North Dakota

UND comes up short against North Dakota State 15-10

Published

4 months ago

November 8, 2025

UND comes up short against North Dakota State 15-10

GRAND FORKS — During breaks in action in the first half, UND brought out and honored Jim Kleinsasser and Digger Anderson — two former players with signature moments in the UND-North Dakota State rivalry.

On Saturday, the Fighting Hawks couldn’t find their next rivalry hero.

Instead, NDSU’s Cole Payton scored on an 8-yard run with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter as the Bison beat UND 15-10 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,749 in the Alerus Center.

No. 13 UND fell to 6-4, with four losses by a combined 14 points. The No. 1 Bison improved to 10-0, securing the Missouri Valley Football Conference title in the process.

“It hurts, right?” UND first-year head coach Eric Schmidt said. “It was one of those games where it was an ugly football game. It’s frustrating. It’s a learning process. I just think you have to continue to do the things that winning teams do, and you have to be loyal to winning. It takes what it takes every single week.”

As has been the case in all four of UND’s losses this season, the Fighting Hawks had a chance to win the game late.

UND took over at its own 29 with about 80 seconds left and no timeouts trailing by five.

Jerry Kaminski connected with B.J. Fleming, Korey Tai and Sam Strandell as the Hawks moved the ball to the Bison 28 with 15 seconds left.

On second-and-6 with time running out, Kaminski took a shot toward the end zone for Tai. The ball was intercepted by NDSU’s Anthony Chideme-Alfaro.

NDSU players whoop it up after a stop against UND to turn over the ball in the second half Saturday.

Eric Hylden / GF Herald

After throwing 22 touchdowns to two interceptions through UND’s first eight games of the season, Kaminski — a first-year starting sophomore — has thrown no touchdowns and five interceptions in the team’s current two-game losing streak.

Kaminski finished 21-for-38 with three interceptions for 170 yards and was sacked three times.

UND’s leading rusher was Sawyer Seidl, who had 23 carries for 68 yards and a first-quarter touchdown run. Seidl had a four-game streak of at least 100 rushing yards snapped against the Bison.

110925 UND2.jpg — UND’s Sawyer Seidl reacts as clock expires as the Fighting Hawks come up short to the Bison 15-10 Saturday at the Alerus Center.

NDSU’s offense only managed 10 first downs.

Payton threw for 125 yards, no touchdowns and had a first-quarter pass picked off by UND linebacker Malachi McNeal, which set up the Seidl touchdown.

UND out-gained NDSU 286 yards to 268 and ran 30 more offensive plays.

110925 UND6.jpg — The UND defense reacts to stopping NDSU on third down in the second half Saturday.

The Bison were just 2-for-12 on third down.

NDSU star wide receiver Bryce Lance had three catches for 61 yards.

“Coach Schmidt was preaching to us how good those guys were and how we’re going to stop them,” McNeal said. “Coach had a really good game plan, how to approach angles on Cole Payton and how to guard Bryce Lance. I think we have a defensive coach who really knows ball and really studies them. It really helps because it helps you go out there and play fast and play confident.”

NDSU’s game-winning drive was set up when UND went for fourth-and-1 at midfield with 4:24 to play and Kaminski was stuffed on a quarterback run up the middle.

The Bison scored four plays later, with the help of a 30-yard catch by tight end Reis Kessel.

“(UND) is playing really good defense,” NDSU coach Tim Polasek said. “They played bracket coverage today, and we’ve got to have a better plan against it. We’ve got to be better. To Eric’s credit, they did a nice job adjusting. It looks like we’re going to have a hell of a chess match moving forward.”

110925 UND4.jpg — The UND sideline reacts to UND defender Antonio Bluiett’s pass breakup to NDSU receiver Jackson Williams in the first half Saturday.

Miller has covered sports at the Grand Forks Herald since 2004 and was the state sportswriter of the year in 2019 (NSMA, NDAPSSA), 2022 (NSMA, NDAPSSA) and 2024 (NDAPSSA).

His primary beat is UND football but also reports on a variety of UND sports and local preps.

He can be reached at (701) 780-1121, tmiller@gfherald.com or on Twitter at @tommillergf.

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North Dakota

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

On this day in 1943, two North Dakota army officers, Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz and First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson, were killed in separate medium bomber training crashes in Florida and Georgia.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

Army Plane Crashes Kill Two N. D. Men

Two North Dakota officers in the army air forces were killed Sunday in bomber crashes during training flights, Associated Press dispatches revealed Monday.

Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz of Harvey (Wells county) was killed with 10 others from the Avon Park, Fla., army bomber base when two medium bombers collided during a routine formation flight. Both planes crashed and there were no survivors.

First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson of Warwick (Benson county) was one of six killed when a medium bomber from MacDill field, Tampa, Fla., crashed near Savannah, Ga. Lieutenant Anderson was co-pilot of the plane.

