Adam Papin/MDN Minot High football players, coaches, staff and fans pose with the 2023 NDHSAA Football Class AAA State Championship trophy after defeating Fargo Shanley 38-35 on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023.

FARGO – After the postseason Minot High’s football team has had, it almost seemed inevitable they would come back to win their first state title since 1980, even as they trailed defending the state champions, Fargo Shanley, 28-7 in the third quarter.

When Lucas Beeter found Logan Conklin in the end zone for a 17-yard score, it seemed inevitable.

When Kellan Burke intercepted Shanley quarterback Landon Meier and returned it 59-yards for a touchdown, there was a sense of destiny, just like when he kicked the PAT to tie the game at 35-35.

So when Kellan Burke lined up to kick the 20-yard field goal with a state championship on the line, it all seemed inevitable.

When the kick split the uprights, the inevitable became reality.

The Minot High Magicians are the 2023 NDHSAA Class AAA Football champions after defeating Fargo Shanley 38-35.

“I knew that I would probably have to kick it twice,” said Burke. “I couldn’t do it without this team setting me up. It was awesome. I was just like, I’m going to do what I do every single week. I know what I do.”

In the end Minot High won the same way they have all season: as a team.

Every unit scored. The offense scored four touchdowns, led by Logan Conklin’s two receiving touchdowns. Griffin Broderick and Tyson Ruzicka each added a rushing touchdown. The defense scored on Burke’s pick-six. Burke went four for four on PATs to go along with his championship-winning field goal.

Minot High football head coach Chauncy Hendershot spoke of the “team mentality” when he addressed the team in the locker room before the start of the game. He told the Magicians, “Shanley has athletes, but we’re a team.”

After the game, players spoke to what makes this year’s squad so special.

“There’s no words for what’s happening with us,” said quarterback Lucas Beeter. “We have such a special group of kids and when we put our minds to anything, we can make it happen. It truly is unspeakable.”

Logan Conklin echoed Beeter’s sentiments.

“In the moment, my senior emotions haven’t kicked in yet, but I can tell you later, I’m gonna be bawling my eyes out,” said Conklin. “We were down last week. We fought through and came back. This week was the same thing. The touchdown in the corner in the beginning of the third helped us get that momentum, and we just built off of that.”

For the first half of play, it looked like Minot High might have run out of magic.

Meier connected with Sam Ovsak for a 10-yard touchdown to open the scoring, and he threw another touchdown to Fisher Hannesson for 36 yards as the Deacons jumped out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Griffen Broderick scored Minot High’s first touchdown on a two-yard run to cut the lead to 14-7, but Shanley answered back when Adam Leininger rushed for a three-yard score to give the Deacons a 21-7 halftime lead.

The third quarter looked to be more of the same when Meier connected with Ovsak for a 17-yard score to expand their lead to three touchdowns.

Minot High wasn’t finished though.

Beeter found Conklin in the corner of the end zone from 32-yards out, and after a lengthy review, the officials ruled he had both feet inbounds for the touchdown. Ruzicka added a one-yard touchdown of his own to pull Minot High back within a touchdown.

Isaac Perkerewicz gave the Deacons a 14-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, when he rushed for a five-yard touchdown.

The fourth quarter was all Magicians. Beeter connected with Conklin for the second time from 17-yards out, and then Burke finished writing the championship with his interception return and field goal.

“Kellan’s my boy,” said Ruzicka. “I’ve been playing sports with him since I was really young. And you know, he took my spot on defense when I hurt my hamstring earlier this year. And he stepped up super huge tonight. Super clutch. He doesn’t feel the pressure at all.”

What makes this win even more special is that it closed out a chapter in Minot High history, as this year’s team was the last unified team to compete at the varsity level before Minot North begins varsity play next year.

“It’s a big storyline for sure,” said Ruzicka. “But all we think about is it’s a good team, and I’m glad I’m here. I hope they have even more success next year.”

Beeter went 18/26 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions through the air.

On the ground, Ruzicka ran for 100 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. Broderick added 36 yards on 10 carries and scored a touchdown. Burke rushed for 14 yards on three carries.

Conklin led the Magicians receiving corps with eight receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Kaden Kraft had four catches for 85 yards; Burke had one catch for 46 yards; Ruzicka had three catches for 20 yards; and Landon Bedell had one catch for three yards.

Defensively, the following Magicians recorded tackles: Burke-4.5, DeJarius Jones-5.5, Anthony Brown-2.5, Noah Bledsoe-0.5, Derrick Arivett-3, Kraft-1.5; Elijah Lopez-0.5, Conklin-6, Aaron Prestwich-1, Talen Jundt-6.5, Broderick-4.5, Payton Joliffe-2, Ruzicka-2, Brady Larson-5.5, Michael George-3, Dylan Huber-3 and Landon Bedell-3.5.

During the award ceremony after the game, Ruzicka was named Class AAA co-senior football athlete of the year with Shanley’s Jordan Leininger, and Hendershot was named Class AAA football coach of the year.