Today is the Dakota Bowl! This iconic game day celebrates high school football, with teams from across the state coming together for a full day of championship action. The event, first held in 1993 at the Fargodome, changed the football landscape in North Dakota by bringing all class championship games together in one day.
Each game had its own unforgettable moment that first year.
The day began around 9:30 a.m. with the 9-man title game between Sargent Central and Flasher-Carson. Sargent Central jumped to a strong 21-0 lead in the first half. However, Flasher-Carson mounted a comeback, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second half, setting up a dramatic finish. Despite a strong effort from Flasher-Carson quarterback Scott Kopp, they "ran out of clock," according to Sargent Central running back Geoff Bosse, and Sargent Central won. This game remains memorable for both teams, as it marked the only appearance for either team in the Dakota Bowl.
At noon, Des Lacs-Burlington faced Harvey in the 11-man Class B championship. Des Lacs-Burlington, the underdogs, won with a single 16-yard touchdown pass. Their quarterback, an untested sophomore, had to step in after the regular starter was sent to the hospital for stitches on his chin.
The finale, the Class A game, kicked off around 2:30 p.m. West Fargo’s Packers won a defense-heavy game against the previous year's champions, Fargo South. This victory completed a perfect season for the Packers and marked their first-ever Class A championship win. Fargo South, the defending champions, were unable to repeat their success.
The first Dakota Bowl drew 9,418 spectators, far exceeding the expected attendance of 7,500. Event manager Ed Lockwood, who was the activities director at Fargo South, had hoped for 6,500 to 7,000 attendees, considering that a "decent start." Nearly 2,000 more attendees showed great promise for the future.
Today, the Dakota Bowl features teams from four divisions: 9-Man, Division A, Division AA, and Division AAA.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- Fargo Forum, Sunday, November 14, 1993
- Fargo Forum, Friday, November 12, 1993
- https://sites.google.com/view/dakotabowl/home
- https://ndhsaanow.com/champions/football
