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DENEGA: Still work to do for Magicians after West Fargo win

Minot High’s football team opened its season with a 20-12 win over West Fargo on Friday night.

The win was nice, but Minot coach Barry Holmen was quick to point out the work still left to be done.

Here are my three observations:

Powerful combo

Seniors Matt Marler and Austin Nagel combined for 153 yards, and they weren’t cute yards, either. Most of the yards were between the tackles, the get-your-knuckles-dirty-and-don’t-let-grandma-see kind of yards. Junior Carson Mosser was Minot’s third back, and he even had a nice game with five rushes for 28 yards and the go-ahead score.

“We’re fortunate to have some depth at that position,” Holmen said.

Young guns up front

The Magicians returned just offensive lineman last year’s runner-up squad – senior Kyle Routledge. To make matters more difficult junior, projected starter Jayce LaPray tore his anterior cruciate ligament before the opener and is now out for the season.

That being said, Minot was breaking in quite a few new bodies against the Packers on Friday night, and for a young unit desperate for unity and cohesion, I felt the Magicians did a nice job of opening up holes for their backs. They did struggle a few times handling pressure, but Minot’s O-line is only going to improve as they get more practice and game reps under their belt.

Lund MIA

Quite simply, the Packers took all-state tight end and North Dakota State commit Braydon Lund out of Friday’s game.

The 6-fot-3 target only caught just one pass for two yards on the night.

“I think partly the reason he didn’t have more catches was because (West Fargo) was concerned with him,” Holmen said. “When we split him out, you have a corner that’s close to him and a safety over the top. It was just hard to go his way if they are going to have two dudes over him.

“He’s going to get his. He’s not worried about that.”

Minot travels to Fargo Davies for a Dakota Bowl rematch Friday, followed by a home date with Jamestown on Sept. 11.

John Denega is a staff writer for The Minot Daily News, covering Minot High athletics and general assignments. Follow him on Twitter @JohnDenega_MDN.

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