The Class AA football season is entering its third week, and already Minot North has logged approximately 400 miles and more than six hours on a bus with back-to-back road games against Williston and Fargo South to begin the year.

The Sentinels next game is a little bit closer, as the distance from Minot North High School to Sentinel Stadium takes just a few minutes on foot. No bus required for this trip.

Admittedly, Minot North head coach Jacob Holmen said he doesn’t mind the road trips early in the season, but nothing beats playing in front of the home fans. The Sentinels will get to do that for the first time this year on Friday, Sept. 12, when they host No. 4 Grand Forks Red River in their home opener.

“There’s just excitement to play in front of friends and family again,” Holmen said. “Our fans travel very well. We had a lot at Fargo South and a lot at Williston, but to play in front of your home crowd and people that care about you a whole lot is really special. I think that’s the biggest thing we’re most excited about.”

The top-ranked Sentinels (2-0) were 5-2 at home during their inaugural season, including their first playoff victory – a 35-20 victory over Devils Lake. Minot North outscored its opponents on its home field 242-160, putting up at least 34 points in six of seven contests.

The Roughriders (1-1) are no cupcake matchup, coming off a season in which they went undefeated throughout the regular season and advanced to the Class AA state title game, falling to West Fargo Horace, 14-8, for their lone loss of the year. But several key pieces from that roster have since graduated, including three-year starting quarterback and first-team all-state Pearce Parks. Red River graduated seven all-state selections.

“Red River has some experience coming back from last year making a run in the playoffs,” Holmen said. “They lost a lot of kids, but a lot of kids were role players for them that are back this year. They are big up front and have some skill guys that can really play. So we’ll have our hands full.”

Seniors Zander Waind (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) and Ryan Ward (6-1, 265) anchor the line as senior returners. Replacing Parks under center is a pair of quarterbacks in Matt Dosch and Reese Walters.

With a new-look roster, scouting and preparation can be difficult for opposing teams. For Minot North, having two weeks worth of film is a benefit as opposed to having to play Week 1 against an opponent shrouded in mystery.

“That first week can be hard when you don’t know some stuff about some teams, so getting them Week 3 where we can see some stuff on film that they’ve done and see some of their new guys in different positions than they were last season, that definitely helps,” Holmen said. “We had experienced that last week with Fargo South. They played Dickinson, who doesn’t run an offense similar to ours, so it was harder to know what they were going to do coming out when we were starting out on our first couple of drives. We had to make some adjustments in game, but when we have two games to watch versus just that one we had last week, it’s a big help.”

Regardless of what the Roughriders look like on film or on the field, the Sentinels aren’t going to change their approach to the game. Holmen says his team prides itself on being a physical team that is going to run the ball. Through two games this season, Minot North has rushed 86 times for 540 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. The Sentinels have called running plays on 76 percent of their offensive snaps so far this season. They ran 51 times for 235 yards against Fargo South last week. Richeson Cole leads the team with 190 yards on 21 attempts.

“We hang our hat on being a downhill, physical football team,” Holmen said. “We’re going to keep doing that. We like to pound it downhill and we believe that opens things up down the field for us as games progress when teams really have to worry about stopping the run. We’re going to keep doing that on offense.”

After dominating Williston to the tune of a 41-0 blowout in its season opener, Minot North did face a bit of adversity against the Bruins, finding itself behind on the scoreboard for the first time. The Sentinels took an early 6-0 lead after a missed extra point, but Fargo South responded with a big play to go up 7-6 in the second quarter. Unfazed, Minot North scored on its next possession, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Evan Berg. The Sentinels would score 21 unanswered points for a 28-7 victory.

“We got down for the first time this year,” Holmen said. “We scored and missed our extra point and they hit a big one on us over the top to their big, tall tight end. We had to respond and we did. We completed a crucial ball on a third down and ended up finishing the drive and getting back up on top. That was a good thing to see from our team, where there was a little adversity and we responded really well.”

Minot North’s defense has played as well as any team in the state so far this season, allowing just seven points while forcing nine turnovers. Josia Jaquinet already has four interceptions this year after his second consecutive game with two picks. The Sentinels had four interceptions and three fumble recoveries against the Bruins, while sacking Fargo South quarterback Austin Morris four times.

The Sentinels have allowed seven points or fewer in eight of 14 games as a varsity program.

“Our defensive line has played very well,” Holmen said. “They’ve put some pressure on QBs. The teams that we’ve played haven’t been big run teams and I don’t know if part of that is the way we play defense up front, but then our DBs, we’ve had a couple guys step up. It’s fun to see kids in different roles that they have been in the past and they’re flying around and trusting the game plan that’s put in front of them.”

Holmen said the team is still a work in progress despite the early season success. He would like to see his team cut down on its own turnovers while also eliminating penalties. The Sentinels committed three turnovers against Fargo South and were whistled for seven penalties for 55 yards over their first two games.

Minot North expects to get a boost from the hometown fans, which they get to play in front of for the first time since Nov. 8.

“We’re really excited to be home,” Holmen said. “We have awesome fans and they support us really well. It’s a special place to play. We learned that last year. We were fortunate enough to play seven home games last year. We’re anxious to get back in front of our home crowd and play on a field that’s a very special place to us.”