2015 State Championship

[Run4Fun2009]

9:00a: R1-1 (3) Richland (11-0) vs. R4-1 North Prairie (11-0)

Analyze...Debate...Discuss!

[packers21]

I think NP is probably the least talented team that Rich. has played in the playoffs. They have been tested and tested. I do not think that NP can play with Richands speedy and talented backfield and I think they will run away with this one. I hope it will be close just to make the game entertaining but I just dont see how they will be able to do it unless the completely and totally dominate the lines, which to me is a big if.
Im gunna go with Richland winning 56-18

[The Schwab]

I'll take Richland 32-20

[sportsphenom]

Richland easily. I'm going with 48-12

[cmplx6]

Looking at the film of both of these teams I think they match up well.
I would grade these teams out as follows:

Richland Offense: QB: B RB: A+ WR: C+ OL: A- OVERALL: A
North Prairie Offense: QB: A RB: B WR: A- OL: B+ OVERALL: A-

Richland Defense: DL: B- LB: A DB: B+ OVERALL: B+
North Prairie Defense: DL: A LB: B- DB: A OVERALL: A-

Richland Special Teams: K: C P: B+ Coverage: A RET: A OVERALL: A-
North Prairie Special Teams: K: C+ P: C- Coverage: B RET: B+ OVERALL: B

So I think that if North Prairie's Defense can stop Richland's run they have a chance to win. Nobody has really done that this year but stranger things have happened in football. If Richland can control the clock with their run game and capitalize on special teams with field position they can walk away with a victory.
I do believe that the indoor climate will favor North Prairie however, and I think NP has a little more depth. But the difference will be next years 9-man Player of the year Jake Ihland. I believe if you have a RB like that at the 9-man level, you will be hard to beat.

[Footballfan15]

Richlands WR is not a C+ at the lowest they would be A- IMO. They are fast and can jump. I don't think NP stands a chance against this very talented Richland team. I'm gunna take Richland 52-14

[classB4ever]

I have believed NP to be the best team in 9-man all year. They are not a flashy team. Ground and pound. Haven't had to make big plays because they are always in control of the line, therefore the clock. I thought Shiloh was starting to win the battle up front midway through the game but kudos to Richland for forcing the turnovers. I figured the upperclassmen at Richland would eventually win the battle in the trenches and pull away. I may very well be wrong, but think this one will be different. NP will get penetration. Richland will have to get to the edges, but I don't think they will have the lead blocking that has allowed them to spring the big ones. Richland will score, no doubt, but I don't think as much. In the end, I just think NP will win like they have all year. Grind it out, 3-5 yards a crack. Control the line, control the clock and wear down the opposition. They will take a few shots down the field to keep Richland's D honest and in the long run, win 28-24.

[Sniper]

Richland 48-6. I do not think this will even be remotely close. Not to take anything away from North Prairie because making it unbeaten to the state championship is a great accomplishment, but I think Richland is just too much for them to handle.

[FootballFever42]

Looking at the film of both of these teams I think they match up well.
I would grade these teams out as follows:

Richland Offense: QB: B RB: A+ WR: C+ OL: A- OVERALL: A
North Prairie Offense: QB: A RB: B WR: A- OL: B+ OVERALL: A-

Richland Defense: DL: B- LB: A DB: B+ OVERALL: B+
North Prairie Defense: DL: A LB: B- DB: A OVERALL: A-

Richland Special Teams: K: C P: B+ Coverage: A RET: A OVERALL: A-
North Prairie Special Teams: K: C+ P: C- Coverage: B RET: B+ OVERALL: B

So I think that if North Prairie's Defense can stop Richland's run they have a chance to win. Nobody has really done that this year but stranger things have happened in football. If Richland can control the clock with their run game and capitalize on special teams with field position they can walk away with a victory.
I do believe that the indoor climate will favor North Prairie however, and I think NP has a little more depth. But the difference will be next years 9-man Player of the year Jake Ihland. I believe if you have a RB like that at the 9-man level, you will be hard to beat.

I have two issues with your ratings. The first is a B rating for Richland's QB. I am not really sure what you used as a precedent for your grading but he is going to be a first team all-stater this season which in my opinion constitutes for an A rating. The second issue I have is the C rating for Richland's WR. He also is not only going to be a first team all-stater but also holds numerous Richland receiving records which I believe is more than deserving of an A rating. I'm sure I would have issues with your NP rankings but I don't know enough about the team.

