[b]Shiloh Christian (9-1) vs. #1 Velva-Drake-Anamoose-Garrison (10-0) [/b]
I think that this game has the potential to be a very good one. I know I have said it and I have read others commenting about it as well. How tested is this Velva team? They had a slow start last week against Bowman County, but finished very strong winning 52-20. Shiloh found themselves down 14-7 at halftime but scored 3 unanswered TD's in the 2nd half to win 28-14 over the Lions. I do think that this will be the best team Velva has seen this year, but I also think that the Aggies will play a physical style of football that will give them the edge in a cold and sloppy game. I'll take the Aggies to win by a couple TD's in this one.
Killdeer (8-2) @ #4 Dickinson Trinity (10-0)
Trinity won the regular season matchup 33-22. That was by far their closest game of the season. Killdeer has played a lot of close games. I think Killdeer is capable of stepping up to the occasion, but I also think that Trinity has been more steady all season long. It will be a cold game, but the field should be fine with Turf. Killdeer is going to have to get very physical to have a chance in this one. I think Trinity is just the better team. I'll take the Titans to win by around 16 points.
Oakes (7-2) @ Kindred (10-0)
These two met up about a month ago, ending in a 21-0 win for Kindred. The biggest question right now, it seems, is Kindred's health with a depleted RB corps, a banged up QB, and questionable health for their D1 Lineman. Will the banged up Vikings have enough to get through this one? I think they probably do. even with players out, they still have a deep roster and a lot of talent. It certainly could be closer than the last time, however. Give me the Vikings by 10 or less in this one.
Central Cass (8-1) @ #3 Langdon (10-0)
This is the game of the week as far as I am concerned. I know it's the #3 seed vs. a non-region champion, but at this point in the season, based on everything I have seen all year long, I would ranked them #1 and #1B. These are two very complete football teams. They both have some major playmakers on offense. They both have strong, physical linemen. I'm not sure what either team's weakness is right now. Obviously health can play a huge factor from here on out, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it now that the team that wins this game goes on to win the state championship in a couple weeks, barring any major injuries along the way. Do I have to pick a winner?... There is a difference between teams that are physical and teams that are tough. I think both of these teams are very physical teams, but in a game where it's going to be cold. It's very possibly going to be played on a sloppy field as there is currently precipitation forecast for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in Langdon, I'll take the team that is tough and gritty. I think Langdon just might be that team that is slightly ahead in that area. This is going to be a whale of a game and I won't be surprised if either team wins, but I'm predicting the Cardinals to come away with this one in a very close contest.