Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
That means it's time to visit with the sports editor
of the Grand Forks Herald, that is Tom Miller, and
he's a busy guy at this time of year. His
entire team is busy at this time of year, and
we appreciate him for joining us on this Friday morning,
the first day of November.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning, Tom, morning Paul, get a chat with you.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Good to chat with you as well.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
We can go all sorts of places here.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Let's start with the place we're going.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
We're heading to terror Dice to see Northcote football to
see if they can find a road win.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
They have to.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I just mentioned that in the last half hour. I
hate to put any onus on a half to or must,
but that's the reality of if they want to be
part of a FCS playoff picture, which is where you
start first and foremost, you have to be in that
picture and losing in tear out will not improve things.
So it's kind of a must. I would say, don't
(00:54):
you think that going into the weekend.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I mean, I don't think you want to enter your
situation where you've got to sweep the South Dakota programs
in the hill there center, So I mean you know,
mathematically would they be eliminated. You know, they could probably
beat South Kota South Kota State and that would be
an unheard of insane run that would gain national attention.
But yeah, I mean, all things considered, you went in
(01:22):
tarre Haute or you're done, And to be honest, you
should be probably right. Like if you go to Youngstown
in Tarahote you lose back to back, you're not a
playoff team. Yeah, I guess we're about to find out.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
One of the things, you know, somebody asked me about
the running quarterback on Saturday from Youngstown State, and I said,
you know, he did okay on design. He did okay
on design runs, right, But I said, you know when
he it's the ad lib runs. And it's always been
those runs against North Dakota's defense that is really hurt
(01:57):
North Dakota. And I said, you know, it's a multifaceted
thing there, because I said, it could be as simple
as having the wrong call. Defensively in your secondary you
may be in a man coverage. Well, well, quarterbacks love
when they're going to escape and add lib and make
things up in man coverage because most of the time
defensive backs at that point don't even know you've ejected
(02:19):
from the pocket until they're well down field. So it
makes it really tough. So I said, I said, it's
a multi factored, faceted situation trying to defend a quarterback
run game, especially when it's you know, scramble mode. That
that's when it gets really tough for anybody for that matter.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, and you know, I'd like to listen to a
few experts break that down. You know, I have to
imagine that it probably there's some issues that start on
the defensive line when you have a totally new group
there and now you have you take out your two
starters at the end and you're rolling with some guys
(02:57):
who are showing some night things but play Division three
football last year. Yeah, you know, but it's you know
that there's a lot of blame to go around when
when a guy takes off like that. And you know
the problem was that Youngstown had really had nothing else.
They had a drop back passing game that you know,
quarterback run guard just waited for everybody to kind of
(03:20):
make a lane and he took off. And it seems
so simple that it had been extra prostrating for North
Kota fans and coaches and players.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Yeah, and then when you when you look at the
quarterback now for Indiana State, he's bigger, he's more fullback.
You know, my biggest concern going into this game against
the Sycamores for North Dakota, if you ask me, is
the fifty to fifty run to pass ratio as an offense,
because that's really hard on a defense. When when an
(03:52):
offense is that balanced that that's actually the thing that
stands out to me is boy, that's a concern.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, you know, it'll be interesting to see if Indiana
State's got a little more throwing prowess. You know, I'm
curious that that quarterback might have a little more power
run game to him than run guards. Just overall athleticism.
I think maybe that could play into North Dakota's favor
a little bit more. But all things considered, Indiana State's
(04:23):
probably gonna look a heck of a lot like Youngstown State,
and shouldn't surprise you at this point.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Everybody takes their cues of what you're not doing well against,
so expect them to challenge North Dakota in ways that
Youngstone State did.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
You got to show us you can stop it.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
I totally agree offensively, you know, for all the fans
that stop me in a grocery store and say, what
about the backup quarterback does Simon Romfos play recently? Say
he's doing just fine in a starter's role of being
the type of quarterback that can win games for North Dakota.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
I thought personally that that was the most depressed I've
ever been with Simon Rumfold. I mean, just for starters
that he was on the road. He was nineteen to
twenty four, and I you know, three of those balls
were dropped. One was a reviewable play that could have
been a fifty to fifty call along the sideline, and
one was just a slight overthrow bow. So and I
(05:22):
thought it was more impressive than even you know, maybe
his higher yardage totals against like an Idaho State where
he hit on some deep balls. I thought, what impressed
me the most is that Simon fitballs into windows. You know,
he hit on balls that needed to be floated over
and underneath defender and and you know, under the overtop defender.
