7. What’s Brewing Out in Crosby?
If you’re looking for a team outside the three we’ve already beaten to death, head about as far northwest as you can without needing a passport.
Divide County enters 2026 ranked No. 4 in the first statewide 9-man poll, behind New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock, LaMoure-Litchville/Marion and Linton/HMB. That’s a pretty good indication that the Maroons aren’t expected to disappear after making the playoffs last fall.
Trayven Head Is Only a Junior
Trayven Head earned second-team All-State honors last season as a sophomore. That’s the part that gets my attention. Making an All-State team is impressive enough. Doing it when most of the guys you’re playing against have another year or two of high school on you is a little different.
Now Head gets two more seasons to see what he can turn that into, beginning with a Divide County team that already has the attention of the state’s pollsters.
The Maroons aren’t exactly sneaking up on anybody after opening the year at No. 4, but they’re also playing roughly 300 miles from Fargo, which makes it easy for those of us on the other side of the state to lose track of what’s happening out there.
Consider this one officially on the Almanac radar.
If Divide County is still sitting around the top four when October rolls around, we’ll know the preseason voters were onto something.
8. The Games We’re Circling
Some matchups coming into the season featuring teams and players we’ve already mentioned squaring off to keep in mind. In the age of streaming everything, you can find all these games if you know where to look. YouTube and HudlFan are the best places to look.
God help you if your school is still using NFHS.
Friday, August 21: North Border vs. North Prairie (Moore vs Mears).
We don’t have to wait long for our first interesting one. Two of the quarterbacks we just talked about get each other on opening night as they kick things off tomorrow night in Pembina at 7:00 PM.
Friday, August 21: Hatton/Northwood at LaMoure-Litchville/Marion
Another match-up consisting of the big names returning this fall also takes place Week 1. No easing into the season for either team here. LLM begins another run at the Dakota Bowl against a Hatton/Northwood team led by senior quarterback Westin Enger, who threw for 1,664 yards and 26 touchdowns last season while earning second-team All-State honors.
Friday, September 4: Napoleon/G-S at Grant County-Flasher/Elgin.
An early Region 4 game that should tell us something. Napoleon ended Alexander’s perfect season in last year’s playoffs, while Grant County-Flasher reached the quarterfinals and returns second-team All-State quarterback Kelton Friesz.
Friday, September 18: Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood at Divide County
Divide County enters 2026 ranked No. 4 in the first statewide poll, so apparently, we’re not the only ones keeping an eye on Crosby. MLS makes the trip west on September 18, giving us an early look at whether the Maroons belong with the teams at the top of the 9-man conversation.
9. Did Cavalier Figure Something Out Last Fall?
Cavalier’s 2025 season looked like it might get ugly in a hurry. The Tornadoes started 0-3, including a 58-8 loss to New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock in Week 1, after reaching the state quarterfinals the year before.
Then something clicked.
Cavalier went 5-1 over its final six games and finished the year by going into Walhalla and beating North Border 20-12. A team that started 0-3 somehow walked off the field in Week 9 with a winning record.
Was That the Start of Something?
There are reasons to think some of that momentum carries over. Cavalier had only three seniors listed on last year’s roster and now brings back a pretty good-sized senior class. They do have to replace Ryan Pelletier, who earned second-team All-State honors, but a lot of the kids who took their lumps early last season are back a year older. We will keep track of what coach Brady Laxdal has in store for the 2026 campaign.
Maybe that 5-1 finish was just a nice way to salvage a season. Or maybe we watched a young team figure things out in real time.
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