In The Hunt- Title Contenders (ND)
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This is the North Dakota Contenders article. Like the others I have written, this one will be the teams I feel will have the greatest chance to make the State Title run in 2021 as well as the reason why…
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Continue ReadingThis is the North Dakota Contenders article. Like the others I have written, this one will be the teams I feel will have the greatest chance to make the State Title run in 2021 as well as the reason why I believe so. Also, as I mention in other articles, this one is 100% my opinion and not solid facts, I base everything off the film I see and make my opinions off of that. Here are my picks for 2021 Contenders:
Class AAA- West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs (8-1)
The Mustangs seemed to have a pretty balanced attack on both offense and defense. They put up some big scores over the course of the year, and defense did not give up a lot, or made enough stops to win games. While they graduated a lot of their key players, they will return a good core of players for the 2021 season.
Key Players Lost: RB Barika Kpeenu Barika Kpeenu 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB Sheyenne | 2021 State , WR Jahheem Leake, DT Abe Hestdalen Abe Hestdalen 6'3" | 235 lbs | DL Sheyenne | 2021 State , WR Gage Anderson, DE Kole Menz.
Key Players Returning:
QB- Grant Warkenthien Grant Warkenthien QB West Fargo Sheyenne | 2022 State
DB- Kellen Entz Kellen Entz 6'3" | 195 lbs | DB West Fargo-Sheyenne | 2022 State
FB/LB- Matthew Treib
OL- Brennan Sellheim Brennan Sellheim 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL West Fargo Sheyenne | 2022 State
Class AA- Hillsboro/Central Valley Burros (8-3)
Hillsboro/Central Valley had a good year, winning some big games and only dropping a few heartbreakers. In both their wins and losses, the defense did not give up many points, and their offense played well in their wins. While they did not make the Championship game this year, I feel they will return a great group of starters to get them to the big game next year.
Key Players Lost: LB Kaden Pastian Kaden Pastian 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Hillsboro/Central Valley | 2021 State , QB/DB Sam Preston Sam Preston 6'2" | 175 lbs | DB Hillsboro/Central Valley | 2021 State , WR/P Nathan Rage.
Key Players Returning:
DL- Barrett Willison
LB- Jack Paulsrud
FB- Cole Hebl Cole Hebl LB Hillsboro/Central Valley | 2023 State
OL- Masyn Fandrich
DB- Riley Olsen Riley Olsen 5'10" | 190 lbs | QB Hillsboro/Central Valley | 2023 State
Class A- Grafton Spoilers (8-3)
Grafton put up some lopsided scores this year, their losses coming to Langdon Area/Munich, Hillsboro Central Valley, and Lisbon, all finished well in playoffs. They also have a lot of key players set to return in key positions for the 2021 season.
Key Players Lost: WR Stevan Garza, RB Luis Balderas, WR Damon Reyes Damon Reyes RB Grafton | 2021 State .
Key Players Returning:
LB- Esgar Rios Esgar Rios 6'2" | 215 lbs | LB Grafton | 2022 State
OL- Chago Galvaz
DL- Eli Lopez
QB- Robert Parsons III Robert Parsons III QB Grafton | 2022 State
Class 9-Man- LaMoure- Litchville/Marion Loboes (9-1)
Only in three games did the Loboes score less than 50 points. They won a lot of shootouts, only giving up more than 10 points in four games. They scored 65+ points in four games, and the defense pitched two shutouts. They will return some big-time key players for the 2021 season.
Key Players Lost: RB Brett Wendel, DL James Johnson.
Key Players Returning:
TE/DB- Colton Ness Colton Ness 6'1" | 190 lbs | TE LaMoure-Litchville-Marion | 2023 State
WR/DB- Charlie Bowman