Region 1
Sargent County @ Lisbon
The playoffs start early in Region 1! Lisbon is one game ahead of Sargent County in the standings, but a win for Sargent would tie up the records and give them the head to head tiebreaker that would allow them to claim the fourth and final playoff spot in Region 1. There's a lot on the line, but I'll take Lisbon to roll in this one.
Region 2-
Hillsboro/CV @ Thompson
The region title is on the line here. HCV can claim the region outright with a win. A Thompson victory would create a 3-way tie between these two along with Bottineau. Thompson has a big task ahead to win the region, In order to claim the #1 spot in the region they not only have to beat HCV, but they need to win by 16 points or more to win the point differential. I predict it goes the other way. HCV wins by 2-3 scores.
Carrington @ Langdon
Another Win-and-you're-in game is happening in Region 2 this week. Carrington at Langdon is a week 9 playoff game to claim the 4th spot in the region and keep their season alive. it sounds like Langdon may be getting a little bit healthier and have been playing well as of late. I'll take the Cardinals at home to win this one and make the playoffs.
Region 3-
Velva @ Ray/Powers Lake
While it's a big game between two of the top teams in the region, I don't believe that this game really has any impact on how the region plays out. Even with a R/PL win, it would create a 3-way tie at the top of the region with these two teams and DLB. In that scenario, even a 17 point win for R/PL only creates a 3-way tie in point differential and Velva would win the next tie-breaker and DLB would still claim 2nd place with a head to head win over RPL. I think that would be a moot point as I am predicting Velva to win by 20+.
Region 4-
Beulah at Bowman County is the most intriguing game, but it likely won't have any playoff implications. Beulah has been solid all year and I expect them to finish on a high note heading into the playoffs. I'll take the Miners by 14.