GGF football preview: East Grand Forks' Jack Dietz returns alongside veteran offensive line

Sep. 2—EAST GRAND FORKS — Jack Dietz has spent most of his life playing on the offensive and defensive lines. But the East Grand Forks senior has been tasked with a new role this season: linebacker. "He's played (defensive line) his whole career, but he has looked really good," Green Wave head coach Ryan Kasowski said. "I think he's comfortable back there. He's going to be a huge part of our defense, that's for sure." Dietz has spent more time in the film room this offseason, absorbing all the additional tasks that come with playing linebacker. "It's a lot more mental," Dietz said. "I really want to be able to help out every position group, whether it's the guys behind me or in front of me. I want to know what everyone is doing on the field at all times." On the other side of the ball, however, Dietz will be in familair territory. Dietz started at left tackle for East Grand Forks last season. He's not alone — the Green Wave return their entire offensive line this year. "I know what it's going to be like going out there and playing both sides," Dietz said. "The best part about it is that I'm going back with all the boys I played with last year. That's what makes it easy — I'm not worried about if they know what to do, they already know what's going on." Dietz, junior Evan Van Eps, junior Cayden Walsh, senior Hayes Short and senior Trevor Johnson are all back. Junior Xaveon Rodriguez also returns, though he could be taking on new duties on offense. "Some of them were sophomores that got thrown into the mix," Kasowski said. "I think having a year under their belt going against some really good talent is going to be a benefit. And they worked really hard this offseason to get a little bit bigger and stronger. A big part of our success this year will be the guys up front." The line is another source of continuity East Grand Forks has on offense this season. Senior Jakob Stassen returns as the starting quarterback. His brother, Jaxon, was one of the Green Wave's top receivers last year. "(Stassen) has faith in those guys," Kasowski said. "They spent a lot of time together off the field as well. There's that chemistry piece with it, and I just think that (offensive line) crew takes a lot of pride in what they do. A lot of times they don't get the headlines, but they really do a nice job for us up front." Cole Schmiedeberg, who led the running back room last year, was one of the biggest offseason losses. East Grand Forks has multiple options to replace his production, though, including junior Darion Hall, senior John Senger, senior Rafael Jones and senior Cormac Doty. "I couldn't be more confident in our guys and how they're going to perform," Dietz said. "It starts with the line, and I'm completely calm about how they're going to be smart and work their butts off. Our wide receivers are great — even if coaches aren't around, they're doing installs. ... (Jakob Stassen) is a great guy, he's really good at leading the team. He knows what everybody is thinking and what they need. I'm just very confident in our guys all around." The Green Wave will host Staples-Motley Thursday at 6 p.m. in their season opener. The Cardinals beat East Grand Forks 42-13 in last year's opener. "I couldn't be more excited," Dietz said. "The group of guys I've been playing with, we've been together our whole life, from youth all the way up to the senior season. I couldn't feel closer and more excited to get out there and play with them." Red River opened the season with a 28-21 loss to Division 3A West Fargo Horace in a contest featuring multiple momentum swings. The game opened on a poor note, as senior linebacker Logan Bimler went down with an injury after the first play from scrimmage. The Roughriders fell behind 14-0 but managed to score two quick touchdowns before halftime. Senior quarterback Reese Walters found senior wide receiver Max Mannausau for a 24-yard touchdown and Walters punched in a 2-yard score on the ensuing drive. "Last year, I think the team we had might have had their heads hanging a little bit," head coach Vyrn Muir said. "Our guys stayed in it, and then we got the big play to get the first touchdown and got a little bit of life back." The Hawks scored two touchdowns in the second half to take a 28-14 lead, but the Riders still fought back. Walters broke away for a 49-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to draw within one score. Red River got the ball back in the waning minutes of the game with a chance to even things up, but Walters threw an interception with 17 seconds remaining. "We gave ourselves a chance to win at the end," Muir said. "We didn't give ourselves a great chance, but we got the stop we need to get and got the ball back. ... I was proud of our guys for not giving up and being greedy, and I think we played a little bit better at the end of the game than we were at the beginning." Junior running back Kaden Porter was one of the offensive highlights of the day for the Riders. He finished with 100 rushing yards, including a 52-yard run that set up Walters' goal-line touchdown. "He's our most explosive guy back there, because he's our fastest kid," Muir said. "We saw last year when he was a sophomore playing JV, he can put his foot in the ground, make a cut and get moving pretty quick." Red River will host Bismarck St. Mary's in its home opener Friday at 4 p.m. The Saints are coming off a 14-7 home loss to Grand Forks Central. "They're tough-nosed kids, just like the Horace kids were," Muir said. "I think we're going to be in for a battle up front, and we'll have to go with the same game plan that we just can't turn the ball over and can't give up big plays, and we've got to find a way to get off the field on defense." Central's 14-7 win over Bismarck St. Mary's last Friday featured errors typical of an opening game — missed assignments, dropped passes. But a win is a win, especially when it's on the road against a team ranked No. 5 in the preseason poll. "The overall message is that anytime you can go on the road and win, it's just that much harder," head coach Jake Schauer said. "Especially when it's Week 1, and they have a new coaching staff. We didn't really know what they were going to do. There was a lot going against us going into that game, so to listen to our guys and see them battle was really encouraging." There were encouraging signs on both sides of the ball. The defense forced multiple turnovers on downs. Junior quarterback Brody Leddige had a strong night guiding the offense, going 12-for-18 with 155 yards and a touchdown. He connected with senior wide receiver Jaden Cochran for a 59-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the win. "Going into this year, the defense really just seemed to have a good groove going," Schauer said. "There are way more returners on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive side. The defense did carry us a little bit last week. The offense was so close so many times, and I'm really excited to watch our coaches coach with a fair amount of film on each side." The Knights tied for No. 4 in this week's NDAPSSA poll. They'll host Jamestown this Friday at 7 p.m. The Blue Jays beat Wahpeton 36-33 last week. "They're a team that hangs their hat on being really physical," Schauer said. "They're a hardworking team. We've got a lot of respect for what coach (Bill) Nelson does over there. We've got a big history against them, as far as we've played them I believe every year I've been coach, and we go back and forth. You're going to see two really physical football teams on Friday night." Polk County West will open the 2026 season against an opponent it played twice last year. The Thunder will take on Park Christian this Thursday at 7 p.m. Polk County West suffered a 33-12 loss to the Falcons in last season's opener. The teams met again in the Section 8A quarterfinals. The Thunder kept it closer but were defeated 14-6.