The Moorhead Spuds won when they faced the Sartell Sabres at Moorhead Sports Center on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

The final score was 10-3.

The Spuds took the lead in the first period, with a goal from John Gramer. Max Cullen and Evan Wanner assisted.

The Spuds’ Will Cullen made it 2-0 in the middle of the first period, assisted by George Arnold and Brandon Mickelson.

The Spuds’ Zac Zimmerman increased the lead to 3-0 halfway through the first, assisted by Brandon Mickelson.

The Spuds made it 4-0 with a goal from George Arnold late in the first, assisted by Drew Kortan and Will Cullen.

The second period ended with a 7-2 lead for the Spuds.

Brandon Mickelson increased the lead to 8-2 with a goal in the third period, assisted by Max Cullen.

Seamus Campbell also made it 9-2 with a goal two minutes later, assisted by Will Cullen.

Preston Deragisch narrowed the gap to 9-3 with a goal less than a minute later.

Drew Kortan then increased the lead to 3-10 with a goal four minutes later, assisted by Gage Kallhoff and Noah Petersen.

Next games:

The Spuds will face against the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders on Thursday, Jan. 01, 2026, at Dakotah! Ice Center, with the Sabres set to challenge Blake on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at St. Louis Park Rec Center.

Read more prep coverage

Scoring:

Minnesota, Moorhead Sports Center

2nd December 2025

Sartell Sabres at Moorhead Spuds

10-3

1st period:

Moorhead Spuds, 0–1 (8:26) John Gramer

Moorhead Spuds, 0–2 (10:56) Will Cullen

Moorhead Spuds, 0–3 (11:29) Zac Zimmerman

Moorhead Spuds, 0–4 (13:50) George Arnold

2nd period:

0–5 (24:15) John Gramer, 0–6 (24:54) Brandon Mickelson, 1–6 (27:15) Lane Larson, 2–6 (29:43) Preston Deragisch, 2–7 (33:39) Will Cullen

3rd period:

2–8 (48:25) Brandon Mickelson, 2–9 (50:04) Seamus Campbell, 3–9 (50:59) Preston Deragisch, 3–10 (54:26) Drew Kortan

Belt, Lillian Fenburg, Baker finished in top three for Durango teams

Durango High School girls wrestling’s Aleia Fenburg stands on the top of the podium after winning the 125-pound bracket at the Western Slope Showdown in Montrose on Dec. 13. Fenburg also finished first at the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction on Saturday. (Courtesy Ryan McGrath)

Durango High School boys wrestling star Ryan Dugan left a big void in the Durango wrestling program when he graduated in the spring, and it looks like Durango girls wrestling junior Aleia Fenburg could be the next star Durango wrestler.

After winning at the Western Slope Showdown on Dec. 13, Aleia continued her winning ways at the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction on Saturday by winning the 125-pound bracket. She led a successful Durango girls wrestling team that had four wrestlers place.

“It’s midseason, so what we’re looking for on the competition side right now is, where are we,” Durango girls wrestling head coach Ryan McGrath said. “We’re far enough along that our conditioning, technique and match strategy should be lining up if the goal is to place at state. The Warrior is an excellent place to mix it up with like competition … what you see are your weaknesses and holes.”

Aleia was ranked third in the 125-pound bracket and had a 3-0 win in her first match before a tough 7-5 victory against Lyniah Richardson from Douglas County in the quarterfinals. She then won 8-4 in the semifinals against Chrissa Hawkes from Bear River. It was a Western Slope Showdown rematch in the final, with Aleia facing Ignacio’s Lainee Bradley. Aleia got the job done again, beating Bradley 7-0.

McGrath complimented Aleia on her skills and technique, being on point along, with adjusting during and after matches. McGrath said she’s been very coachable.

“An opponent you’ve beaten is always dangerous,” McGrath said. “They’ve already wrestled with you; they know where you’re strong and where you’re not. That match was close because Lainee is so good. It was an opportunity for Aleia to be a lot more strategic and patient.”

Aleia’s twin sister, Lillian, also had a good tournament and finished third at 140 pounds. She won her first match, 3-0 and then beat Ignacio’s Krysten Neil 8-3 in the quarterfinals. Lillian’s run ended in the semifinals with a 9-0 loss to Grand Junction Central’s Rya Burke. Lillian rebounded to beat Eagle Valley’s Julia Borejszo in the third-place match.

