Life has made a quick change in the northwestern reaches of North Dakota, as an oil boom has brought money, jobs and outsiders into the area. Most aspects of life have seen changes, and high school football has as well. But the balance of power in the state isn't moving quickly at places like Watford City High.
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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 roleDickinson 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."
