The top-ranked 9-man football team in North Dakota has received a first-round bye in tomorrow's opening round of high school state playoff games.
COVID-19 has grounded LaMoure/Litchville-Marion's high-flying offense this weekend. St. John Public School announced Friday morning via social media it has canceled its participation in Saturday's game versus the Loboes in LaMoure due to the virus.
LLM will host the winner of Saturday's game between Wyndmere/Lidgerwood (7-2) and North Border (7-1) being played in Pembina on Oct. 31.
"There's a lot of disappointment from our football team and I'm sure the St. John football team. I can't imagine the discussions they had to have up there," said LLM football coach Andy DelaBarre. "I feel bad for the young men who don't get an opportunity to play a football game on Saturday."
Those men included St. John seniors Michael Dunn, Ethan McGillis and Tate LaFloe. With Dunn at quarterback and McGillis and LaFloe operating out of the backfield, the trio had combined for 2,206 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground for an offense averaging over 350 yards rushing per game.
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It could've been argued that LLM junior quarterback Corban Potts would've needed to have his head on a swivel Saturday, as the Woodchucks (6-3) had posted 19 quarterback sacks in nine games.
Potts missed a pair of games early in the season due to injury but has still completed 40 of 63 passes for 1,010 yards and 22 touchdowns. The word is out on the Loboes' sophomore tight end Colton Ness, who's up to 687 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns on 23 receptions.
But that's only one half to the Loboes' explosive offense that's averaging nearly 510 yards per outing in 2020. Senior running back Brett Wendel is leading the backfield with 16 scores and more than 1,500 yards, averaging 10.78 positive yards per carry.
LLM will need to try and keep its well-oiled machine serviced heading into next week's state quarterfinal against either the Warbirds or the Eagles.
The Loboes (8-0) defeated Wyndmere/Lidgerwood 30-0 in LaMoure on Sept. 11 -- LLM's lowest offensive output this season, having averaged 59.8 points per game.
"I think having those live reps, it's hard to simulate in practice," DelaBarre said. "The one good thing that we have this year is our scout teams are very competitive. Every day at practice we're competing, but it's hard to imitate what that live -- and especially -- playoff team-type of game that you're gonna have.
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"But our kids are resilient, they can handle adversity. I think now it's just a matter of keeping our schedule and looking forward to next week."
Preparation for the contest against St. John shouldn't go unnoticed. Volunteers, spearheaded by LaMoure principal, athletic director and assistant football coach Lucas Isaacson, helped to clear the LaMoure football field of approximately a half-foot of snow that fell this week.
According to DelaBarre, all that was left to accomplish Friday was the painting of fresh lines.
"I know coach Isaacson started at 9 o'clock a.m. yesterday, and throughout the day we had more community members," DelaBarre said. "Our county highway department came and I think by 7:30 we turned the lights off and said, 'Enough's enough.'
"It's ready for next week now."
DelaBarre said he believes the action taken by St. John this week is proof that being able to even play a high school football season in North Dakota this fall has been the right decision.
"I think this shows that we're responsible to say, 'Hey, we can play. We can do this and we're gonna do it the right way,'" DelaBarre said. "We're looking forward to next week and we'll be ready to go."
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
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LLM STATISTICAL LEADERS
Rushing: Brett Wendel 143-1,541, 16 TDs; Brady Lettenmaier 67-433, 8 TDs; Lukas Hoff 27-177, 2 TDs; Anthony Hanson 8-118, 2 TDs; Corban Potts 8-36; Brayden Steffes 10-65, 2 TDs; Charlie Bowman 1-15; Andrew Hoff 2-13; Garrett Hebl 3-10, 1 TD.
Passing: Potts 40-for-63, 1,019 yards, 22 TDs; Hanson 25-for-33, 626, 10; Max Musland 5-for-5, 50.
Receiving: Colton Ness 23-687, 16 TDs; Tate Mart 14-382, 7 TDs; Bowman 12-359, 8 TDs; Carter Bowman 3-40, Wendel 2-14, Steffes 2-10, Dane Lebahn 1-15, Blase Isaacson 1-9.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
STATE PLAYOFFS
(STATE RANKING AND RECORDS IN PARENTHESIS)
CLASS AAA
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OCT. 30
G1: W4, TBD at (2) WF Sheyenne (6-0).
G2: (5) West Fargo (5-2) at (3) Bismarck (6-1), 4 p.m.
G3: (RV) Shanley (4-3) at (1) Bismarck Century (7-0), 7 p.m.
G4: W3, TBD at (4) Fargo Davies (6-1).
NOV. 6
G5: G1 winner vs. G2 winner
G6: G3 winner vs. G4 winner
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NOV. 13
CHAMPIONSHIP: G5 winner vs. G6 winner, Fargodome, 6:40 p.m.
CLASS A
OCT. 24
G1: (RV) Thompson (4-2) at (1) Langdon (9-0), 1 p.m.
G2: Carrington (5-4) at (4) Oakes (6-1), 2 p.m.
G3: Kenmare (4-4) at (RV) Shiloh (6-2), 2 p.m.
G4: Killdeer (7-2) at (5T) Bishop Ryan (7-2), 2 p.m.
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G5: Harvey/WC (4-4) at (2) Lisbon (6-0), 2 p.m.
G6: Sargent Co. (4-2) at (RV) Grafton (7-2), 2 p.m.
G7: Bowman Co. (5-2) at (3) Velva (8-0), 2:30 p.m.
G8: Nedrose (5-4) at (5T) Dickinson Trinity (6-2), 6 p.m.
OCT. 31
G9: G1 winner vs. G2 winner
G10: G3 winner vs. G4 winner
G11: G5 winner vs. G6 winner
G12: G7 winner vs. G8 winner
NOV. 7
G13: G9 winner vs. G10 winner
G14: G11 winner vs. G12 winner
NOV. 13
CHAMPIONSHIP: G13 winner vs. G14 winner, Fargodome, 10 a.m.
9-MAN
OCT. 24
G1: Tri-State (5-3) at (2) Cavalier (9-0), 2:30 p.m.
G2: North Prairie (7-2) at (5) Mayville/PCG (6-1), 2 p.m.
G3: Beach (5-2) at Divide Co. (5-1), 2:30 p.m.
G4: Ray/PL (5-1) at (3) Kidder Co. (6-1), 2 p.m.
G5: St. John (6-3) at (1) LaMoure/LM (8-0), 2 p.m.
G6: (RV) Wyndmere (7-2) at (RV) North Border (7-1), 2 p.m.
G7: Towner/GU (4-4) at (4) Grant Co. (7-1), 2 p.m.
G8: (RV) Linton/HMB (5-2) at Surrey (7-1), 2 p.m.
OCT. 31
G9: G1 winner vs. G2 winner
G10: G3 winner vs. G4 winner
G11: G5 winner vs. G6 winner
G12: G7 winner vs. G8 winner
NOV. 7
G13: G9 winner vs. G10 winner
G14: G11 winner vs. G12 winner
NOV. 13
CHAMPIONSHIP: G14 winner vs. G13 winner, Fargodome, noon.
CLASS AA
OCT. 31
G1: W4, TBD at (2) Hillsboro/CV (7-1).
G2: E3, TBD at (3) Beulah (6-2).
G4: E4, TBD at (1) Bismarck St. Mary's (8-0).
G5: W3, TBD at E2, TBD.
NOV. 7
G5: G1 winner vs. G2 winner
G6: G3 winner vs. G4 winner
NOV. 13
CHAMPIONSHIP: G5 winner vs. G6 winner, Fargodome, 3 p.m.
