Cougars, Cowboys count down

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Press Photo by Royal McGregor Killdeer quarterback Austy Sadowsky, shown Aug. 26, and the Cowboys are in a fight for one of the Class 1A, Region 4’s top spots and a home playoff game.

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Heart River and Killdeer both have the same objective: win on Friday night during their Class 1A, Region 4 game.

Both teams sit with 3-1 record in the conference and a win could get each team closer to hosting a playoff game.

“Both teams have the goal of hosting a playoff game,” Killdeer head coach Lou Dobitz said. “This game is a big game to hinge of that opportunity. The winner of this game might have a shot at the number two spot in the standings.”

Heart River’s (4-1, 3-1 Region 4) offense has shined with the Cougars averaging 46 points per game, while their defense is holding opposing offensives to 14 points per game.

“This game is the same mental approach that we went into the Hazen game with,” Dobitz said. “We know they have a lot of speed, breaking away speed.”

The main part of the Cougars offense has been 5-foot-7, 135 pound Seth Ewoniuk, who scored six touchdowns against Standing Rock.

Killdeer (3-2, 3-1 Region 4) on the other hand, has scored 34 points a game and held opponents to 16 per game.

“I think Killdeer has the most talent in the Class 1A division,” Heart

River head coach Dave Hendrickson said. “They are a very well balanced team.”

Coming into the season, Hendrickson said right off the bat that the Cougars weren’t going to be bigger than any team they’d play. That’s especially true against Killdeer, where the Cowboys have a huge advantage throughout the line.

“They’ve got to average 250 pounds on the offensive line,” Hendrickson said. “They are so much bigger than you are and they’ll back you up six to seven yards.”

Dobitz uses that size advantage creating holes for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound running back Grady Houghton and 6-1 quarterback Austyn Sadowsky.

“The size is a big confidence boost to whoever is running or throwing the ball when you have a bunch of guys up front that do a great job,” Dobitz said, “and our offensive line has been improving.”

Heart River came off an 83-0 win over Standing Rock. Hendrickson said his team got nothing out of that.

The Cougars didn’t want to run up the score on Standing Rock and punted on first down most of the second half.

“We did everything that we could not to run up the score,” Hendrickson said.

Dickinson cross country team looks to get healthy

The injury bug struck the Dickinson cross country team a week after homecoming.

So, Dickinson head coach Shawn Leiss decided to tone down the practice and get everyone back healthy.

“I noticed that we were a little beat up and tired,” he said. “Because we had been working really hard, this past week we throttled back a little bit and get our legs back under us.”

One of those main runners that were out in the Rapid City, S.D.

Invitational was Vlad Kutka, who is the boys’ top runner and ranked No. 8 in Class A.

“We had to take out our number one runner,” Leiss said. “Considering that we were competing without our number one runner. The outcome wasn’t really unexpected.”

Kutka is practicing again.

“We made a decision that there’s no use pushing through it,” he said.

“We made a decision to have Vlad not run and he’s feeling much better now.”

On the girls’ side, Midgets freshman runner Emily Tyrrell continues to lead the pack, placing 20th in Rapid City, S.D.

“We were a little bit in front of the mid-pack,” Leiss said. “For our girls to finish a little ahead of the middle of the pack, I was pretty pleased.”

The Midgets used this week to full advantage and continue their season today in Williston.

“We used this week as a recovery week,” Leiss said. “From here on out, we want to make sure we are working as hard as we can, but also want to maintain our health.”

Tags: cross country, sports, preps, football