Photos by Cameron Carlson
FORT TOTTEN — Four Winds wrapped up fall football camp with a scrimmage on Saturday.
The Indians hosted the Standing Rock Warriors for a series of possessions, alternating playing time evenly. It capped the team’s preseason fall camp.
“I think the biggest thing is going against somebody new,” Four Winds co-head coach Travis Mertens said. “You get to practice [No.] 7, 8, 9, it gets kind of monotonous, and you’re hitting the same guy and stuff like that. So when you finally get to hit somebody else, you want to see what it looks like and how your boys respond and react to it.”
The Four Winds players were split into a “first team” and “second team.” The first team got 20 plays on offense, split into sets of 10, while the second team got 10 plays of offense, split into sets of five. The same distribution applied for each side’s defense.
The first team opened the scrimmage on offense. The Indians started junior Dayson Dubois at quarterback as he battles with sophomore Kaleb Keja for the starting quarterback job. The coaches came into the season expecting Keja to be their guy, but the versatile Dubois has challenged him for that spot.
Dubois’ first few throws were long.
“We got on him from the sideline,” Four Winds co-head coach Mark Bishop said. “And then he honed it in, and he was perfect after that.”
Dubois connected with Marial Deng for a 30-yard touchdown pass. He also found Richard Cavanaugh and Lander Guy for wide-open passes.
Deng also caught a lateral pass on the possession and ran about 20 yards. The senior, who’s already committed to Division-I University of North Dakota, is getting set for his final year with the Indians.
“Marial is just a kid where every time he gets opportunities, he’s gonna take full advantage of it,” Mertens said. “He’s gonna get the eyes on him every play.”
The Indians totaled four touchdowns on their first set of 10 plays.
Deng caught a 20-yard pass on the second possession, with Keja playing quarterback. Landon Jackson also caught one from similar distance. After starting the set out with some running plays and an incomplete pass, Keja capped his chance with a long, wide-open pass to Deng, who walked in for the third touchdown of the possession.
The experienced corps of linemen did their job on both sides of the ball. They created openings for both quarterbacks, and they dominated on defense too. Four Winds didn’t allow a touchdown all day. On the first team’s second possession, the Indians made four sacks and forced a fumble.
Four Winds only graduated one lineman from last season. The group is led by returning all-state selection Frankie Bellile.
“We make playing football easy because we can dominate upfront,” Bishop said. “When you can win in the trenches consistently, it makes it easy on offense. It makes it hard for them on offense.”
The Saturday afternoon scrimmage preceded the Indians’ upcoming season opener against Larimore, which is set for Friday. Kickoff will be 7 p.m. at Four Winds High School.
“We’re looking forward to this year,” Bishop said. “It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
