The 2008 high school football season is only in its second week and to most, it's far too early to refer to any contest as a "game of the year."

However, tonight's matchup between unbeatens Richardton-Taylor-Hebron and Central McLean at Underwood might very well determine the 9-man Region 6 champion.

Both teams are coming off an impressive first week, with RTH defeating Washburn 40-0 and Mott-Regent 14-0, and Central McLean downing Mott-Regent 34-20 and Shiloh Christian 44-6. In a preseason poll, region coaches picked RTH, Mott-Regent and Central McLean to finish 1-2-3.

A victory tonight won't guarantee a region title, but the Central McLean and RTH coaches agree that the winner will put itself in a nice position.

"It's definitely one of those games that might decide who wins the whole thing," said Kevin Dockter, who shares Central McLean's head coaching duties with Keith Sundquist. "There are a lot of games left after this one, but any time you win a game like this, it gives you a step up and boosts your confidence a little."

RTH coach Travis Olson noted that the game will also serve as a measuring stick.

"You find out a lot about yourself when you play the good teams," he said. "This game will show us where we're at and what we need to work on most."

No. 2-ranked RTH has ridden a pair of solid defensive efforts to a 2-0 start. Yet while Olson is pleased with his defense, he's careful not to sing the praises too loudly at this stage of the season.

"On the one hand we're excited about getting shutouts, but on the other, you have to consider that it's still early and the offenses haven't had a lot of time to work," he said. "But a shutout is a shutout, and the kids worked hard and earned them. We have good kids. There's lots of potential here."

Leading the way is senior linebacker Jadon Messer, who was a second-team all-state selection last year. Olson also cited the play of senior linebacker Dylan Messer, senior free safety Scott Remington, and defensive linemen Kasey Naumann and Justin Wehri. Naumann, a senior, is back after missing all of the 2007 season with a broken foot. Wehri, a junior, is a first-year varsity starter.

"Jadon and Dylan are strong in the middle, and Scott does a nice job in the secondary," Olson said. "And it's good to see what Kasey and Justin are doing on the D-line, Justin especially. He's been our biggest surprise, so far."

Running backs Jadon Messer and Remington also are the top returnees on offense. So far, Messer has four offensive TDs and 147 yards rushing. Remington has 151 yards.

Senior Lane Transtrom moved to the quarterback spot this season after starting at tight end in 2007. He passed for three TDs in the season opener, but struggled some against Mott-Regent, going 1-for-11.

"He had a tough day … but it was breezy, and he had some drops," Olson said. "But he's done a nice job. He quarterbacked all of our JV games the last two years, and he did well. He's a big, strong, capable kid."

Olson said the offensive line, which returned just one starter from 2007 (tight end Dylan Messer), is a work in progress.

"Getting an offensive line into a rhythm is something that isn't going to happen overnight," he said. "We like what we see in the kids we have in there, though. They just need some time to get on the same page."

For No. 5 Central McLean, moving Grant Singer from tight end to running back has paid huge dividends. The junior from Turtle Lake rushed for 228 yards and three TDs against Mott-Regent. He also returned a kickoff for a score.

Last Saturday, he ran for 122 yards in the win over Shiloh.

"Grant's an excellent athlete with good size and speed," Dockter said. "He's definitely been a pleasant surprise."

Sam Hultberg also is a proven threat in the backfield. The senior three-year starter from Underwood has 185 yards.

"Sam's a solid football player and he and Grant give us a pretty good 1-2 punch," Dockter said. "They're both about 190 pounds. It's nice to have that kind of size and ability in a high school backfield."

The Cougars are breaking in a new starting quarterback, junior Jordan Sundquist, as well as several other new starters on both sides of the ball.

"We returned one offensive starter and three defensive starters. … We figured it would take awhile to get cohesive," Dockter said. "But we had a successful JV season last year and we were optimistic about those kids. We're pleased with the way they've been playing."

Olson said the key for his team tonight will be slowing down Singer and Hultberg.

"They're big kids with good speed," he said. "We can't let them get on a roll. Our defense has to step up."

Dockter said his defense will have its hands full with RTH's running game.

"They have good athletes back there," he said. "Both teams will be focused on stopping the run. I think the team that has the most success passing the ball will probably come out on top in this one."

Last year's game between the two teams was won by Central McLean 14-8, thanks to five Cougar interceptions. One interception was returned for a TD and another set up the game-winning score.

It was RTH's second loss in three games, but the Raiders went on to win their next five contests to qualify for the playoffs. For Central McLean, it was their second win in an eight-game winning streak.

Running wild

It was a productive day for ballcarriers last Saturday at the Community Bowl 9-man Jamboree.

Seven backs topped 100 yards rushing on a sizzling day that topped out at 99 degrees.

Ian Keller of Towner-Granville-Upham had the busiest day, carrying the pigskin 39 times for 235 yards. He also caught three passes for 46 yards and got into the end zone four times as the Titans outlasted Edgeley-Kulm 36-34 in overtime.

Keller was a wide receiver-wingback last year.

Keller's teammate, quarterback Tyler Thorson, picked up 108 yards on 14 keepers.

On the other side, Edgeley-Kulm's Alex Knudson, a 135-pound junior tailback, broke loose for 278 yards and four TDs. The junior had scoring runs of 77, 61 and 43 yards to go along with the five-yarder he had in overtime.

Kidder County, formerly Steele-Dawson, had the best team rushing effort of the day - 425 yards in its 36-22 win over Tri-County. Junior Jake Miller rolled up 194 yards on only 16 carries.

Tri-County got 133 yards from senior transfer Brandon Martwick, who earned Class A all-state honors at Milnor-North Sargent last year.

South Border's Ross Martell made a brilliant debut at tailback last Saturday, rushing for 190 yards and two TDs in the Mustangs' 36-8 win over Griggs County Central. Martell started the season at quarterback.

Finally, Napoleon-GS senior Evan Gross rushed for 175 yards and three TDs on 17 carries as the Imperials rolled past Barnes County North 44-6. Gross led the state in rushing last year with 2,491 yards.

All told, the four games produced 2,547 total yards - 2,148 rushing.

The contest between TGU and Edgeley-Kulm had 735 yards rushing and 108 passing.

Coal Country volleyball

Defending Class B volleyball state champion Kenmare emerged the victor in the first annual Coal County Invitational last weekend in Hazen.

Kenmare went 6-0 in the 16-team tournament. Dickinson Trinity, Hazen and Beulah all went 5-1.

Individual leaders included Hazen's Allison Opp, who recorded 63 kills. Erica Duewel of Beulah was next in line with 48.

Beulah's Brenna Johansen had 127 assists, and Hazen's Brianna Beecher had 125.

Kenmare's Steph Barnhardt served up 19 aces, and Beulah's Rose Miller had 74 digs.