Onto everyone else who still seems to be betting against Richland. I understand the purpose of this forum is to discuss and debate which implies varying opinions but I just don't understand how people can bet against Richland at this point. They have scored an average of 50 points per game throughout the playoffs knocking off teams like #2 Cavalier, #1 Thompson, and #4 Shiloh. Yet week after week people seem to have some excuse as to why Richland keeps winning which I find slightly ridiculous. The reason they keep winning is because they are the fastest and best team in the state. When it comes to 9-man speed truly is one of the key factors to victory and when you incorporate the overall athleticism and team speed of Richland along with their stout defense you're going to have one heck of a team. Furthermore I believe Richland has the upper hand because over the past decade the west has flat-out been weaker than the east (just look at the state champions list from the past ten years). The case is no different this season while I do believe North Prairie is very deserving to be in this game and has proven themselves the best from the west it doesn't really mean anything because in my opinion Richland has already won. I believe Richland is gonna dominate this game from kickoff the final whistle. Heck the state record for most points in the Dakota Bowl is 56 by Hazen in 2012 and I would't be surprised one bit if by 12 noon on Friday that record no longer stands.

Maybe I'm wrong and maybe NP plays the game of the season and I'll eat my words and look like a fool...but I'm confident that is not going to happen.

[cmplx6]

Well just based off of looking at the games I have seen of the two teams that is how I would grade their QB. I think he is a good QB, but I think the NP QB is better. Out of all the players on both teams #28 from Richland is by far the most superior player that is going to be on the field. And I think he is a better Defensive Player than he is on offense. Not that he is a bad RB, I think he is the 2nd best RB in 9 man in that State. If he plays college ball his future is at DB though. Richlands WR's just didn't make the same level of impact plays that their RB did in games, nor did they have the same impact on the game that NP's did.
I also think NP's QB is a better player than Richland's. Not saying that Richland's is bad. I think he is a great player. But NP's has a better arm and can run better. NP's QB is the key to them winning, where Richland's QB is not the key to their success, it is their RB. Maybe I need to watch more games of Richland to see more plays from their WR's, but I saw NP's make more plays.

I am impressed with the speed and intensity that Richland's Offensive line plays with.

I don't think it is going to be a Richland blow out however. I think NP has enough firepower on offense to score with Richland.

[spartan11]

I will be taking Richland in a landslide.54-18, or something around there. Richland has had the toughest possible road through the playoffs. As for style of play and conditions, Richland gets the benefit playing on turf, with no wind, or adverse weather to speak of and close to home. NP would be an average team in the east and I strongly disagree that they have been the best team in 9 man this year. That belongs to richland. They have some good weapons and will be able to move the ball in the first half, but then I think Richlands no huddle gets the better of them and they lose power down the stretch.

I also think that footballfever42 is correct on his assessment of the grades that the richland kids recieved. I think that they richland qb is better than np qb and their athleticism is superior. Good luck to both teams

[RedDirtFan]

I really hope North Prairie can have a good showing in this game, and I honestly wish they hadn't moved down to 9-man. They're a good, well-coached program who seems to restock athletes often enough to consistently be competitive. I know it was better for programs like North Prairie and Linton to move down to 9-man because of how much they were forced to travel at the Class A level, but both would have fielded good Class A teams this year.

I've heard all the talk about Richland, but I think some are overstating their second round and quarterfinal wins--Cavalier and Thompson had good teams but I don't know if either would have won any of the other regions in the state. After two years of Region 2 dominance, both teams got steamrolled by Richland in the second halves of their respective games. Beating Shiloh so handily was also impressive for Richland, but North Prairie ran their own gauntlet and beat two great rushing teams in preparation for Richland. This game may very well be a blowout, but people should hesitate to be surprised if North Prairie makes it a game or wins.

[Sorenson23]

I don't know i know last years state championship game was a blowout. But I think it won't be that way this year. It will be a shoot out Richland wins 42-34.

[Footballfan15]

I've heard all the talk about Richland, but I think some are overstating their second round and quarterfinal wins--Cavalier and Thompson had good teams but I don't know if either would have won any of the other regions in the state.

I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team.

[RedDirtFan]

I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team.

For the record, I do think Cavalier wins Region 2 and gives Richland a bigger fight (later in the playoffs, obviously) had they stayed relatively healthy. My comment about Cavalier was mostly due to the injuries they fought all season.

[UNDSiouxfan]

" Nobody has really done that this year but stranger things have happened in football."

Cmplx6 - I do disagree with your above statement. Richland was partially held in check once this year to their conference rival Hankinson. Ask any Richland player and they'll say Hankinson was their toughest opponent all year.

If NP wants to stay in this game, they need to check on the tape of that game. Hankinson had a great defensive effort but in the end Richland had more skill position players and they had a great goal-line stand of their own. In this game, Ihland was held in check, and he is probably going to be the favorite to be the Player of the Year next year. You need to have excellent tackling and your defense has to fly to the ball. Plus, you will need a few breaks to go your way.

Richland is a very good 9-man team and they will be tough to stop. I'll say Richland 42, NP 20.

