North Star ready to prove the Bearcats are improved team as North Dakota 9-man football playoffs begin
Oct. 20—GRAND FORKS — North Star football played its first home game at its newly renovated field last week against Larimore.
Coach Daniel Grande joked that he didn't have to give a pregame speech because players were excited to get on the field.
Dane Hagler scored five times on offense and once on defense, a performance that's become expected of him.
"You get a bigger crowd there obviously," he said. "Opening of that field, you're going to see everyone in Cando there cheering us on. We felt that throughout the whole entire game."
North Star ended with a 54-12 win.
The Bearcats are no stranger to putting up lopsided wins this season. North Star is averaging 46 points per game and have scored over 50 points in four of its eight games this season.
"Just sticking to what we do best," Hagler said. "Sling the rock around and find the open man. Let them make plays. As long as I'm getting them the ball, they're going to make plays for me."
North Star expects to keep its offense rolling into the playoffs, as the Bearcats face LaMoure-Litchville/Marion Saturday, Oct. 21 in the first round of the 9-man playoffs.
The Bearcats' only losses are to No. 3 New Rockford-Sheyenne-Maddock, a Week 1 game that saw Hagler throw for 484 yards, and No. 5 North Prairie. Hunter Hagler, Dane's brother and a favorite target, broke his leg against North Prairie.
The production wouldn't be possible without Dane Hagler and the weapons he has around him. Last year, the Bearcats' running game was virtually unstoppable. But teams keyed in on that this season, forcing North Star to pass more.
Hunter Hagler's injury forced another adjustment for the Bearcats.
"We know how to adjust and deal with adversity, so we just have to keep doing what we do best," Dane Hagler said. "Making plays and keep winning games."
The success of North Star (6-2) is a surprise to some this season.
"We've heard that we're a worse team this year than we were last year," Hagler said. "We're a different team from last year. So just breaking those expectations and making a deeper run into these playoffs, playing our butts off and doing what we love to do."
When Grande took over as coach, the now-seniors were freshmen. That group has stepped up and helped the Bearcats continue to succeed.
"They were at the start of what we were trying to accomplish and the culture we were trying to set, and I think that's gone a long way to helping us to where we are today," Grande said. "I think they've done a great job of buying into what our coaching staff has put on the table."
That buy-in has made North Star a successful program. Ahead of playoffs, Grande put a big emphasis on defense and tackling.
But he isn't worried about scoring points. He knows he has the dynamic offense for that. The team, led by Hagler, is ready for the playoffs.
"We played two playoff games last year, so we know what to expect," Hagler said. "But I feel like we, us as seniors, have to step up more and just know our roles and do our jobs. We do that, and I think we're fine making a deep run in the playoffs."
