North Dakota high school football balance of power has barely changed despite oil boom

A robust economy, jobs aplenty and an ever-growing population have become trademarks of the latest oil boom to take over small communities in the northwestern reaches of North Dakota.

The impact on the way some North Dakotans go about their unlikely hustled and bustled lives is both exciting and devastating. The nation's lowest unemployment rate bellies up to the bar with larger than usual grade school class sizes. The ability for almost anyone to find a job and begin working within the same 24-hour period has become the norm, yet money struggles have reportedly haunted some communities.

Life on the football field on Friday nights, however, has been business as usual. There has been no swelling of talent for the beleaguered, struggling football programs from these towns located in some of America's most wide-open terrain. There's no step up on the competition.

The power programs in North Dakota – well – they're still the power programs. And they're not in the boom areas.



"The established programs are still just that," North Dakota High School Activities Association football director Matt Fetsch said. "I don't think we're there yet in regards to a power shift, at least at the high school level. It could eventually happen, but it would be down the road. It really depends on how long this boom continues to stick around.

"This happened 30 years ago, and then it just went away."

Bismarck, winner of four of the last five big school state championships, and the Fargo-area schools are still dominating Class AAA in the state.

Since 1997, when North Dakota moved to the four-class playoff system it uses today, Bismarck has taken home five championships. The Demons have competed in the last six championship contests and West Fargo, Fargo North and Fargo South a collective nine times.

Having played in the last four championship games, Shanley (Fargo) continues to mow down the competition in AA. The defending champion Deacons also won state titles in 2009 and 2010.

Velva, located in north central North Dakota, won state Class A crowns in 2006, 2009 and 2010 and still gets mentioned as a frontrunner in the smaller of the state's 11-man classes despite giving way to Stanley/Powers Lake and Hazen the past few seasons. And as usual Class B, or 9-man, is still anybody's guess each season.



Bismarck (No. 1), Fargo South (No. 3), Velva (No. 4) and West Fargo (No. 5) make up four of the top five teams in the MaxPreps Top 15 High School Football Dynasties in North Dakota over the last decade. Grafton/St. Thomas is the other at No. 2.

Of the top 15, only Watford City/Alexander/Johnson Corners Christian Academy and Stanley/Powers Lake play their football in the ‘Oil Boom' belt of North Dakota.

See a photo slideshow of the North Dakotan landscape and how oil plays a role

Dickinson Press Sports and Outdoors Editor Royal McGregor pointed out that workers in the oil fields work a two weeks on-two weeks off schedule, limiting the number of top-notch athletes that move into North Dakota each year.

"A lot of the guys move up here and don't bring their families with them," he said. "They work their 14 days and then fly back to wherever they call home, whether its Oklahoma or Louisiana or wherever. It would be interesting, though, to see what would happen if they did bring their families with them."

While a climb in enrollment in North Dakota's high schools has been minimal, McGregor said elementary school enrollment has steadily climbed to about 30-32 students, up from the 20-25 students per class North Dakota educators had become accustomed to.



"Now," he added, "teachers just have to find the way to give students the right education.

"It has been nice to see all of the activity around here. I guess there has been a lot of growth in a short period of time. It's more exciting in Dickinson than it's been in a while."
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As word gets out about how easy it is to find employment, there is concern in some communities as to whether or not existing educational facilities will be able to handle the growth. Fargo and Bismarck as well as Watford City, or McKenzie County, have already begun the process of easing that burden.

Fetsch said that Bismarck and Fargo are a year or two out from introducing new facilities, and that he's just starting to hear about Watford City.

"Otherwise," he said, "there hasn't been a lot of talk about new facilities to this point."

McGregor warned North Dakota prep football fans of becoming too enthusiastic should they spot an athlete that seems to fit the bill of top-tier football player. Some kids don't go out for football at all, or they end up moving back home.

Watford City coaching legend Fred Fridley will be pacing the Wolves sidelines for the 42nd-straight season as head coach this fall and he is all too familiar with the point McGregor made.



A year ago his starting fullback transferred in and this fall he is nowhere to be found. Trent Grinnes, a transfer from Clinton (Ark.), appeared to be his starter at quarterback this fall, but he has become a no-show at practices. Junior Bo Cook will replace Grinnes at quarterback for the first two games until returning starter Keegan Thompson returns in week 3.

Still, Fridley (315-99) had plenty of talent transfer in. After estimating he would suit up a handful of new Wolves on the opening day of fall camp, Fridley welcomed eight new football players, counting Grinnes.

"Some kids go out just to go out," Fridley said. "But these guys all have football backgrounds. They should all have a pretty good grasp of things, they're all 10th and 11th graders and they all played ninth grade football. If they don't play much this year, they will definitely help us somewhere down the line."

Some of the cities players are coming in from include: Post Falls, Idaho; Milaca, Minn.; Turtle Lake, N.D.; Clinton, Ark.; Tuskegee, Ala.; Lindale, Texas; Boise, Idaho

Comparing Fridley's newest Wolves football team to those of the 2006-2010 era would be a stretch, Fridley admits. Those Wolves squads compiled a 47-9 record and won Class AA state championships in 2006 and 2008.

"I think we could be close to playing at that level," Fridley said. "Surely, size-wise and physical-wise we will be pretty good. But at this time we don't have the backfield we had in those days. My guys still have to step up and show me something."



Having produced nine state championship football teams himself, Fridley knows a little about power football. The 42-year Woves coach does not see a power shift brewing. But he said the steady crop of transfers should keep Watford City in the AA ranks for some time.

"We played AA most of my coaching life," he said. "We used to bounce from class-to-class, but now, because of the oil boom we will go from being one of the smaller schools in AA to one of the larger schools."

McGregor predicts a lot of balance in his area this fall – which is typical. While the football programs in the Dickinson area have not received a high number of game-breaking athletes, the football teams there have improved.

"It's not like every family is staying home," he said. "Every football team is getting better."