FARGO — The Rockets completed the perfect season on Friday at the Fargodome.
Every week, there’s the lingering thought of whether they’ve finally met their match. Surely they’re not going to win so big against this team…right?
Wrong.
New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock (12-0) had a 2024 season for the North Dakota record books. The Rockets won every game by 30 points or more — including Friday’s Dakota Bowl on the home turf of NDSU.
Facing LaMoure-Litchville/Marion (11-1), which came into the game with an equal 665 points scored on the season as the Rockets, NR-S/M rode a 40-point second quarter to down the Loboes in thundering fashion. Their lead was already over 30 points by the end of the second quarter, bringing the contest to a 62-26 final.
“Maybe not running clock,” receiver Easton Benz said with a chuckle about his expectations coming in. “But we knew we had the firepower to score points, and we believed in our defense to stop them.”
Champions. For the first time since 2012, and the second time in the history of New Rockford-Sheyenne football, the Rockets won a nine-man state title.
“They put in the work — that’s what I’m most proud of,” head coach Elliott Belquist said. “They dreamed about being on this big stage, and they got it. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
NR-S/M’s offense was slow out of the gates, but it scored in the final minute of the first quarter and went on a rampage in the second quarter. The game was essentially over with a 48-14 score at halftime.
Benz had two touchdown receptions of roughly 50 yards each, along with a 30-yard pick-six. Carter Engebretson ran for three touchdowns. Bennett Meier also caught a pair of touchdowns. The Rockets finished their season with 727 points scored compared to only 130 allowed.
“That’s just kind of what we do, I guess,” said Belquist, who was also named the nine-man Coach of the Year. “They take pride in it. They take pride in making the big plays. They know that they might not get the ball that often, so when they do, they better make something happen.”
Benz ended up with 147 receiving yards, while Meier had 85. Engebretson ran for 180.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Engebretson said, “and I’m gonna be thinking about it for the rest of my life. This is always what I’ve been dreaming of, and I finally have it. And I’m never letting it go.”
The Rockets went three and out on each of their first two possessions. Meier dropped the type of pass he and the rest of his teammates are accustomed to catching.
“We’ve just gotta be patient,” Belquist said. “We’re not gonna tighten up and do something different with what we’ve done all year. So we just stuck with it.”
L-L/M had a longer first possession, driving it 37 yards inside the Rockets’ 30-yard line, but the Loboes turned it over on downs on a near-interception by Meier.
Gunner Thielges had a 15-yard carry on LaMoure’s second chance, but a tackle-for-loss by Engebretson and Colton Green helped force a punt on fourth and 12.
The Rockets got on the board in the final few minutes of the first quarter. A 17-yard pass to Benz secured their initial first down of the game, and a 38-yard pass to Meier got NR-S/M into the end zone. Thomas Allmaras converted the two-point conversion.
So despite a slow start offensively for the Rockets, they went into the first quarter break with an 8-0 lead.
Then, the Rockets team that’s been dismantling opponents all year showed up.
L-L/M opened the second quarter with a 25-yard pass to NR-S/M’s 30-yard line. But Kage Walford rushed in for a sack, and intentional grounding set up a ridiculous third-and-33 situation. Quarterback Mason Warcken attempted a long pass to Thielges, but it was broken up by Meier to force a punt.
Benz nearly singlehandedly gave the Rockets their next touchdown. Easton Simon, who threw for 276 yards overall, completed a 16-yard pass to him from their own 22-yard line. After a seven-yard pass to Meier to get a yard short of midfield, Simon completed another pass to Benz, who broke a tackle and exploded downfield for a 51-yard touchdown run. After Meier’s two-point conversion, it was 16-0, and it was starting to feel like just another game for this team.
“Not a lot of nerves,” Benz said. “Just believing in God to give me ability, and I just thank God for it.”
The Loboes immediately reminded the Rockets why they had a dominant season too, as Thielges returned the following kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown.
But NR-S/M didn’t let it stay a one-score game for long. It took only two plays for the Rockets to get back into the end zone. A nine-yard pass to Meier got the ball to midfield, and Engebretson — with all his muscle and agility — unleashed for a 50-yard touchdown run. Like Benz before him, once he found a hole, there was no stopping him.
After Walford ran in for the two-point conversion, it was a 24-8 lead.
Still, Thielges struck again. A 33-yard touchdown got the Loboes another score, though their two-point attempt was unsuccessful, keeping the Rockets ahead by 10.
Thielges, L-L/M’s certified star, had 177 receiving yards and 74 rushing yards overall.
“We just had to practice our pursuit angles,” Engebretson said. “We had to corral him. We couldn’t let him get the edge, because we know he’s fast. Trying to play press defense over the air. But, I mean, he’s a good player. He’s gonna make plays.”
The next three scores all went to NR-S/M. A 22-yard pass to Meier led to another big play by Benz — this time a 47-yard touchdown reception. Simon picked up the two-point conversion himself. And within just one play of L-L/M getting the ball back, Benz snagged an interception and ran 30 yards for a pick-six. He picked up the two-point conversion on his own touchdown as well.
One more play, and one more turnover befell the Loboes on their next possession. The Rockets recovered a fumble to get the ball right back.
Their scoring streak came to an end with a three-and-out, but yet again, they got the ball right back on the Loboes’ third consecutive drive-opening turnover. Paxton Neppl snatched it and got the ball to L-L/M’s 20.
Four plays later, the Rockets were back in the end zone. Simon converted on third down with a nine-yard pass to Meier. Meier also had the two-point.
And NR-S/M led by a whopping 48-14 at halftime. It wasn’t over yet, technically — but it felt just about over, despite the Loboes possessing a formidable team in their own right.
“We just stayed true to what we do,” Benz said.
The clock ran to start the third quarter — but that was short-lived, as Thielges had a 73-yard touchdown reception to make it 48-20.
But the Rockets had no thoughts of letting L-L/M make this a game again. Engebretson, on the very first play of the drive, busted for his second 50-yard touchdown run of the afternoon.
The Loboes went three and out, and on the Rockets’ next possession, it took them all the way until the second play to do something explosive. Engebretson had a 59-yard run to make it 62-20 with less than six minutes left in the third quarter.
With a 16-6 third quarter, following the 40-point second quarter, the Rockets had sealed the deal extra tightly by this point. The fourth quarter was a formality, and mini celebrations and moments of triumph already began to trickle throughout the NR-S/M sideline and fan section. Cheers and hugs commenced for each starter as he was taken out, especially for the seniors. There were tears of joy and looks of near shock from the victorious players as they watched the final seconds tick down.
“It really hasn’t set in yet,” Benz said on the sideline after the awards ceremony, shortly before rejoining his teammates. “But it definitely will when I get to the locker room and see my parents. It’s just kind of a surreal feeling, especially when we were coming out of the half at halftime; the crowd was loud and it was a great atmosphere.”
And so, perhaps rather abruptly, a historic Rockets season came to an end. In addition to Belquist’s Coach of the Year honor, NR-S/M had six All-State honorees in Simon, Benz, Brody Weisenburger, Engebretson, Walford and Meier.
With the second state championship in New Rockford-Sheyenne history, plus the most points scored in the school’s history and of any Dakota Bowl participant, this particular group of Rockets will be remembered for decades to come.
“I’ll just remember it as a brotherhood,” Benz said. “I love all the guys on the team. We’ll definitely go down in history as one of the best teams in nine-man.”
