And the 2023 Upper Midwest Connection of the Year Is...

 The year was 1920. George Gipp of the University of Notre Dame football team was giving a punting camp shortly before Thanksgiving with another successful season in the books. The Fighting Irish had, for the second year running, gone 9-0, running their unbeaten streak to twenty games, including a draw away to Nebraska at the end of Gipp's sophomore year of 1918. For this success, Gipp was days away from being named All-America by Walter Camp and countless other sources, making him the second consensus First-Teamer in program history after Gus Dorais.

But not long after these honours were dispensed to him, Gipp caught strep throat and pneumonia. Adding insult to injury, it was a time before antibiotics, which would have enabled him to live a full life. As it was, he died on 14 December at Notre Dame. It's said that, shortly before he kicked the bucket, he told his coach, the legendary Knute Rockne: "When the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper."

Eight years later, on 10 November 1928, the Irish were going through a rebuilding year (by their standards). Rockne's men were 4-2, having already lost to Wisconsin and Georgia Tech on the season, heading into a fixture against Army at Yankee Stadium. The Cadets, by contrast, were unbeaten, and looking for their first national title since 1914. At halftime, Notre Dame were down 6-0 when Rockne remembered Gipp's dying exhortation. He invoked it, and the Irish scored two touchdowns in the second half. Despite missing both PATs, they held on to spoil West Point's season, 12-6.

Why do I bring up these events, you ask? Well, 95 years to the month after Notre Dame 12-6 Army--and thousands of miles away in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico--the 2023 Upper Midwest Connection of the Year received his own "win just one for the Gipper" motivation in the form of a text from his dying Minnesota Gophers teammate Jon Trasamar. To be fair, "Trasy" was still alive--albeit barely--when Erik van Rooyen received and executed his marching-orders, whereas Gipp had long passed on when Rockne rallied his troops in the Bronx. But the song remained the same, as Led Zeppelin would've put it.

Nor are the parallels merely related to a dying or dead person who still inspired. As with the Irish against Army, EVR found himself in a bit of a pickle early on in the World Wide Technologies Championship. But the exhortation kicked in in both cases, and the result was victory in each.

Finally, Trasamar's last full day on Earth--10 November 2023, three days after van Rooyen had seen him alive for the last time--was the 95th anniversary of the "win just one for the Gipper" game. I wonder if Allie Traen (Jon's widow) is aware of the connection to this day. In any case, I saw Jon's funeral livestreamed on the Blue Earth, Minnesota funeral home's website, and van Rooyen read the second reading.

In conclusion, was Erik van Rooyen the most consistent Umcee of 2023? No, that would probably be Epson Tour prospect Kate Smith, who missed only three cuts all year. Van Rooyen even missed seven in a row and nine of eleven, and was playing for his job in the FedEx Cup Fall! But his playing and winning in Mexico through adversity for Jon Trasamar, as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team had done 95 years earlier for George Gipp, put him over the top enough to earn him the honour of Upper Midwest Connection of the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Three.

Behold, your 2023 Upper Midwest Connection of the Year!

2023 Upper Midwest Connection of the Year: Erik van Rooyen, Cape Town, South Africa/University of Minnesota '13

Starting OWGR: #122

Year-end OWGR: #87

Final FedEx Cup Eligibility: #65

Wins: 1 (World Wide Technologies Championship)

Top 10s: 4 on PGA Tour, 1 on DP World Tour

Top 25s: 6 on PGA Tour, 2 on DP World Tour

Majors: None

Cuts made: 12/25 plus 3/3 on DP World Tour

Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles: 6 (including retroactive)

With the 2023 Top Ten in the books, I can now call it a season for the blog. But I won't be gone for long, as in a few days, I'll be announcing my third-round picks for the FA Cup. Look for more features to emerge as well on the Devilish Rake.

One more thing: For the first time in my memory two Umcees are in the Sentry, formerly the Tournament of Champions. As a result of all top-50 FedEx Cup finishers making the event, in addition to all tournament winners in the soon-to-be-finished calendar year, EVR will be joined by Tom Hoge. Looks like the count of Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles will start anew by mid-January.

Have a happy New Year of 2024.

