After winning two consecutive nine-man football state titles, New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock is ranked No. 1 once again.
The Rockets came in atop the preseason poll released Wednesday, as voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
In the Division A poll released the same day, defending champion Langdon Area/Munich came in at No. 1 as well.
The Rockets received 12 of the 16 first-place votes to lead the pack with 72 points. LaMoure-Litchville/Marion, the two-time defending runner-up, ranked second with 65 points and two first-place votes. Linton/HMB, which lost in the state quarterfinals last year, came in third with 54 points and two first-place votes.
North Border, one of the Rockets’ region opponents, enters the season tied for the No. 5 spot. No other nine-man Region 2 teams received votes.
NR-S/M takes a 25-game winning streak into the 2026 season. Since New Rockford-Sheyenne combined with Maddock in 2023, the Rockets are 35-1. Their quarterback during that stretch, Easton Simon, has now graduated. The program had only won one state title, in 2012, before the recent back-to-back championships.
NR-S/M is one of four teams to win back-to-back state titles since the implementation of nine-man football in 1975. Only one nine-man team has ever won three straight titles: New England/Regent from 1995 to 1997.
LA/M, meanwhile, is ranked No. 1 with 69 points and nine of the 16 first-place votes. The Cardinals’ semifinal opponent last fall, Velva/Drake-Anamoose/Garrison, came in at No. 2 with 61 points and four first-place votes. Defending runner-up Bottineau is ranked No. 5.
The Cardinals have several key pieces to replace as well. But they’re now riding on a decade of success: a 106-13 record over the last 10 years. They’ve won four titles in that span.
Nine-man and Division A football begin Thursday and Friday, Aug. 20 and 21. Division AA and AAA begin the following week on Friday the 28th.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Nine-man
- New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock (12) – 72 points
- LaMoure-Litchville/Marion (2) – 65 points
- Linton/HMB (2) – 54 points
- Divide County – 27 points
- (T5) Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter – 8 points
- (T5) North Border – 8 points
Received votes: Grant County/Flasher, Hatton/Northwood, Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood
Division A
- Langdon Area/Munich (9) – 69 points
- Velva/Drake-Anamoose/Garrison (4) – 61 points
- Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm (3) – 56 points
- Dickinson Trinity – 26 points
- Bottineau – 18 points
Received votes: Northern Cass, Central McLean, Thompson