Region 5

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From Grand Forks Herald
A look back at 2005

Tri-County's bid for a perfect season got as far as the state semifinals. Eventual state champion Richland handed Tri-County its first and only loss of the season, scoring a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally for a 28-21 win. North Central Benson also was a playoff qualifier, being eliminated in the first round.

A look ahead to 2006

Herald rankings (based on coaches' poll): 1. North Central Benson; 2. Wells County; 3. (tie) Maddock and Tri-County; 5. Towner-Granville-Upham; 6. Surrey.

The reasons: North Central Benson has the potential for a high-scoring offense, as it returns all-region picks quarterback R.J. Darling (818 yards rushing, 805 passing) and running back Keith Bowman (742 yards rushing) in the backfield. Reid Haagenson (second on team with 106 tackles) heads the defense, while all-region honorable mentions Ben Grann and Taylor Ritterman anchor the line. Wells County has a strong senior class, with leading rushers Beau Weigelt (637 yards) and Ben Rogelstad (479 yards, 9 touchdowns) working behind a veteran offensive line. Tri-County has nine seniors back from a 10-1 team, including veteran running backs leading rusher Alex Bossert and Alex Holen. All-region receiver Michael Mack will switch to quarterback. Rebuilding the line is Tri-County's main task. Maddock has eight starters on defense and seven on offense back from a 4-5 team, including four-year starters Jordan Backstrom (1,174 yards rushing) in the backfield and Mark Wack on the line, plus quarterback Aaron Smith (55-of-118 passing, 985 yards). Wack (65 tackles, six sacks) and Brandon Lunde (66 tackles, six sacks) give the team a veteran defensive line tandem.

Returning all-region players: R.J. Darling, Keith Bowman and Reid Haagenson, North Central Benson; Jordan Backstrom, Mark Mack and Brandon Lunde, Maddock; Michael Mack, Tri-County; Beau Weigelt and Ben Rogelstad, Wells County; Roger Neuhalften and Derek Seright, Towner-Granville-Upham.