And I just thought he made he made some really
(05:45):
nice plays. And then what kind of gets forgotten about
because of the last play of the of overtime is
on third and twelve, him running for twenty four yards
and just a really gutsy manner that you know, it's
probably peak rum Fall from what we've seen.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, yeah, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Okay, turn our attention to your colleague, who's doing a
lot of good work out at Ithaca, New York. I've
already been following following him uh in his travel log basically,
and but the biggest storyline coming out of that charter
to Ithaca, New York too, as North's Golda gets sent
and ready to take on Cornell tonight in game one
(06:22):
of that two game series UH in upstate, is this
is that North Coots traveling light with some heavy hitters.
Obviously Bennett's Smolek has been out of the lineup here
for the last couple of weeks, but Cameron Berg not
making the trip, that's a big one for for North
Gota hockey because he's just a steady eddy and a
very talented one at that. So that's a big storyline
(06:43):
I think for North Kota Hockey.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah, we barely got to November and I feel like
we're talking about injuries and hockey that seems a little
bit early, you know. Uh, but yeah, that uh oh,
that'll be interesting. Uh. I got to imagine there's a
few guys battlings of sickness like they're always are in hockey.
I know our our house is a med zone right
now between two kids and me and my wife. So
(07:08):
I gotta imagine there's a lot of college campuses dealing
with that right now too.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Yeah, good point. Now that's a see there's a lot
of stuff going around.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Can't wait to be on a plane in a closed condition,
and everybody, this German photo phobe is not gonna love
that at all. Basketball the other night, you indie men's
basketball gave a little glimpse of twenty twenty four. It's
not an end product, it's just the beginning. Lots of
(07:36):
sights and sounds. You had Abby on reporting on it.
I'm sure you talk to her about it. What did
you guys pull away from Northcote's first little peel back
of the curtain to kind of show what twenty four
to twenty five could be?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Yeah, and AWO interesting opportunity to see guys that I'd
never seen, and a lot of hadn't seen. I get
I didn't get to see the game. But I you know,
tracked on the box score and listened to you a
little bit, and so you know, I'm just curious to see,
you know, mere Panoam from Tulane and Reggie Thomas from Hastings,
(08:14):
and Panoam had a looks like he had a fantastic
start and I saw the highlights. You know, looks like
he's a guy who could finish through some contact and
and cost some havoc on the defensive end. So nice
little start for some guys. I'm sure there was some
some uh some nerves. You saw some some of the
new guys, you know, start a little cold from the outside.
(08:35):
So I'll be be curious to see if those if
the those stats can uh you know change up and
and you can rely on some of those guys like
a like a Mara or a Thomas or or a
Mayar from from from from the outside. And Zach Kraft
got some run as well. So yeah, just go an
opportunity to to see all the new guys and see
(08:56):
how they might fit into the mix.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Yeah, it's interesting both teams, the women and the men,
unveiling their seasons for real andcountable games. Monday, afternoon and
Monday night women in Youngstown, Ohio have fun with that.
And also the men on Fort Collins, Colorado to take
on the Mountain Wests or soon to be Pack twelve
(09:18):
Colorado State Rams.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
So it's happening.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
I know your team, or at least you guys were
partnered with probably your brothers in arms from forum covering
a lot of the section action down in Fargos Steven
Argyle back in the state quarterfinals. I thought that story
was an interesting read where their running back is really
starting to kick on, and you know, Warren elvar Ada
(09:44):
Oslo pretty nice to be in that game, to have
that opportunity. We're in it early just kind of got
worn down, I think, but a nice story there. Fortible
Trammi's rolling still and as I said, Menoman Wobbin still
doing Monoman Wobbin things. So that was my big takeaway
out of so to playoff action yesterday. I'll let you
share her on that. But also Red River goes tonight.
