Getting back into the game

• Brad Sandy watches Chad Marshall

Press Photo by Dustin Monke Team North Dakota coach Brad Sandy, right, watches Hazen linebacker Chad Marshall, left, run sprints during Monday afternoon practice for the Badlands Bowl at Dickinson High School.

Talk about it

Josh Schank was breathing heavy and chugging water following an offensive position player drill during the afternoon practice for the Badlands Bowl all-star football game Monday at the Dickinson High School practice field.

“After not playing for a while, my first practice, I’m feeling it already,” said Schank, an all-state wide receiver from Beulah High School. “My legs are a little sore, but I’ll get ’em under me shortly.”

Day 1 for Team North Dakota was all about refreshing themselves with football, getting familiar with the playbook and making sure each player was fit and ready to go.

“We think by this evening, we might be a little bit on the fatigued side, but right now we’re looking pretty good as far as things go,” said Team North Dakota head coach Brad Sandy, the coach of the Class A state champion Harvey Hornets. “A lot of these kids reported in pretty good shape.”

The team held three practices Monday and are scheduled to do the same today before dropping to two practices Wednesday and Thursday and one both Friday and Saturday.

The 16th annual game between the top graduated high school seniors from North Dakota and Montana is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at Denton Field in Miles City, Mont. Montana leads the all-time series 11-4.

Last year, Montana won 54-14 in Miles City.

The game was set to be played in Dickinson this year, but construction of the Badlands Activities Center put the game at Denton Field for a second consecutive year.

Rick Reid, a member of the North Dakota committee, said the rotation will restart next season with the game in Dickinson after the BAC is scheduled completed.

However, the site of the game was the farthest thought from the minds of Team North Dakota’s coaches and players Monday.

“We’re basically trying to get everybody on the same page as far as offense and defense goes,” Sandy said. “… You want to get everybody going in the right direction. We’ve got lots of work to do, but it’s still early and everybody is learning and things are clicking and we’re getting better and better.”

Tags: badlands bowl, sports, preps