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023: #2

 I was going to post this yesterday, but D&D went unusually late (10:30 or so my time), so I had to push back this submission to today. Apologies for the wait. It's too bad I don't have any social networks that are usable to notify you all about changes to my posting schedule--or, for that matter, such a schedule in itself--ever since I dropped Twitter/X this past July.

Anyway, this is the day on which the 2023 Upper Midwest Connection of the Year is revealed! First, though, we must pay tribute to the guy who finished a close second...

Number 2: Tom Hoge, Fargo, North Dakota

Starting OWGR: #36

Current OWGR #61

Final FedEx Cup Eligibility: #45

Wins: 0

Top 10s: 2

Top 25s: 6 on PGA Tour, 1 on DP World Tour, 1 co-sanctioned by both (Scottish Open)

Majors: Masters, MC; PGA, T58; U.S. Open, MC; Open Championship, MC

Cuts made: 18/26 plus 2/2 on DPWT-only events (Irish Open, BMW PGA Championship)

Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles: 6 (including retroactive)

For much of 2023, I was going to award Tom Hoge a repeat as Upper Midwest Connection of the Year (retroactive to 2022, when he had won at Pebble Beach). And he definitely got off to a hot start, tying for third at the Sentry Tournament of Champions (in its final year under that name) and making four straight cuts before MCing at the Phoenix Open. He then capped off the West Coast swing with another top-15 finish at the Genesis Invitational. His biggest accomplishment of the year, though, was that 62 at TPC Sawgrass, which set a record for as long as the Players Championship has been held there (1982-present). He had dug himself into a hole in the first two rounds of the event, but it still helped him to a tie for third.

Sadly, that was where the wheels kind of came off. He took the next week off and then went 0-3 at the final WGC Match Play, then missed the cut at both the Masters and the RBC Heritage. Though he went on to make his next four weekends, he didn't crack the top 40 in any of them, and his top-40 drought eventually extended to nine starts before a T19 at the Scottish Open. Even then, he stumbled in glory's last shot, missing the cut at the Open to finish 1-for-4 in majors in terms of making the cut. Nevertheless, he kept striving, and two of his last three starts of the 2022-23 season proper (excluding FedEx Cup Fall) were top-25 finishes. Even the one that wasn't (the FedEx St Jude Championship) saw him do well enough to crack the BMW Championship and earn a trip to all eight signature events in 2024, including a return trip to the Sentry.

And of course, his best second half of the year finishes were ahead of him. A T14 at the DP World Tour's BMW PGA Championship was his first top-fifteen finish worldwide since the Players. Then, upon returning to America, he did one better (T13) at the Sanderson Farms Championship before shutting things down after the Zozo Championship two weeks later in Japan. His globetrotting alone would earn him an honoured place on this list, but add to this his many achievements--especially early in the year--and you've a bona-fide First Team All-Umcee honoree.

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023: #3 (and Female Umcee of the Year)

 On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...the '23 bronze medallist among Umcees. Okay, I made that lyric up. But seriously, we now reach the medal stand among the top Umcees of 2023--and with it, we get to my Female Umcee of the Year.

This year's women's golf scene had rather slim pickings among Upper Midwest connections. With Oxbow, North Dakota native and North Dakota State product Amy Olson dealing with pregnancy and her subsequent maternity leave, the Umcee action in women's professional tour golf was largely restricted to developmental tours such as the Epson Tour. I mentioned one such player, Kim Kaufman, as a Second Team All-Umcee honoree. Now we turn to the third Minnesota connection to make the First Team. Without further ado, I bring you my inaugural Female Umcee of the Year...

Number 3: Kate Smith, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Starting Rolex Ranking: #870

Current Rolex Ranking: #551

Final Epson Tour Race for the Card: #19

Wins: 0

Top 10s: 4

Top 25s: 9

Majors: None

Cuts made: 19/22

Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles: 3 (including retroactive)

The former Minnesota state champion who played collegiately for Nebraska (and, I swear, participated in the prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur once, at least) had a breakout in year two on the Epson Tour. A year ago, she seemed happy just to retain her card on the LPGA's primary developmental circuit, without regard to getting a top-35 finish and progression to Q-Series, the final stage of the LPGA Q-School. Indeed, she missed out on progression from Second Stage, while Kaufman made it to finals and made the cut, only to fall back to the Epson Tour. This year, it was a role reversal. Smith made all but three cuts on tour, cracking the top 20 of the Race for the Card and earning direct entry into Q-Series, whereas Kaufman had to advance from Second Stage. Smith also outshined her fellow-Umcee once at Magnolia Grove, making the cut that Kaufman missed, although Smith herself also failed to achieve LPGA Tour status with a dismal final round.

