Editor’s note: This is the third in a four-part series highlighting the year that was in area prep sports. In part three, The Forum takes a look back at the most memorable prep sports moments that occurred from July through September.

FARGO — Part two of our Forum Flashback series highlighted 2025’s most memorable moments in area prep sports from the months April through June.

On to part three, where we’ll glance at more noteworthy items that took place in preps from July through September this year. Let’s roll.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

The USA Wrestling Junior Nationals returned to the Fargodome and brought thousands of wrestlers from across the country to the metro.

David Samson/The Forum

Moorhead’s Taye Reich and West Fargo Horace’s Cason Borchardt were each selected to represent the Midwest at the USA Baseball 16U National Team Identification Series Championship Cup in North Carolina the next month.

Borchardt later committed to NCAA Division I Oregon in September. Reich remains uncommitted and undecided on a future in baseball or football.

US Youth Soccer

The future is bright for girls soccer in North Dakota and western Minnesota as the Dakota Fusion 15U girls soccer team took gold at the US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup finals in Tampa, Florida.

The Fusion defeated the Whatcom FC Rangers (Washington) 3-0 in the title match with Grand Forks Red River’s Taylor Hodny recording two goals.

It was reported in July that Fargo Post 2’s Jack Williams Stadium would also undergo a $500,000 renovation to begin in the fall.

The project entails some new grandstand seating, new standing-room areas and reinforcement of the existing backstop wall.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

The Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Post 397 American Legion baseball team put up 16 runs and toppled Warroad 16-1 in five innings to win the Minnesota Division II Senior Northwest Sub-State tournament and punch their ticket to state.

DGF was tasked with beating Warroad twice in the double-elimination final, having put up 16 runs in the first game as well.

David Samson / The Forum

The West Fargo Horace trap shooting team ventured to Michigan in July to compete in the USA High School Clay Target League National Championship.

The Hawks were one of 260 high school teams from across the country to qualify for the team event. Team members consisted of Eli Janes, Garrett Hogfoss, Colten Johnston, Elijah Pollert and Ryder Stoutland.

Anna Paige / The Forum

High school and youth wrestlers got a WrestleMania treatment of sorts when West Fargo Sheyenne hosted its second annual Stampede at the Stable outdoor tournament.

More than 360 wrestlers from across the region took part in the 12-mat tourney, which took place beneath the lights at Sheyenne’s football stadium.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

With their backs against the wall, the West Fargo Patriots beat Fargo Post 400 twice in the double-elimination championship final to claim the North Dakota Class 2A American Legion title for the second year in a row.

The Patriots defeated the Stars 4-0 in Game 1 before clinching the repeat with a 6-1 decision in the winner-take-all Game 2.

Both teams went on to represent North Dakota at the Central Plains Regional tournament, with West Fargo advancing to the final before falling to Lincoln East.

David Samson / The Forum

Off of their first-ever state title in March, members of the Moorhead boys hockey team were presented with their championship rings at a ceremony in August.

The rings featured the signature Moorhead “M” inside two circles with “Moorhead Hockey” and “State Champions” above and below. On the side it read “Spuds” and on the band read “Worth the wait.”

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

The West Fargo Sheyenne girls golf team capped an unbeaten season with a record-low two-day total of 14-over 302 to claim their first-ever North Dakota Class A team state championship.

Individually, the Mustangs’ Zoe Keene rallied from four shots down entering the final day and edged out Fargo Davies’ Rose Solberg in a two-hole playoff to secure individual medalist honors at the Fargo Country Club.

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

The inaugural Landon’s Light Outdoor Volleyball Invitational was held at The Lights in West Fargo in September.

Eight metro high school teams took to the floor in support of the Landon’s Light Foundation in a spectacle organizers said they hope to host annually and expand.

PARK RAPIDS – It took some time for the Park Rapids volleyball team to click as a unit.

With the entire team taking on new roles, the Panthers opened the season with a 2-16 record. Park Rapids played its best volleyball down the stretch, finishing the regular season with a 4-5 mark for a 6-22 overall record.

