St. Mary's senior Tanner Harris found a way.

And for a school that hasn't exceeded two victories since the 2004 football season, that's a major deal.

Harris, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior, was a defensive and special teams dynamo in last week's opening win over Proctor, Minn. He had a blocked punt, recovered a fumbled punt and picked off a pass to set up three Saints touchdowns.

But, Harris points out, he didn't have a monopoly on big plays in the 39-12 victory.

"There were definitely guys around me. Our quarterback (JustinKlabunde) and Presley Becker on a punt made big plays,"Harris pointed out. "And Isaac Schwab has been playing three years, and he'll make big plays."

Knowing the team has that capability goes a long way when things start to go south, Harris said.

"It's definitely nice to know we have the play-making ability," he said. "… There's always adversity you have to overcome. … Now we believe we can get it done."

And that belief, Harris said, is probably the most important thing the Saints took from the Community Bowl after the Proctor game.

"We have some confidence coming from that game that we can run and throw the ball … and the defense showed that it can bend and not break," Harris said.

Tonight the Saints go on the road to Grand Forks Central for their second and final nonregional game of the season. Also on the road are Bismarck at West Fargo, Mandan at Fargo North, Dickinson at Ellsworth Air Force Base Douglas (S.D.) and Jamestown at Wahpeton. Williston plays at Fargo South on Saturday.

Century plays host to Grand Forks Red River tonight and Minot takes on visiting Fargo Shanley.

Central dropped its opener 32-19 at Jamestown, but Harris said it would be a big mistake to underestimate the Grand Forks school.

"Last week Proctor ran a lot of power. They play smashmouth football," Harris said. "(Central)does have a big running back (Jeremy Zahradka)and can play smashmouth, but they have a quarterback (Seth Zygarlicke)who likes to air it out. … They go deep and they go short. He just makes plays."

Harris, a strong safety and wide receiver-quarterback, said being a senior brings a sense of immediacy that's hard to imagine until you're there.

"You definitely begin to feel a sense of urgency. You've got to go hard on every play, all the time. You have to play every play. … The coaches always say that, but it doesn't hit home like when you're a senior," he said.

That focus has translated into increased attention to detail.

"I'm kind of taking a leadership role … and doing extra things like coming in to watch film and getting other players to watch film, too,"Harris said.

Harris said his goals as a senior are primarily team-oriented. "Ithink as a team we want to get some wins under our belts and get into the state playoffs," he noted. "We want to develop some interest in the football program again at the grade schools and junior highs."

Winning tonight would put the Saints on the right track. The last time St. Mary's opened with two wins was 1994. That was also the last time the Saints won a state title.

CLASSAAA FOOTBALL

WEST REGION

Region Overall

W L W L

Bismarck 0 0 1 0

Century 0 0 1 0

Jamestown 0 0 1 0

Minot 0 0 1 0

St. Mary's 0 0 1 0

Williston 0 0 1 0

Dickinson 0 0 0 1

Mandan 0 0 0 1

Last week

Bismarck 35, Fargo North 8

Century 23, Fargo Shanley 6

Jamestown 32, G.F. Central 19

Miles City (Mont.)21, Dickinson 6

Minot 20, G.F.Red River 14

St. Mary's 39, Proctor (Minn.)12

West Fargo 28, Mandan 6

Williston 49, Sidney (Mont.)35

Friday

Bismarck at West Fargo, 7 p.m.

G.F.Red River at Century, 7 p.m.

St. Mary's at G.F. Central, 7 p.m.

Mandan at Fargo North, 7 p.m.

Dickinson at Ellsworth AFB(S.D.) Douglas, 7 p.m. MDT

Fargo Shanley at Minot, 8 p.m.

Jamestown at Wahpeton, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Williston at Fargo South, noon

EAST REGION

Region Overall

W L W L

Wahpeton 0 0 1 0

West Fargo 0 0 1 0

Fargo North 0 0 0 1

Fargo Shanley 0 0 0 1

Fargo South 0 0 0 1

G.F. Central 0 0 0 1

G.F. Red River 0 0 0 1

Last week

Bismarck 35, Fargo North 8

Century 23, Fargo Shanley 6

Edina (Minn.)40, Fargo South 6

Jamestown 32, G.F. Central 19

Minot 20, G.F.Red River 14

Wahpeton 27, Breckenridge (Minn.)20

West Fargo 28, Mandan 6

Friday

Bismarck at West Fargo, 7 p.m.

G.F.Red River at Century, 7 p.m.

St. Mary's at G.F. Central, 7 p.m.

Mandan at Fargo North, 7 p.m.

Fargo Shanley at Minot, 8 p.m.

Jamestown at Wahpeton, 7 p.m.

Saturday

Williston at Fargo South, noon