8 Teams, 4 Games... It's the Quarterfinal round of the Class 11B Playoffs. All four region champions have advanced. We will see a pair of rematches from the regular season along with two games with teams meeting for the first time.
[b]G9 - (7-2) R1#3 Central Cass @ R1#1 (1) Kindred (10-0)[/b]
This is a region 1 rematch. Just 27 miles separate the two teams, so travel will not be a major factor, however Kindred defeated Central Cass 28-0 about a month ago in Casselton. This time the Vikings will play in the confines of their own home field. I wouldn't expect a whole lot to change. Kindred's big powerful line will look to pave the way for the Vikings. If Central Cass wants to change the outcome they are going to have to play more physical and then get their passing game working on the offensive side of the ball. I don't know how I could pick against Kindred at this point. Vikings win 35-12
G10 - (8-2) R4#2 Shiloh Christian @ R4#1 (RV) Beulah (8-2)
Another regional matchup, Shiloh will only have to travel about 77 miles for this playoff game, just over half the distance they went last week to take on DLB. Beulah won the regular season matchup 50-36. I would expect Beulah's rushing attack to be relentless in the rematch. I also think Beulah's defense is poised to make a few more stops to help the Miners advance to the Semi-final round. Beulah wins 42-28
G11 - (9-1) R4#2 (4) Dickinson Trinity @ R3#1 (2) Velva-Garrison-Drake-Anamoose (10-0)
The 173 mile trip from Dickinson to Velva is the longest trek that any team has to make this round of the playoffs for 11B teams. This has the potential to be a very entertaining game. Velva has been consistently good all season long. Dickinson Trinity's offense is second to none! In fact, Trinity has only scored below 40 twice this season. A 38-35 loss and a 36-0 shutout win to start the season. In contrast, Velva has yet to allow anyone to score more than 20 points all season long. So what happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? My thought is that defense wins championships so I'll go with the home team in this one. Velva wins 42-38 in a very exciting game.
G12 - (9-1) R1#2 (5) Oakes @ R2#1 (3) Hillsboro-Central Valley (9-1)
137 miles separates Oakes from Hillsboro. This shouldn't be a hugely impactful distance to travel. HCV struggled against Lisbon this past week, but came away with the win. Oakes got off to a very slow start trailing Thompson 15-0 at half time before rattling off 34 unanswered in the second half. Both teams need to play better to win this game. Hillsboro/CV has to find their groove. I do feel that their power rushing game will find more success against Oakes than against the big Lisbon line. Oakes can't fall into a hole early and expect to dig their way out like they did last weekend. With both teams sitting at 9-1, this has the makings to be the game of the week. In the end I am going to side with the consistency and recent tradition of HCV to get it done at home. HCV wins 26-20