“Overall, I felt the season was a success despite the win-loss record,” said Park Rapids head coach Alicia Dennis. “We faced a tough schedule in a strong conference, and given the circumstances, the team’s growth and effort were significant.”

Having to replace five starters from last season while having three regulars see varsity minutes for the first time resulted in six losses to open the season. After dropping a five-setter to Nevis (25-23, 25-23, 25-27, 22-25, 15-10), the Panthers were swept by Park Christian (25-13, 25-22, 25-9), Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (25-17, 25-18, 25-7), Wadena-Deer Creek (25-19, 25-10, 25-21) and Breckenridge (25-23, 25-14, 25-11).

After a loss to Lake Park-Audubon (25-16, 16-25, 3-1) to open the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Invitational, Park Rapids defeated Warroad (25-14, 25-21) before dropping matches to Blackduck (25-22, 25-21), Sacred Heart (25-13, 25-13) and Menahga (22-25, 25-20, 15-9) for a 1-4 record in the tournament.

Losses to Sebeka (25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 32-30) and Pelican Rapids (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 25-18) followed before the Panthers swept Menahga (25-20, 25-19, 25-15). A five-match losing streak followed, beginning with losses to Frazee (25-23, 25-14, 25-15), Hawley (25-15, 25-18, 25-23) and Thief River Falls (19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21).

At the Perham Invitational, the Panthers opened with losses to Henning (25-20, 26-24) and Kittson County Central (25-13, 25-12) before closing with wins over Staples-Motley (25-19, 17-25, 15-8) and Underwood (25-22, 25-11).

After another win over Staples-Motley (23-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-17, 15-13), the Panthers dropped matches to Perham (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) and Barnesville (25-18, 25-12, 25-22) before opening the Fergus Falls Blocktoberfest Invitational with a loss to Fergus Falls (25-13, 25-21). Park Rapids followed a win over Lake of the Woods (25-8, 25-11) with losses to Detroit Lakes (22-25, 25-16, 18-16) and Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (25-14, 25-19) to close out that tournament and the regular season.

Park Rapids tied Pelican Rapids and Staples-Motley for last place in the HOL standings at 1-7. Hawley won the conference title with an 8-0 record with D-G-F (7-1), Perham (6-2), Frazee (4-4), Barnesville (4-4) and Breckenridge (4-4) following. Hawley defeated W-DC for the section title and went on to repeat as the state Class AA champions.

Going 2-8 against Section 8AA teams gave Park Rapids the No. 11 seed for the section tournament. No. 6 Wadena-Deer Creek ended the Panthers season with a sweep (25-13, 25-9, 25-21) in the first round.

Vance Carlson / Enterprise

In 27 matches (stats from the Menahga match at the W-H-A Invitational were not available), the Panthers served 143 aces with 139 service errors and had 726 kills with 514 attack errors while making 183 errors on serve receive. The opposition had 818 kills with 403 hitting mistakes and 182 service aces with 127 service errors while making 143 errors on serve receive.

Leading the Panthers this season were seniors Maggie Huber, Macey Jalbert, Natalie Weiss and Allie Michaelson; juniors Anna Rickbeil and Adrienne Cook; sophomore Olivia Budzien; and freshmen Ryann Hagen and Mckenzie Brady-Baso.

Huber led the team with 315 set assists and was third with 228 digs and 20 blocks. Huber put 294 of 301 serves in play with 22 aces and had 133 kills in 27 matches.

Jalbert posted a team high in kills with 180, tied for second with 32 ace serves, and was second with 232 digs and 160 set assists while adding 22 blocks. Jalbert put 206 of 231 serves in play in 27 matches.

Michaelson was the team leader with 26 blocks while finishing second with 155 kills. Michaelson put 72 of 80 serves in play with 10 aces and had 79 digs in 27 matches.

In 27 matches, Weiss contributed 58 kills, 17 ace serves and 124 digs while putting 170 of 180 serves in play.

