Workers will be temporary and not connected to the communities. Their money will be sent out of state/country. The money from Riverview will be sent out of the state. Riverview has multiple dairies in other states. Most inputs will be bought wholesale and not locally.

Ag Commissioner Doug Goehring said this LLP can do business without the change to our corporate farming law in the last legislative session. However, they sure are being subsidized by support for infrastructure stemming from other legislation piggy backed on that change in our anti-corporate farming law. A law that was meant to support local farmers to expand by accessing capital from other sources. This dairy will finish the small dairy opportunities in North Dakota using money meant to support them.

Karen Anderson
Warwick, North Dakota

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North Dakota

Yankton County, SD deputies arrest South Dakota fugitive after 4-week search

Published

13 hours ago

July 24, 2024

Press Room

Yankton County, SD deputies arrest South Dakota fugitive after 4-week search

YANKTON COUNTY, SD (KTIV) – There’s a new development in a manhunt that started last month in South Dakota.

Authorities in Yankton County say they’ve found an Iowa man wanted for violating his parole and arrested him after a nearly four-hour standoff Monday night.

The Yankton County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies learned 48-year-old Jason Sitzman was inside a home in Lesterville, South Dakota, and went to that home trying to make contact with him.

Sitzman was wanted on warrants for violating his parole in Iowa, as well as, for failure to appear in court in Yankton County and for aggravated eluding of law enforcement.

But, Sitzman, and another woman who was inside, refused to leave the house. That was at around 7:00pm. Around 10:45pm authorities used chemical agents inside the home to get Sitzman and the woman outside. The woman is identified as 23-year-old Kendra Kirrman.

Both were taken into custody and charged with obstructing law enforcement.

Law enforcement have been looking for Sitzman for more than a month. Back on June 19th… he reportedly fled South Dakota authorities on a motorcycle… riding into Nebraska before ditching the bike at the Chalkrock Wildlife Management Area in Cedar County. Authorities searched the area using drones and a helicopter but weren’t able to find Sitzman.

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North Dakota

North Dakota judge will decide whether to throw out a challenge to the state's abortion ban

Published

21 hours ago

July 23, 2024

Press Room

North Dakota judge will decide whether to throw out a challenge to the state's abortion ban

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Attorneys argued Tuesday over whether a North Dakota judge should toss a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion ban, with the state saying the plaintiffs’ case rests on hypotheticals, and the plaintiffs saying key issues remain to be resolved at a scheduled trial.

State District Judge Bruce Romanick said he will rule as quickly as he can, but he also asked the plaintiffs’ attorney what difference he would have at the court trial in August.

The Red River Women’s Clinic, which moved from Fargo to neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, filed the lawsuit challenging the state’s now-repealed trigger ban soon after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022. The clinic was North Dakota’s sole abortion provider. In 2023, North Dakota’s Republican-controlled Legislature revised the state’s abortion laws amid the lawsuit. Soon afterward, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, joined by doctors in obstetrics, gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine.

North Dakota outlaws abortion as a felony crime, with exceptions to prevent the mother’s death or a “serious health risk” to her, and in cases of rape or incest up to six weeks of pregnancy.

The plaintiffs allege the law violates the state constitution because it is unconstitutionally vague for doctors as to the exceptions, and that its health exception is too narrow.

The state wants the complaint dismissed. Special Assistant Attorney General Dan Gaustad said the plaintiffs want the law declared unconstitutional based upon hypotheticals, that the clinic now in Minnesota lacks legal standing and that a trial won’t help the judge.

“You’re not going to get any more information than what you’ve got now. It’s a legal question,” Gaustad told the judge.

The plaintiffs want the trial to proceed.

Meetra Mehdizadeh, a staff attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, said the trial would resolve factual disputes regarding how the law would apply in various pregnancy complications, “the extent to which the ban chills the provision of standard-of-care medical treatment,” and a necessity for exceptions for mental health and pregnancies with a fatal fetal diagnosis.

When asked by the judge about the trial, she said hearing testimony live from experts, as compared to reading their depositions, would give him the opportunity to probe their credibility and ask his own questions to clarify issues.

In an interview, she said laws such as North Dakota’s are causing confusion and hindering doctors when patients arrive in emergency medical situations.

“Nationally, we are seeing physicians feeling like they have to delay, either to run more tests or to consult with legal teams or to wait for patients to get sicker, and so they know if the patient qualifies under the ban,” Mehdizadeh said.

In January, the judge denied the plaintiffs’ request to temporarily block part of the law so doctors could provide abortions in health-saving scenarios without the potential of prosecution.

A recent state report said abortions in North Dakota last year dropped to a nonreportable level, meaning there were fewer than six abortions performed in 2023. The state reported 840 abortions in 2021, the year before the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

The court’s decision enabled states to pass abortion bans by ending the nationwide right to abortion.

Most Republican-controlled states now have bans or restrictions in place. North Dakota is one of 14 enforcing a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. Meanwhile, most Democratic-controlled states have adopted measures to protect abortion access.

The issue is a major one in this year’s elections: Abortion-related ballot measures will be before voters in at least six states. Since 2022, voters in all seven states where similar questions appeared have sided with abortion rights advocates.