Sean Williams/MDN The Bishop Ryan Lions welcome the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers to First Western Bank Field at Herb Parker Stadium on Friday in an exciting Class B, Region 3 matchup. Both teams have gone 3-1 over their last four contests.

Another week of Friday night lights is here, with a loaded slate that should make for some thrilling games on the gridiron. Regional play has been present, as teams are looking to continue perfection, while others are looking to keep the improvements coming.

As we move further into the 2022 season, playoff teams will start to take shape and teams are continuing their quest to separate themselves as they look to win their region first.

Here is a preview of the games coming up this week, broken down by classes.

Class 11AA

Williston (1-5 overall, 0-3 West Region) @

Century (0-5 overall,

0-2 West Region)

The Williston Coyotes got their first win of the season versus Dickinson on Sept. 2 and have struggled since then. Their schedule, however, has been tough with back-to-back games against St. Mary’s and Mandan. It doesn’t get easier for the Coyotes, who must face the Century Patriots who are winless, but have been keeping games close and seeming like it’s only a matter of time before they get their first win. History has been on the Patriots side in this matchup, as they own a 40-9 record against Williston and have won the last 20 matchups.

West Fargo Sheyenne

(4-1 overall, 1-1 East Region) @ Minot (3-2 overall, 3-1 West Region)

Minus a loss to Davies, West Fargo Sheyenne has been putting up points this year, having at least 34 points in each of their wins. In the midst of a three-game win streak, the Mustangs are showing a complete team effort, as they have only allowed a total of 27 points over the last three contests. The Minot Magicians will look to bounce back after a loss to a tough Davies team last week. Defense has been a strong point of the team over the last few weeks and that will have to continue to be the case if they want to take down the Mustangs. The Mustangs have won the last two contests between these teams.

Mandan (4-1 overall,

3-1 West Region) @ Bismarck (0-5 overall,

0-2 West Region)

The Mandan Braves were on a roll to start the year, seeing themselves ranked No.1 until a loss to Minot dropped them from the top spot. Since then, the Braves have won two games in a row where they have outscored opponents 83-0. It’s been a tough year for the Bismarck Demons, who are still in search of their first win. Even with the struggles, they have the favorable hand in this matchup, as the Demons own a 44-5 all-time record against Mandan.

Shanley (4-1 overall,

1-1 East Region) @

Legacy (4-1 overall,

3-0 West Region)

Following three wins to start the year, the Shanley Deacons fell victim to West Fargo Sheyenne before getting back on track with a win over Century last week. Showing similar results, the Legacy Sabres lost their first game of the year to Sheyenne and have been perfect since. This will be an intriguing matchup as Shanley has made putting up points look easy, while Legacy has utilized strong defense to get off to a great start. This will be the first time these teams face each other.

West Fargo (2-3 overall, 0-2 East Region) @

St. Mary’s (2-3 overall,

2-2 West Region)

Looking to remain perfect against Bismarck teams, the West Fargo Packers aim to make it two wins in a row after beating Bismarck last week. The St. Mary’s Saints are hoping to get back on track, after dropping consecutive games to Fargo North and Mandan. West Fargo holds a close edge with a 3-2 record versus St. Mary’s. The last time these teams met was in 1996 when the Saints won a 28-6 ballgame in the first round of the Class A playoffs.

Class 11B

Bottineau (6-0 overall, 6-0 Region 2) @ Hillsboro-Central Valley (5-1 overall, 5-0 Region 2)

It has been a fantastic start to the year for Bottineau, who have utilized balanced play in all aspects of the game to remain perfect thus far. They have outscored opponents 202-81 and show no signs of slowing down. Up next, however, will be a tough game against Hillsboro-Central Valley whose lone loss came to a powerhouse in Kindred. Combined in their wins, Hillsboro-Central Valley has outscored opponents 186-54 and has shutout or held an opponent to single digits three times. This should be one of the most exciting games around the area this week.

Rugby (2-4 overall, 1-4 Region 2) @ Park River Area (1-5 overall,

1-4 Region 2)

Coming off the gauntlet of games against Langdon, Thompson, and Bottineau, the Rugby Panthers will look to get back in the win column against Park River Area this week. In similar fashion, Park River Area has lost three games in a row, as one team will break the losing skid and the others will continue. Rugby owns a 10-6 record against Park River Area, where they have had recent success as well, winning the last three contests.

