Burros claim bragging rights in postseason run

Unlike most teams in the area that have fallen along the wayside in the statewide football playoffs, the Hillsboro Burros are still in the mix.
Ditched, dropped or discarded along the Road to the Dome are the likes of MayPort, Hatton-Northwood, Finley-Sharon-Hope-Page and Central Valley. Nothing against the Patriots, Thunder and Spartans, all respectable teams who were eliminated last weekend or the Valiants who were denied a shot at the postseason this year, but it is the Hillsboro Burros — once again for the record — who is the last team standing in the Red River Valley.
The Burros, who depart the RRV for Napoleon Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the 9-man playoffs, are not only one of a handful teams still playing, but just one of a few unbeaten teams in the state. Undefeated and still playing for all the marbles are Napoleon, Mott-Regent, Divide County, St. John and North Border, in addition to Hillsboro, in 9-man; Harvey in Class A; Minot Ryan in Class AA; and Fargo South and Minot in Class AAA.
A number of these teams could fall from the ranks of the undefeated tomorrow.
For sure, the state’s 9-man ranks will have one less unbeaten team as Hillsboro and Napoleon clash on the Imperials’ home field.
Napoleon has discharged the Burros from the playoffs the last two years.
Don’t look for the same case scenario to occur this year.
Napoleon, although ranked No. 1 all season long, isn’t the same team that eliminated Hillsboro the last two years. The Burros aren’t the same team either, but that isn’t the point. The point is: Napoleon, hurt by graduation, might not be as strong as the team that bumped the Burros 28-13 a year ago; Hillsboro, on the other hand, is a better team than the 2006 Burros.
The starters on coach Mark Rerick’s team, many of whom played considerable minutes on last year’s respectable 8-3 squad, are a year older, stronger and more experienced, and more important, hungry.
Graciously handling this year’s many successes, the Burros, business-like in their march to the FargoDome, are not to be denied. They’ve tasted winning and they like it. On our sports pages, we tell how they’ve dispatched teams in a business-like manner all along this year’s football highway. It makes for a good story line. Truth be told, they’re a good bunch of kids who play football the old-fashioned way: ard-nosed.
Coach Mark Rerick offers his description of a hard-nosed, bare bones high school football team.
“You get hurt, you get up, rub a little dirt on it, and get back out on the field.”
Old-school football: Just do it.
The description fits the 2007 Hillsboro Burros.
Having said that, our money’s on the Burros tomorrow.
Besides, we owe Napoleon.
There were 50 high school teams competing in the 9-man ranks this year.
Eight are still playing; 42 have disappeared from the scene.
Another four will bite the dust tomorrow.
The Road to the Dome becomes shorter and less crowded the closer we get to Nov. 9, D-Day in Fargo at the Fargodome.