Sam Davis (Photo courtesy of Larry Stokke)
By Mojo Hill
Top-seeded Langdon Area/Munich survived a Northern Cass comeback attempt in the first round of Division A football playoffs on Saturday.
The Cardinals, who have lost in the state semifinals each of the last two years, got their 2025 run started with a victory. They outlasted the Jaguars 34-19 at Langdon Area High School. With the win, they improved to 103-13 since the start of the 2016 season, a span that includes three state titles.
LA/M (10-0) entered this year’s playoffs as the only undefeated team in Division A.
Cardinals quarterback Jax Johnson rushed for 259 yards and threw for 130, with two touchdown passes to Eastyn Schaefer. Running back Sam Davis added 137 rushing yards and a score. LA/M fought through to overcome 328 passing yards from Northern Cass quarterback Hudson Rietschel.
Neither team scored in the first quarter. The Cardinals had a 34-yard drive that fell short in Northern Cass territory. On their second possession, Davis fumbled it over to the Jaguars.
After opening the game with an 11-yard carry, Northern Cass only recorded one more first down over three drives in the quarter, coming on an LA/M false start. Theo Romfo had an early tackle-for-loss, while Devin Hakanson closed out the period with a strong tackle on third down.
Two marginal gains from Johnson got the ball to around midfield early in the second quarter. He then unleashed a 52-yard pass to Schaefer for the first score of the game.
Up 7-0, the Cardinals’ Jonathan Christie made a tackle for loss to help force a punt.
LA/M was able to close out the first half with a touchdown on a 16-yard pass to Schaefer. It was a 75-yard drive with five carries by Johnson and three by Davis. With 35 seconds before halftime, the Cardinals grabbed a 14-0 lead.
They ran it all the way up to 21-0 on the opening drive of the second half, as Davis burst out for a 48-yard touchdown rush.
Northern Cass leaned on the passing game to score on its next two possessions. Rietschel made touchdown passes of 31 yards to Chris Hoiland and 11 yards to Hunter Kemmet, sandwiched by an LA/M three-and-out.
The Cardinals blocked the extra point on the second of those touchdowns, keeping their lead at 21-13.
But the Jaguars found the end zone again on a drive that carried into the fourth quarter. A 58-yard reception got them inside the LA/M 20, and Parker Zieske eventually ran in for a two-yard touchdown.
Northern Cass went for a two-point conversion to try tying it up. It was unsuccessful, but LA/M’s lead still shrunk to a measly two points.
Davis sparked the Cardinals with a 30-yard run to open their next drive. A trio of marginal gains by Davis got LA/M to the five-yard line. The Cardinals then executed a little trick play, with Schaefer making a five-yard throwback pass to Johnson. The two players swapped roles for a second, picking up a touchdown to give LA/M a little breathing room at 28-19.
An offensive pass interference against the Jaguars hurt them on their next drive, forcing a turnover on downs.
Northern Cass got the ball back with 3:11 left on the clock. The Jaguars got the ball to around midfield, but with 1:17 to go, Maddux Stremick grabbed an interception and ran it all the way down for a 70-yard pick-six.
The Cardinals missed the extra point, but it didn’t matter as Northern Cass failed to score in about the final minute of play.
LA/M now advances to the Division A quarterfinals. It will host No. 8-seeded Hillsboro/Central Valley on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Cardinals would get another home game in the semifinals as well, if they were to win this Saturday. Their next opponent would be the winner between Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison (the defending champion and No. 4 seed) and Park River Area (the No. 5 seed and a region opponent of the Cardinals).
