MINOT - St. Mary's defense stiffened when it needed to, and the Saints opened their West Region schedule with a big 22-20 road victory over No. 2-ranked and unbeaten Minot North on Sept. 25 at Sentinel Stadium.

Clinging to a two-point lead, SM defense allowed just one first down on the final Minot North possession. Good tackling and coverage down field forced a turnover on downs. It wasn't the first time, the defensive unit made some key stops in the contest. In the third quarter, the D-line stuffed the Sentinels on a fourth down and one play near midfield. Offensively, SM again got big contributions from quarterback Patrick Richter and running back Collin Fleck. Fleck rushed for a pair of scores and Richter picked his spots to gain yards on the ground to extend drives. SM did manage to use its short passing game to keep moving the chains as well. The key reception was a 16-yard TD by Keller Hertz-Barnett in the third quarter. The tall, lanky receiver caught the ball with one hand in traffic in the end zone. The preceding two-point conversion provided the difference. Minot North led briefly in the contest. Cooper Chick's nine-yard TD run and the successful PAT made it 7-6. However, SM would regain the lead and never trail. Minot North's Cian Hannon's 90-yard kickoff return pulled the Sentinels to within in a point. Trailing by nine early in the fourth, Cameron Jesz made a nice diving TD reception from Henry Woodbeck from 22 yards. But that was the last time the Saints would allow North into the end zone. The win was SM's second over Minot North on the road.

St. Mary's improved to 1-0 in the Western Dakota Association and 3-2 overall, while Minot North is now 0-1 in the region and 4-1 overall. Looking ahead, St. Mary's will face Devils Lake on October 2. Minot North will seek to bounce back against Watford City, also on October 2.