The Minnesota Vikings have released a statement addressing the status of defensive end Everson Griffen who appeared to have another mental health episode on social media Tuesday night. 

Griffen posted a  video to his instagram account of him with a gun saying people were after him. 

The Vikings released this statment in regards to the episode:
"Vikings representatives and the team's mental health professionals have been on-site at Everson Griffen's home since early this morning and are cooperating with law enforcement. Our only concern at this time is the safety and well-being of Everson and his family. We will have further comment at the appropriate time."

Viking head coach Mike Zimmer gave a short statement on the matter at the beginning of his regular Wednesday press conference...

Griffen has had mental health issues in the past, with the team banning him in 2018 until he had undergon a mental health evaluation.  Two days later, Saturday September 22nd, Griffen was invovled in an incident at Hotel Ivy where he had allegedly threatened to shoot someone because they would not allow him in his room.  

Five former Minnesota Twins have made the ballot for the MLB hall of fame in 2022.  The five of them include catcher A.J. Pierzynski, outfielder Torii Hunter, first baseman Justin Mroneau, pitcher Joe Nathan and designated hitter David Ortiz.  22 total players are on the ballot with Ortiz being the most likely first ballot hall of famer.   

The NCAA released the FCS playoff bracket Sunday.  Getting the top eight seeds and with that first round byes include in order: 
1. Sam Houston State
2. North Dakota State
3. James Madison
4. Sacramento State
5. Villanova
6. Montana
7. East Tennessee State University
9. Montana State. 

First round matchups include Stephen F. Austin vs. Incarnate Word, UT Martin vs. Missouri State, Sacred Heart vs. Holey Cross, UC Davis vs. South Dakota State, kick off in that game will be this Saturdya at 2:00 p.m. Florida A&M vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Eastern Washington vs. Northern Iowa, Davidson vs. Kennesaw State and finally Southern Illinois vs. South Dakota, kick off will be at 5:00 p.m. Saturday.  For South Dakota, this is the Coyotes first home playoff game since 1986.

Northern State announced the passing of student athlete Caden Moore Thursday.  Moore died unexpectedly Wednesday in his vehicle off campus around 3:35 p.m.  Officials say no foul play is suspected.  Moore was a senior from O’Neill Nebraska wrestling at 157 pounds.  Last year he placed second at the NCAA Super Region tournament and advanced to the NCAA National Championships for the first time in his career.

The Minnesota Vikings have reactivated Harrison Smith on the reserve/COVID-19 list.  Smith has missed the last two games after either testing positive for COVID-19 or coming into close contact with someone who has.  He is also not vaccinated against the virus.   

Former Minnesota Twin starter Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays have come to terms on a new 7 year contract extension worth a reported $131 million.  Berrios is 27-years-old and was traded to Toronto from Minnesota at the trade deadline in exchange for prospects shortstop Austin Martin and right handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson.  After being traded Berrios went 5-4 for Toronto with a  3.58 ERA in 12 starts for the Blue Jays.   

Northern State University head volleyball coach Brent Aldridge announced today the signing of Cara Cyr to a National Letter of Intent. A Maple Grove, Minnesota native, Cyr will join the Wolves for the fall of 2022.

“During the recruiting process we identified Cara early as a player that fits what we do system wise,” explained Aldridge. “That fact that she plays at a high level in high school and club helps with her development against the physicality of the Northern Sun Conference. She has the ability to do a lot of the skills really well that we need at the middle position.”

Cara Cyr | Maple Grove, Minn. | Maple Grove Senior High | Middle

Cara Cyr is a 6-foot, middle hitter out of Maple Grove Senior High. She is a 4-year starter and 2-year team captain for the Crimson under the direction of head coach Jamison Gray. In her first three seasons, Cyr recorded 243 kills, 176 blocks, and 110 service aces. As a senior, she is hitting .410 with over 100 kills. Cyr is a 2-time Northwest Suburban All-Conference selection and a CCC Sports All-Area team member. She was named to both the AVCA Phenom list and the Prepdig.com elite prospect list. Maple Grove won the 2020 Northwest Suburban Conference Championship. In addition, Cyr is a member of the Minnesota Select volleyball club. She is the daughter of Henry and Chrissy Cyr.

Aldridge added, “What is even more impressive is that Cara is a wonderful student and an even better person.  We are very excited for Cara to join the Wolves volleyball family.”

Aberdeen Central's "SoDak 16" game scheduled for Thursday has been moved up due to impending weather.  

The game against Sioux Falls Lincoln will be played tomorrow at 4:00 p.m.  The game was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. 

