2025 New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock Rockets (Photo courtesy of New Rockford Transcript)
By Mojo Hill
Seeding for the nine-man and Division A football playoffs was finalized by the NDHSAA Saturday morning.
New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock is the No. 1 seed in nine-man, while Langdon Area/Munich is the No. 1 seed in Division A.
Both teams will have a maximum of three home games if they keep winning. The championship game for each level is played in the Fargodome on Nov. 14.
The playoff format is slightly different from last year. It starts with a field of 16 teams, and there’s no bye week for the top seeds. Essentially, there’s one fewer round than there was last year. NR-S/M, the top seed from Region 2, opens play against Hatton/Northwood, the No. 4 seed from Region 1, on Oct. 25.
Hatton/Northwood went 6-3 this season after going 1-6 in 2024.
“We know Hatton/Northwood; they’re a much-improved team from last year,” Rockets head coach Elliott Belquist said after his team finished a 9-0 regular season on Thursday. “They like to air it out and do a lot of similar things to us. … You’re seeing good players now, so everyone’s got to step it up. Players got to step it up. Coaches got to step it up. Players got to step it up in the film study and preparation. You get everyone’s best shot this time of year.”
The Rockets beat Hatton/Northwood 61-8 in the 2024 regular season. They had lost their previous two meetings in 2013 and 2014.
NR-S/M is trying to defend last year’s state title, which was the second in team history. The Rockets have won 21 straight games. Aside from a forfeit win over North Star, each win has come by a margin of 26 or more points.
They’ve outscored opponents 490-112 this season. In last year’s 12-0 campaign, they outscored opponents 727-130.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Saturday on New Rockford’s football field. A win would match the Rockets up with the winner of Divide County (No. 8 overall seed) vs. Grant County/Flasher.
Grant County/Flasher happened to be their quarterfinal opponent last year. NR-S/M won 54-18.
Elsewhere in the nine-man bracket, Four Winds — the No. 4 seed from Region 2 — matches up against No. 2 overall seed LaMoure-Litchville/Marion, the No. 1 seed from Region 1. The Loboes are undefeated this year after losing 62-26 to the Rockets in last year’s state championship game.
Four Winds has never matched up with L-L/M.
NR-S/M and L-L/M are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they could meet again in the title game.
Over in Division A, LA/M opens play against Northern Cass. The Cardinals are the top seed from Region 2, while Northern Cass is the No. 4 seed from Region 1.
LA/M was the only team in Division A to go undefeated, at 9-0 overall and 7-0 in region play. Its opponent, the Jaguars, went 6-3 overall and 5-2 in region play.
The Cardinals are 7-1 all-time against Northern Cass. The teams haven’t met since 2021, when LA/M won 46-0.
A win would match the Cardinals up with the winner of No. 8 overall seed Hillsboro/Central Valley vs. Thompson. LA/M beat Thompson 34-6 during regular-season region play. It hasn’t played H/CV since 2022, when it lost 34-26.
The Cardinals are coming off a 9-3 season that ended in a semifinal loss to Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison. They’re in the midst of their best season since 2020, when they won their third consecutive state title.
LA/M has outscored opponents 338-61 this year.
Kickoff against the Jaguars is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Langdon Area High School.
