For Devils Lake to make the playoffs and have a shot at defending its title, the Firebirds will need to come in the top four out of six teams in their region.
This is the second straight year that Devils Lake has been in the AA West, as opposed to the East. But that doesn’t change much in terms of the competition the Firebirds have to face throughout the season.
“What people forget is that we have four non-conference games. And when we were out East, we played four West teams,” head coach Todd Lambrecht said. “And it’s just exchange. So, I mean, we didn’t play all the [West] teams, but we played quite a few. So it wasn’t anything new. It was good competition and great games, so I’m excited for it.”
Last year, the Firebirds went 4-1 during their regular-season region schedule. They placed second and hosted a playoff game, eventually winning the AA state championship with a 10-2 overall record. They beat East teams in the quarterfinals and semifinals — Grand Forks Central and Kindred — before getting revenge on West opponent Minot North in the title game.
Here’s a quick look at their five region opponents. The order of opponents is the same as last year.
Sept. 25: Jamestown
Venue: Charlotte & Gordon Hansen Stadium
2025 season: 1-8 record (0-5 region), sixth place in AA West, didn’t make playoffs
2025 matchup: Devils Lake won 41-27 behind three touchdowns and 220 rushing yards from Bryar Exner. The teams were tied at 21-21 in the third quarter before back-to-back touchdowns by Exner sealed the win. Jamestown running back Liam Frey had 218 rushing yards.
Rundown
A year after Devils Lake’s memorable upset victory in this matchup, the Blue Jays were hardly competitive in 2025.
They scored just 159 points all season. That amounts to an average of 17.67 per game, their lowest since 2019. Jamestown hadn’t had a one-win season since 2016. This is a program that put up back-to-back 10-2 seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Jamestown’s lone all-state player, second-team running back Liam Frey, has now graduated. Frey had 1,012 rushing yards last year. The team’s top two receivers, Cephy Sayler and Jaeger Roemmich, graduated as well.
The Blue Jays do bring back last year’s starting quarterback, junior Karson Schmidt. He averaged 118.88 passing yards per game last season and had a 52.15% completion rate. He had more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (eight).
Their leading tackler, Braden Hemming, also returns for his senior year.
Oct. 2: Bismarck St. Mary’s
Venue: Roller Field
2025 season: 4-6 record (3-2 region), third place in AA West, lost to Central Cass in state quarterfinals
2025 matchup: Devils Lake won 55-14 on the road. It was the Firebirds’ most lopsided win and highest point total of the season. Mason Palmer and Exner each had three touchdowns with more than 200 yards of offense. This was Devils Lake’s fifth straight win, matching its longest winning streak since 2010.
Rundown
The Saints were carried — literally — by running back Beckett Price in 2025. Price accumulated 1,547 yards in 170 attempts with 16 touchdowns. He was named to the all-state first team. And he’s back this season as a senior.
St. Mary’s leaned on Price last year, with nearly three times as many rushing yards as passing yards per game. Quarterback Thomas Wilson had a completion percentage of just 38.64, totaling 684 yards for the season. Like Price, Wilson is a senior this year.
The Saints did lose two big pieces on the defensive end. Linebacker Zach Richter and defensive lineman Jackson Barth were first-team and second-team selections, respectively, and they both graduated.
Brady Ruggles was their only receiver with triple-digit yards, and he’s gone as well.
Oct. 9: Minot North
Venue: Roller Field
2025 season: 11-1 record (5-0 region), first place in AA West, lost to Devils Lake in state championship
2025 matchups: Devils Lake lost 26-20 during the regular season — however, it was the closest game Minot North had played thus far. The Sentinels hadn’t allowed more than 14 points in game, and they’d won each of their six games by at least 21 points. Their undefeated season ended with a 39-34 loss to Devils Lake in the Dakota Bowl at the Fargodome. Mason Palmer had 225 passing yards — including 168 to Will Heilman — and Bryar Exner had 225 rushing yards.
Rundown
Buckle up for a state championship rematch in Devils Lake.
The Minot North Sentinels are coming to town.
The defending runner-ups will almost certainly be hungry after Devils Lake spoiled their undefeated season in the Fargodome last November. Minot North’s success was driven by its defense: The Sentinels gave up just 28 points in their first six games of the season. They had allowed only 92 in 11 games (8.36 per game) before the Firebirds scored 39 on them in the championship.
Minot North’s school only opened in 2024. The program has had just two full varsity seasons.
The Sentinels graduated their starting quarterback, Brayden Blikre, and their top two receivers in Josia Jaquinet and Will Bentley, along with two of their top rushers in Christian Deadmond and Evan Berg. They do return last year’s top rusher in Cooper Chick, who had 770 yards in 11 games, along with first-team all-state lineman Ethan Howey.
On the defensive side, four of their top five tacklers graduated. Senior Harrison Schaefer, who ranked third on the team with 39.5 tackles, is Minot North’s top returning tackler. Braxton Thompson, who had a team-high 6.5 sacks last season, also returns for his senior year. Thompson is the only returner among Minot North’s five all-state defenders.
As dominant as the Sentinels were for most of last season, they’ll have several positions to figure out before they come to Devils Lake.
Oct. 16: Dickinson
Venue: Biesiot Activities Center
2025 season: 2-7 overall (1-4 region), fifth place in AA West, didn’t make playoffs
2025 matchup: Devils Lake only barely scratched out a 28-24 win at home. The game ended in a dispute between Dickinson and the referees over whether there was time left on the clock. The Mavericks had gotten down to the Firebirds’ 16-yard line. Devils Lake trailed 17-7 in middle of the second quarter and didn’t retake the lead until the final 30 seconds of the game.
Rundown
The Mavericks weren’t quite as bad as their record would indicate — in three of their losses, they were within four points. Overall, they allowed only 16 more points than they scored. They also gave a genuine scare to the eventual state champion, Devils Lake.
It was still Dickinson’s worst record in the last five seasons.
The Mavericks do return a strong senior core. Starting quarterback Nate Stevenson, leading rusher Wyatt Turner and leading receiver Paxton Lyson are all in their final year of high school. Dickinson lost a major piece on defense, though, in all-state second-teamer Devin Heidt, who had 48 more tackles (98) than anyone else on the team last fall.
With a good portion of its core players back, Dickinson could be reasonably considered a bounce-back candidate. Devils Lake can’t overlook the Mavericks, especially since they have to make the drive over there this year.
Oct. 23: Watford City
Venue: Roller Field
2025 season: 4-6 overall (2-3 region), fourth place in AA West, lost to Kindred in state quarterfinals
2025 matchup: Devils Lake made the long trip and won 43-36 to clinch the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game. Mason Palmer and Bryar Exner each tallied more than 200 yards of offense, with Exner rushing for four touchdowns. The Firebirds won despite allowing more than 400 yards on the ground from the Wolves.
Breakdown
The Wolves were extremely reliant on the rushing game in 2025.
They threw for only 309 yards between two quarterbacks throughout the season. But they rushed for nearly 3,000, including 1,296 from all-state second-teamer Rhylie Ledahl-Berger, who’s back for his senior year. A big piece of the offensive line was Thaydan Arnold, a first-state all-teamer who has since graduated.
Quarterback Baylor Salas, who appeared in all 10 games for Watford City, is now a senior. So is top returning tackler Harper Moberg.
Devils Lake should expect the Wolves to be a respectable threat again with Ledahl-Berger leading the charge.