Simon Romfo/Photo courtesy of Nick Nelson, Grand Forks Herald
It’s a whole new world for Deng Deng.
The former Four Winds/Minnewaukan superstar, after winning Mr. Basketball and being named the North Dakota Senior Athlete of the Year, has already jumped into the fire with the University of North Dakota football team’s fall practices. Hailing from the tiny town of Tokio, Deng has a large transition in front of him as he adjusts to Division I football.
But he’s not alone as a representative of the Lake Region on the UND football team. The roster includes four returning players from the area — Devils Lake’s Jack Kuntz, New Rockford’s Bo Belquist and Simon and Grant Romfo from the Langdon area.
Belquist, coincidentally, is somebody Deng is chasing for a spot. Belquist enters this season as a fifth-year wide receiver who’s played in all 12 of UND’s games each of the last two years. Tom Miller of the Grand Forks Herald reported in an August 3 article that Belquist is one of four locks to make UND’s travel roster, which typically includes six or seven wide receivers. The roster contains 14 wide receivers total, which will make it an uphill battle for Deng to get playing time.
Still, Deng was mentioned by Miller as a player who’s shown early promise in fall camp, along with fellow true freshman wide receiver Keegan Ryan. It remains to be seen whether Deng will redshirt. A player can redshirt his freshman year as long as he doesn’t appear in more than four games, so it’s entirely possible that Deng could appear in a game or two before making a decision.
Another interesting position battle involves Simon Romfo, a former Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich athlete and twin brother of UND running back Grant Romfo. His cousins Mason and Theo Romfo both played sports for LA/E/M this season as well. Simon and Grant come from the tiny town of Calvin, just slightly west of Langdon.
Simon, entering his junior year, is making a serious bid at the quarterback job, per Miller’s August 6 report. The two big names ahead of him are junior Trey Feeney and redshirt freshman Jerry Kaminski. UND offensive coordinator Isaac Fruechte reportedly said that Romfo is “100%” in the race for the No. 1 job.
Romfo absolutely dominated during his time in a Langdon uniform. He led the Cardinals to three consecutive state titles from 2018-2020, which included a ridiculous 37 consecutive wins. His main detractor is size, with his 5-foot-11 height being considered relatively small for a quarterback. He was a preferred walk-on at UND.
“I think you see the toughness side of his upbringing with him and his brother,” Fruechte said, per the Herald. “Being farm kids and having to do things at home in the summer, that shows in his play. Sometimes it’s not as pretty as can be, but he’s doing a great job making plays. He’s very ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ There is no gray area. It’s straight and to the point. I’m trying to have him be more confident. If he can be confident, the sky is the limit for him. He can run and throw and can do special things for us.”
Romfo appeared in 12 games for the Fighting Hawks last year. He collected 49 rushing yards and made two completions for a total of 11 passing yards.
Grant, meanwhile, got his first action with UND last year, playing three games as a reserve running back. He collected 42 yards and scored one touchdown. The Romfo twins happened to score their first collegiate touchdowns in the same game on Oct. 7.
Devils Lake High School has an alumnus on the roster as well. Jack Kuntz, who was an all-state offensive lineman for the Firebirds in 2018 and 2019, will be entering his senior year. He also competed in wrestling and track for Devils Lake.
Kuntz appeared in all 12 games for UND last year on the offensive line and special teams. His blocking helped the Fighting Hawks’ offense post the third-best completion percentage in the nation. With Kuntz on the line, they had two separate instances of posting more than 500 yards of offense in a game.
Kuntz initially redshirted his freshman season back in 2020 after only appearing in one game. He made three appearances as a redshirt freshman in 2021, then eight games in 2022. Last season was his first contributing to the entire campaign.
For Lake Region locals keeping track of their former athletes at the closest D-I football program to Devils Lake, there will be plenty to watch this season. The relatively young Deng and S. Romfo are trying to fight their way through deep position battles, while seniors like Belquist and Kuntz will be trying to finish their collegiate careers on a high note.
