devilslakejournal
Recent developments in Lake Region athletics include a major college commitment, a classification decision, a milestone achievement, and new coaching hires.
Slade Chooses Boise State
Dagan Slade, a Nelson County athlete from Michigan, N.D., who attends Dakota Prairie High School, has announced her commitment to the Boise State track and field program. Slade has captured the last two Class B shot put state championships and owns a personal best of 47 feet, 7 inches. She also finished sixth in the discus last spring.
Before deciding, Slade took official visits to both North Dakota Division-I schools, UND and North Dakota State, as well as Princeton, South Dakota State, and Drake. Boise State now competes in the new-look Pac-12 alongside Gonzaga, Oregon State, and San Diego State after previously being in the Mountain West. Her top shot put mark would have placed seventh at last spring's Mountain West championship and would have ranked third among Boise State competitors. She still has her senior season to improve.
Langdon Area/Munich Stays in Division B
Rumors had circulated this fall about whether the Langdon Area/Munich sports cooperative would move to Division A next year. As recently as a few weeks ago, the situation was uncertain. However, multiple sources have confirmed that the Cardinals will remain in Division B for now and are expected to stay there for at least two more years. LA/M was reportedly near the high school enrollment cutoff of 162.5 that separates Division A and B for volleyball and basketball, both of which use three-class systems in North Dakota.
The Cardinals have won two consecutive state championships in Division B volleyball and are ranked No. 1 in the division again this year. In basketball, the boys won a district championship last year, while the girls have qualified for state in seven of the last nine seasons. LA/M could still move up to Division A in the future depending on enrollment changes.
Streyle Reaches 3,000 Assists
Benson County junior setter Liberty Streyle surpassed 3,000 career assists on Oct. 19, a rare accomplishment with her senior year still ahead. All-time leaderboards for individual assists in North Dakota volleyball are not widely publicized. The state record holder is believed to likely be LaMoure-Litchville/Marion's Jackie Meiklejohn, who had 4,841 career assists entering her final state tournament, according to 2017 reporting from the Jamestown Sun. Very few players have reached 4,000, and the exact number is unknown.
Aside from Meiklejohn, documented cases of North Dakota high school volleyball players reaching 4,000 assists are virtually impossible to find. Conversations with longtime North Dakota volleyball observers suggest that if Streyle has another strong senior season, she could rank at least in the top five in state history in career assists, if not higher.
LRSC Volleyball Signs Three
The Lake Region State College volleyball season recently ended, and the Royals have already announced three signings for the 2027-28 team. The first was Sam Anderson, an outside hitter from Park River/Fordville-Lankin. Anderson and the Aggies reached a state qualifier last season and entered this year's Region 2B tournament as the No. 3 seed from District 3.
LRSC later announced two signings from Ray High School: setter/outside hitter Brinlee Cancade and outside hitter Ava Long. Ray was the No. 4 seed from District 3 in this year's Region 3 tournament. Both Cancade and Long were all-district honorees. The Royals noted that Cancade can hit, set, and defend while bringing experience and versatility in many roles. "She is super athletic, hits the ball hard and can control the ball very well!" the team wrote. "We're so pumped for Brinlee to wear blue next season!" Long was described as a scrappy defender and powerful hitter who can jump out of the gym, adding athleticism and intensity to the squad.
New Boys Basketball Coaches at Warwick, Benson County
High school basketball season is approaching, and a couple of area teams have new coaches leading their boys programs. Justin Herman is the new head coach for Benson County, succeeding Dustin Paulson. The Wildcats are coming off a 3-18 season and will return two of their best players in guard Aiden Rodriguez and post Grant Haagenson this winter.
Jason Gregory is the new head coach at Warwick in the first year of the Warwick/Minnewaukan co-op. Warwick legend Robert Lawrence was hired as the Warriors' head coach a year ago but went 3-16 in his lone season. Gregory, the father of Devils Lake athletes Talan and Brinly Gregory, has extensive basketball coaching experience, including at Grand Forks Red River and Devils Lake. He also currently holds the Four Winds cross country head coaching position. Warwick returns senior Anthony Touche Jr., who scored more than 30 points per game last season. The Warriors will also add Minnewaukan senior Easton Kraft, who did not play basketball as a junior when Minnewaukan was still co-opping with Four Winds. Kraft also plays infield on the Devils Lake baseball team.
The Warwick/Minnewaukan girls have a new coach as well: Ramon Malnourie. The Warriors went 0-12 last year before canceling their season in February due to injuries and numbers. The Warwick girls have not played any postseason games in either of the last two seasons.
Gourd Racks Up Offers
Four Winds girls basketball standout Suri Gourd has been busy on the recruiting trail since last season ended. Gourd has received seven offers, all from NCAA Division II teams. Six are Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference schools: Minot State, Bemidji State, Minnesota State Moorhead, University of Mary, Jamestown, and Minnesota Crookston. The other is Black Hills State in South Dakota.
Gourd surpassed 1,000 career points as a freshman and has 1,645 for her career with two high school seasons still to play. She led the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Lady Indians to a 16-8 record last year, averaging 26.1 points per game. Gourd's last three seasons were against Division A competition, while this upcoming season will be in Division B after Four Winds and Minnewaukan split up. Girls basketball season begins in early December.
Devils Lake to Host Legion State Tournament in 2027
After months of rumors, it is now official: Devils Lake will host the Legion baseball state tournament in 2027. A year after having to travel all the way to Williston, the Storm won't have to go far next summer. DLYA Field will be the host venue. This also means Devils Lake earns an automatic bid to state, regardless of what happens in the region tournament.
The Storm won the Class A Legion state title this past summer, their first Legion state championship since 1984. Devils Lake hosted the region tournament in 2025, bringing a large contingent of fans to the field located alongside Highway 2 going west of town. With this being a state tournament, crowds will likely be even larger. Volunteers will be needed to help the tournament run smoothly.
Originally reported by devilslakejournal.