Durango girls wrestling’s Marie Baker also finished third. The five-seed in the 120-pound bracket, Baker won her first two matches by a combined score of 23-2 before losing to the top-seeded wrestler, Harleigh Prater from Grand Junction Central, 3-1 in the semifinals. Baker then won against Falcon’s Zoe Greer in the third-place match.

McGrath knows neither Lillian nor Baker likes to lose, but there can be something gained from the loss at the first practice after the tournaments. They just need to look back at certain situations and learn from them. McGrath thinks Lillian might drop down a weight class.

“It’s a lot more about tuning the skillsets,” McGrath said about Lillian and Baker. “Every year there are a couple of people who rise to the top; we’ve seen that in Lillian and Marie’s (Baker) weight classes. There are girls there who are just really pushing everybody … I’m really pleased with where we’re at.”

Sydney McAllister had one of her best tournaments as a Demon and finished sixth at 105 pounds. McAllister had a tough freshman season last year, and McGrath is proud of her resolve and how much she’s improved this season.

There were plenty of other successful wrestlers from Bayfield High School, Durango High School and Ignacio High School at the Warrior Classic.

The Durango boys had one wrestler place, with Jacob Belt finishing third at 175 pounds.

“We’re in a transition year with a bunch of new kids and a bunch of new kids on varsity,” Durango boys varsity head coach Jason Silva said. “All I keep telling them is focus on scoring points, having fun and being in a good position … and they did it.”

Belt was behind in a lot of his matches, and Silva was proud to see his no-quit attitude paid off. He won his first match 11-3. Belt was down 7-3 when he pinned Andy Weipert from Green River. Belt dominated Mason Fresquez from Grand Junction 18-1 in the quarterfinals before losing to Canon City’s Elias Koonce 18-3.

After losing, Belt didn’t give up and made it to the third-place match, coming from behind once again to beat Palisade’s Eric Snodgrass via pin when Belt was down 9-4.

“The bigger guys do have a different style,” Silva said. “There are a lot more of those power-type throws and moves to where they don’t typically get underneath the guy because they’re bigger … the type of offense we create for Jake (Belt) is a lot different from what we’re doing for Ryder (Martyn) and Cash (Silva).”

Martyn had an off day for the Demons and didn’t place. Silva knew it was important to remind him that success is not a vertical line; it ebbs and flows. Martyn needs to be ready to come back to the drawing board and get better.

Ignacio’s girls wrestling program had three second-place finishers with Bradley, Larissa Espinosa and Madison Egger in their respective weight classes.

Before Bradley lost to Aleia in the finals, she won her opening round matchup, 13-3 and beat Edi Linascum from Grand Junction Central in the quarterfinals in a close matchup. Bradley then beat Green River’s Raygen Bauers 17-1 in the semifinals.

Espinosa won 19-4 in her quarterfinal matchup before winning 3-0 against Dawn Tahy-Sloan from Farmington. Caylee Miller from Bloomfield beat Espinosa in the 235-pound final, 5-0.

Egger finished second in the 100-pound bracket beating her first two opponents by a combined score of 23-3, before pinning Addi Whaley from Soroco. Egger lost 19-3 in the final to Fort Lupton’s Yaida Rodriguez.

On the boys side, for Ignacio, top local wrestlers Aven Bourriague and Lincoln deKay both placed, with Bourriague finishing fifth at 120 pounds and deKay sixth at 165 pounds.

Bourriague lost in the semifinals, but bounced back to win his fifth-place match. deKay was the top seed at 165 pounds and made it to the semifinals before losing a close 5-4 match to Aztec’s Cory Douglas. deKay then lost his fifth-place match.

Bayfield High School girls wrestling’s Violet Christner finished fifth at 100 pounds.

bkelly@durangoherald.com

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WHEELING — Officials with Youth Services System Inc. say changes in how the agency receives subsidies for the before and afterschool care the program provides to young students has significantly reduced available funding, and that continuing the programs under the new subsidy system is “unsustainable.”

“We’re no longer under a financial strain,” said Chris Sengewalt, CFO of YSS. “We have a financial crisis.”

Sengewalt and Sarah Gamble, supervisor of community based services for YSS, spoke before Ohio County Board of Education members Monday night and asked for their support and assistance in continuing the program.

They explained YSS is no longer being reimbursed based on the number of students enrolled in their programs, but instead on each student’s actual attendance. Children enrolled don’t always attend the program on a daily basis or may only attend part of the day.

Gamble noted that they had been before the board in September 2024, telling them a financial strain was coming down the pike.

