ND Studs from the Gridiron & Hardwood

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For football fans in the fall, Fridays are a sacred day! Best of luck to everyone tonight. I wanted to find a way to tie football in with basketball. In this article, we are looking at guys who are excellent at both football and basketball. See below for some of the guys that are having a great start to the football season in North Dakota.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STUDS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dane Hagler<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dane-hagler/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2024) |6'4 G| North Star</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is not just a stud in football and basketball, Hagler is also a star in baseball &amp; track. He has an NSIC offer for baseball at Crookston. Dane should have been All-State in basketball last year as he put up high-quality stats with 22.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.3 apg, and 3.9 spg. The Bearcats are 2-1 this football season and they are a scary squad! Dane has rushed 28 times for 246 yards with 4 TD's. When passing the ball, Hagler is 40-68 with 812 yards, 9 TD's, and only 1 interception. Keep in mind, North Star won 64-8 last week and Dane only threw 8 times. With that said, his numbers are even more impressive!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='321180' first='Jake' last='Starcevic']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jake-starcevic/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2024) |6'2 G/F| Kindred</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The rich get richer, that is the case with the Vikings! Starcevic moved to Kindred this summer and the football/basketball programs inherited a marvelous athlete. Starcevic is 3x All-Region and 2x All-State football player, a 2x All-Region basketball player, and he was named to the All-Tournament team at the State Tournament last year. Not to mention, he qualified for State in the Long Jump for T&amp;F. This fall, Starcevic and the Vikings are undefeated at 3-0, ranked #2, and they host Norther Cass tonight. Jake is a star as a QB &amp; LB. He is looking like a serious college prospect. At QB, Starcevic is 30/51 throwing the ball for 427 yards with 8 TD's. He has run the ball 32 times for 239 yards and 4 TD's. Expect a big win tonight for Jake and the Vikings!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Javin Friesz<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/javin-friesz/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2024) |6'2 G| Flasher</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was 1st team All-State last season and he put up splashy numbers. I saw Javin in person this summer and he is even better than advertised. With the 3-Class system in play this coming season, Friesz is going to put up wild numbers and stuff the stat sheet. I will not be surprised when Firesz is nominated for Mr. Basketball. In football, Javin is off to a flaming hot start as a playmaking QB. Grant County-Flasher is 3-1 on the season and they have a monster matchup tonight at #2 New Salem-Almont. Up to this point, Friesz has passed for 382 yards, 37/61 (60.66%) with 3 passing TD's. Javin has rushed 67 times for 620 yards and a whopping 14 TD's. On defense, Friesz has 24 tackles and 1 forced fumble. He also returns punts, 3 for 82 yards. Look up the word <em>stud</em> in the dictionary, you will find a picture of <strong>Javin Friesz</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='356867' first='Joseph' last='Kramlich']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joseph-kramlich/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2025) |6'1 G| EKM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a Stock Riser in basketball, a quick athlete, and an ambidextrous playmaker on the hardwood. PHD is predicting a breakout hoops season from Kramlich. In football, Joseph is the #9 ranked Prospect on Prep Redzone in the '25 Class and the #1 ranked CB. Kramlich is a physical and sound tackler. He is always a step away from taking it to the house as a punt returner and he is the top WR for the Thunder. Through 4 games, Joseph has 404 receiving yards and 7 TD's. On D, he has 4 pass breakups and 2 INT's. He has also returned a couple of punts back for TD's. As you would expect, Kramlich is drawing attention from college scouts and that will only increase as the season moves on! The Thunder play at Bottineau on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='365335' first='Kaden' last='Christmann']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kaden-christmann/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2024) |6'1 G| Shanley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In hoops, he could easily be considered the best defender in the EDC. Kaden has the size, strength, versatility, and mentality to lock people up on the court. Christmann is committed to MSUM for football but he should still be on your list for playmakers in the EDC this winter. On the gridiron, things are trending in the right direction for the Deacons. They are undefeated and ranked #1. Christmann is a dynamic athlete who has a great sense of the game.&nbsp;He has worked extremely&nbsp;hard in the offseason to get faster and stronger and it is showing!&nbsp;Kaden has breakaway speed and his quickness allows him to have great success.&nbsp;His numbers are impressive but most importantly, the Deacons keep winning. Tonight, they play #2 Sheyenne. We will soon know who is the best in AAA! Expect Christmann to be all over the field making plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='677942' first='Keyton' last='McGregor']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/keyton-mcgregor/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2024) |6'1 G| West Fargo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a hustler and a play-it-to-the-bone type of defender. You will be hard-pressed to find a better perimeter defender than McGregor. He is also an athletic slasher/penetrator who can get to the rim in the blink of an eye. This fall, Keyton has shown that he is ready to compete at the next level with his dynamic play as a WR. Through three games, McGregor has 22 receptions for 400 yards and 5 TD's. Keyton looks to be a crisp route runner with sticky hands, and he is a big play threat. Look for those receiving numbers to skyrocket as the football season moves on!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='720291' first='Pearce' last='Parks']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/pearce-parks/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2025) |6'3 G/F| Grand Forks Red River</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a versatile, physical, and strong basketball player. Parks helped the Roughriders get to the State Championship game this past season and he will be one of the top players in all of AA this season. Pearce is a matchup problem with his size, strength, and 3-level scoring ability. In football, Parks is a complete stud and I will not be surprised if he ends up as a D1 football recruit/commit. Pearce has led the Roughriders to a 4-0 start and they play their crosstown rival tonight (GFC). This season as QB, Parks has 727 passing yards, 168 rushing yards, and 12 TD's!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='951872' first='Walker' last='Braaten']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/walker-braaten/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;(2025) |6'4 G| Westhope-Newburg</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a complete dude on the basketball court. Braaten is a top talent in the state regardless of class. I watched him this summer multiple times against great competition and Braaten was highly successful. He is a fantastic athlete, a great decision-maker, and a skilled bucket-getter. In football, Walker has been equally impressive! The Sioux are 4-0 and ranked #5 in the recent State Poll. Braaten is crushing it as a dual threart QB and the Sioux are putting up 56.5 points per game. Walker is 31/50 throwing the ball for 826 yards and 9 TD's. He has 42 carries for 767 yards at 18.26 YPC, and a wild 13 TD's. Walker is already a highly sought-after basketball recruit, if he keeps this up, college football coaches will be after him as well!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1126976,"linkDestination":"custom"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1126976" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->