A win away for Jamestown and Minot High

BISMARCK -- It’s arguably the best weekend of high school football in North Dakota. The excitement that comes with the state semifinal round. Teams are a win a way from getting to  play for a state championship at the Fargodome. 

Two WDA teams are in the hunt. In Class AAA, WDA champion and No. 3 seed Minot High travels to No. 2 West Fargo Sheyenne. The teams met in West Fargo earlier this season with the Mustangs rallying for a win. Jamestown, the two-time Class AA champion, find itself in an unexpected spot. The Blue Jays, which entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed, are hosting their semifinal. The squad is facing No. 7 G.F. Central. Both teams picked up road wins in the quarterfinals. The teams also met earlier this season with the Jamestown prevailing.

AA Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 3

(7) Grand Forks Central at (6) Jamestown, 7 p.m., Univ. of Jamestown Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium, Jamestown

Last meeting: Sept. 8: Jamestown def. G.F. Central, 35-21

Last playoff meeting: 2022 (Quarterfinal) Jamestown def. G.F. Central, 49-20

How they got here: G.F. Central defeated (2) Fargo South in the quarterfinals, 42-10. Jamestown topped Grand Forks Red River in overtime in quarterfinal play, 35-34.

About G.F. Central: The Knights (6-4) stunned No. 2 Fargo South in the quarterfinals to move into the semifinals for the first time since winning the AAA state title in 2005. What’s perhaps most impressive is GFC dominated a team that blanked the Knights, 34-0, in early September.

So, its clear the squad is going into its semifinal at Jamestown this Friday, Nov. 3 a confident bunch. 

The player that makes GFC offense go is quarterback Jack Simmers. He has a team-best 703 rushing yards on 133 carries and 10 scores. The senior has also thrown for 762 yards on 45 completions and he’s caught 10 passes for 126 yards. The backfield also has a couple more capable runners in seniors Caden Johansen and Gabriel Tande with 656 and 369 yards, respectively. Tande had a pair of rushing scores in the win over FS. Senior Tray Kuntz led all receivers with 303 yards on 21 receptions and six scores. One of those TDs came a week ago. The Knights average 280 yards of total offense a game with a majority coming on the ground.

Defensively, GFC has been solid, allowing an average of 240 yards through 10 games. The D-unit has been most effective in containing opponents’ ground attack. It will be tested in the rematch vs. Jamestown.

About Jamestown: The two-time defending Class AA champion Blue Jays (6-4) accomplished something last Friday, Oct. 27 they had not during its current stretch of success. And that is win a road playoff game. The squad needed some late-game heroics to do it. Jamestown trailed G.F. Red River by seven with just 61 seconds remaining. However, in just three plays and less than a minute, it had the game tied and headed to overtime. From there, the ’Jays scored on its only possession in the extra period and then turned back a two-point try by the Roughriders to escape with the one-point victory. Jamestown received a number of big contributions, including a TD catch Caden Michaelson and TD run from Thomas Newman.

The win avenged a season-opening loss to G.F. Red River, and more importantly, kept the squad’s goal of a third consecutive Dakota Bowl championship alive. Jamestown returns to a more familiar playoff setting, thanks in part to the Knights’ upset win over No. 2 Fargo South. This will be the ’Jays fifth home playoff game since 2021.

Success this season has been a combination of a balanced offense and a defense that has shown it can rise to the occasion.

The Blue Jays have 3225 yards of total offense (322.5 per game). Of that number, 1575 has come on the ground with 1,650 coming in the air. Quarterback Ryan Kallenbach has been steady. The junior has 111 completions and thrown 21 touchdowns. Junior Nate Walz has been the go-to receiver. He has a team-best 789 yards and 32 receptions and 10 TDs. Tyson Jorissen has 320 receiving yards and Jackson Jarrett has 194. The ground game is led by Jorissen which 495 yards on 93 carried and 10 scores. Junior Kelan Harstad had 391 yards on 72 carries. Senior Sam Mayfair has 336 yards on 72 carries. The ability to run and throw is a sign the linemen up front are doing their job and the Blue Jays have some quality blockers. The list includes: seniors Bo Nelson, Jack VanBerkom, Colin Conway, Lucas Mimong, Conner Ede, Gage Freberg, Malakai Robinson and junior Vaughn Romsdal.

The key defensively vs. G.F. Central will be to keep the Knights’ run game in check. Jamestown did that in the first meeting, holding them to just 88 yards. That was two months ago and GFC is a much-improved team.

In that first meeting, GFC jumped out to a 7-0 lead before Jamestown erupted for 28-consecutive points en route to the win. 

It’s a good bet not many would’ve have predicted this semifinal match up. As often is the case in playoff football, the littles things get magnified. The team than can avoid turnovers, limit big plays and win the line of scrimmage battle stand a good chance to advance.