It goes without saying that next year's expectations for Smith will be much higher. Among the questions: Can she repeat as Female Umcee of the Year in 2024? More importantly, can she fulfill her quest for an LPGA Tour card and join Olson (if she be allowed to compete by then) on the big tour and maybe Kaufman, to say nothing of big-time stars like the Korda sisters, Minjee Lee and Lydia Ko?

Having named the Female Umcee of the Year, we return to the PGA Tour for the top two honorees among the First Team All-Umcee. Stay tuned for the verdict tomorrow and Friday!

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023: #4

 Happy Boxing Day to all who celebrate! (I'm sure there are some fellow-Americans of mine who know what Boxing Day is...) Yesterday, we kicked off the player-a-day reveal of the All-Umcee First Team for 2023 with Troy Merritt and his survival to another year on the PGA Tour by the skin o' his teeth. For the next two days, we return to the developmental scene, beginning with...

Number 4: Frankie Capan III, North Oaks, Minnesota

Capan with his mother on the bag at this year's 3M Open in Blaine, Minnesota.

Starting OWGR: N/A

Current OWGR: #358

Final Korn Ferry Tour Points List: #51

Wins: 0

Top 10s: 3

Top 25s: 7

Majors: U.S. Open, MC

Cuts made: 14/22 on KFT; 1/1 on PGA Tour (3M Open)

Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles: 4 (including retroactive)

When Frankie Capan III stepped into an obscure Q-school prequalifying tee box sixteen months ago, he had made a conscious decision to leave the Alabama Crimson Tide (Justin Thomas' alma mater, in case you didn't know) and risk his future prospects as a golfer. Go pro, young man. Those words might well have rung false for anybody not bearing Capan's name, but like a football player taking stock of his talents and sensing himself ready to leave university for the NFL--or, for that matter, a basketballer knowing he was too good to need university in the first place--FCIII not only tested those KFT Q-school waters, but cruised across them. And he had a secret weapon: his mother as caddie. Thus armed, FCIII tied for third at prequalifying, then secured medallist honours at both First and Second Stage and T9'd at finals--good enough for twelve guaranteed starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023.

The waters got choppier once on tour, and FCIII hasn't won a KFT event yet. Furthermore, he can't ask his mother when he needs a reading, as he changed caddies during the season. Sometimes, you need to let go of the security blanket and enter in to the deep. Despite these considerations, his rookie year on tour was quite good to great. He flirted with a PGA Tour card at times before fading down the stretch and made his major debut as the only Umcee to qualify for the U.S. Open (excluding Tom Hoge, who was already exempt). He missed the cut at L.A. Country Club but made the 3M Open cut back home in the Twin Cities. His three top-ten finishes, coupled with four lesser top-25 showings, helped him secure a return to Final Stage of Q-school, this time with PGA Tour cards on the line. Although he failed to improve his status, he now has full KFT membership, freeing him from worries about the reshuffle, which he had to face during his first season. Maybe that relief will help him get that PGA Tour card, no Q-school needed, for 2025. In that case, if Hoge and Merritt retain their cards (Erik van Rooyen, the other member of the "big three" Umcees, has a winner's exemption from his World Wide Technologies triumph last month that guarantees survival to next season), the big three Umcees would become a big four in men's tour golf. Good luck to Frankie Capan III in 2024!!!

Tomorrow we hit the medal stand with the top woman Umcee in tour golf this year.

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023: #5

 Merry Christmas! The first two days out of seven revealing the top ten Umcees in tour golf in 2023 have concerned the All-Umcee Second Team and any honourable mentions. Now, we get to the First Team, so more detail is warranted for each player. We begin with one of the "big three" Umcees in tour golf this year...