Velva/Garrison/Drake-Anamoose (6-0 overall, 5-0 Region 3)

@ Stanley (0-6 overall, 0-4 Region 3)

Coming out of Region 3, Velva has looked unbeatable at times this year. Over the last four games, they have scored at least 40 points in each contest and allowed no more than 14 points, showing how strong overall the Aggies are. Stanley is still searching for their first win where it feels like the tale of their season has been either struggling to put up points or being on the wrong side of a close game. Velva has won the last three games between these teams.

Des Lacs-Burlington

(3-2 overall, 3-1 Region 3) @ Bishop Ryan (3-3 overall, 3-1 Region 3)

The Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers and Bishop Ryan Lions have had similar fates in 2022 so far. Both teams lost their first two games and thanks to much improved play, find themselves still in the mix in Region 3. With both teams 3-1 over the last four games, only one team will be able to continue the improved play in what should be a fun matchup in Minot. These teams play frequently, with the Lions winning the last four games.

Ray/Powers Lake

(5-1 overall, 4-0 Region 3) @ Kenmare/Bowbells/Burke Central (3-3

overall, 1-3 Region 3)

Following an opening week loss to Shiloh Christian, Ray/Powers Lake has been on a remarkable run, where it seems like everything has gone right for them as they’ve put together a five-game winning streak. They face a Kenmare team who got off to a great start, winning their first two games, but since region play opened up have had a tough time by only winning one game and losing three. Ray/Powers Lake won the most recent meeting between these teams last year in commanding fashion, topping Kenmare 54-16.

Nedrose (1-4 overall,

1-3 Region 3) @ South Prairie-Max (1-5 overall, 0-4 Region 3)

With teams like Shiloh Christian, Velva, and Ray/Powers Lake on the schedule already, it’s been tough for the Nedrose Cardinals to find their winning ways this year. However, they have been able to put points on the board as they look to end their three-game losing streak with a win over South Prairie-Max. The Royals have had a tough go around recently as well, losing four in a row after beating Killdeer in week two. If history repeats itself, Nedrose should have the upper hand as they have a perfect 3-0 record against South Prairie-Max.

Class 9B

Mohall-Lansford-

Sherwood (3-4 overall,

0-1 Region 7) @ Westhope/Newburg/Glenburn (4-2 overall, 1-0 Region 7)

After starting the season 0-3, the Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood Mavericks ripped off three wins in a row as they were ready to flip the script of their season. Tioga ended their streak last week, as they look to start a new one versus the Westhope/Newburg/Glenburn Sioux. A high-powered offensive attack has been key for the Sioux, as they have scored 44 or more points in five of their first six games. These teams last met in 2014, where the Sioux topped the Mavericks in a 28-8 win to start the season.

Dunseith (1-5 overall, 0-1 Region 7) @ TGU (0-6 overall, 0-2 Region 7)

Following a week three win over Lewis & Clark, the Dunseith Dragons have struggled to get back on track, and will look to change that when they head to Towner to take on the TGU Titans. The Titans are looking to get their first win of the season and if history is on their side, this could be their time as they own a 20-3 all-time record against Dunseith.

Alexander (3-4 overall, 1-2 Region 8) @ Surrey (3-3 overall, 2-1 Region 8)

Entering Friday with an even 2-2 record in their last four games, the Alexander Comets will look to bring their overall record to .500 with Surrey on the schedule. Surrey has had an interesting start to the season, rotating a win and loss each week as they sit at 3-3 and look to go back above .500. This will be the first time these teams face each other.

St. John (4-2 overall,

3-0 Region 7) @ Tioga

(5-1 overall, 3-1 Region 8)

After losing their first two games, the St. John Woodchucks decided they were ready to turn it up a notch by winning their next four games. They have done so by racking up 58 points or more in each of those wins and remain perfect in Region 7 play. The Tioga Pirates lone loss to Surrey is the only blemish on their schedule thus far, with multiple commanding wins along the way. The last time these teams played was in the semifinals of the 2008 playoffs, where Tioga came out on top in a 20-14 final. This game will be played on Saturday.