[Pit Bull]

People can talk all day about who is the better team or who beat who during the season. Bottom line is there are two deserving teams in the Championship game, and congratulations to both of them.

NP has a chance to win the game if they control the line of scrimmage and don't turn the ball over. Richland can be run on especially up the middle and Shiloh proved that with over 300 yds. rushing. You are not going to beat Richland with a Pass/Rushing QB unless he is a bruiser and can run up the middle. Also his receivers better be faster than Richland's DBs or it will be a long day passing the ball. Shiloh's QB is not too shabby and Richland shut him down. I would be shocked if NPs is QB is better.

Richland just has to do what they have done all year. Mix it up with their QB, RB and WRs for chunks of yardage, and eventually they will get a big hitter. They have so many weapons that it is inevitable one of them breaks it eventually.

NP will have to score on every possession and take 4-5 minutes off the clock to keep it close and have a shot. The score would then be right around 40 to 30 in Richland's favor.

My pick thought is Richland 50 and NP 14. This is just my opinion and good luck to both teams.

[Run4Fun2009]

This is the same Richland team who started off their season with a 39-0 win on the road over a Class AA Playoff Team.

Richland's skill players will continue to do what they do best and thats run and score. NP will keep it close in 1st half (like all the other playoff teams have done)...then Richland's speed will start to wear NP down.

Richland pulls away in 2nd half winning 48-22

[Pit Bull]

" Nobody has really done that this year but stranger things have happened in football."

Cmplx6 - I do disagree with your above statement. Richland was partially held in check once this year to their conference rival Hankinson. Ask any Richland player and they'll say Hankinson was their toughest opponent all year.

If NP wants to stay in this game, they need to check on the tape of that game. Hankinson had a great defensive effort but in the end Richland had more skill position players and they had a great goal-line stand of their own. In this game, Ihland was held in check, and he is probably going to be the favorite to be the Player of the Year next year. You need to have excellent tackling and your defense has to fly to the ball. Plus, you will need a few breaks to go your way.

Richland is a very good 9-man team and they will be tough to stop. I'll say Richland 42, NP 20.

The game was close because of turnovers and Hankinson was good enough to score 6 on Linton on their own field. We could go on all day who was the toughest and who is the second best, but at the end of the day it doesn't mean a thing.

[Pit Bull]

I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team.

For the record, I do think Cavalier wins Region 2 and gives Richland a bigger fight (later in the playoffs, obviously) had they stayed relatively healthy. My comment about Cavalier was mostly due to the injuries they fought all season.

I am guessing most teams fought injuries all season. I guess the good teams fight through the injuries and make the best of it. Football is a rough sport.

[The Schwab]

I've heard all the talk about Richland, but I think some are overstating their second round and quarterfinal wins--Cavalier and Thompson had good teams but I don't know if either would have won any of the other regions in the state.

I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team.

The number 2 team from region 5 (who most people on this site claim was a weak region) beat Divide County in Crosby in the playoffs 46-8.

[classB4ever]

Things that win in 9-man: 1. Speed 2. Size 3. Upperclassmen 4. Coaching 5. Turnovers

Everyone knows Richland has speed at multiple positions. NP has plenty as well. Everyone knows NP has a very talented and big line. Richland's is athletic and has good size. Seniors and Juniors are just so much faster and stronger. Both teams are loaded with upperclassmen and is why they are both playing in the championship. Both teams are very well coached. Turnovers will be a key in this game and nobody can predict them. As someone stated earlier, a key to NP's success will be the ability to run the ball up the middle. This is something they are very good at. QB play is equal, both are most likely top 5.
If NP does what they do best and run up the middle, chew up yards and time, I just don't see there being enough possessions for Richland to score 40+ points. If it is a low scoring game, I like NP's chances. Once again, lots of ifs and just a gut feeling. High scoring, Richland. Low scoring, NP. Will be fun to see how it plays out and best of luck to both teams. To the players: Stay healthy and enjoy your time in the dome, you earned it.

[Pit Bull]

I've heard all the talk about Richland, but I think some are overstating their second round and quarterfinal wins--Cavalier and Thompson had good teams but I don't know if either would have won any of the other regions in the state.

I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team.

The number 2 team from region 5 (who most people on this site claim was a weak region) beat Divide County in Crosby in the playoffs 46-8.

The best way for me to compare the talent in Region 5 would be how they played against Shiloh last year. Shiloh lost a lot of talent last year, but still had similar results this year. The top teams in Region 5 had the same horses last year that they had this year for the most part. Instead of beating H-S 70-0 like last year it would have most likely been 48-6. Shiloh worked the clock more this year and H-S would have scored against Shiloh's JV team like everyone in Region 3 did.

The west just doesn't compare to the East IMO, but NP can make a statement Friday. They could prove a lot of us wrong.

