New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock quarterback Easton Simon (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
Twelve players from the Lake Region were named to the nine-man and Division A all-state football teams, which were released Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The awards were voted on by the North Dakota High School Coaches Association.
A Lake Region team won the state championship at both levels: New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock in nine-man and Langdon Area/Munich in Division A.
Nine-man
NR-S/M had five all-state selections, while Four Winds added two and Nelson County had one.
The Rockets’ five picks helped them win their second consecutive state championship. Quarterback Easton Simon, along with wide receivers Easton Benz and Thomas Allmaras, were selected to the First Team Offense.
Running back Jackson Schumacher and defensive end Alex Weisenburger were named to the Second Team.
Simon threw for 3,622 yards as a senior. Over the Rockets’ two-year, 25-game winning streak, he collected 6,562 passing yards. He was one of the finalists for Senior Athlete of the Year, with LaMoure-Litchville/Marion running back Gunner Thielges ultimately winning it.
Simon’s 405 passing yards in the title game were an NDHSAA Dakota Bowl record.
Benz, a fellow senior and fellow Easton, was Simon’s trustiest option. He totaled 1,033 receiving yards and 15 touchdown receptions in his final season. Benz was the only starting receiver on last year’s championship team to return.
Allmaras, a junior, stepped up the most to help replace the receivers who graduated. He had 1,030 receiving yards and a team-high 20 touchdown receptions. In addition to being one of the team’s biggest weapons on offense, he also contributed at cornerback and on special teams.
Representing NR-S/M on the Second Team, senior Schumacher filled the big gap at running back left by Carter Engebretson. Schumacher ran for 877 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns. With a quarterback like Simon, the Rockets leaned on the passing game more than most teams, but Schumacher was still a critical weapon up their sleeves. And he came up big in some of the playoff games.
Rounding out the Rockets’ picks, senior Weisenburger was one of their biggest forces on defense. He had 31 solo tackles, 25 assisted tackles and a whopping 24 tackles for loss, which was by far the most on the team.
As announced at Friday’s Dakota Bowl XXXIII, NR-S/M head coach Elliott Belquist was named Coach of the Year. He earned the honor for the second straight season.
Four Winds, meanwhile, had two all-state selections after making the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time ever.
Senior Marial Deng was named to the First Team Offense. The UND-committed wide receiver made 63 receptions for 430 yards. He had eight touchdown receptions. He added 206 yards on 23 carries, with six rushing touchdowns.
Senior lineman Francis Bellile was named to the Second Team for the second straight year. He helped lead an offensive line that allowed the rushing attack of Kaleb Keja and Dayson Dubois to flourish. On defense, he made 39 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
Four Winds set a program record with six wins this year. The Indians lost in the first round of the playoffs to L-L/M, the eventual state runner-up. They went 6-4 overall.
Also representing the Lake Region was Nelson County’s Brody Rainsberry. He was a Second Team selection. The senior stepped in at quarterback this year and led a ground-heavy game for the Chargers. He totaled 1,423 rushing yards and threw for 486.
Nelson County narrowly missed the playoffs this year, but it went 5-4 to improve to 28-18 over the last five seasons.
Division A
The LA/M Cardinals came in with four First Team picks. On Friday, they won their fourth state championship in the last eight years, finishing a 13-0 season.
Quarterback Jax Johnson led the way after winning Senior Athlete of the Year. He totaled 1,723 rushing yards while adding 1,690 in the air. He rushed for 27 touchdowns and threw for 17.
Senior running back Sam Davis also made the First Team Offense. He formed a lethal running duo with Johnson, collecting exactly 1,200 rushing yards.
Junior lineman Landon Schneider was the third Cardinal on the First Team Offense.
On the First Team Defense, senior defensive end Theo Romfo represented LA/M. Romfo is a cousin of UND’s Romfo twins, who helped lead the Cardinals to three straight state titles from 2018-2020. He helped anchor a defense that allowed just 120 points in 13 games, including the Dakota Bowl, good for an average of 9.2 per game.
Romfo also contributed on offense at tight end.
The Division AA all-state teams will be announced Wednesday at 3 p.m., with the AAA teams to follow Thursday at 6 a.m.
