Langdon Area/Munich is no longer the No. 1-ranked team in Division A football.
The defending state champion plummeted from the top five after losing 41-13 to Harvey/Wells County to open region play on Friday. The updated Division A and nine-man polls were released Wednesday, as voted on by the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
LA/M had been off to a 2-0 start before Friday’s defeat.
Even after the win, H/WC is still unranked, listed as the second team receiving votes after LA/M. The Hornets lost their first two games of the season — granted, the losses came against the current No. 1 and 2, Velva/Drake-Anamoose/Garrison and Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm.
LA/M had made the top five in 13 consecutive weeks before falling out this week.
Through two games, the new-look lineup featuring Eastyn Schaefer at quarterback and Evan Ottem at running back had worked wonders. But with so many key pieces from last year’s championship to replace, it appears the Cardinals are going to need to do some adjusting to get back to where they were last year.
Region foe Thompson entered the ranking at No. 4.
In nine-man, meanwhile, New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock sits firmly at No. 1, where it’s been all season after winning the last two state championships. The Rockets are 3-0 this season, having most recently beaten Larimore 54-18 to secure their 28th consecutive win dating back to 2023. It’s the second-longest winning streak in North Dakota nine-man history, which goes back to 1975.
This week, the Rockets are welcomed in the top five by a Region 2 foe: North Prairie.
The timing is slightly peculiar, considering North Prairie is coming off a loss. The Cougars started the season 2-0, with dominant wins over then-No. 5 North Border and Larimore. They lost a tight battle on Friday, 52-48, to a very good Cavalier team. But North Prairie inched into the top five while Cavalier merely received votes.
The Rockets played Cavalier in their season opener and won 50-34. Some of their biggest tests still remain, as they travel to play North Border this Friday before hosting North Prairie next Friday. If they can win both games, they’ll have 30 consecutive victories for the program. But both teams — especially North Prairie — could present challenging road blocks.
At 3-0, NR-S/M is the only undefeated team left in Region 2. So far, the Jax Demester-Thomas Allmaras connection has been essentially unstoppable.
North Star, Four Winds, Cavalier, North Prairie and North Border are all 2-1.
Four Winds travels to face Midway/Minto (1-2) on Thursday, Sept. 10 while LA/M goes to Belcourt to play Turtle Mountain on Friday.
Nine-man
- New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock (15) – 91 points (Previous: 1)
- LaMoure-Litchville/Marion (2) – 74 points (Previous: 2)
- Linton/HMB (2) – 60 points (Previous: 3)
- Napoleon/Gackle-Streeter – 35 points (Previous: 5)
- North Prairie – 10 points (Previous: RV)
Received votes: Divide County, Alexander, Hatton/Northwood, TGU, Hankinson, Cavalier
Division A
- Velva/Drake-Anamoose/Garrison (13) – 87 points (Previous: 2)
- Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm (6) – 81 points (Previous: 3)
- Northern Cass – 51 points (Previous: 4)
- Thompson – 21 points (Previous: RV)
- Southern McLean – 15 points (Previous: NR)
Received votes: Langdon Area/Munich, Harvey/Wells County, Grafton, Bishop Ryan/Our Redeemer’s, Rugby, Bowman County, Central McLean, Ray/Powers Lake