Sports

Braves, Sioux receive predicted fates for 2014 season

By Matthew Semisch

08/19/2014

Speculation has been rife over how the football teams from Bottineau High and Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn (W-N-G) will do this season, and even the statewide media has taken notice.

The 2014 North Dakota Pigskin Preview magazine, an annual publication that focuses on football in the Peace Garden State, was made available last Monday, Aug. 11. In it, BHS is predicted sixth and W-N-G second in their respective regions for the upcoming high school season.

The magazine includes both a staff poll and a region coaches’ poll, and the Bottineau Braves are sixth in Class A Region 3 in both. Both polls are predicting Des Lacs-Burlington to finish atop the eight-team section.

In the nine-man Region 3, W-N-G, a state runner-up in both of the past two years, is predicted to finish second. Ahead of the Sioux in both polls are the Titans of Towner-Granville-Upham (TGU).

Bottineau finished sixth a year ago in the Braves’ first year in Class A. Des Lacs-Burlington won the Region 3 title in 2013, ahead of Lewis and Clark-Our Redeemer’s and Velva in a tie for second.

W-N-G finished in a three-way tie for third place in nine-man football’s Region 3 last year. The Sioux, Divide County and St. John all had 7-2 in-region records.

TGU finished atop the region by finishing 9-0 in league play and 10-1 overall.

Listed in full below are the four Pigskin Preview polls for Bottineau’s and W-N-G’s respective regions:

CLASS A - REGION 3

Coaches’ poll:
1. Des Lacs-Burlington
2. Rugby
3. Lewis and Clark-Our Redeemer’s
4. Velva
5. Harvey-Wells County
6. Bottineau High
7. Williams County
8. Surrey

Pigskin Preview poll:
1. Des Lacs-Burlington
2. Rugby
3. Velva
4. Harvey-Wells County
5. Lewis and Clark-Our Redeemer’s
6. Bottineau High
7. Williams County
8. Surrey

NINE-MAN - REGION 3

Coaches’ poll:
1. Towner-Granville-Upham
2. Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn
3. Divide County
4. St. John
5. Parshall-White Shield
6. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood
7. Drake-Anamoose
8. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke Central
9. Dunseith
10. New Town

Pigskin Preview poll:
1. Towner-Granville-Upham
2. Westhope-Newburg-Glenburn
3. Divide County
4. Parshall-White Shield
5. St. John
6. Mohall-Lansford-Sherwood
7. Kenmare-Bowbells-Burke County
8. Drake-Anamoose
9. New Town
10. Dunseith