Must-Watch Matchups: North Dakota Week 1

Rye Storrs August 28, 2026 @ 12:30 PM

<p>North Dakota's matchups of the week carry a lot of history and provide some intriguing storylines. We've got a rubber match between two powerhouse schools, a small-town rivalry, and a meeting between two teams who have gone back and forth in recent years. Here are the three North Dakota Must-Watch Matchups of Week 1! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Kindred vs #10 Devils Lake</h2>   <p>This one is going to be really fun. The third matchup in two years for these teams and the series is tied 1-1. Kindred opened up last year by handing Devils Lake a pretty tough loss and then Devils Lake got their get back in the State Semifinals on their way to a State Championship. Kindred has a trio of seniors all committed to play at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1027991' first='Luke' last='Starcevic'] OL/TE</strong> is taking his talents to Clemson. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1027992' first='Brooks' last='Bakko'] ATH/WR</strong> is staying close to home at University of Minnesota, and <strong>Myles Thielgas ATH</strong> will be right next door at Minnesota State Moorhead. These three headline a stacked senior class. Devils Lake boasts one of the best trench groups (OL/DL) in the state with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1738188' first='Aiden' last='Stiven'], [player_tooltip player_id='1314674' first='Casey' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='1259264' first='Carter' last='Christensen'],</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1575838' first='Grady' last='Quam'].</strong> This group varies in age but anchors their team and will look to dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#31 Bowman County vs #48 Heart River </h2>   <p>Maybe a surprise to some to see this game as a matchup of the week, but as a resident of Western North Dakota I am excited for this one! Two programs who are right down the highway from each other. This will be a fun small-town battle for two historical programs who have struggled recently but look to bounce back and always play each other tough. Bowman County is coming off a big win against Dickinson Trinity in their first game, while Heart River took a tough loss against a prominent North Dakota program in Killdeer. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#11 Dickinson Trinity vs #32 Shiloh Christian </h2>   <p>These teams have gone back and forth in the last few years and will go at again this week. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2102715' first='Jackson' last='Ham'] </strong>leads Dickinson Trinity with two talented juniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1597883' first='Tucker' last='Skogen'] </strong>at Quarterback and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2148992' first='Ingres' last='Niyimbona']</strong> holding it down at the linebacker/defensive end spot. Shiloh Christian has a similar positional make-up of leaders with the athletic duo of senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1625543' first='Ayms' last='Melin']</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598031' first='Easton' last='Monson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1319959' first='Kwanee' last='Packineau']</strong> anchoring the trenches. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fan Thoughts? </h2>   <p>Is there a matchup that you think is missing? Are there any matchups that I should feature for next week's Must-Watch matchups in North Dakota? Let me know on twitter/X at <a href="https://x.com/rye_storrs" data-type="link" data-id="x.com/rye_storrs"><strong>@Rye_Storrs</strong></a>! </p>   <p><br></p>

North Dakota's matchups of the week carry a lot of history and provide some intriguing storylines. We've got a rubber match between two powerhouse schools, a small-town rivalry, and a meeting between two teams who have gone back and forth in recent years. Here are the three North Dakota Must-Watch Matchups of Week 1!