None of the other victims of either accident was from the Dakotas or Minnesota.

Lieutenant Kuntz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Kuntz of Harvey, was graduated from the army air force navigation school at Hondo, Texas, as a second lieutenant last October, and received his wings as a navigator.

See more history at Newspapers.com

An ad featured in The Forum on March 2, 1943. Newspapers.com

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.

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North Dakota

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

Published

23 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Two North Dakotans are semifinalists for the Bismarck State College president’s job as North Dakota State University narrows its presidential candidate list.

Valley City State University also is searching for a new president, with an application period closing this month..

Kevin Black, chair of the State Board of Higher Education and co-chair of the North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee, said the committee reviewed over 60 applications. The committee is planning off-site interviews with candidates March 9-10 and campus visits with semifinal candidates March 23-27.

“We’re really excited about taking the next step and there’s some very quality people in there,” Black said.

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North Dakota

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

FARGO — One season ago, a Cinderella run for the West Fargo United girls hockey team came up just short in the state championship game.

United, the No. 7 seed, fell to Legacy/Bismarck in the 2025 final.

This time around, the team had momentum swaying in its favor, riding nine consecutive wins into Saturday’s title game against Grand Forks at Scheels Arena.

Led by goals from a pair of senior captains, United capped its redemption season with a 10th straight victory, fending off the KnightRiders 2-1 to claim the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament championship.

“It just means everything,” said United’s Payton Stocker, whose goal at the 12:31 mark of the second period gave her team a 1-0 lead. “We’ve worked so hard and throughout the season, it’s just been such a battle. Winning and coming out on top is just such a great feeling.”

West Fargo United captains react as they are presented the team’s 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena in Fargo.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Stocker was followed up in scoring by United captain Rachel Spanier. The defenseman fired a slap shot from the left point that beat Grand Forks goaltender Kylie Schmaltz to make it 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Reagan Wilson locked things down in net for United, finishing with 23 saves and picking up an all-tournament team nod.

“This is my first year of high school hockey,” the sophomore goaltender said. “I can’t believe coming in here and winning a state title with all of these girls. I just love them so much.”

While it was the senior duo of Stocker and Spanier finding the net for United on Saturday, contributions were seen across the board.

Sophomore Emma Hassler also put forth an all-tournament campaign with five goals and an assist for six points over the three-day stretch.

030226 WFGOUnited3.jpg — Grand Forks’ Dustee Balek’s shot is blocked by West Fargo United goalie Reagan Wilson in the North Dakota girls hockey state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Freshman Kaylee Augdahl finished the tournament with four points — including

a double-overtime winner

over Fargo North/South in Friday’s semifinals — and junior Liana Williamson added three assists.

“It wasn’t just us (seniors),” said Stocker, who joined Hassler and Wilson on the all-tourney team. “It was everyone collectively. Being seniors, it feels a lot better. It was a great feeling.”

United, the No. 5 seed this year, capped its season with a record of 17-9-0.

“These girls are awesome,” first-year United head coach Kennedy Blair said. “They’ve worked super, super hard since last April. Wake up early in the mornings, go into off-ice training, on-ice training and all that.

“This group of girls is really special. They’re a really close-knit group, and they trusted our coaching staff coming in as a first-year group.”

030226 WFGOUnited2.jpg — West Fargo United players pose for the camera as they wait for the 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Blair knows a thing or two about winning championships. She was a North Dakota state champion goaltender with the former Bismarck Blizzard co-op and also won an NCAA Division I national title with the Wisconsin women’s program in 2021.

Yet, she never imagined ending her first year as a high school varsity coach with a state championship.

“No, I didn’t,” said Blair, who also won North Dakota High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. “But I had belief in these girls that we could get to the state championship again.”

It’s the United co-op’s first-ever state title — which consists of West Fargo, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo Horace high schools.

Prior to Saturday, the last time a West Fargo girls program won the state title was in 2014 when it was still a standalone program competing as the Packers.

“It’s amazing considering United hockey has never won a championship game,” Wilson said.

Grand Forks, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, ended its campaign with a 21-5-0 record.

Ella Yahna’s fourth goal of the tournament — which came on a 2-on-1 rush with the assist from teammate Reese Meagher, put the KnightRiders within one shot with 8:17 remaining in the third.

Grand Forks, however, was unable to find the equalizer as its bid for a first state championship came up just short.

“I thought we came out in the first and we had a tough time,” Grand Forks head coach Kelly Kilgore said. “I felt we battled some nerves. I really liked our second period … We carried the play and tilted the ice a little bit back in our favor. The shots kind of started to really turn in our favor.”

Stocker said she wouldn’t have wanted to win a state title as a senior with any other group of teammates.

“(They mean) everything,” Stocker said. “We’re so tight and they’re all my friends. Leaving them is going to be hard. But they mean everything to me. We’re all so close and I love them a lot.”