The North Dakota 9-man football playoffs begin this Saturday, October 13. Eight teams received a bye week for the opening round and will not participate until next week. Those teams are Ray/Powers Lake, St. Johns, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood, New Salem/Glen Ullin, Thompson, Napoleon G-S, Richland, and New Rockford-Sheyenne.

First round playoff match-ups (games will be played on Saturday, October 13th):

West

Surrey Mustangs vs North Prairie Cougars
The Surrey Mustangs (Region 6 #3 seed) enter the first round with only two blemishes on their record (Ray-PL and Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood). The North Prairie Cougars (Region 4 #3 seed) battled through a tough schedule and finished with a 5-4 record. This could be a game to keep a close eye on. (Winner will move on to play New Salem/Glen Ullin)

Shiloh Christian Skyhawks vs North Star
The Skyhawks (Region 5 #2 seed) are coming off their only loss of the season (New Salem-AG).  North Star (Region 4 #4 seed) enters that game with a 5-3 record. North Star began their season with a strong start but tailed off toward the end of the season with 2 straight losses (St. John and TGU).

A couple of key players to watch in this game, first from Shiloh Christian is senior running back Canaan Fagerland (#32) and for North Star senior wide receiver Gavin Miller (#7). This game will be televised on BEK TV at 2pm CST on Saturday, October 13. Winner will move on to play Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood)

Richardton Taylor-Hebron Raiders vs Divide County Maroons
The Divide County Maroons (Region 6 #4 seed) will make the trip down to Richardton with a 4-4 record. The Raiders (Region 5 #3 seed) were 5-2 in Region 5 play, their only losses were to New Salem/GA and Shiloh Christian. One player to watch in this match-up will be the Raiders senior quarterback Logan Hoff (#10). (Winner will move on to play St. John)

TGU Titans vs Central Mclean Cougars
The TGU Titans (Region 4 #2 seed) posted a record of 5-3. Meanwhile, the Cougars (Region 5 #4 seed) earned their way into the playoffs in their final regular season game of the year with a win over the Beach Buccaneers to put them at 5-3. One player to watch in this game will be the junior wide receiver of the Cougars Ty Snyder (#4). (Winner will move on to play Ray/Powers Lake)

Junior receiver Ty Snyder goes up for a catch against Shiloh defense. Photo courtesy of Tim Mitzel

East

May-Port CG vs Cavalier High School
The May-Port CG Patriots (Region 1 #3 seed) will play host to the Cavalier Tornadoes (Region 2 #3 seed). May-Port finished the regular season at 6-2 while Cavalier finished at 5-3 overall. Both teams have a history of producing solid football teams so this should be an interesting match-up. (Winner will move on to play Napoleon G-S)

Oakes Tornadoes vs Four Winds Indians
The Oakes Tornadoes (Region 3 #2 seed) finished the regular season with a 7-1 record. They will host to the Four Winds Indians (Region 2 #4 seed) who finished with a 5-3 record and strong ending to their season (four straight wins). (Winner will move on to play Richland)

Kidder County Wolves vs Hankinson Pirates
Kidder County Wolves (Region 3 #3 seed) will host the Hankinson Pirates (Region 1 #4 seed). Hankinson got off to a rough start on the year but ended up winning their last 3 games to finish at 4-4. Meanwhile, the Wolves had an up and down season and finished with a 5-3 record. This game will be televised on BEK TV at 2pm CST Saturday, October 13. (Winner will move on to play New Rockford-Sheyenne)

Larimore Polar Bears vs Lamoure Litchville/Marion Loboes
The Larimore Polar Bears (Region 2 #2 seed) and the Lamoure Litchville/Marion Loboes (Region 3 #4 seed) finished the regular season with identical 4-4 records. Both teams have had their share of ups and downs this year, this should be an interesting game. (Winner will move on to play Thompson)