2013: The Cardinals roll through the regular season and for the first time in school history, reach the Division III semifinals and square off against Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Played in a blizzard, with snow piling up on the field, the lead changes hands seven times. 2002: John Thorne replaces Joe DeGeorge as North […]
2013: The Cardinals roll through the regular season and for the first time in school history, reach the Division III semifinals and square off against Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Played in a blizzard, with snow piling up on the field, the lead changes hands seven times.
2002: John Thorne replaces Joe DeGeorge as North Central’s head coach. Thorne had a wildly successful run as head coach at Wheaton Central and Wheaton Warrenville South from 1980-2021, winning four state championships.
He was part of the “retire at 55” movement among teachers in Illinois but decided a few years earlier he would step down and pursue a college job.
“It could have been a huge long shot that didn’t work out. Then I would have been in trouble. I would have had to go to work as a Walmart greeter or something like that. But it did, and it was a lot of fun.”
Nick Kukuc scores the team’s lone touchdown in a 20-10 home quarterfinal loss to Whitewater Dec. 4, 2010. A blizzard the morning of the game delayed the start time and necessitated the effort of dozens of staff members and volunteers to clear the field. Kukuc is the East Aurora football coach. Photo courtesy of Steve Woltmann/North Central College Athletics
Dierking: “I was a freshman and wasn’t supposed to play a lot, but one of our starting safeties went down. So our starting corner went to safety and I went in at corner and played most of that game. I just thought it was a blast, facing a heavy run team.
Dierking: “Not as much spite, but pure motivation. I hate losing more than I love winning and that sticks with me a long time. I found a way that I could use that competitiveness and do it for the good of helping young men achieve their goals of being champions on and off the field.”
Dierking: “Yeah, it was kind of like, ‘Now I’ve got to think about the real world.’ I had already thought about coaching, now I’ve got to see if I can make a living doing it.” (First of two parts)
Did the loss to Mount Union influence the decision to go into coaching? Did he have any thoughts of, “This fight isn’t over yet?”
“I just remember Whitewater’s championship culture kicked in and they won the game in the fourth quarter. It was a great learning point that, ‘Hey, we can play at that level,’ but those teams have the championship DNA and they know how to finish.”
2005: North Central plays in its first playoff game, losing 21-19 to Capital (Ohio).
It’s not like there was an opening at the top. Mount Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater used to completely dominate Division III. Those two schools played each other for the title nine times in 10 years between 2005-14.
2012: North Central travels to the West Coast two weeks in a row for the playoffs, beating Cal Lutheran before falling to Linfield (Oregon).
Thorne: “Jeff (Thorne) was a really great recruiter and Brad was great, especially at getting kids out of (the immediate area). As a Naperville Central grad, he had a great story to tell them: ‘It’s OK to stay close to home.’”
Spencer: “Fanthorpe was probably my biggest recruit at that point of my career. We threw a post route to Hlavac, who was probably my second-biggest recruit at that time.”
Spencer: “What changed? Everything. Coach Thorne brought a winning mentality. He brought a certain way to think, a certain way to practice, a certain way to lift, to study film. We still use the phrase to this day, ‘Refuse to lose.’ It’s more of a life motto than it is a football motto. Coach Thorne would talk a lot in those early days about overcoming adversity and making a decision to be a winner.”
Spencer: “(Thorne) didn’t come in and say, ‘We’re going to win a national title.’ He came in and said, ‘We need to beat Wheaton, we need to beat Augie, we need to Wesleyan, we need to beat Millikin. We need to have a 3.0 GPA. We need to have 20-plus seniors.
The correct answer is it took a few thousand little steps over the course of roughly 20 years to turn the small college in downtown Naperville into a football power. The Cardinals (14-0) are in Houston, waiting to make their fifth straight appearance in the Stagg Bowl on Sunday night against Mount Union (Ohio).
“I think that’s one of the places where coaches can get things wrong is if they just go, ‘We’re going to win a national title, we’re going to win a conference title.’ Well, there’s 100 steps before you can do that. Coach Thorne really taught us in those early years to have micro-goals along the way to those big goals.”
