Written by: Matt Bunk
When the clock ran out, students spilled from the stands at Faris Field and onto the field to celebrate what the scoreboard illuminated–the Mandan High football team had defeated Bismarck High 20-19 for its first win in the rivalry following 17 straight losses.
After shaking hands with their vanquished foes from the other side of the river, the Braves strutted over to the stands and chanted “We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1!” to the fans who remained. The scene of jubilation was fitting given the high stakes of the matchup and the energy in the stadium throughout the showdown.
The players’ chant was accurate – for exactly one week. By handing then-No. 1 Bismarck its first and only loss of the season, then-No. 2 Mandan remained unbeaten and moved into the top spot in the AAA high school poll.
The joy didn’t last long, though. The next week, Century made the trip to Faris Field and handed the Braves their only loss of the year. The Patriots entered that showdown with only one blemish – a defeat Bismarck delivered.
Bismarck-Mandan clearly is the center of the North Dakota AAA football world. Three teams. Three combined regular-season losses – all of which came at the hands of one another. During most of the season, the Braves, Demons and Patriots held the top three spots in the state media poll in some order. Aside from an understandable hiccup by Century in its final regular-season game – a nonconference matchup that was all but meaningless at Fargo North that the Patriots won 21-20 – none of the contests were close – except those against one another.
Need more proof of the three teams’ dominance? Minot High, the West’s No. 4 seed, swept its slate of games against the East and only suffered three regular-season losses. Yup, those defeats were to the Bismarck-Mandan trio.
Simply put, if the three local teams aren’t competing deep into the playoffs, it’ll be a major upset. Taking it a step further, at least one and, most likely two, should be playing for the state title Nov. 11 in the Fargodome.
Yes, the standard sports cliché says teams have to take it one game at a time, but the three have all been so dominant it’s hard not to look ahead to those tantalizing playoff showdowns between the rivals.
So enjoy the journey over the coming weeks. Bismarck-Mandan teams appear destined to control the playoffs just like they steamrolled foes during the season.
Of course, high school sports are unpredictable, and maybe one or all three of the teams will stumble early. Even if that happens, it won’t diminish what a great season it was for the local three.
Chances are, though, when the clock runs all the way down to zero in the state title game, an area team will be chanting “We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1” just as Mandan did on that chilly Friday night in October.
-Tim Flagstad is a sports writer and columnist for the Great Plains Examiner.
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