“There were discussions statewide then suggesting that some of the funding sources currently being utilized were going to be depleted in the coming months,” she said.

Fortunately, the YSS programs were sustained through both 2024 and 2025, she continued.

But last fall, the West Virginia Department of Health informed YSS that beginning Sept. 1 they could no longer bill for subsidies based on overall enrollment. They would instead need to base the billing on actual attendance.

YSS serves students attending Bethlehem, Elm Grove and Middle Creek elementary schools. In these schools, 52% of the students attending the before- and after-school programs are eligible for the subsidies, according to Gamble.

“We have to keep a spot for them full-time if we are full capacity,” she explained.

There are 49 students actively enrolled in the before and afterschool programs at YSS and another 16 on the waitlist.

There are 22 billing days in the month and a student may only attend two days, Gamble explained.

“Previously, we could bill for the 22 days. Now we can only bill for the two days they actually attended,” she said.

YSS receives an average daily subsidy of $14.50 per student who attends the program. Billing is also now being broken down into two-hour increments for billing purposes, Gamble said.

“We’re presenting this information to you in hopes that as a board you might actually support this program,” she said. “At the end of the day, the last thing we want to see is preschools closed. Parents depend on these programs to make it to work every day.”

Board president David Croft asked her if the funding for the current school year already had dried up, and she told him it had.

“Wow. That’s a shame. It really is,” board member Andy Garber said.

Gamble explained that for the month of September the amount of supplement would have been $7,377 under prior billing practices, but YSS was only able to bill for $1,091.

“So it is fair to say the current configuration is not sustainable?” Croft asked.

Gamble answered yes and Croft inquired what options they might propose to the board.

Gamble said Marshall County Schools provides YSS with “scholarship funding” and the school district is invoiced every month which helps to cover some of YSS’s cost.

“That allows us to keep the billing at a minimum for our families,’ she said. “The last thing we want to have to do is raise the rate for our families — which we already did last year.”

Croft asked if the board needed to make a choice and if it would help more to fund before- or after-school care.

“If we can’t sustain the program the way it is, my recommendation would be to offer before care,” she said. “Then we can support two-hour delay days.”

Sengewalt said YSS is seeking funding to help them finish out the current fiscal year while they seek a collaborative solution in the future.

Superintendent Kim Miller suggested the school district put together a task force consisting of Gamble and Raquel McLeod, student services director for Ohio County Schools, and others to review what other counties are doing and what is working elsewhere.

The matter will be reviewed by board members and placed on the agenda for their next meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 12 at the board office, 2203 National Road, Wheeling.

LOGAN — For a group of 12-year-old baseball players from northern Utah, the most important play of their season didn’t happen on a diamond, but on the edge of a dance floor.

The “Valley Boys,” a U12 team from Richmond, recently traveled more than two hours each way to support a 4-year-old girl named Delilah at her dance recital—a performance that lasted less than two minutes, but represented a massive milestone in her 20-month battle with cancer.

The bond began six months ago at the Nixon Strong Baseball Tournament, an event that pairs youth teams with children undergoing cancer treatment. While many pairings end when the final out is recorded, the Valley Boys turned their assignment into a genuine friendship.

“From the moment they met her, the boys connected in the most genuine way,” said Alexis Grove, Delilah’s mother. “They got on her level, let her paint their nails in the dugout, and ran the bases with her. It quickly turned into a meaningful bond.”

That bond was put to the test recently when Delilah became severely ill and was hospitalized. Her family feared she would miss her dance recital, an event she had looked forward to as a way to reclaim a piece of the childhood stolen by nearly two years of intensive medical treatment.

When the team learned Delilah had been cleared to perform, the players and their families organized a caravan to ensure they were in the audience.

“Their presence was not convenient or easy, but it was intentional,” Grove said. “The recital itself lasted less than two minutes. But those two minutes represented a moment of triumph, resilience, and joy—and the boys made sure she never danced alone.”

For Delilah, who has missed typical peer connections and childhood opportunities due to her illness, the team has provided a rare sense of belonging. Grove noted that the players’ empathy shows that the impact of youth sports can extend far beyond wins and losses.

The story also highlights the ongoing mission of the Nixon Strong Baseball Tournament, which aims to bridge the gap between young athletes and families facing pediatric cancer. The tournament is currently accepting registrations for its upcoming event in June.

As Delilah continues her recovery, she does so with a roster of older brothers in baseball cleats cheering her on from the sidelines.

