by ND Sports Fan » Wed Nov 23, 2016 3:07 pm
St. Mary's and Shanley are likely the cream of the crop next year.
Jamestown and Devils Lake are wildcards as they had down years in 2016, but one doesn't know if that is due to the AAA competition or the state of their programs.
Central Cass returns a talented sophomore class that contributed significantly to a team that was picked 6th in AA East in 2016, yet managed a #4 seed in the AA playoffs. It would seem they are only going to improve with the number of returners they have, including the entire offensive and defensive line (1 Jr, 4 So. in 2016), QB (So. in 2016, started all year), RB (So. split time in 2016), 2 WR (So. in 2016 split time). On Defense, they return 3 of 4 DL, 1 JR. and 2 So., and the 2nd leading tackler on their team a So. LB. The Squirrels will need to shore up the back end of their defense and the LB core as well as find go-to WR's.