[The Schwab]

You do realize that high school kids mature and get stronger and become better from one year to the next right? Saying that because Shiloh crushed HS last year means they would crush them this year makes no sense to me at all. I'm not saying that Shiloh isn't a good team, or the east isn't better then the west. I can see that the east has better teams 1-10 then the west does. I was making a point to the fact that Divide county was down this year, so beating them 52-8 doesn't mean that Region 2 was dominant this year.

[cmplx6]

"I don't know how you can say that when Cavalier beat Divide County 52-8 and Divide County was the number 2 team that came out of there region this year! And I've also watched Thompson play and I know they would've also had no problem with teams out in the west either. Region 2 is still dominant, but Richland is an outstanding team."

Divide Co. on the field should have been a #4 seed. They lost to Kenmare 46-6 but then Kenmare had to forfeit due to using a player who had not had enough practices in. They also lost to Tioga 27-22. So they were a #4 seed in a #2 spot. Kenmare lost to St. John 40-16 and St. John lost to North Prairie 46-12. So using that Metric, You could say that Cavalier and Kenmare beat Divide Co. by about the same, and could have the following comparison with Divide and St. John as the common denominator.

Regular Season
Divide Co. 6 Kenmare 46 Pt. Diff = 40
Divide Co. 8 Cavalier 52 Pt. Diff = 44
This tells us nothing really other than Cavalier would have beat Kenmare, who was 40 points better than Divide. Not breaking news. But Kenmare and Cavalier both beat divide by about the same. So lets assume for arguments sake that in the regular season Cavalier was 4 points better than Kenmare.

Cavalier 46 St. John 20 Pt. Diff = 26
1st Round
Kenmare 16 St. John 40 Pt. Diff = 24
No here we can see that Cavalier is clearly more than 4 points better than Kenmare. So either St. John got better after the loss to Cavalier, or Kenmare played poorly, I'm guessing a bit of both. So with St. John beating Kenmare and losing to Cavilier, lets add the 4 point difference between Kenmare and Cavalier from Divide and say that Cavalier would be a 30 point favorite over Kenmare.

St. John 12 North Prairie 46 Pt. Diff = 34
Cavalier 46 St. John 20 Pt. Diff = 26
So with this common opponent we could say that North Prairie would be an 8 point favorite over Cavalier, but,
North Prairie 22 New Rockford 6 Pt. Diff = 16
Cavalier 46 New Rockford 0 Pt. Diff = 46
There is this other common opponent. Now this could have been a down game for New Rockford and I don't know all the circumstances surrounding this game(players hurt ect.) But with both teams scoring the same on St. John, and Cavalier beating New Rockford by so much we could say that Cavalier would be favored over North Prairie. However New Rockford can't be used as an even metric because:
Thompson 42 New Rockford 26 Pt. Diff = 16
and
Thompson 32 Cavalier 26 Pt. Diff = 6
This tells us that New Rockford had an off game against Cavalier, not saying they would have won, but the game is an outlier at 46 point difference. So if factor in the Thompson win over Cavalier we would now have Cavalier as an 18 pt favorite over North Prairie. Which I still find hard to believe, So we have to now look at how St. John fared against Hettinger.
Hettinger 43 St. John 24 Pt. Diff = 19
Hettinger 8 North Prairie 20 Pt. Diff = 12
So this tells us the North Prairie is 31 points better than St. John who they actually beat by 34 points. So St. John is the better metric to use to compare Cavalier to North Prairie, so North Prairie is 8 points better than Cavalier.
2nd Round
Cavalier 22 Richland 52 Pt. Diff = 30
So far Richland would be 22 points better than North Prairie.

But now we need to look at how Thompson and North Prairie match up against common foes.
Which for that we only have New Rockford, which both beat by 16 points.
But if we dig a little deeper we see that Inkster played TGU and lost 22-64 for a pt diff of 42. Thompson beat Inkster 67-0. So Thompson would be 25 points better than TGU, which is very reasonable. So North Prairie beat TGU 44-24 for a 20 point Diff, so Thompson should be about 5 points better than North Prairie, which actually sounds pretty reasonable.
Semi-Final
Richland 48 Thompson 32 Pt. Diff = 16
So based off of this so far Richland should be a 21 point favorite. But...
North Prairie had to go through the best of Region 5. And they have some common opponents with Region 1, so...
Hankinson beat Mott 36-24 for a point diff of 12. Mott lost to Hettinger, twice for an average of 21 point diff. So Hettinger is about 9 points better than Hankinson. Hankinson lost to Richland 28-32 for a point diff of 4. So you could make the argument that Hettinger is a 5 point favorite over Richland. And North Prairie beat Hettinger by 12 points.

So I'm picking North Prairie by 7 points.