But North Central has taken over. The Cardinals won their first championship in 2019 and will be looking for their third national title on Sunday. This fall North Central has been ranked No. 1 all season, with an average margin of victory of 43 points, and won the semifinal game against Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) 66-0.
2011: Wabash (Indiana) rallies from a 28-7 deficit to beat North Central 29-28 in the playoffs, getting a TD and 2-point conversion with 52 seconds left.
2006: The Cardinals record their first playoff win, beating Concordia (Wisconsin) 35-6, before losing in the second round.
Thorne: “I got tired of smelling the organic chemicals in chemistry lab and grading the same kinds of papers. I loved teaching, don’t get me wrong, but I just really wanted a new challenge. (Son) Jeff and I always wondered how we could do at the college level. I started looking at colleges that were close to where we lived (interviewing for assistant roles at Elmhurst and Lake Forest).
There are 240 schools playing Division III college football and North Central head coach Brad Spencer has heard the same question from many of them.
North Central College quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe passes during 2nd quarter action against Wheaton College in Naperville. Marcelle Bright | Staff Photographer
In Sunday’s Part 2: The family business changes hands and the climb continues.
Let’s take a detailed look at the timeline and chronicle how North Central made the improbable rise, through the eyes of Spencer, former head coach John Thorne and current defensive coordinator Shane Dierking.
Spencer: “That was the start of this campus changing quite a bit. President Hal Wilde at the time really did a nice job of setting a vision and fundraising and I think the building of the stadium was a big domino to fall. Then all of the sudden you had this sleeping giant that had a great stadium, great campus, was in the middle of one of the best towns in America, and had Chicago on its doorstep.”
2004: North Central goes 6-4 and 7-3 in Thorne’s first two seasons, with Spencer serving as a cocaptain.
2010: North Central goes 12-0 until losing at home to Whitewater 20-10 in the third round of the playoffs. An overnight snowstorm forced kickoff to be delayed a few hours, then the Cardinals couldn’t hold a 10-7 lead after three quarters.
How did you do it? How did North Central make the move from modest program to national powerhouse?
Sept. 11, 1999: North Central opens a new 5,500-seat facility (now called Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium) after a flood destroyed the old football field. Besides Cardinals football and soccer, the stadium was also home to the Chicago Fire of MLS for two seasons while Soldier Field was being renovated.
“They always say that as a head coach, everybody has your phone number,” Spencer said, “which you don’t really understand until people do get your phone number.”
Spencer caught a game-winning touchdown pass in 2003 to beat Illinois Wesleyan for the first time in more than a decade.
Finally, Mount Union scores with 1:07 on the clock and hangs on to win 41-40. It was Dierking’s last game as a player, so he had plenty to think about during the bus ride back to Naperville, which took about nine hours due to the snowy weather.
2007: In one of the craziest finishes in school history, North Central wins its first road playoff game at Franklin (Indiana) 44-42 on a 19-yard pass from Aaron Fanthorpe to Steve Hlavac (both from Naperville North) as time expires.
North Central College players Joe Schneiderbauer, 11, Shane Dierking, 25, and Kane Thompson, 44, bring down a St. Norbert player at Saturday’s playoff football game. North Central College went on to win 57 to 7. Suzanne Caraker/scaraker@dailyherald.com
On the Air: How Scott Van Pelt became ESPN’s most trusted anchor
Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry. Live television after a big game can be mayhem. Production associates are hurriedly finishing shot sheets and cutting highlights while producers offer […]
Welcome back to “On the Air,” in which Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
Live television after a big game can be mayhem. Production associates are hurriedly finishing shot sheets and cutting highlights while producers offer instructions to the postgame anchor and communicate with the game crew on-site. Many times, production team members from the stadium or arena are setting up audio and video with the game’s hero, preparing the star performer for an interview with the postgame host.
In the midst of the pandemonium, viewers look to the anchor to enthusiastically deliver highlights, direct traffic and fill time with commentary when there’s an unexpected delay. No one at ESPN performs television’s postgame juggling act better than SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt. In fact, Van Pelt has been so good for so long that it’s easy to take his work for granted.