Rickbeil, who was the starting libero last season, shared the team lead with 82 ace serves while putting 184 of 209 serves in play. Rickbeil also had 53 kills and 169 digs in 27 matches.

Cook also played in all 27 matches and went 196 for 203 in serves with 18 aces while chipping in 85 kills and 145 digs.

Contributed / Caulfield Studio

Hagen led the Panthers with 239 digs and put 161 of 186 serves in play in 27 matches. Brady-Baso was second with 23 blocks and had 32 kills and 26 digs in 25 matches. Budzien pounded down 21 kills and had 21 blocks in 22 matches.

Sophomores Maddison Shepherd (three matches); freshmen Ella Carroll (four matches), Kenzie Strasburg (seven matches) and Clara Kimball (seven matches); and eighth grader Harper Fogarty (one match) also saw some varsity time.

Huber was named to the all-conference team while Jalbert received all-conference honorable mention honors. Huber, Jalbert and Michaelson received all-state academic honors as the team received an all-state Gold Award. Team awards went to Huber (Panther of the Year), Jalbert (Iron Heart Award), Weiss (Paragon Award), Cook (Most Valuable Teammate), Michaelson (Cornerstone Award) and Hagen (Rising Star Award).

The Panthers will look to replace the four seniors in hopes of improving in the conference and section standings next season.

“With nearly every player stepping into a new role or varsity position for the first time, the improvement from the start of the season to the end was clear,” said Dennis. “The season was also defined by a group of seniors who understood the expectations, showed up ready to work, held themselves accountable, and helped spark a meaningful culture shift. I am grateful for their leadership and the foundation they helped build. This is a young team with talent and grit, and many players are beginning to realize they want more and are motivated for next season.”

The Moore League made itself at home at the LBCC Sand Courts, with three of the league’s teams competing for a CIF-SS title last May.

First up, it was Long Beach Poly taking on Canyon for the Division 3 title, and the Jackrabbits trailed 2-1, putting their backs against the wall in the remaining two matches. After getting the match tied, it all came down to Simone Millsap and Alyssa Luna’s result on Court 4.

The Jackrabbit duo survived multiple match points with everyone looking on and surrounding their court, eventually pulling out a 17-15 win to claim the gold plaque.

“When you have your people cheering you on it is easy to feel motivated and secure,” said Luna.

In the next match, Wilson and Millikan rematched for the third time for the Division 2 title, with the Bruins battling their way to a 3-2 victory and a CIF crown.

After the teams split the first two results, Wilson won on Court 1 thanks to Moore League pairs champions Simrin Adams and Sadie Calderone, who rebounded after losing their opening set.

The match was decided on Court 4, where the Wilson duo of Iyla Alvarado and Jane Morrison won their third set, 15-11, to improve to 14-0 on the season and start the Bruins’ championship celebration.

“It was just, who has the better mentality?” Alvarado said. “Whoever has the better mentality is gonna win, so it was all about keeping our head up.”

The last time two Moore League schools faced off for a CIF title was back on Feb. 29, 2008, when Long Beach Poly’s girls’ basketball team defeated Millikan at Walter Pyramid in Long Beach.

Former Wisconsin volleyball outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres announced her commitment to Creighton University on Sunday.

The news arrives over a week after Shadd-Ceres announced her decision to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 19. She becomes the third former Badger to announce her commitment elsewhere, joining setter Addy Horner (TCU) and libero/defensive specialist Maile Chan (FSU).

Shadd-Ceres showcased her skill set during Wisconsin’s recent run to the Final Four, with three kills in the team’s regional triumph over Texas and another kill in its Final Four loss to Kentucky. In total, she tallied 12 kills in 16 appearances.

Chan, who committed to FSU on Sunday, appeared in 16 matches during the 2025 slate. Her opportunities were limited, considering her position behind star Charlie Fuerbringer on the depth chart. Horner, meanwhile, notched 19 kills in 71 sets as a freshman.