Class B volleyball state tournament:

Class A state volleyball tournament 

Minnesota Vikings offensive guard Dakota Dozier has been hospitalized due to complications with COVID-19.  Dozier was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list last week but got sick enough this week to require medical attention.  ESPN’s Courtney Cronin broke the story.  According to the team he remains in the hospital but is in stable condition.  Dozier is one of five Vikings players currently on the COVID-19 reserve list along with center Garrett Bradbury, safety Harrison Smith, linebacker Ryan Connelly and offensive tackle Timon Parris. 

The North Star Athletic Association has announced the schedule for the “Super Six” conference volleyball tournament, scheduled to begin this weekend.  First round matchups include #5 Mayville State vs. #4 Valley City State and #6 Presentation College vs. #3 Dakota State.  These games will be played Friday Nov. 12^th at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.  Viterbo is the #1 seed and Bellevue is the #2 seed.  Those two teams get first round byes. 

The South Dakota high school football state championship will take place this week Thursday through Saturday.  Games include:

Class 11AAA: Harrisburg vs. Brandon Valley


Class 11AA: Pierre vs. Tea Area

11A: Madison vs. Milbank

11B: Winner vs. Bridgewater/Emery/Ethan

9AA: Platte/Geddes vs. Canistota/Freeman

9A: Herreid/Selby Area vs. Howard 

9B: Dell Rapids St. Mary vs. Potter County

The SoDak 16 volleyball tournaments will take place this week across the state.  Winners of these games qualify for the state tournaments. 

Mathcups include:
#16 Sturgis Brown @ #1 Sioux Falls Washington
#15 Brookings vs. #2 Sioux Falls O’Gorman
#14 Watertown vs. #3 Sioux Falls Roosevelt 
#13 Rapid City Stevens @ #4 Brandon Valley 
#12 Yankton vs. #5 Pierre
#11 Mitchell @ #6 Harrisburg
 #10 Aberdeen Central @ Sioux Falls Lincoln
#9 Sioux Falls Jefferson @ #8 Huron
Class A   

#16 Pine Ridge vs. #1 Sioux Falls Christian
#15 Redfield @ #2 Garretson
#14 Lakota Tech vs. #3 Dakota Valley
#13 Elk Point-Jefferson vs. #4 Wagner
#12 Parkston vs. #5 Rapid City Christian
#11 Winner vs. #6 Hill City 
#10 Mobridge/Pollock vs. #7 Hamlin
#8 Elkton/Lake Benton vs. #9 Florence/Henry

Class B SoDak 16
#16 Faith vs. #1 Platte/Geddes
#15 Edgemont vs. #2 Warner
#14 Freeman vs. #3 Arlington
#13 Gayville/Volin vs. #4 Chester
#12 Miller vs. #5 Coleman/Egan 
#11 Timber Lake vs. #6 Faulkton 
#10 Burke vs. #7 Wolsey/Wessington
#9 Phillip vs. #8 Aberdeen Christian
   

The University of Minnesota has announced the signing of head football coach P.J. Fleck to a new seven year extension.  The move will keep Fleck with the Gophers through the 2028 season.  Fleck has the Golden Gopher football team off to a 6-2 mark this season and is currently 4-1 in the Big Ten.  In five seasons with the Gophers, he has a 32-21 overall record and is already the 10^th in school history in games coached and sixth in wins with 32.  In 2019 Fleck led the Gophers to 11 wins, the most in a single season for the Gophers since 1904. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss the team's Sunday game against the Kansa City Chiefs after testing positive for COVID-19.  

According to the NFL Network, Rodgers is considered unvaccinated by the league, despite claims of being "immunized" before the start of the regular season.

Team sources also say, while Rodgers does follow league COVID-19 protocol in dealing with players and coach's, he has not been following them in other areas, making him vulnerable to the virus.  

The Minnesota Vikings have placed defensive end Danielle Hunter on the injured reserve list, ending his season.  Hunter went down Sunday night during the game against Dallas with a torn pectoral muscle.  Hunter missed all of last season with a neck injury. 

Tennessee Titans star running back Derrick Henry is out for the rest of the season following suffering an injury to his right foot.  The Titans worked out and are expected to sign former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson who is 36 years old and fifth on the league’s career rushing list. 

The Los Angeles Rams on its twitter account posted a meme Tuesday saying they were all in to win a Super Bowl this year and made a blockbuster trade to prove it.  The Rams acquired eight-time pro bowl linebacker Von Miller from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a second, and third round pick in the 2022 NFL draft.  The Broncos will still pay $9 million of Miller’s remaining $9.7 million base salary for the nine games left of the regular season. 

The University of Minnesota Duluth was selected by the league coaches as the overall and north division preseason favorite in the NSIC for the 2021-22 season. The Bulldogs received 12 first place votes and amassed 222 points. St. Cloud State received a first place vote to rank second with 203 points while Augustana was third with 187 points and two place votes.  The Vikings were the coaches’ choice to win  the south division. Minnesota State was fourth with 168 points while Sioux Falls rounded out the top five with 159 points and the final first place vote. 