Take this past Wednesday night. After Arkansas committed costly blunders in its 6-5 College World Series loss to LSU, Van Pelt opened his interview with analyst Kyle Peterson by focusing on the dejected state of the Arkansas players.
“I saw young men in tears and you realize what it means,” Van Pelt said. He then went on to ask Peterson about some of the mental errors Arkansas had made, but for a brief moment, Van Pelt reminded us of something fans can forget: these players are human. Their season was over, their dreams shattered. It wasn’t a moment to pass blame, as debate shows often do. Van Pelt’s observation presented an opportunity for viewers to feel the Razorbacks’ pain.
It’s one of the things that separates Van Pelt from his peers. Besides that, he is an excellent conversationalist and interviewer. Van Pelt understands that as the face of the show, he’s allowed to give opinions and to even set up his questions with some editorializing, but he does it intelligently and in a way that gives his interview subjects somewhere to go.
After Oklahoma City’s comeback win over Indiana in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Van Pelt teed up his question to analyst Tim Legler this way: “For the balance of this evening, it felt like we were going to be talking about the home team (Indiana) ahead 3 games to 1 in this series. They had a 10-point lead late in the 3rd. But Oklahoma City managed to stay in the fight and, when push came to shove — sometimes literally — late, they had more and won. How?”
Van Pelt has mastered the art of cleverly infusing his questions with his own observations. It’s a mix of what SportsCenter used to be — just the highlights — with what sports television has now become: highlights, perspective, commentary, interviews and creative content.
And when news breaks, Van Pelt shines. After Buffalo Bills S Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency in 2023, Van Pelt sensitively guided viewers through. From tossing to various reporters on site to his conversation with analyst Ryan Clark, Van Pelt navigated a terrifying moment with professionalism and poise.
When ESPN rolled out this reimagined SportsCenter in 2015, Van Pelt told Sports Illustrated, “I’m an adult and so are many of the viewers and we will approach it that way. I’m not going to talk down to you. I have a sincere enthusiasm for what we get to do and I think that will translate. I think it will work because they have put me in a position where if it does not I would be surprised.”
Ten years later, not only has it worked, it has lifted Van Pelt’s career to new heights. He was named National Sportscaster of the Year in 2021, he’s the host of Monday Night Countdown — ESPN’s most important pregame show — and he’s the face of the network’s golf coverage.
While he has his detractors, Van Pelt has largely earned a level of trust with viewers that is difficult to attain in this divisive sports television age. He’s not a rambunctious provocateur like Pat McAfee. Don’t look for him to needlessly engage in verbal sparring matches with athletes the way Stephen A. Smith does. Van Pelt is an old school anchor who’s adopted new school approaches and it’s made him ESPN’s most respected host.
Plus: What else can Dan Orlovsky do at ESPN?
After hinting at an uncertain future with ESPN, longtime NFL and college football analyst Dan Orlovsky is expected to re-sign with the network, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Orlovsky will continue his work on NFL Live and the secondary Monday Night Football broadcast crew. He also appears on ABC college football studio coverage and across ESPN’s daytime talk shows.
As one of ESPN’s most prominent football voices, Orlovsky faces a dilemma. His reported talks to succeed CBS lead analyst Gary Danielson suggest he is, at minimum, open to the idea of becoming a lead game commentator. But ESPN’s prime spots — Troy Aikman for the NFL and Kirk Herbstreit for college football — are taken. Tom Brady is on the front end of his mammoth 10-year deal as Fox’s top NFL analyst, while Tony Romo gears up for another season on the primary CBS crew. Last year, Cris Collinsworth reportedly signed a contract extension that will keep him on as NBC’s Sunday Night Football analyst through the 2029-30 season.
Networks are signing large deals with their chief analysts, leaving no room for up-and-comers like Orlovsky to move up the ranks.
While he is just 41 years old, Orlovsky has worked for ESPN for seven years, gaining respect from viewers and industry professionals for his detailed tape breakdowns and unique insights. So respected is he that some have suggested he consider leaving broadcasting for coaching.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter addressed those sentiments earlier this year during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I think Dan aspires to be a head coach in time,” Schefter said. “He’s been talking to people to see if there’s a spot that would work for him. It’s not automatic. He does a great job on TV. Obviously he could stay in TV and do that for the rest of his career if that’s what he wanted.”