Number 5: Troy Merritt, Osage, Iowa native/Spring Lake Park (MN) High School '04/Winona State University two years

Starting OWGR: #98

Current OWGR: #224

Final FedEx Cup eligibility: #124 (including fall 2022)

Wins: 0

Top tens: 2

Top 25s: 4

Majors: PGA Championship, MC

Cuts made: 11/27

Upper Midwest Connection of the Week titles: 4 (including retroactive)

To say that Troy Merritt struggled in 2023 is an understatement. After starting his year with a modestly made cut (T65) at the Sony Open in Hawai'i, he fell out of the top 100 of the OWGR permanently by missing the next week's Amex cut. Once he missed the weekend at the RBC Heritage the week after the Masters, it was eight straight MC. He fell from the OWGR top 150 shortly thereafter and, again, hasn't returned since. By the time he made the weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit--an event he almost won in 2021, losing a playoff to Cam Davis of Australia--he had fallen from the top 200. That payday, which snapped a drought lasting thirteen straight events, earned him a retroactive Upper Midwest Connection of the Week honour (I began the blog the day after his final putt had dropped). He still missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017, though, despite making four of his last six cuts on the FedEx Cup regular season. And though he had consecutive top-ten finishes to open the FedEx Cup Fall, he petered out after that, posting zero top-sixty finishes in the last four events and missing a sixteenth cut in 2023 at the RSM Classic.

So why does he get to be on the First Team? The big reason is the fact that his card survived at all. After MCing at the RSM, Merritt had to sweat out results elsewhere at the event. When the dust settled, he was the last one in the top 125, the final "bubble boy"--at least at the time. Of course, Carl Yuan of China, who missed out on the range initially, did get his card back through Jon Rahm's defection to LIV Golf. Still, Merritt did well in some areas, not giving up on hope when he MCed 13 straight times and showing up enough to retain his privileges for 2024. Sometimes, you need to be more lucky than good.

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023, Part II: #6 and #7

 This second part of my top ten Umcees of 2023 may be seen as capping off the "second team All-Umcee" portion of the list. Yesterday I posted the first three members of the list--Angus Flanagan, Kim Kaufman and George Kneiser--and by adding two more today, that not only leaves five to go for my first team, but rounds out my second team nicely. So, without further ado, let's cap off the All-Umcee Second Team!

Number 7: Derek Hitchner, Blake School alumnus, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Two years ago, Hitchner was a good, but fairly obscure, junior at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Then, in summer 2022, he made it all the way to the final four of the U.S. Amateur, coming within a single match win against Ben Carr of free exemptions to the U.S. Open and Masters and a second triumph (over Sam Bennett, who shined at said Masters) of the Open Championship. He lost 3 and 2 to Carr, but his confidence was greatly boosted by his deep run, and he finished his senior year 14th in the PGA Tour University rankings after qualifying for the NCAA finals. This awarded Hitchner a PGA Tour Canada card, and he finished higher than any other Umcee in the Fortinet Cup (23rd, just edging out Kneiser), earning an exemption to Second Stage of the PGA Tour Q-School. It's too bad he missed out on Final Stage by one measly stroke, or he might have placed higher on the list, even making First Team All-Umcee. Speaking of Final Stage qualifiers...

Number 6: Thomas Longbella, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin/University of Minnesota '21

If Hitchner came into his own out of nowhere as a college upperclassman, Longbella needed a bit longer to blossom. Having been overshadowed at the U by Flanagan, Longbella nevertheless kept the faith and won his PGA Tour Canada card in 2022 in a playoff (along with Kneiser). He went on to a 23rd place finish in the Fortinet Cup but, for lack of Q-school experience, fell short of Final Stage. This year, he fell short of the top 30, let alone the top 25. Otherwise, he would have definitely been a First Team All-Umcee laureate based on what followed.

In October, Longbella went down to Muskogee, Oklahoma and managed to advance to Second Stage. At first that seemed the best he'd do, but he took off in round 3 with a -6/66 at Valencia Country Club in California. He didn't have enough to assure himself of Korn Ferry Tour starts in 2024, but he did secure a trip to Final Stage by tying for second, three strokes adrift of Jeffrey Kang. Once there, he fell short of improved status, but he now has access to PGA Tour and KFT Mondays without necessarily having to go through prequalifying for 2024 (slots #48 among conditional KFT members in the Q-school category).

