Left to right: Jack Kuntz, Bo Belquist, Simon Romfo, Grant Romfo, Deng Deng (Photo courtesy of Beth Belquist)
Early-season expectations didn’t come to fruition for the University of North Dakota football team. After a 5-2 start, the Fighting Hawks lost their last five games of the fall and missed out on the playoffs.
“Here we are at the end of the season, and we’re disappointed,” UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said in his postseason press conference, shortly before he stepped down. “Just five weeks ago, we were in really good position, and really wanted to focus one week at a time… We were in good position to build a playoff resume, and it just didn’t happen.”
UND featured five former Lake Region athletes, including the last dance for Bo Belquist in college football. Here’s a look at how things shaped up for each of them.
Bo Belquist, New Rockford-Sheyenne
Belquist was UND’s bonafide star, wrapping up an impressive five-year career with his best season yet.
In 12 games, he totaled 932 receiving yards, good for 77.7 per game. He averaged 14.3 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns. All of these were career highs.
His success came amidst a championship run by his former high school team, the Rockets, who are coached by his dad, Elliott Belquist.
What’s next for the New Rockford native remains unclear. In his postseason press conference, Schweigert said the coaching staff are doing what they can to help Belquist find an opportunity to play beyond college. Coming from a Division I school with relatively less national attention on it, it’s an uphill battle, but Belquist has opened up the discussion with his talent and performance.
“We’re working on that, trying to help him to get into one of these games and give him opportunities to extend his career,” Schweigert said. “It’s just been awesome to have him part of our program. We watched one of the best UND careers.”
Belquist finished his Fighting Hawks tenure with 3,305 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns. He made 271 receptions across 52 collegiate games. No matter what happens next, he’ll go into the books as a UND legend.
Simon Romfo, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich
The 5-foot-11 junior from Calvin, North Dakota, got his first crack at being a starting quarterback at the college level.
Romfo, who once led the Cardinals to three consecutive state titles, started all 12 games for the Hawks. He collected 2,051 passing yards and 18 touchdowns passes, and had a completion percentage of 61. He averaged 170.9 passing yards per game. He also got picked off eight times.
Before this season, Romfo had only made three completions across two years of college football. He had to earn the starting job in fall camp, which, once he did, prompted quarterback Trey Feeney to transfer.
When asked about whether Romfo has secured his place as a starter for next year, Schweigert left it open-ended.
“We open up every job every year,” Schweigert said. “That’s what we’ve done for the last 11 seasons. We always say, ‘All jobs are open,’ because we want guys to compete for that job and approach it that they’ve got to win a job. And we’ll evaluate that position just like we do every other position.”
Like Belquist, Romfo also had a family member win a state title this fall. His younger sister, Meredith Romfo, helped Langdon Area/Munich win a volleyball championship.
Jack Kuntz, Devils Lake
Kuntz was somewhat of an unheralded hero for the Hawks on their offensive line. And, after five years on the UND football team, he’s reached the point where he’ll hang up the cleats.
The former Firebird debuted back in 2020, playing in just one game before redshirting. He received increasingly greater amounts of playing time in each season before becoming a fixture at starting left guard this year. He stands at a massive 6-foot-4, 320 pounds.
On Oct. 21, Kuntz was named the MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week. He graded out at 92% that week with four knockdowns and no pressures or sacks allowed.
UND averaged over 360 yards of offense per game with Kuntz on the line, including nearly 190 rushing yards per game.
Grant Romfo, Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich
Romfo, Simon’s twin brother, also saw his most action at the college level.
After not appearing in a game as a redshirt freshman in 2022, he played in three games in 2023. This season, Romfo saw time in 11 of UND’s contests as a running back. He got the ball 11 times and ran for 49 yards, scoring one touchdown.
Romfo also had a solo tackle on defense.
The Romfo twins are expected to be back for one more season in Fighting Hawks green.
Deng Deng, Four Winds
Unlike his four Lake Region counterparts, who are either at or near the ends of their college careers, Deng’s is just getting started.
Deng had a 2024 to remember: He was crowned North Dakota’s Mr. Basketball, won a Class B high jump title and made his Division I football debut. Deng, who committed to play football for UND before his historically great basketball season, appeared in four games for the Hawks this fall.
He had two receptions, both of which came in his second appearance. The first one was for two yards, and the second one was for 12 and a first down. Notably, Deng traveled for a multitude of UND’s road trips, which typically don’t include the full squad. Before the season, he was reported by the Grand Forks Herald to have impressed many onlookers in fall workouts.
Deng collected nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards for Four Winds during his senior season in 2023. His younger brother Marial Deng, currently a high school junior, helped the Indians host a playoff game for the first time ever this fall.
Four games is the maximum a player can appear in and still redshirt. So, very likely, Deng will go into next year as a redshirt freshman, which would give him four years of eligibility left. He’ll continue to fight for playing time on a UND team that graduates its star wide receiver in Belquist.