While his TV talent is hard to deny, his path to greener TV pastures could be a challenge. Orlovsky lacks the fame and career accolades of Aikman, Romo, Brady, or Peyton Manning. When you’re not a household name, a Super Bowl champion, a former Dallas Cowboy or a future Hall-of-Famer, the route to sports television’s most coveted assignments can be circuitous.
It is possible Orlovsky re-signed with the network because he likes where he is. His chemistry with the rest of the NFL Live cast is strong, and his appearances on ESPN’s daily talk shows allow him to connect with diverse audiences and stand out among his peers.
Orlovsky feels like an ESPN guy. But should he long for more, perhaps a spot on an “A” or “B” Sunday NFL crew, he’ll have to look outside ESPN and make some tough decisions about his broadcasting career.
$2,600,000 Gamble? USC Outbids Buckeyes In Bold NIL Move for Elite Edge Prospect
USC is making some big moves this offseason. The Trojans have landed elite edge rusher Luke Wafle. Josh Newberg and Steve Wiltfong of On3 sat down for an episode of “Wiltfong Whiparound” on Thursday to discuss how USC pulled off the commitment. ”Relentless recruiting,” Wiltfong said. “Over the weekend, I thought Luke Wafle was gonna […]
USC is making some big moves this offseason. The Trojans have landed elite edge rusher Luke Wafle.
Josh Newberg and Steve Wiltfong of On3 sat down for an episode of “Wiltfong Whiparound” on Thursday to discuss how USC pulled off the commitment.
”Relentless recruiting,” Wiltfong said. “Over the weekend, I thought Luke Wafle was gonna go to USC following his official visit to the Trojans campus.”
Penn State football head coach James Franklin takes a photo with recruit Luke Wafle and the Wafle family, including defensive tackle Owen Wafle (34), following the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in State College. The White team defeated the Blue team, 10-8.
Wiltfong opined that NIL played a role in Wafle’s commitment. It was originally suggested that Wafle would take his talents to Ohio State. However, according to Wiltfong, the Trojans offered the biggest NIL package to the four-star recruit, with the deal estimated to be two years and $2.2-$2.6 million.
“They came to terms from an NIL perspective and there was the best offer on the table financially,” Wiltfong said. “When Luke Wafle came back, slept on it, was still feeling USC …by Wednesday, they look like the program to beat.”
Cherry Hill West’s Jordon DeJesus Gonzalez is sacked by Middletown South’s Colin Gallagher and Luke Wafle during the first half of the Cherry Hill West vs. Middletown South NJSIAA Central Group 4 playoff football game at Middletown High School South in Middletown, NJ Friday, October 28, 2022. Mid03
Regardless of the financial aspect, USC is a good choice for Wafle. He is happy with the campus, already knows how to surf, and is confident that defensive line coaches Shaun Nua and Eric Henderson would develop him well as a player. However, Wiltfong argued that it all came down to money.
“At the end of the day, USC wins the bidding war, modern recruiting, to land one of the most coveted defensive players in the country in Luke Wafle and they add him to the No. 1 recruiting class in the land,” Wiltfong added.
While several top programs were in the running to land Wafle, USC’s bold NIL package secured the deal.
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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What Luke Wafle brings to USC
Luke Wafle is the top-ranked 2026 prospect from the state of New Jersey and adds to a Trojans class that On3 praises as the best in the country.
According to 247Sports, Wafle is a four-star recruit ranked as the No. 13 edge in his class. The sizable star stands at 6’5” and 245 pounds and is a dominant defensive force. In his junior season, he accumulated 140 total yards over nine games.
Wafle is an athletic edge with a high ceiling who was a highly sought-after defensive player.
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House vs. NCAA settlement could tame ‘Wild West,’ UNLV’s NIL boss says | Ed Graney | Sports
Bill Paulos is happy there will be more oversight, that the House vs. NCAA settlement demands more scrutiny of name, image and likeness deals within college athletics. That a centralized clearinghouse will be in charge of regulating any NIL transactions. Friends of UNILV is the collective for UNLV, one in which Paulos leads. The House […]
Bill Paulos is happy there will be more oversight, that the House vs. NCAA settlement demands more scrutiny of name, image and likeness deals within college athletics.