(10:04):
So high school football playoff action.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
We're we're rolling, aren't we.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Yeah. Yeah, You've got a few schools still alive in
our area there with like you said, Menovin Robbin Steven
and Fertile moving on. Another big game for Isaiah right
for Fertile Bell Tramming, He's had a heck of a career.
And then yeah, the Blaine Smith and Stephen Argyll, uh,
(10:31):
who's who's being recruited by some of the D two
NAI schools in the area has turned into a nice
player as well. Red River's got a big one tonight,
starts the attempt to win a state championship, something I
wrote about in today's paper hasn't been done at red
River in school history, and spoke to spoke to Nick
(10:53):
Stitchy yesterday about about some of the close calls in
nineteen eighty two and nineteen eighty seven. And this team's
got a good shot as any to to finally get
it done.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
And yet I would say that there's a couple of
dangerous teams out there for red River. I was thinking
it might be a runaway mid season the way red
River was playing, and then all of a sudden you
look around and Wappington is really kind of done well
that I think they're quite dangerous, and they're still West
Fargo Horrors, who I think is still fairly formidable as well.
(11:24):
So it's not where I was thinking maybe walk. Originally,
I think, boy, there's there's some tough land mines out
there to get a state title.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Yeah, one hundred percent, and you you hit him on
the head. I thought, I've been super impressed with Wapington,
and I think red River's got to feel pretty fortunate
that they'll never have to go to Wapington to get
to the to get to the state championship or win
a state championship, because you know, going to Wapton and
going to Devil's Lake, you're gonna you gotta play really well,
(11:54):
as a coach might say, you know, So that having
to come through Cushman Grand Forks, I think gives the
Riders a leg up. But it's not gonna be a
walk in the park like it potentially, Like you said,
it was shaping up to be a runaway for red
River for a while, but they're gonna have to earn
it here.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Yeah, no doubt about it. Well, again, the sports scene
very cluttered and just a lot of stuff going on
to continue to follow. We knew that was coming as
we're into what we call crossover season, where basically your
basketball start getting worked in and then you still have
football and hockey and still high school playoff time with
(12:34):
you know, volleyball tournaments and those things getting ramped.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Up as well.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
I don't know how you guys do it very carefully.
You must be very good at spreadsheets or something like that. Tom,
So good on you for that. But hey, we'll follow
it here in the next several days ahead in our
copies or at least in our digital editions of the
Grand Forks Herald. And I will say, there's a great
I'm glad I'm a subscriber because and I got to
(13:00):
read the article from Abby on Trace and Eagle Staff
and him playing in all the pickup games and stuff
like that, because it was a really well done article.
And I would encourage people if they don't have that
access to do it because it's articles like that that
are just so awesome and give you a really good
glimpse inside somebody who continues to be at the forefront
(13:22):
of you and d athletics and Trace and Eagle Staff
vote of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Really really cool story there. So I would.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Assume that that's why you'd tell people to get their
copy or their digital subscription to the Grand Fork Herald.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Indeed, She's also got another one today in today's edition
about Tracon's brother who is a freshman at Kansas City.
So there's two Ego staffs in the summer league now,
and so yeah, we're starting to crank out some basketball coverage. Here.
My voice is given away here, Paul, I apologize.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
No, that's okay. Just drink tea.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
I guess whatever you have to do. But anyway, it's
seven point fifty. We'll let Tom go.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
Tom.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
We'll see on the plane today you have. We'll see
what at all how it all turns out. Hopefully our
flight back is a happy one tomorrow night. Thanks for
this look in this morning, and we appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
All right, see you, super Paul, take care.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
All right, There goes Tom Miller, sports editor of the
Grand Forks Herald. We appreciate his insights from following a
comprehensive sports scene that is right here Grand Forks, East
Grand Forks and throughout the region right now, where it's
a lot of things happening.