Kari Gibb/MDN Minot North senior Kayden Flavin, 6, plays WF Horace on the kickoff return of the 2024 NDHSAA Class AA Semifinal Playoffs semifinal round hosted by the Sentinels on Friday at Sentinels Stadium. He will compete against senior Lucas Geigl (13 years old).
The Minot North football team is in its first season as a varsity team and has achieved several milestones. Led by just four seniors, the Sentinels scored the first touchdown in school history. He also won the national team championship for the first time in university history.
The 2024 team’s season progressed with their first playoff win in school history, and attention was focused on their first ranking in school history.
A new, more painful first match reached the national team record. On Friday night, Nov. 8, Minot North recorded its first playoff loss in school history as the visiting Hawks ultimately won 42-20.
Minot North will have to wait until next season to tackle the next “first” on the list: its first trip to the Dakota Bowl and appearance at the NDHSAA state championship.
Minot North, third in the Class AA soccer playoffs, hosted second place West Fargo Horace at Sentinels Stadium. There was one clear advantage for visitors. The Hawks have 11 seniors and 20 juniors.
WF Horace received the ball and attacked the first series. The Hawks spent almost half of the first quarter getting into the end zone and taking a 7-0 lead. WF Horace relied on the size and strength of his offensive line to repeat the same running play over and over again to gain consistent yards on the ground.
At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks led 7-0.
Minot North had several players on the sideline with braces or crutches. The offense was instantly hampered by the loss of a key starter. The visiting team from the East gained momentum in the second quarter thanks to mistakes.
After a great run, the Sentinels lost a fumble, recovered it and scored, giving WF Horace a 14-0 lead.
The Sentinels’ next two offensive series led to interceptions on their passing attack, giving the Hawks field position and two more scores at halftime, leading 28–0.
Each team scored early in the third quarter and played even football on the scoreboard for the rest of the game. If you take away the three turnover scores, the game was a close 21-20 and could have gone either way with a change in momentum.
The Horace Hawks will play the state’s top-ranked team, the Grand Forks Red River High School Rough Riders, for the Class AA title in the 2024 NDHSAA Dakota Bowl.
GF Red River 35, Wahpeton 22
Grand Forks Red River, the top-ranked team in the Class AA playoffs for soccer, picked up a home win against the No. 4 team from Wahpeton in the 2024 NDHSAA Class AA semifinal round. The Rough Riders will play the second-place Hawks of West Fargo Horace in the other semifinal game after a road win over the first-year Sentinels.
Last season, the Beavers achieved memorable results, including a top 25 ranking and a win over the No. 1 team in the nation.