That a centralized clearinghouse will be in charge of regulating any NIL transactions.
Friends of UNILV is the collective for UNLV, one in which Paulos leads.
The House settlement allows athletes to be directly compensated by their schools via revenue sharing. There is a limit of $20.5 million this season, though that number has yet to be officially decided.
UNLV has opted in to terms of the settlement and will pay athletes directly. It’s unknown to what threshold the Rebels will reach when deciding how much to distribute.
Then there is the NIL money athletes can continue to receive.
NIL Go is the clearinghouse that will require any athlete to report deals more than $600. Contracts will be reviewed to guarantee they represent fair market value.
Whole new world
“I’m absolutely in favor of there being more (oversight),” Paulos said. “The unfortunate thing is there is a lot of mud in the water. Do you know how many applications there will be for anything over $600? Mind-boggling. We still don’t know what the real definition of revenue is going to be.
“It’s a new world with (the settlement) that will be in constant change. It’s like a new business model — NIL is the startup business. There will be trips and falls and mistakes, but there are a set of rules now. That’s a big step and certainly what the universities want.
“Things have gotten ridiculous with (NIL) across the country. It’s the Wild West. Hopefully, this means you will no longer have someone reach in their pocket and give a kid a million dollars for coming to their birthday party. You won’t be able to do that if you follow these new rules.”
Translation: A large percentage of previous NIL deals would not have been approved under the new system. Most of those were funded by boosters. You have a better chance at being approved via corporate sponsorships.
Which goes to the point about fair market value.
You would guess a starting quarterback at Alabama might be compensated more for a car dealership sponsorship in Tuscaloosa than one with the same deal in Provo, Utah. Even perhaps one in Las Vegas.
But the real goal is to eliminate any “pay for play” situations defined by NIL dollars. To curtail the millions often thrown at recruits to attend certain schools. The real goal is to tame the Wild West.
Here’s one fear, however: that many of the bigger deals simply won’t be reported for approval. That it will be more of a wink-wink situation between collectives and athletes.
“Look, if there’s a rule, someone out there is going to cheat it, unfortunately,” Paulos said. “But at least this is a beginning to try to control things. That’s a positive thing right now.”
Paulos said UNLV’s collective will pay the university some out of its donations while still compensating athletes via NIL deals. That there is still a Rolodex of donors willing to pay and that the collective can be a conduit between them and UNLV.
That commercial donors use such deals as business expenses when the athlete performs a service for them once cleared through NIL Go. The contract just can’t be excessive in what will be deemed fair market value or risk being rejected.
“We’ll be another fundraising arm for the university as long as it wants us,” Paulos said.
Coaches matter
The collective has taken in more money in the past four months than the past four years, Paulos said. He credits much of it to the excitement and anticipation of the football season, but also to coaches the Rebels have hired.
Lindy La Rocque reaffirmed her commitment to the women’s basketball program, ending rumors that she might be on the way out to take the head coaching job at Arizona.
Former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen was hired to continue the historic levels football reached over the past two years under Barry Odom.
Josh Pastner, a former coach at Memphis and Georgia Tech, now leads the men’s basketball program.
It has all made for more interest in UNLV athletics and more donations to NIL efforts.
“Quite frankly, the entire university has also stepped up,” Paulos said. “We’re doing this the right way in accordance with every rule. I can tell you exactly what each kid has made over the last four years — how many hours he or she has worked and where. And we will continue to operate in this manner.”
Get those contracts ready to be approved.
It’s a whole new NIL world, is right.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
Livvy Dunne’s NSFW Madelyn Cline College World Series joke
Olivia “Livvy” Dunne set social media abuzz Friday after making an apparent sexual reference about her and actress Madelyn Cline. The comment came in response to a post on X referencing the College World Series final matchup as the “Madelyn Cline vs Livvy Dunne bowl,” since Cline briefly attended Coastal Carolina and Dunne went to […]
Olivia “Livvy” Dunne set social media abuzz Friday after making an apparent sexual reference about her and actress Madelyn Cline.