Joel Castillo, of Monroe, was on a mission to transport over 300 gifts to the S.W.A.G Community Center in Bridgeport to bring joy to 120 children this Christmas, but his Honda Pilot was stuffed. The fact that this was community effort saved him from making several trips for the party, held on Dec. 11.

“Jerry Peck, who coaches the Monroe Lions’ eighth grade team, volunteered with his truck, which is red like Santa’s sleigh,” Castillo, a Masuk Spanish teacher, said with a smile during an interview in his classroom last Monday.

The annual S.W.A.G (Students With Academic Growth Inc.) program event was organized by Castillo with assistance from Masuk students, University of Bridgeport softball players, Rhode Island Thunder softball players and coaches, and other volunteers.

On Dec. 11, Masuk students organized the gifts onstage and handed it all out to the children, and an arts and crafts section was staffed by eight UB softball players. Among the volunteers was Castillo’s daughter, Alyssa, who was a star player at Masuk and now plays for UB.

“Special thanks to Dawn Stearns,” Castillo said of UB’s coach.

Castillo coaches in the Rhode Island Thunder softball program. He said fellow coach, Pete Sinapi, told his team about the party and his players teamed up with Castillo’s students to make 170 cookie bags.

After the kids had their treats, they enjoyed a dance party. Castillo’s son, Jordan, served as deejay.

Drew Hall, an assistant softball coach in the Rhode Island Thunder program, volunteered to dress up as Santa and visit the children, along with Jen Olimpieri, a teacher at Middlebrook Elementary School in Trumbull, who went as Mrs. Claus.

Castillo said the 120 children, ranging from months old to age 14, are from families in Bridgeport’s East End, where he grew up.

The greatest gift

Castillo first became involved with the S.W.A.G Community Center Christmas party four years ago, when his childhood friend, Gary Nelson, who runs the center, approached him with the idea.

“I was afraid to take on this project, because I didn’t know I’d get the support to fulfill all of the kids’ wish lists,” Castillo recalled.

But Sofia Nwosu, a student member of the Spanish Club at Masuk, offered to help by reaching out to people she knew, and other student clubs at the high school also came forward.

Then Castillo thought of his colleagues through teaching and coaching youth sports, his friends and family.

The list of 50 children included their names, ages and wish lists. Castillo snapped his fingers, while recalling how quickly they completed the wish list. “I asked Gary for more kids,” he said.

This year, Castillo said he came to Masuk with a stack of sheets.

“I presented it to my students and my family — everybody who crosses my path,” he said. “Most say, ‘sure, I’m willing to help.’”

Julia Kinahan, a Masuk student, gave 10 sheets to her mother, Tina, who is a nurse, and she took it to Griffin Hospital so her colleagues could help out.

Castillo’s wife, Angie, took 10 sheets to Middlebrook Elementary School, where she is a teacher, and other family members also pitched in.

“If people don’t have time, they give me money to shop,” Castillo said. “It was wonderful to see everybody coming together. I didn’t realize I knew so many people.”

Four years ago, the Christmas party was held on Dec. 16, which is Castillo’s birthday.

“I realized how special it was to bring smiles,” he said. “The effort made me feel special. The greatest gift was to help others. I don’t see celebrating my birthday any other way than to give back.”

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JACKSON COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT/Gray News) – Authorities say three children, the oldest of whom was 3, were killed in a house fire in Kentucky. A fourth child, the parents and a grandparent were all injured in the fire.

The Kentucky State Police received a request from local authorities to help with a Jackson County house fire just before midnight Tuesday. A preliminary investigation revealed three children, ages 7 months, 2 and 3, were killed in the fire, according to a press release.

A 4-year-old child was taken to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital before being transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for further treatment.

Three adults were also taken to UK Chandler Hospital for treatment of injuries from the fire. They have been identified as 23-year-old Tyler Monst, 22-year-old Morgan Johnson and 76-year-old Florence Johnson.

The children’s uncle says Monst and Morgan Johnson are their parents, while Florence Johnson is his mother.

“Christmas is meant for joy and happiness, and obviously, this community is not experiencing that this year,” said Chief Zachary Bryant with the McKee Police Department.

Neighbor Orvel Hisel says he saw multiple first responders head down the road to the scene. There are expected to be numerous fundraisers for the family announced in the coming days.

“It’s just a sad time for our whole community. The loss of children and lives,” Hisel said. “What kind of means can we help that family? There’s a child that’s been flown to Columbus. That’s a ways off. If the family can go there, they are going to want to.”

KSP’s press release said the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.

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