Fall sports wrap-up: Another successful season for many Mustangs, Packers teams, individuals

It was another impressive athletic season for West Fargo high schools. As winter sports get underway, here’s a look back at the highlights from West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo’s fall sports seasons.

West Fargo Sheyenne’s Payton Stocker, an eighth-grader, tied for 10th place at the Class A girls golf state tournament in October with a two-round score of 160 (80-80).

West Fargo Sheyenne pulled off a 1-0 win over Grand Forks Red River to take home third place at the boys soccer state tournament in Jamestown. The Mustangs entered as the third seed from the East and finished the season with a 7-6-6 record.

West Fargo Sheyenne sophomore Aiden Johnson made school history at this year’s Class A state boys cross country meet. Johnson crossed the finish line in 15 minutes, 35 seconds, to capture the program’s first individual state title. He finished 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Ivan Askim of Williston.

Johnson jumped 15 places from his previous 16th-place state finish as a freshman. Sheyenne senior Caeden Johnson placed 10th at the meet in 16 minutes, 12 seconds. The Mustangs took eighth in the team race with 223 points, 75 points ahead of 11th-place West Fargo.

The Packers were led by Justin Smith, who ran to a 19th-place finish (16:41).

On the girls side, the Packers took seventh with a score of 252. Kaelyn Berg led West Fargo with a sixth-place finish in 19 minutes, 29 seconds, two seconds behind fifth-place Acey Elkins of Mandan.

Ethan Raan earned third place in singles at the boys tennis state tournament in October. Raan, a junior at West Fargo Sheyenne, defeated Ryder McDonald of Grand Forks Central 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the third-place match at the tournament, held in Grand Forks.

West Fargo Sheyenne swam to a second-place finish behind Bismarck Century for the third straight year at the girls swimming and diving state meet. The seven-time state champions Patriots finished with a team score of 349.5, 9.5 points ahead of Sheyenne.

Sheyenne senior Greta Bellas won two individual championships. Bellas defended her 500-yard freestyle title and won the 200 free. Tierney Howell swam to two second-place finishes in the 100 butterfly and 50 free, which was captured by West Fargo’s Liv Hettinger. Sheyenne’s Lauren McDonagh placed second in the 100 breaststroke. The Mustangs also had two second-place relay finishes in the 200 and 400 free, and got a third-place finish in diving from Paige Harry.

Hettinger won the 50-yard freestyle title with a time of 23.69 seconds, the first in a pair of individual state championships won by the senior swimmer. Hettinger also cruised to a first-place finish in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.85. In the team race, West Fargo rounded out the top five with a score of 151.5.

West Fargo Sheyenne won its first state football title in program history with a 27-7 win over its crosstown rival West Fargo in the Class 11AA state championship. The Mustangs captured the crown after losing to Bismarck Century in the 2019 and 2020 Dakota Bowl games and completed their first perfect season in school history.

Sheyenne senior Josh Henricks ran for 238 yards and three touchdowns to lift the Mustangs to victory.

West Fargo brought home third place at the Class A volleyball state volleyball tournament with a 3-1 win over Fargo Shanley. The Packers cruised past Bismarck Legacy in the quarterfinals before falling to Bismarck High in the semis. West Fargo senior Nadia Chwialkowski was named the Class A volleyball Senior Athlete of the Year. Chwialkowski had 47 kills and 47 digs in three state tournament matches.

West Fargo Sheyenne finished the tournament as consolation champions. The Mustangs rolled to the fifth-place match with a sweep over Bismarck St. Mary’s in the consolation semifinals after losing to Bismarck High in the quarterfinals. Sheyenne defeated Bismarck Legacy 3-1 to win the consolation championship.

Horace High School had its first varsity sports this fall in cross country and girls swimming.