Fries at the bottom of the bag: The game will be televised by BEK Sports…This marks Jamestown’s eighth playoff game over the past three seasons while it’s just GFC’s third in the past 17 seasons…Jamestown has won its last seven games vs. the Knights…The six wins by GFC is its most since winning six in 2007.

AAA Semifinals, Friday, Nov. 3

(3) Minot High at (2) West Fargo Sheyenne, 7 p.m. WFHS Mustang Stadium, West Fargo

Last meeting: Sept. 29: WF Sheyenne def. Minot High, 28-20

Last playoff meeting: 2021 (Quarterfinals): WF Sheyenne def. Minot High, 28-6

How they got here: Minot High (9-1) reached the semifinals with a 23-14 win over (6) Mandan. WF Sheyenne (8-2) advanced to the semifinals with a 42-21 quarterfinal win over (7) Century.

About Minot High: The No. 3 Magicians are a win away from their first trip to the Dakota Bowl since 2017. Standing in the way of that is the one team that handed the squad its only loss this season. It’s hard to find a weakness on this Minot squad. The team features a dynamic offense that can both run and pass effectively. And a defense which routinely puts pressure on the quarterback and stifles opponents’ run game.

Senior Tyson Ruzicka leads the team with 1320 yards rushing and is coming off a superb effort in the quarterfinals where he rushed for 200 yards. Junior Griffen Broderick is a bruising back that has 507 yards on the season. Jaidrean Small, like Ruczika, is quick and shifty runner. The senior has 228 yards. Quarterback Lucas Beeter has thrown for 1061 yards on 79 completions. The senior didn’t have to throw much in the quarterfinal win vs. Mandan. Senior Logan Conklin is the top receiver with 389 yards on 20 catches and 10 scores. Junior Kaden Kraft has 357 yards and a team-high 29 receptions. Ruzicka provides the passing option from the backfield. He has 193 yards. The Magi average 34 points per game and 341 yards of total offense.

Defensively, the squad has been a stingy group to play against. Team have only averaged eight points per game and 190 yards of total offense. The unit has 30 sacks, 48 tackles for loss, 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. Four of those turnovers have led to defensive scores. Some of the key players on defense include senior Michael George who leads the squad in sacks (7) tackles for loss (12). Brady Larson who has a team-high 27 solo tackles. Anthony Brown’s four interceptions is tops on the team. Conklin has two fumble recoveries and 21 solo tackles.

About WF Sheyenne: The No. 2 Mustangs are seeking a fourth trip to the Dakota Bowl in the past five seasons. The program has established itself as a perennial power. WF Sheyenne rolled to a quarterfinal win over Century last week. The Patriots derailed the Mustangs’ hopes of defending their state title a year ago with an upset win in the first round. Sheyenne racked up an impressive 495 yards of offense in the victory with 320 coming in the air. 

Quarterback Caden Olson is one of the best in the state and the junior has thrown for 2,149 yards on 167 completions. Four players have over 370 yards of receiving. At the top of the list is Race Wilson. He has 667 yards on 62 receptions and eight scores. Caleb Duerr also has eight scoring passes to go with 510 yards and 25 receptions. Colby Walter and Cooper Bryant are other regular passing targets. The ground game is anchored by senior Barry Kpeenu. His 618 yards on 149 yards leads the backs. The aforementioned Wilson also is productive rushing the ball. The senior ran for 149 last week vs. Century. Defensively, the team gives up yards, allowing an average of 331 per contest, but that goes with the territory of having an offense built to score quickly and play up tempo football.

In the Mustangs two losses the opposition found different ways to find success. Fargo Shanley racked up a lot of passing yards while Bismarck High used a steady dose of running. The good news for Minot is it can do both well. 

In the first meeting, Minot High led at the half and by three in the fourth quarter before the Mustangs scored back-to-back touchdowns to take the lead and hang on for the win. In the game, Minot High was able to move the ball on the ground, but never couldn’t get its passing attack in full gear. Meanwhile, the Mustangs offense racked up 363 yards; 278 coming in the air. While containing WFS’ offense is a tall task, the Magicians will need to be better.  

The Mustangs were held to a season-low seven first-half points in the first matchup vs Minot High. The team scored 28 points in the first half in the quarterfinals and getting the offense off to a fast start against Minot High will be the plan.

Fries at the bottom of the bag: The game will be livestreamed by the PSP Network…WF Sheyenne has won six of the eight all-time meetings, but the teams are 2-2 in the playoffs…The 28 points allowed to WFS this season was the most by Minot…Despite an 8-2 record, the Mustangs average point differential is just nine a game.

Photo: Jamestown's Ryan Kallenbach scrambles for yards vs. G.F. Red River. (Courtesy of Forum Communications)