Mike Kraft/MDN Minot North’s Josia Jaquinet runs up the sideline during a kickoff against Grand Forks Red River last week. The Sentinels host Class AAA Fargo North on Friday, Sept. 19.

When the clock on the scoreboard at Sentinel Stadium hits all zeros, fans will finally have an answer to an age-old question that desperately needs resolving: which team with ‘North’ in its name is the better of the two?

OK. No one’s actually asking that question. But the matchup between top-ranked Class AA Minot North and Class AAA Fargo North does have plenty of intrigue as the non-conference portion of the schedule reaches its conclusion on Friday, Sept. 19.

The defensive coaching unit has been hard at work this week prepping their team for a style of offense the Sentinels have yet to see this year, as Fargo North runs a combination of the single-wing, double-wing and triple option. While playing against that type of offense can be frustrating to stop, it has brought a unique feel to practice this week for Minot North.

“It makes the week fun because our kids are prepping for something that’s new,” Minot North coach Jacob Holmen said. “The big focus is on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, we’re still getting ready and we’re going to stick to what we do best.”

Holmen said the Spartans run the ball roughly 75 percent of the time, not unlike the Sentinels this season, which means the game clock won’t spend much time stopped and the number of possessions for each team will be at a premium. With a chance of rain in the forecast, ball control and limiting turnovers is critical.

“That’s a big deal with the clock running,” Holmen said. “The last three games we played, teams have liked to throw the ball a bit more. And there’s a chance for some rain, so that just amplifies that importance of ball security and keeping possession of the football. That’s been preached several times and with the shortened clock, you’re going to get fewer drives and fewer chances, but you have to make the most of it.”

Minot North’s defense has passed the test defensively over the course of the first three weeks. They have limited opponents to 21 total points, allowing just seven points per game, which is the fewest among both Class AA and Class AAA schools. The Sentinels (3-0) entered Friday’s contest having allowed just 176 yards on the ground. Tyler Kippen leads the team with 13 total tackles, followed by Evan Berg (11) and Gavin Tobey (10.5). Tobey had a game-high 6.5 tackles and an interception against Grand Forks Red River last week.

With the complexity involved in running the triple-option offense, Holmen said it’s critical that the defense knows its assignments and sticks to the game plan in order to keep from allowing large chunk plays.

“We’ve preached being disciplined and doing your job. That’s important every week, but especially this week if you’re running the triple option. If you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, big plays happen. Just preaching being consistent, being disciplined and knowing and understanding your role on the defense is a big deal.”

The Spartans (2-1) have already surpassed their win total from a year ago, where they finished their inaugural season in Class AAA with a 1-8 record. In their final year in Class AA in 2023, the Spartans completed a perfect season, capped off by a victory over Grand Forks Central in the state championship.

Fargo North is just five points away from eclipsing their total offensive output from a year ago. While the Spartans aren’t putting up the type of offensive numbers the Sentinels have thus far this season, they are averaging 23 points per game in coach Brent Miller’s second season retooling the offensive scheme. The Spartans have plenty of experience on the roster with 15 seniors and 12 juniors. Five seniors and three juniors are part of the line up front to anchor the run-heavy offense.

Holmen said the offense they are going up against can be difficult to simulate in practice and it could take a bit of time during the game to adjust.

“Early on you have to get used to seeing it,” Holmen said. “We have scout guys running it for us all week long, but they can’t do it to the same level or the same speed. You have to feel it out as you go. Normally, there’s early frustration and hopefully kids make adjustments. It’s a cool challenge to face a team like this.”

The Sentinels like to run the ball as well, although in a more traditional sense of the basic handoff to a running back. Minot North has rushed for 851 yards on 135 carries for a 6.3 yards per carry average. With Cole Richeson (21 carries, 190 yards, TD) expected to miss his second consecutive game after suffering an injury against Fargo South, the Sentinels still have 14 other players who have carried the ball this season. Cooper Chick and Harrison Schaefer were the two standouts against Red River. Chick led the Sentinels with 114 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and Schaefer also found the end zone twice on 10 carries for 64 yards.

In total, Minot North amassed 336 yards on 52 carries against the RoughRiders. Chick and Schaefer’s performances, along with Tobey’s – who hauled in both a touchdown pass and an interception – speak to the depth on the Sentinels’ roster.

“We have very good depth and we’re still trying to develop that,” Holmen said. “We want to give kids meaningful playing time so that if a guy does go down, we have another guy to lean on. It’s awesome to have guys you may not expect to step up and come through for you. Cooper last week, he’s a good football player. When you have guys that can play at that level it is challenging as a coach because you’re wondering how I can get all of these guys touches on the offensive side. We have a good problem with that where we want to spread the ball around to all of our kids and we have a lot of them. Those skill guys get a lot of attention, but our line is very deep as well. We’re playing about seven linemen up front and three tight ends and they can all mix it up quite well. We’re pretty fortunate and hoping we can continue to have good health.”

Holmen said he expects to have Richeson back when the Sentinels begin conference play at St. Mary’s on Friday, Sept. 26. Christian Deadmond returned from injury for the first time this season against Red River and recorded a sack.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Sentinel Stadium.