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Class A Baseball (Final Poll):

1. Dickinson
2. West Fargo
3. Fargo North
4. Shanley
5. Bismarck Century

EDC Bracket

Here’s a look at the EDC bracket. My initial thoughts are that no one has an easy draw. Sound familiar? West Fargo was upset last year by Devils Lake in the 1 vs 8 matchup. The Packers have the top seed again, but Fargo South is no slouch with talent like Ben Bryant and Andrew Pugliano in the mix.

West Fargo head coach Brett Peterson told me this week, "You look at every game and I think that whatever the result is nobody will be surprised. I think it's one of those tournaments where you're going to have to show up and you're going to have to play good baseball to get wins. There's really a lot of parity in the east this year and I see all four matchups on Thursday being pretty even given that probably everybody throws their ace."

I think West Fargo and North are almost locks for two of the four tickets to state, but then things get dicey. Central, led by Brock Reller, is playing really well right now and could make it difficult for Shanley and/or Davies to make the tournament. Don’t forget Sheyenne who won the EDC crown last year despite being the 5-seed. The East Region tournament runs May 25-27 at Youngs Field in West Fargo.

WDA Bracket

Here’s a look at the WDA bracket. In my opinion, Dickinson shouldn’t have much trouble reaching the championship game and clinching a trip to state. That’s not a slight to the teams they’ll face to get there, but simply based on how dominant the defending state champs have been this season. Century is struggling down the stretch, but I still think the Patriots have enough talent to make it to state and win a game or two there. They open against a Jamestown team that they just swept last Friday. I have a feeling that 6^th seeded Williston will grab a ticket to state. The Coyotes finished 15-17, but won 9 of their final 10 games. Their first round opponent is Minot, a team that swept them 12-0 and 6-4 before the dominant run began. Head Coach Aaron Finders told the Williston Herald this week, “With Minot, I think it’s a head game. Every time we play Minot, right when something wrong happens, we get down for the whole time. I think we’re definitely capable of beating them, last year we did a couple times.” This West Region tournament runs May 25-27 at Corbett Field in Minot.

 Class A Softball (Final Poll):

1. West Fargo
2. WF Sheyenne
3. Bishop Ryan
4. Dickinson
5. Minot

East Region Bracket

Here’s a look at the East Region bracket. It’s not hard to pick the two best teams in the east, let alone the state. That’s why I’m confident in saying that it’ll be West Fargo facing Sheyenne in the EDC title game. As for the other two state qualifier spots in the east. That gets interesting. I think North finds a way to advance as the #3 seed behind standout senior Sami Trana (pictured to the right). The other spot comes down to three others in my opinion: Davies, Red River and Valley City. Call me crazy, but we’ve seen Valley City deliver in the postseason before. I think the Hi-Liners are playing well at the right time and that they’ll find a way to advance to state.

West Region Bracket

Here’s the West Region bracket. The top 6 teams are separated by just five points in the final standings. So, take my predictions as merely what they are…predictions. I actually believe 3-seed Dickinson and 5-seed Bismarck will play for the Region title. Even crazier is the fact that I have 2-seed Century missing the state tournament, falling to Minot in a state qualifier game. The Patriots might be competing for a state tournament though next season, they won’t be losing anyone. 1-seed Bishop Ryan gets the other ticket to state. Lions’ senior pitcher Emma Garber is one to watch in the postseason. This bracket is honestly so unpredictable because every team has beaten every team and that’s been the story all season. So, maybe flipping a coin would be best ;)

The field is set for the Class B softball state tournament and the Class B baseball tournament will be finalized soon, too. Keep an eye out for previews of those state tournaments on an upcoming blog. As always, make sure to catch the latest high school sports news, highlights and interviews on Varsity Sports every Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. on Midco Sports Network! 

Enjoy the postseason! -Jody