With that said, each of the next five posts will be published daily if possible, and in any case, each will feature one Umcee from the First Team. Tomorrow's pick, I will say, may be a bit controversial in some aspects...

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of 2023 in Tour Golf, Part I: #8-#10 + Honourable Mentions

To say I struggled to keep up with all that went down in tour golf in the year of our Lord 2023 is an understatement. There was the decision to let the rich get richer, without listening to any objections from rank-and-file golfers on the PGA Tour, through the tour's signature-events program announced in March and taking effect on the other side of the New Year. I tried to circulate a petition for the PGA Tour to rethink its plan but got crickets. There was the out-of-nowhere announcement of efforts to bury the hatchet between the PGA Tour and its "strategic partner," the DP World Tour (whatever that means), on the one hand, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia on the other so that LIV golfers might be reintegrated into the mainstream ecosystem of golf. Again, players weren't consulted--but this time, not even the bigwigs could have their say. The U.S. Senate reacted by denouncing what they saw as a covenant with evil, and began to target the PGA Tour's antitrust exemption. The OWGR rejected LIV Golf League's application for membership, citing the shorter, 54-hole format and lack of cut; the team aspect that could compromise individual competitiveness intentionally; and the contractual system that makes it harder for promotion and relegation to be applied despite the fact that only 24 cards are supposed to be guaranteed for the following season. And there was Jon Rahm contradicting his own adoration of tradition and prostituting himself to LIV.

So much for negative news about how the world of professional golf is falling to pieces. But for every sorrow in the field, there are local and/or regional stories that remind us why we love this game. While the bigwigs continue to tussle over the future of pro golf, it was another year of progress for Umcees. For the first time in a while, we saw one not only get exempt status on the Korn Ferry Tour, but keep it in fuller measure for 2024. In women's golf, while it was another quiet year for Umcees, one of two on the Epson Tour improved her standing in the Race for the Card, reaching a best season finish of #19 in the money list. And in big-time men's golf, for the third straight year, an Umcee won a PGA Tour event. With all that in mind, this is the first part of my list of the top ten Umcees in tour golf this year. We begin with the bottom three of the list proper, along with some honourable mentions. The next post, due tomorrow (24 December), will consider the next two up the list, followed by individual profiles on each of my top five Umcees in tour golf in 2023.

The criteria for this Top Ten (plus honourable mentions) include, but are not limited to, wins in tour golf, the calibre of these victories, overall performance on various tours, the magnitude of the circuits in question and, where applicable, showings in various Q-schools.

Number 10: Angus Flanagan, Woking, England/University of Minnesota 2018-'21

Flanagan had excelled in college at the U of M. As a sophomore, he shared the Big Ten championship with Adrien Dumont de Chassart of Illinois, who has since earned his PGA Tour card by finishing 11th on this year's KFT points list. He also won four other collegiate events, most notably the Genesis Collegiate Showcase in 2021 to book tee times at Riviera Country Club for the Genesis Invitational. According to the inaugural (2020-21) PGA Tour University final standings, Flanagan was the 11th best college golf senior in Division I.

That's when it hit the fan. Poor Angus made just one cut that summer on the Forme Tour, which had been set up for non-Canadian players on the PGA Tour Canada to provide playing and promotion opportunities while Covid-19 kept the U.S.-Canadian border closed to voluntary travel and lost his card. He then bounced about in 2022...when a breakthrough happened. Flanagan was able to make it to Final Stage of the DP World Tour Q-School. He missed the cut but grabbed some Challenge Tour status. This helped set up his placement on this list, as he made event cuts consistently, albeit never finishing higher than 23rd. What really seals his place here, though, was his first Korn Ferry Tour cut made at the Club Car Championship, for which he had Monday qualified; he finished in the top 35. He didn't quite match last year's Q-school showings, falling in First Stage in Europe and Second Stage in the PGA Tour Q-School, but there is some cause for optimism in his professional career. In addition, he showed up at multiple events on the Clutch Pro Tour, which feeds into the Challenge Tour, in his native England.

