Every sports season features hard work, competition and probably a few heartbreaking losses. Every time a team takes the field or court, there will be triumphs, letdowns and memories made along the way.
But this winter sports season in Devils Lake will be remembered a little longer than most.
It was a historic few months in this town for a number of reasons. It starts with the most obvious: the basketball teams.
Devils Lake became the eighth school in the history of North Dakota high school sports to have both its boys’ and girls’ basketball teams win state championships in the same year. The girls won their first title since 1987, while the boys won their first since 1925 — all in the first year of the three-class system.
The girls were led by freshman Tylie Brodina, who stepped up with 58 points over the three-game state tournament. She won MVP for her efforts. Presley Brown was also named to the all-tournament team for her contributions off the bench, which deepened the team and allowed it to persevere all the way to the end. Cabryn Fritel, Torri Fee, Jolie Martinson and Gabrielle McLaurin were a few other key players who weren’t officially recognized but comprised the core of the championship squad.
After the Tylie Brodina show was over, Dustin, Parker and Beau Brodina had a tough act to follow. But they did just as well, sweeping the region and state tournaments and ending a 99-year drought that had been ringing in their ears. Wylee Delorme and P. Brodina both made the all-tournament team, while Delorme was named MVP. He collected 59 points over the three games. B. Brodina and Drew Hofstad were vital senior presences, while Mason Palmer brought strong shooting skills off the bench,
It was a big year for the team on the other side of the lake as well. The Four Winds/Minnewaukan boys’ basketball team was right there with Devils Lake and Grafton all year in its first season competing in Division A. Deng Deng had a season for the ages, leading all North Dakota basketball players with 27.2 points per game. He was named both the Region 2 Senior Athlete of the Year and the Division A Athlete of the Year. It all earned him a well-deserved Mr. Basketball nomination.
Delorme was nominated for Mr. Basketball as well with 17.9 points per game and 29.7% three-point shooting. So was North Star’s Dane Hagler, who reached the 2,000 career points milestone during the season and led the Bearcats to the state championship game. Hagler averaged 21 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. North Star only lost two games all year: one to a Division A school, and the other in the state final.
Memories were made over on the hockey side as well. The biggest story was Ashlyn Abrahamson, who had the best hockey season Devils Lake has ever seen and one of the best in the history of North Dakota girls’ hockey. The Journal previously published an article detailing the statistical impressiveness of her campaign: She scored the third-most goals any female North Dakota hockey player has ever scored in a season.
The Firebirds made it to the girls’ hockey state tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 season. They ended up finishing as the sixth-place team in the tournament. Abrahamson and Siri Olson were both named to the all-state team and all-conference team.
Speaking of Olson, she had an impressive season that was probably overshadowed by Abrahamson’s superstardom. Abrahamson had the most points in the state with 69, but in second place was Olson with 49. The defender was fueled by her 29 assists, which led the state.
On the boys’ side, the Firebirds made it to the Eastern Dakota Conference tournament with a gutsy play-in victory against Grafton/Park River. Goalie Brody Forsberg made the all-EDC team after a season where he collected 893 saves and posted a save percentage of 91.5. His save rate was the third-best in the state among goalies with a double-digit amount of games played.
Then there was wrestling, where the boys and girls both made it to state. Seven boys made it to the placing rounds: Ryan Samuelson, Wesley Fisk, Owen Lindstrom, Tucker Bennett, Daniel Charboneau, Tate Estenson and Braxton Rance. One girl made it to the placing rounds as well, Isabel Berg. Lindstrom, Estenson and Rance all earned third-place finishes.
With individual and team accomplishments alike, there was a lot to celebrate in Devils Lake this winter. The school accomplished things it hadn’t done in years, decades, or in some cases, ever. And it’s only a positive sign for things to come as the athletic programs continue to build and attract more interest.
Now the athletes can rest up (or play their spring sports) and get ready to do it all over again next winter.