The comment came in response to a post on X referencing the College World Series final matchup as the “Madelyn Cline vs Livvy Dunne bowl,” since Cline briefly attended Coastal Carolina and Dunne went to LSU, where she was on the gymnastics team.
Dunne quoted the post, writing: “Gooner World Series.”
“Gooner” is a slang term for a person who masturbates to pornography for a prolonged period of time, sometimes hours or days, without climaxing.
Olivia Dunne attends as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Social Club celebrates the launch of the 2025 Issue on May 16. Getty Images for Sports Illustrated
The post instantly went viral, with some users in the comments questioning whether Dunne had been hacked, while some joked that she was referencing a different meaning of “Gooner” — a nickname for Arsenal fans.
“I sweat this can’t be real,” wrote on user on X.
“This is crazy work,” wrote another.
Besides her gymnastics career, Dunne is an influencer with more than 5 million followers on Instagram.
The 22-year-old is also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model and the boyfriend of Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes, who led LSU to the 2023 national title with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts.
Madelyn Cline at the “I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER” Trailer Launch Event on June 14. Sony Pictures via Getty Images
Cline, 27, is best known for her portrayal of Sarah Cameron in the Netflix series “Outer Banks,” which propelled her into stardom.
She also gained notoriety for her role in the film “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
Cline dropped out of Coastal Carolina to pursue acting full-time in 2017, reportedly just six weeks into her freshman year.
Olivia Dunne attends the launch of the 2025 Issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 15, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
Coastal Carolina, which has become a college baseball powerhouse despite being a mid-major, is 56-11 and enters the College World Series final on a 26-game winning streak that dates back to April 22.
Since arriving in Omaha for the College World Series, the Chanticleers have defeated Arizona (7-4), Oregon State (6-2) and Louisville (11-3).
LSU, on the other hand, clinched its spot after a thrilling come-from-behind 6-5 win over Arkansas on Wednesday.
Madelyn Cline attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 2, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. FilmMagic
The Tigers are riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series begins Saturday night in Omaha.
Boston College Men’s Hockey Commit Noah Davidson Signs With Medicine Hat Tigers
Boston College men’s hockey forward commit Noah Davidson has signed with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Medicine Hat officially announced the signing in a press release on Thursday afternoon. The Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2008-born forward Noah Davidson and 2007-born defenceman Kyle Heger to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreements. […]
Boston College men’s hockey forward commit Noah Davidson has signed with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers.
Medicine Hat officially announced the signing in a press release on Thursday afternoon.
The Tigers are proud to announce the signing of 2008-born forward Noah Davidson and 2007-born defenceman Kyle Heger to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreements. Welcome to Medicine Hat Noah and Kyle!
Davidson was selected by Medicine Hat with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 WHL U.S. Prospect Draft.
He has spent the last two seasons with Shattuck St. Mary’s U16 and 18 teams. Last season, he appeared in 58 games and notched 40 goals and 32 assists for 72 points.
“Noah is an offensive forward with impressive physical tools combining strength and agility. He has great hands, a heavy shot, and has a knack for finding space for high grade scoring chances.” commented Tigers Director of Player Personnel Bobby Fox.
The Tigers are a Canadian junior team and are located in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. The program has won six WHL championships and two Memorial Cup championships.
The Irvine, Calif., native committed to the Eagles on Nov. 4, 2024. He announced the decision in an Instagram post.
“I am proud and honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 college hockey at Boston College,” said Davidson. “I’d like to thank my family, friends, coaches, teammates, advisors, and everyone who helped along the way.”
Davidson was one of two prospects to be signed by Medicine Hat on Thursday, joining defenseman Kyle Heger, who is currently committed to Western Michigan. Heger shared his decision in February.
Both prospects are projected to join their schools for the 2027-28 season.
Prioritizing camaraderie and competition, Dadhats FC aims to expand local soccer community
MITCHELL — We’re not good. We’re scrappy. That’s the unofficial motto of Dadhats Football Club. ADVERTISEMENT Though a humble statement for a collection of local players, several of whom played collegiately or even beyond, it’s indicative of the spirit of the club, one formed by four adult friends looking for a fun, competitive outlet and […]
That’s the unofficial motto of Dadhats Football Club.