NSIC coaches rank each team in the NSIC in the overall poll and teams from their division in the divisional poll. In the overall poll coaches rank from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players.

The regular season champion will be based on the 22-game NSIC schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 12-team NSIC / Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place February 26 to March 1 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

The 2021-22 women’s basketball season gets underway on Friday, November 5 with the University of Mary and Minot State playing in the D2CCA Tipoff Classic in Billings, Montana, the rest of the league begins Friday, Nov. 12 while conference action begins on Tuesday, November 23.

Minnesota State University Moorhead was selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorite in the NSIC for the 2021-22 season. The Dragons received 222 points, garnering 13 first places votes to sit 27 points ahead of second place Wayne State. The Wildcats had 195 points and two first place votes. Minnesota State was third with 192 points and the other first place vote.

In the divisional rankings, MSU Moorhead was the unanimous choice in the north, picking up all seven first place votes for 49 points. St. Cloud State was second with 36 points and the other first place vote. In the south, Minnesota State and Wayne State each had 42 points, with Wayne State collecting four first place votes and the Mavericks two. Upper Iowa was third with 39 points and the other two first place votes.

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll.

The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded. The 12-team NSIC / Sanford Health Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place February 26 to March 1 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

The 2021-22 men’s basketball season gets underway on Friday, October 29 with MSU Moorhead playing two games at the D2CCA Division II Tip Off Classic in Canyon, Texas , and Northern State playing on November 6-7 in St. Joseph, Missouri.  The rest of the league starts on Friday, November 12. Conference action beginning on Tuesday, November 23.

Class 11AAA
Harrisburg def. Rapid City Stevens 50-9
Sioux Falls Lincoln def. Sioux Falls Washington 45-24 
Brandon Valley def. Sioux Falls Jefferson 23-9
Sioux Falls O’Gorman def. Sioux Falls Roosevelt 42-28. 

Class 11AA
Tea Area def. Sturgis Brown 57-10
Yankton def. Mitchell 42-21
Aberdeen Central def. Brookings 42-34
Pierre def. Watertown 38-9
Class 11A
Madison def. Sioux Falls Christian 35-14
Dell Rapids def. West Central 19-15
Milbank def. Canton 6-0
Vermillion def. Tri-Valley 21-7
Class 11B
Winner def. McCook Central/Montrose 66-28
Elk Point-Jefferson def. Wagner 48-6
Bridgewater/Emery/Ethan def. Sioux Valley 21-8
Beresford def. Aberdeen Roncalli  7-6
Class 9AA
Platte/Geddes def. Hanson 26-24
Timber Lake def. Lyman 24-18
Parkston def. Garretson 34-7 
Canistota/Freeman def. Ipswich 14-0

Class 9A
Herreid/Selby Area def. Castlewood 48-32,
De Smet def. Warner 32-16
Howard def. Wolsey/Wessington 46-6
Wall def. Gregory 34-20
Class 9B
Avon def. Alcester/Hudson 30-14
Dell Rapids St. Mary def. Gayville/Volin 42-22
Faulkton def. Harding County 48-22
Potter County def. Hitchcock/Tulare 48-8

The Green Bay Packers have placed wide receiver Davante Adams on the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, leaving his status for Thursday night’s game at Arizona in doubt.  Adams tested positive for COVID-19 according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, is unvaccinated and has not been following the protocols for unvaxinated NFL players.  In order for him to play he will need two negative PCR tests 24 hours apart before kick off Thursday. 

CLASS AA

1. S.F. Washington (16) 24-1 80 1
2. O’Gorman 16-4 63 2
3. Brandon Valley 19-8 47 3
4. Pierre 14-4 27 4
5. Harrisburg 16-7 14 5

RECEIVING VOTES: S.F. Roosevelt 9

CLASS A

1. S.F. Christian (16) 28-4 80 1
2. Dakota Valley 22-8 63 2
3. Garretson 23-1 49 3
4. Hill City 22-7 21 4
5. R.C. Christian 24-9 10 RV

RECEIVING VOTES: Wagner (23-6) 8; Mount Vernon-Plankinton (19-6) 6; Florence-Henry (22-6) 2; Hamlin (22-6) 1

CLASS B

1. Bridgewater-Emery (16) 26-0 80 1
2. Warner 26-5 61 2
3. Northwestern 26-5 42 3
4. Wolsey-Wessington 24-3 27 4
5. Platte-Geddes 27-4 12 RV

RECEIVING VOTES: Chester Area (22-5) 10; Arlington (26-4) 8