From a good kick in the pants a powerhouse grows.

When Bismarck thumped Fargo South 35-7 nine weeks ago at the Community Bowl, it marked the worst loss to a North Dakota team for the Bruins in the Kevin Feeney era.

Coach Feeney’s teams have lost just seven games in his six seasons at South while winning three state AAA championships.

Since the Bismarck debacle, the Bruins have turned tiger, running off eight wins by an average margin of 38-15. South has taken the measure of Dickinson 54-29 and Century 38-21 in the playoffs.

“We played a Bismarck High team that took it to us physically,” Feeney said. “It was an eye-opener. We realized if we wanted to be where we thought we should be by the end of the year we had to play a lot more physical. ... Anyone who left that football game would have said Fargo South was a soft football team.”

Bismarck coach Mark Gibson is well aware that his team’s four-touchdown victory in September has little bearing on Saturday’s state championship game at the Fargodome.

“After our first game ... I told Kevin. ‘I’ll see you in November,’” Gibson said. “Both teams probably expected to see each other again. We understand we have a huge challenge ahead, but, hopefully, our kids will be ready.”

Certainly the Demons know the task that awaits them in the AAA final, which is scheduled for about 4 p.m. on Saturday.

While Gibson expects BHS to have its hands full in the rematch with South, he knows the Demons are headed in the right direction. He said Bismarck’s 42-14 semifinal victory over West Fargo may well have been his team’s best outing of the season.

“What we liked about the West Fargo game is we played that as physical as any team we’ve played in a tight game, and the kids didn’t panic. They just stayed the course,” Gibson said.

West Fargo trailed 28-14 in the middle of the third quarter, but didn’t score again.

Just about everything that South has done, Bismarck has done better.

The Demons have outscored 11 opponents by an average margin of 47-9 and lead the West Region in scoring offense and defense. They’re averaging 303 yards on the ground and 120 through the air. That comes out to 423 yards of total offense per game.

Defensively, BHS is yielding just 223 yards per game, 106 on the ground.

Bismarck boasts four returning first-team all-staters — seniors Calvin Krueger, Carson Winkels, Jake Miller and Esley Thorton — who form a potent nucleus.

Miller leads the West Region in rushing with 1,496 yards and 29 touchdowns. He’s averaging 10.9 yards a pop. Thorton has passed for 1,306 yards and 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions. He leads the region in total offense with 1,757 yards and averages 6.7 yards per carry.

Winkels, a linebacker and fullback, has rushed 28 times for 142 yards and a score and grabbed nine passes for 181 yards and three TDs. Krueger, a wideout-linebacker-kicker, has 14 catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns.

Nick Jolliffe, in his second season as a two-way starter, leads the Demons with 23 catches for 454 yards and two touchdowns. Jolliffe is one of five players with more than 100 pass-receiving yards. The others are Miller (13-253), Alex Deyle (13-182), Winkels and Krueger.

South’s answer to Bismarck’s bombastic statistics is balance.

Junior wingback Adam Boe leads South with 663 yards on 63 carries and four touchdowns. But behind him are four more Bruins — slotback Julius Midell, quarterback Brock Larson, utility back Matthew Achter and quarterback Griffin Neal — with 383 or more rushing yards.

When you add it all up, South averages 277 yards per game on the ground.

“Julius Midell carried the ball 13 times against Century (in the semifinals), and that’s the most carried for a single guy in a game,” Feeney said. “... I think that balance has been beneficial to us. When teams prepare for us, they’ve got to prepare for the whole thing.”

Passing is much the same story. Larson and Neal have passed for 421 and 538 yards, respectively, Larson for six touchdowns and Neal for eight. Combined, they’ve averaged 91 yards per game through the air.

Senior Matt Wawers has 28 grabs for 368 yards and eight TDs. Midell, Achter, Josh Hooey and Jayme McGillis are also in the 100-plus receiving club.

What the statistics suggest is the reality, according to Feeney. South has turned the corner by getting contributions from many quarters rather than riding one or two horses.

“We don’t have go-to guys. ... It’s been something where we’ve kind of had to find their roles,” Feeney said. “... When you have a bunch of good football players and not a guy you can ride every night, it takes awhile to find out what everyone can do and what they can do well.”

Feeney said his team hasn’t spent nine weeks hoping for a rematch with Bismarck. But it was taken for granted that if the Bruins got to the championship game Bismarck would be waiting.

“I believe the kids thought that if they achieved their goals, Bismarck High would be in that realm,” Feeney said. “... When the kids found out they were going to play Bismarck High, it was kind of like they had the chance to show they were capable of playing a whole lot better than that first time.”

Feeney said the recipe for defeating Bismarck is obvious: Control the ball to keep the explosive Demon offense off the field.

“We know we have to play really good football to win this game,” he said. “We’ve got to grind it out the best we can and move the chains.”

This is the seventh matchup between the two teams in five seasons and the third straight state title game.

South won 40-14 in the 2007 final and Bismarck took the title with a 28-19 win last fall. Bismarck, ranked No. 1 all season, is riding a 21-game winning streak. South has been ranked No. 2 most of the year.

Feeney said the two teams have developed a healthy respect for one another.

“It’s become such a great rivalry,” he said. “... When you get guys who are two or three years out of the program looking forward to a Bismarck High-Fargo South football game, it speaks well of the rivalry.”

South suffered some disabling injuries before the season began, but has dodged major health issues since. Bismarck hasn’t had a season-ending injury to a key player, just the assorted bumps and bruises brought about by 11 weeks of football.

“We’re nicked up and banged up ... but the kids understand they only get one chance at this thing,” Gibson said. “So unless they’re dramatically injured, they’ll play.”