The following article appeared in the April 2008 edition of the New Earth, newspaper for the Diocese of Fargo.
Photo by Steven Wirth, seminarian
Above, the competition began with the opening tip-off between seminarian James Fries and Father Chad Wilhelm.
The Sems celebrate their 80-59 victory over the Shooting Shepherds in the annual Collar Classic at Cardinal Muench Seminary.
Those who made up the victorious seminarian team were: Front row, from left, Matthew Kraemer, Anthony Christenson, James Gardner, Blake Ritteman (holding trophy), Dan Musgrave, Sean Mulligan, Adam Maus; back row: Jadyn Nelson, James Fries, Garrett Boyer, Jerry Geraets, Troy Simonsen and Dr. Anthony Flood, coach.
The Shooting Shepherds team included: Front row, from left, Father Tim Schroeder, Father David Richter (Diocese of Bismarck), Father Jim Meyer; back row, Msgr. Dennis Skonseng, Father Charles LaCroix, Father Jason Lefor, Father Jason Asselin (in front of Father Lefor), Father Chad Wilhelm, Father Peter Anderl and Father Luke Meyer. (Unless otherwise noted, all the priests are from the Diocese of Fargo.)
Photos provided by Cardinal Muench Seminary
Jadyn Nelson
There was a shootout in the Cardinal Muench Seminary gymnasium March 28.
Don’t be alarmed. No one was injured — well, at least, not seriously. The shootout occurred within the context of the Collar Classic.
The Collar Classic is an annual basketball game pitting the seminarians against area priests. While the game itself is at the center of attention, the most important aspects of the game are the camaraderie it fosters between area Catholics and the awareness it brings to the seminary.
This year’s game was a huge success. Fans from Wahpeton, Cavalier and everywhere in between filled the stands for the 7:30 p.m. tip-off, providing an electric atmosphere for what turned out to be an entertaining and competitive game. An energetic group of young people from Wahpeton served as cheerleaders for the Shooting Shepherds cheering section.
Ironically, the vast majority of fans were cheering for the priests, even though the game was played on the Sems’ home court. However, Tony Flood, the Sems’ head coach and professor of philosophy, had his team ready to play.
The Sems jumped ahead early and cruised through the first quarter to a 21-12 lead. The second quarter was more of the same for the Sems as they took advantage of the athleticism of guards Anthony Christenson (Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D.), James Gardner (Diocese of Bismarck), and forward James Fries (Diocese of Fargo), stretching the difference to a 47-29 halftime score.
The priests didn't pack it in, though, as head coach Luke Lorenz made some adjustments at halftime that helped get his team back on track. His Shooting Shepherds outscored the Sems 18-9 in the third quarter with Father James Lefor and Father Luke Meyer combining for 10 of the Shooting Shepherd’s 18 points.
However, the Sems turned out to be too much for the Shooting Shepherds to overcome, pulling away to an 80-59 victory and securing the coveted Collar Classic Trophy for the third consecutive year.
Jadyn Nelson of Dickinson will graduate from Cardinal Muench Seminary, Fargo, in May. He is studying for the Diocese of Bismarck.
Collar Classic highlights