Photo by Korrie Wenzel, Grand Forks Herald
Bo Belquist made history in Grand Forks this past weekend.
Belquist had eight receptions on Saturday, giving him 224 for his UND career — the most in the school’s Division I history. His first of the day, his 217th, broke the previous record of 216 set by Greg Hardin (2010-13).
“It’s pretty cool,” Belquist said in his postgame press conference. “It hasn’t really set in yet, and I don’t think it really will until I’m probably done playing here, and look back at it. But right now, it feels pretty good.”
The Fighting Hawks went on to defeat Idaho State 52-28 at the Alerus Center, improving to 2-1 on the season. Belquist totalled 165 yards, a career high for him.
“He’s very elusive,” UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said. “He’s got a great competitive spirit, so he’s not satisfied to be short of the goal line. It’s really a competitor’s heart you see in those plays, and also some skill. He’s very shifty and hard to tackle.”
Belquist played high school football for New Rockford-Sheyenne. He’s now in his fifth season for UND. He has 21 touchdowns in his collegiate career, and an average of 60.8 yards per game. Belquist has already rushed for 241 yards in three games this year (80.3 per game). He’s also one of the Fighting Hawks’ captains.
Belquist’s dad, Elliott, is still the head coach of the current New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock football team, which is currently ranked No. 3 in the nine-man poll. The Grand Forks Herald’s Abby Sharpe recently wrote a story about Belquist’s continued connection to the New Rockford community and the success he’s built for himself. In the article, his sister Kelsie noted that “almost all of New Rockford” have become UND fans.
Belquist has joined forces with Simon Romfo, another former Lake Region star who’s risen to the D-I stage. Romfo, a junior, has taken over starting quarterback duties for UND this season. Coming from the tiny town of Calvin, North Dakota, Romfo was a standout for Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich, winning three consecutive state titles from 2018-2020.
Romfo passed for 287 yards in the win over Idaho State, going 25-for-38. He’s averaging 168.3 yards, with a 58 completion percentage, through his first three games as a starting quarterback.
“I think he’s doing a really good job,” Belquist said of Romfo. “Each game, he’s shown a drastic improvement within the pass game. I feel like he’s just slowly getting more comfortable.”
UND has also been helped by senior offensive lineman Jack Kuntz, a Devils Lake alum.
True freshman and Four Winds graduate Deng Deng, meanwhile, has yet to see any action. He’ll likely end up redshirting this season, as to not use up a year of eligibility. Deng has received high marks in practice, though, and was on the travel roster for UND’s first game against Iowa State.
Deng was a star wide receiver for Four Winds, along with being a Mr. Basketball and high jump champion.
UND will play its third of four consecutive home games this Saturday against San Diego.
