2011 Northern Minnesota Lacrosse Season Preview - Fargo Warriors

High School:  Fargo Warriors (the Fargo team is made up of players from all Fargo high schools, West Fargo, Moorhead, and East Grand Forks)

Coaches:
Ben Fairbanks – First year at Fargo
Zach Hohloch – First year at Fargo

Last Year's Record: 1st season in the MBSLA (2-2 last season as 9/10 grade team)

Number of Returning Starters/Key Returning Players:

On last years tournament team that played in the Grand Rapids Tournament, 9 players return including sophomore Tanner Lindstrom, team co-captain freshman Nicholas Horski,  team co-captain junior Aaron Monson, freshman Jimmy Evenson, 8th grader Daniel Kasper, team co-captain sophomore Joe Noah, freshman Ben Noah, sophomore Dan Evenson and sophomore Gunnar Bossart.

Key Losses:  none

Key Newcomers:  All 24 players that make up the inaugural Fargo roster.  New players to the team looking to make an impact in 2011 include two Moorhead players junior Aaron Vanyo (midfield) and junior John Deelstra (defense) and one of the teams younger players 8th grader Zach Salmon (attack).

Big Games/Games to See:  The game against Brainerd in Fargo on 22 April (already played with Brainerd taking the win).  It will be the first ever game for Fargo in the first boys high school varsity game in North Dakota. This could be the first meeting in a budding rivalry.

Season Outlook:

action from Fargo's first lacrosse game against Brainerd

The Fargo Warriors believe that their team strength this year will be Optimism.  The brand new MBSLA team has sparked a lot of excitement about lacrosse in the Fargo area and the team is looking forward to competing against other MBSLA teams.

Many of the teams players learned the game in Fargo through club recreational play and Park District clinics consisting primarily of camps and inter-city scrimmages.  The youth lacrosse program in Fargo has been in existence since 2006.

Amazingly, less than 4 months ago, the team had no helmets, no uniforms, no money, no coaches, no practice field and a roster of 9 players.  They were entered in the MBSLA North Conference for 2011 and everything had to come together quickly.  It did.

Today Fargo has a roster of 24 with everything they were lacking in January now in place including brand new Cascade Pro7 helmets for every player compliments of a generous donation from Scheels Sporting Goods.  Their new coaches, Coach Fairbanks and Coach Hohloch come to the team after lacrosse careers at Minnesota State Moorhead.

Much of the success organizing the current Fargo lacrosse team comes from the efforts of team president Matt Noah, whose two sons play on the team after playing as 5/6 graders in Chaska and Minnetonka.  In addition to the helmets, Scheels Sporting Goods provided the team with a donation that helped to make the season a reality.

Coaches Fairbanks and Hohloch plan to take the season one day at a time.  Coach Fairbanks says, "Starting the season with only 9 players who have game experience we look to play hard and grow as a team as the season progresses with the end of the season goal being a trip to the state tournament."  In addition to the team goals, Coach Fairbanks hopes to, "spread the lacrosse word through the area in hopes of continued support from the Fargo-Moorhead community in seasons to follow and the continued expansion of lacrosse in the midwest."  Definitely a great start for a Fargo lacrosse team that looks to be in good hands and primed to grow in the coming years.