|
Lance Rongstad (2) of Bemidji State and Michael Emge of Northern State reach for a loose ball last season. (American News Photo by John Davis / January 29, 2013) |
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Eleva, Wis., is a two-sport athlete and a biology major with a 3.6 graduate point average. In the last four years, his name has been a fixture on NSIC lists of athletic and academic awards.
After the Northern State men’s basketball team squeaked by Bemidji 58-55 Saturday night in Minnesota, coach Paul Sather had a lot of positive things to say about Rongstad in the radio post-game show hosted by the veteran voice of the Wolves, Gene Reich (94.1 FM, The Rock).
“Rongstad is a lot to deal with,” said Sather, who loves Rongstad’s competitiveness, toughness and attitude. “He is a butt-kicker. I think any football or basketball coach in our league would write him a letter of recommendation. He is a tough kid, and one of those kids opposing coaches are glad to see graduate so we don't have to deal with him anymore.”
Here is Rongstad vs. the Wolves during his career:
BASKETBALL
Jan. 26, 2013: NSU defeated BSU 58-55. Rongstad had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot.
Jan. 4, 2013: NSU 64-61. Rongstad: 7-2-2-0-0.
Jan. 28, 2012: NSU 70-55. Rongstad: 9-2-0-0-0.
Dec. 16, 2011: BSU 88-59. Rongstad: 11-6-1-1-1.
Jan. 29, 2011: NSU 84-82. Rongstad: 22-5-0-2-1.
Dec. 17, 2010: BSU 92-86. Rongstad: 14-5-1-0-0.
Jan. 15, 2010: NSU 67-65. Rongstad: 13-3-3-2-1.
FOOTBALL
Oct. 13, 2012: BSU 23-6. Rongstad: 182 yards passing with 2 touchdowns, 28 yards rushing.
Oct. 29, 2011: NSU 14-0. Rongstad: 71 passing, 12 rushing, 1 tackle.
Oct. 30, 2010: BSU 41-13. Rongstad played the first seven games, but missed the rest of the games including the one against NSU with a season-ending injury.
Sept. 26, 2009: BSU 42-20. Rongstad: 88 passing, 69 rushing.
More on NSU
NSU men’s basketball coach Paul Sather also has a lot of positive things to say about his own team.
The Wolves (16-5) are tied for first in the North Division with an 11-3 conference record and tied for second overall in the NSIC. NSU is tied with St. Cloud (15-3, 11-3 NSIC) in the North and both teams trail Mankato (16-2, 12-2) and Winona State (18-3, 12-2) in the overall standings.
However, Sather also knows his team has lots to improve upon. But its potential has him and NSU fans alike excited.
After a weekend NSIC sweep of Crookston and Bemidji last weekend, the Wolves are 6-1 on the road in the league. Big games loom this weekend as the Wolves load the bus again, playing at Winona at 8 p.m. Friday and at Upper Iowa (14-6, 10-4) at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The Wolves have great senior leadership in Collin Pryor, Dustin Tetzlaff and Geoffrey Firmin. It will be interesting to see how far those guys (and their teammates) can take this team.
With eight league games left, this weekend could reveal a little of the endings of the regular-season story in the NSIC. Not to mention that it could spoil the ending for some.
But this league has become scary in every sport. Sather does a good job of constantly re-enforcing that lesson.
He knows that you have to be prepare for the fight of your life against every league opponent. If teams don’t make every moment of practice count during the week, it could come back to bite them on the weekend.
Sather doesn’t like to get bitten.
They are no more gimmes in the NSIC. Go into a league game unprepared, come out a loser.
And about the time you start thinking you have something won in this league, watch the opposing team snatch it away. It is becoming a common storyline in the NSIC.
Wolves women
The Northern State women also are in the hunt for a NSIC title.
The Wolves are 13-5 overall and 9-5 in the league. Augustana, Mankato and St. Cloud are all 14-4 and 10-4, and all trail leader Concordia-St. Paul (13-5, 11-3). St. Cloud leads the North Division and NSU is in second.
The league coaches picked NSU to finish 10th overall and fourth in the North. The NSIC women coaches knew the Wolves were coming into this season with a group of mostly inexperienced players.
But if you ask the league coaches about what is going awry with their predictions regarding NSU, they probably all would casually shrug and point to coach Curt Fredrickson. No amount of success his teams have is surprising to any of the coaches because success has followed Fredrickson’s career like a full-court press.
Things to know
- Cameron McCaffrey’s three-pointer with one second remaining in overtime gave Augustana (14-4, 10-4) a 82-79 win over Mankato Saturday. He scored 19 of the Vikings’ last 26 points.
- Lee Keller of Aberdeen is organizing a NSU football reunion for this summer (June 6 at Lager’s Inn).
- On Monday, Aberdeen bowler and radio DJ Rusty Rokit (94.1 FM, The Rock) got recognized statewide for his recent eighth career 300 game on Calling All Sports with Mark Ovenden and Mike Henriksen.
- Trailing Bemidji 62-57 late in Saturday’s game and with only two team fouls, the NSU women’s basketball team committed five fouls in 13 seconds to start sending the Beavers to the line.
- It was a big weekend for the Pierre high school senior basketball duo of Creighton recruit Zach Hanson and SDSU recruit Lane Severyn in the Black Hills. They combined for 37 of Pierre’s 42 first-half points in the Governors’ 82-58 win over Rapid City Central Friday, and then led Pierre (8-4) to a 82-45 win over Sturgis Saturday. For the weekend, they combined for 77 points and 23 rebounds against Central and 54 points and 10 rebounds against Sturgis.
- Corsica/Stickney boys’ basketball Mike Tuschen got career win 400 last week. He is is fourth among active boys’ coaches, behind Custer coach Larry Luitjens, McCook Central/Montrose coach and NSU graduate Bill Marquardt and Winner coach Jim Drake.
- Benjamin Brayfield of the Rapid City Journal earned kudos for his newspaper lead about the bull riding event at last weekend’s Rapid City Stock Show and Rodeo: “There’s one profession that requires a flak jacket, but doesn’t involve bullets. Bull riding.”
John Papendick is the managing news-sports editor for the American News: jpapendick@aberdeennews.com.
Twitter: @jpapendick
