Mike Kraft/MDN Minot North has been dominant on defense all season, limiting opponents to just 5.6 points per game, which is best in Class AA and second in the state across all divisions.

Mike Tyson once said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.

All five teams that the Minot North football team has gone up against so far this season have had a game plan to overcome the Sentinels’ stingy defense heading into Friday night.

And then all of them get punched in the face and their offense looks like a deer in headlights.

This past week was just another example of just how dominant the Sentinels defense has been this season. Minot North (5-0 overall, 1-0 West Region) entered last Friday’s game against St. Mary’s allowing just seven points per game. By the time the game was over, the Sentinels had managed to shrink that number even further to 5.6 points per game, defeating the Saints, 28-0, for their second shutout of the season.

Minot North’s 5.6 points allowed per game is best in Class AA and second in the state across all classes. Only Class A Langdon Area/Munich has allowed fewer points per game at 5.3. The Sentinels defense made yet another big play Friday night as Harrison Schaefer returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Sentinels entered their game against St. Mary’s with 11 interceptions, five sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a defensive score before Schaefer added to those statistics.

The Sentinels defense will get a pair of high-octane offenses over the next two weeks in Watford City and Devils Lake, the two highest scoring offenses in the West Region behind Minot North. Devils Lake averages 30.8 points per game and Watford City scores an average of 26.6 points per game. The Firebirds have scored at least 28 points in each of its last four games.

Unfortunately for the rest of the region, Minot North’s offense is on par with its defense, averaging 34 points per game. The Sentinels have scored 22 touchdowns on offense so far this season, adding three more against the Saints last week. Quarterback Brayden Blikre added one on the ground and one through the air to Cooper Chick, and Braxton Thompson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season.

Class AAA, Class AA open conference schedules

After four non-conference games to start the season, the push for the playoffs got underway last week with the start of the conference season for Class AAA and Class AA programs. With every game being crucial, getting off to a strong start was the primary focus for those 12 Class AAA and 12 Class AA teams.

In Class AAA, the top team in the state – Fargo Shaney – went on the road and came away with a 36-28 victory over West Fargo in what was the only close contest across either region. No. 2 Fargo Davies took care of West Fargo Sheyenne, 51-27, and No. 3 West Fargo Horace crushed Fargo North on the road, 56-13. Over in the West Region, No. 4 Bismarck Legacy got off to a bit of a slow start before putting Williston in its rear-view mirror, 56-18. No. 5 Bismarck Century pitched a shutout, 31-0, over Mandan, while Bismarck High spoiled Minot High’s Homecoming to the tune of a 43-7 rout.

Class AA featured a few more close games, with two being decided by three points. No. 3 Grand Forks Central avoided a potential upset in a high-scoring affair, sneaking past Fargo South, 41-38. Watford City and Dickinson played a lower-scoring contest, with the Wolves pulling out a 20-17 victory at Dickinson. No. 4 Devils Lake won by a pair of touchdowns, 41-27, over Jamestown. The rest of the games didn’t have the winner sweating it out. No. 2 Kindred took care of Grand Forks Red River, 42-7. No. 5 Central Cass kept Wahpeton off the scoreboard, 40-0, as, too, did No. 1 Minot North do to St. Mary’s, 28-0.

Ranked teams hold serve

For the first time all season, every ranked team across all four classes picked up wins, meaning little to no drama Monday and Wednesday when the new polls are released. Helping matters was the fact that there were no ranked-vs-ranked matchups this week.

The previous notebook item went through last week’s Class AAA and Class AA slate and covered the results of those ranked teams.

In Class A, it was pretty smooth sailing for the top five this week. No. 1 Langdon Area/Munich posted a 34-6 victory over Thompson and No. 2 Killdeer found itself in a slugfest with Bowman County, coming away with a 66-46 victory. No. 3 Velva/Drake-Anamoose/Garrison won its battle with Ray/Powers Lake, 50-6, to take sole possession of first place in Region 3. No. 4 Park River Area kept pace with Langdon Area/Munich in Region 2 with its 39-8 victory over Grafton. No. 5 Ellendale/Edgeley-Kulm handed Lisbon its first region loss, 43-12.

The top five in 9-man more than just flexed its muscles this week; they punched through a brick wall. No. 5 Divide County put up 42 points in its victory over Nedrose, yet its offensive production was the lowest among the five ranked teams. The top five amassed a whopping 296 points while limiting their respective opponents to 34 points. Divide County only allowed 14 points, but again surrendered the most points among the ranked teams. No. 2 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion and No. 3 Linton-HMB both pitched shutouts, while scoring 57 and 65 points, respectively. That was nothing compared to No. 1 New Rockford-Sheyenne-Maddock, which put up 80 points in an 80-12 victory over Midway-Minto. No. 4 Alexander posted a 52-8 victory over Surrey.

Several undefeated teams remain heading into October

We’re heading into October, which means it’s officially spooky season, but there are 14 teams across the state that have yet to experience much of a scare this season. Whether they have played six games or five games, there are still 14 teams that have a zero in the loss column. In some cases, there are more than one in the same region, which means that number will have to drop.

Fargo Shanley is the only remaining unbeaten in Class AAA, while there are three left in Class AA. Minot North is the lone unbeaten in the West Region, but Kindred and Grand Forks Central are unblemished in the East Region. Those two play each other in Grand Forks on Oct. 10.

Something will have to give in Class A Region 2 with Langdon Area/Munich and Park River Area both being 6-0. We will find out who the last team standing in that region is on Oct. 10 when the two meet in Park River. Killdeer is the only other undefeated team in Class A.

Five unbeatens reside in 9-man, with at least one in every Region. Region 3 has a pair of teams in Divide County and Alexander. Oct. 10 is shaping up to be judgement day, as those two will meet in Alexander. New Rockford-Sheyenne-Maddock, LaMoure-Litchville-Marion and Linton-HMB are the others.

The remaining two reside in 6-man with Trenton and Drayton, neither of which have been tested much this season. Assuming that trend continues, the two will meet in the final week of the season at Drayton to decide the best of the best.