First-year coach Tim Green knew when he took over the Bismarck boys soccer team that he would be coaching a squad composed largely of freshmen and sophomores, but he wasn't concerned.

That's because Green knew one of the few holdovers from last year's state runner-up was Mark Hovland.

"Mark is such a tremendous player, one of the top three players in the state," Green said. "He's not just a good technical player, and not just a good tactical player. He's a real leader.

"It's not enough to be a captain, you have to be a leader, and you have to have kids who are willing to follow,"Green said. "We're lucky to have that. I'm uncertain where we would be without his presence."

Where the Demons were with Hovland was in the thick of the West Region race, finishing just a single point behind regular-season champion St. Mary's.

The Demons will now put that behind them and focus on qualifying for state, as one of six teams playing for four spots at this weekend's West Region tournament in Mandan. Bismarck opens against Jamestown at 11 a.m. today.

Though the Blue Jays are 0-14-2, Bismarck is well aware that Jamestown pulled an upset and kept St. Mary's from going to state last season.

"The first 5 to 10 minutes sets the key for the whole game," Hovland said. "… Crazy things can happen. We know we can't overlook anybody."

With less than a handful of returnees from last year's starting lineup, the Demons might have been easy to overlook.

But six of Bismarck's top nine scorers are freshman or sophomores. Freshmen Randy Tardif (8-2-18) tops the list, followed by Hovland (2-8-12) and another freshman, Jackson Binegar (4-2-10).

Green credits Hovland for helping speed their development.

"During training sessions, he's a constant motivator, offering support and keeping up a positive refrain," Green said. "… Other kids look to him for direction."

Hovland has played different positions in his career, but this season has settled in at a center-midfield spot. That has allowed the Demons to take full advantage of Hovland's skills and his smarts. An excellent student, Hovland is planning on attending medical school.

"He's a thinker,"Green said. "He sees the game fully … and he's willing to gamble a bit. With his creativity, we become more unpredictable.

"Too many times in sports, you fall into patterns that are easily recognized by the other team,"Green said. "Having somebody with that kind of creativity changes the mindset of our team."

Hovland said his feel for the game has developed over time - he took up the sport when he was 8 years old. Hovland also credits Green, a former University of Mary star who has coached him for several seasons on traveling teams, as a role model.

"He probably knows as much about soccer as anybody I know,"Hovland said. "He knows what to look for, what style to play, and over the years he's helped that become ingrained in me."

Because the Demons are so young, Green has kept them focused on improving and said the results would come. That has happened. After dropping two of their first three region games, BHS went 6-0-1 against the West the rest of the way.

In their second go-round of conference play the Demons tied defending state champion Century and became the only North Dakota team to hand St. Mary's a loss.

That has the Demons believing they are peaking at the right time.

"When we played Minot here (Sept. 4), it was the first time where we put together a full 80 minutes, and it's been a constant progression since then,"Hovland said.

Green agreed.

"They've just gotten a lot better as the season went along," Green said. "Now it's a tournament format, and everything is out the window. It's a brand new season."

WEST REGION TOURNAMENT

At Mandan Dacotah Centennial Park

Friday, Oct. 10

Quarterfinals

Match 1:#4 Minot vs. #5 Mandan, 11 a.m.

Match 2:#3 Bismarck vs. #6 Jamestown, 11 a.m.

Semifinals

Match 3:#1 St. Mary's vs. Winner Match 1, 4 p.m.

Match 4:#2 Century vs. Winner Match 2, 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11

State qualifiers

Match 5: Losers Matches 1 and 4, 3 p.m.

Match 6: Losers Matches 2 and 3, 3 p.m.

Championship

Match 7:Winners Matches 3 and 4, 5 p.m.

WEST REGION SCORINGLEADERS

Gls Ast Pts

Zach Pulkinen,Min 17 8 42

Peter Pomonis, Cent 10 8 28

Alex Wohl, Min 7 6 20

Patrick Fernandez, SM 9 1 19

Jeff Hammonds, Min 8 2 18

Randy Tardif, Bis 8 2 18

Davis Heidrich, SM 8 1 17

Micah Goebel, SM 6 3 15

Erick Paiment, Jam 6 1 13

Brandon Alley, Min 4 4 12

Nick Anderson,Cen 4 4 12

Mark Hovland, Bis 2 8 12