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Though a humble statement for a collection of local players, several of whom played collegiately or even beyond, it’s indicative of the spirit of the club, one formed by four adult friends looking for a fun, competitive outlet and a way to stay connected.
Less than three years into its existence as a club, Dadhats FC, co-founded by Mitchell natives Riley Kurtenbach, Tyler VandenBerge, Dalton Kummer and Courtney Miller, is helping a building soccer community blossom.
“We thought this would be something we could do to get together regularly while we all still live in the same area,” Kurtenbach said. “But it’s already grown into something bigger than just playing soccer on Wednesday nights.”
A member of the Dakota Alliance men’s 11-versus-11 league in Sioux Falls, Dadhats FC is in its third season of operation, competing weekly from early May until mid-to-late July. Captained by Kurtenbach, who played for Mitchell High School during his prep career (also captaining the Kernels in 2017), Dadhats FC has become a landing spot for several former local talents.
Of the 22 players on this year’s Dadhats FC roster, five are former Kernel soccer players, including Riley Kurtenbach and his younger brother, Skylar, while a sixth is a Mitchell product from before the sport was sanctioned at the high school level in South Dakota. Five Dadhats FC players also played college soccer at Dakota Wesleyan University. Caleb Larson, a 2015 MHS captain, is a notable member of both groups, and Trevor Lambert, a 2019 MHS captain, went on to placekick for the DWU football program.
Strong bonds between Dadhats FC players have helped attract new players, too. This season, the club is at the league roster limit of 22 players, and Kurtenbach said he had almost that many more looking to join for the 2025 season.
“With the level of team camaraderie we have, I think that we’ve established a community on our own. It’s not just about the 22 guys on the roster, but the however-many people who are brought together through us,” Kurtenbach said. “Seeing the progression of our team and thinking about what we can do moving forward, that’s what brings me back every Wednesday.”
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Members of the Dadhats FC soccer team meet in a huddle before taking the field for a men’s league soccer game in Sioux Falls.
Photo courtesy of Logan Kurtenbach / Hidden Hills Media
According to Kurtenbach, the club’s namesake, Dadhats — a common term for six-panel caps without a firm front lining — started as something of an inside joke. His friends would poke fun at him for frequently wearing hats to cover up a thinning hairline. However, given the uniqueness of the club nickname, Kurtenbach is quite fond of it and is content to be the butt of the humor.
Ahead of the second year, Kurtenbach’s older brother, Logan, got heavily involved by sponsoring the club through his media production company, Hidden Hills Media. Serving as the team’s videographer and photographer, Logan is also helping grow the club’s presence on social media.
“It had been almost 10 years since I’d seen most of these guys play, but it’s been great to see everyone get back into it,” Logan said. “There was an instant click with this group, almost like it was just last week they were playing (back in high school or college).”
“There’s definitely a switch that a majority of us haven’t turned off from our time playing at a higher level,” Kurtenbach added. “It’s great when you can go and compete every week and still want to go win something, but know that it’s also just for fun.”
As Dadhats FC continues to flourish on the pitch, the club also has ambitions to contribute to local youth soccer and help grow the game. In the short term, the club is exploring options to host skills development camps and small-sided tournaments such as 3-on-3 or 5-on-5.
“We’re going to keep it going for as long as we can,” Logan said.
“It seems like the way soccer is heading in South Dakota, it’s more of an elitist type of sport, and that just pains me to see,” Kurtenbach added. “We just want as many people to be able to play the game and be afforded those opportunities as possible.”
Dierks covers prep and collegiate athletics across the Mitchell Republic’s coverage region area. His focus areas include: Mitchell High School football and boys basketball; area high school football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and track and field; and South Dakota State football. He is also at the forefront of the Mitchell Republic’s podcasting efforts. Dierks is a Mitchell native who graduated from South Dakota State University with his bachelor’s degree in journalism in May 2020. He joined the Mitchell Republic sports staff in August 2021. He can be reached at ldierks@mitchellrepublic.com and found on Twitter at @LDierksy.