Nov 26, 2008 - 04:05:26 CST
North Dakota's high school football season ended just 11 days ago, and I'm already thinking about 2009. Part of the reason is because the state's football landscape will change dramatically.Twenty-two teams will change divisions under the North Dakota High School Activities Association's new football alignment, which adds eight teams to Class A but takes away four from Class AAA and seven from 9-man. There will now be 12 teams in AAA, 16 in AA, 32 in A, and 43 in 9-man.
Teams were placed in their respective divisions based on male enrollments in grades 7-10 from the 2007-08 school year. Let's start with the upper classes.
Four current AAA teams - St. Mary's, Wahpeton, Fargo Shanley and Turtle Mountain - will move to the AA ranks. Turtle Mountain played an AA schedule this fall.
Class AAA will now consist of two six-team regions.
For those who think St. Mary's will be one of the largest schools in AA, think again. St. Mary's High, St. Mary's Elementary, St. Anne's and Cathedral of the Holy Spirit had a total of 143 boys enrolled in grades 7-10 last year, which puts St. Mary's in a tie with Carrington for eighth-largest among the AA teams. Devils Lake has the highest boys enrollment with 311. Wahpeton, Shanley and Valley City follow with 206, 205 and 194, respectively.
Instead of playing the likes of Bismarck, Century, and Mandan, the Saints will play in a region with Devils Lake, Turtle Mountain, Carrington, Beulah, Bottineau, Minot Ryan and Dickinson Trinity.
Six current AA teams will go to A. Topping the list are AA state champion Watford City and Region 2 runner-up Hazen. Watford City had 110 boys in grades 7-10 last year, making it the largest among A teams. Hazen is fourth on the list with 103.
Overall enrollments at both Watford City and Hazen are projected to be much lower in the coming years, however.
"We've been at a steady decline for quite some time," Watford City coach Fred Fridley said. "It'll be much, much lower over the next three to five years. If we didn't go to A this time, we would definitely go the next time."
When Hazen coach Rick Philion came to Hazen early this decade, most of the class sizes (boys and girls) numbered in the 70s and 80s. Now, they're mostly in the 40s.
"We're like just about everybody else. We're getting smaller," Philion said. "You can see it in our football numbers, too. We used to be between 50 and 60, but we'll be under 40 before too long."
Both schools enjoyed success in AA. Watford City won state titles in 1998, 2006 and 2008. The Wolves were second in 1997.
Hazen was state runner-up in 2001, and advanced to the state semifinals in each of the last four seasons.
Fridley and Philion had grown accustomed to a high level of competition while in AA. Both said that won't change in A.
"There are so many good football programs in A," Fridley said. "I mean, you're talking about Harvey, Velva, Killdeer and Linton, to name a few. It'll be a good, competitive class to be in."
Philion agreed.
"There's some fantastic football in A," he said. "We liked the league we were in the past several years. It was very competitive. But we're moving on to another competitive league."
Graduation will hit Watford City hard, claiming five of its six first-team all-state players. Hazen, on the other hand, will return all-state quarterback Brent Sorensen and all-state running back Baylee Carr.
"Those are two fantastic players to build around," Philion said. "But we also lost a number of players who were vital to our team's success. It's going to take some work to be among the better teams."
Beulah is staying put in AA, but Philion said that doesn't mean the end of the Coal Bowl, the annual rivalry game between Hazen and its neighbor. There is one change. The game will be the regular-season opener instead of the finale.
"That's one game neither school wants to take off its schedule," Philion said. " It means so much to both."
Rugby, a regular in the AA playoffs until this season, will also go to A, as will Bowman County, Standing Rock and New Town. New Town played a junior varsity schedule this fall.
Heart River, Midway-Minto, Lewis & Clark-Our Redeemer's, Oakes, Northern Cass, Griggs County Central, and Williams County will go from 9-man to A. Williams County was the state runner-up this fall. Griggs County Central will co-op withMidkota and Barnes County North.
Long-time Class A powers, Harvey and Velva, actually had enrollments small enough to move to 9-man, but both requested to stay in A. With 70 boys in grades 7-10 last year, Harvey would have been sixth among the 9-man teams. Instead, it will be the smallest in A. Velva, with 80 boys, would have been the second-largest in 9-man.
Stanley-Powers Lake and Killdeer also requested to stay in A. Killdeer's male enrollment of 81 would have been tops in 9-man, tied with North Central Benson. Stanley-PL's male enrollment is 75.
Kindred (114 boys) and Lisbon (112) will be bumped up to AA, where they will rank 14th and 15th in size among the 16 teams.
New Rockford-Sheyenne, Kenmare-Bowbells and Beach will move from A to 9-man.
Dickinson Trinity will remain in AA, but it had hoped to be in A along with Region 2 rivals Watford City and Hazen. Last spring, Trinity petitioned to stay in AA, assuming at the time that Watford City and Hazen would also stay, and that there wouldn't be any changes in AAA. The school decided to go the A route this fall.
The Trinity-New England co-op had 108 boys in grades 7-10 in 2007-08 (Trinity 82, New England 26), putting it at the bottom in AA. It would be third in A.
"We felt that if Watford City and Hazen belonged in A, we belonged there, too," long-time Trinity football coach Randy Gordon said. "We would be competing in a division more suited to our size, and we wouldn't have to travel that far for games."
However, Trinity's request to move to A was denied by the NDHSAA. Gordon was told that the process was "too far along" to make any changes.
"They told us it was too late for schools to change or adjust their co-op plans," Gordon said. "I'm not really sure how our going to A will affect things that much."
Trinity presented its case again at an NDHSAA board meeting Oct. 9, but board members wouldn't budge.
The plan was finalized shortly thereafter.
"We told them that the numbers tell us we should be in A," Gordon said. "But they wouldn't hear it. They were set on the plan they had. It was very frustrating."
Gordon said the added burden of travel is what concerns him most.
"Our closest games will be Beulah, Ryan and St. Mary's," he said. "But we have to go to Devils Lake, Carrington, Bottineau and Belcourt. It's lots of extra miles. For the kids, it's more time away from the class room because we have to spend part of the school day traveling to these places."
Gordon, who has guided the Titans to three state titles and three runner-up finishes, said the school accepts that it will remain in AA for the next two years.
"We'll deal with it," he said. "We're used to playing in this division and if we have to stay, we'll stay. We'll do what we have to do, and compete as best as we can."
(Michael Weber is a Tribune sportswriter)
Nickel Trophy wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:49 PM:
Might be the whole catholic-protestant thing! :) "
bob wrote on Nov 26, 2008 9:06 AM:
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