Number 9: Kim Kaufman, Clark, South Dakota

Much like Flanagan, Kaufman had a decorated college career, tearing it up at Texas Tech in the Big 12. She also rocked the house as a developmental golfer, winning twice on the Symetra Tour (now the Epson Tour). But her promise that might have translated that collegiate/minor-league form to the big stage was shattered by catching mono in Japan in 2018 and falling down stairs during her rehab, injuring her wrist. She progressed through Q-Series beautifully but lost her card again the next year and couldn't get it back.

As for this year on the Epson Tour, Kaufman struggled early on but did well enough to retain her card, finishing in the top 70 (top 80 needed to retain privileges). She made Q-Series again for the second year running but missed the cut and will be back on the Epson Tour in 2024.

Number 8: George Kneiser, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Kneiser had a fine second season on the PGA Tour Canada, cracking the top 25 on the final order of merit for that tour before it merges with the PGA Tour Latinoamerica to form the PGA Tour Americas (albeit just barely). This was a huge improvement over year one on the tour, when he had finished a dismal 105th in the Fortinet Cup (as the order of merit was known for its last two years) and been forced to go back to Q-school. He got his career best showing on tour by tying for second at the season-opening Royal Beach Victoria Open. Though he hasn't matched that success since, Kneiser did well enough to skip First Stage of the PGA Tour Q-School. However, he did miss the Final Stage by five strokes, so he'll be playing the PGA Tour Americas in 2024.

Honourable Mentions

• Van Holmgren: Arguably the biggest Umcee beneficiary at PGA Tour Q-School finals this year, Holmgren started the year without status on any connected tour, having narrowly failed to defend his PGA Tour Canada card from last year. His T71 performance at the Sawgrass courses used for Q-school finals earned him renewed status on the PGA Tour Americas.
• Justin Doeden: That he didn't make this Top Ten in any capacity speaks to a cheating scandal that tarnished his previous 16th-placed finish in the final Totalplay Cup standings for the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. If he had but accepted his fate, he could've bounced back later in the PGA Tour Canada season and honoured his exemption to Second Stage earned in Latin America. Unfortunately, as a result of his devious deed, Doeden was apparently not only suspended the rest of the year but barred from Q-school. The "honourable" part of this designation strictly refers to his earlier portion of the year and what could have been.

Part II contains players #6 and #7 and will drop Christmas Eve.

Edward the Scop

Top Ten Upper Midwest Connections of the Year 2023 Preview

 The PGA Tour season finally wrapped three days ago, as did the DP World Tour season. And just like that...all quiet on the tour front.

Okay, that's a bit premature. There are still four Q-school events--three for the PGA Tour, as well as LPGA Q-Series--to contest in order to determine placement on professional golf tours under those organizations' umbrellas. And just as the DPWT concludes its season every year, it seems to start the next immediately the following week with a few events in South Africa--the Joburg Open, the South African Open and the Alfred Dunhill Championship--plus the Mauritius Open. All these events are co-sanctioned with the Sunshine Tour, which provides tour golf to southern Africa. Lastly, as far as I know, at least one Umcee--Erik van Rooyen--will be playing the Dunhill. But for the vast majority of tour golfers, both men and women, mid-November is a cutoff point, a time to retreat into unofficial events (if that). About the only truly bigwig event that remains on the calendar is the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, which does carry OWGR points for twenty participants. One of these, of course, will be Tiger Woods, who hosts the event and is playing for the first time since withdrawing from the Masters after making the cut.

It makes sense, then, to start planning a year-end ranking of the top Umcees of 2023. Was this the greatest year for the contingent? No, but there were enough accomplishments among such players (again, both men and women) to fill a top ten, in my opinion. Furthermore, these accomplishments might be increased as a result of Q-school outcomes. As a result of the planning, compilation and ranking of the top ten Upper Midwest connections of the year, coupled with Q-school coverage and work on second-round picks for the FA Cup, it'll be a hectic next few weeks here at the Devilish Rake. I might even consider a poll or two to help select certain entries on the list as the deadline approaches. Stay tuned.

Edward the Scop