The Valley City Hi-Liner football season is almost here, and once again, after another class shakeup in the NDHSAA, Hi-Liner fans will have to get used to seeing some different opponents on the schedule.

The Hi-Liners will now move to the Class AA West conference, which consists of Bismarck St. Mary’s, Dickinson, Jamestown, Minot North, and Watford City. Familiar foes such as Fargo South, Devils Lake, and Wahpeton will remain on the schedule, with Valley City ducking most of the long road trips early in the season. However, the last two weeks of the regular season will see back-to-back road games for Valley City against Dickinson and Minot North.

After a solid start to the 2023 season that saw Valley City jump out to a 4-1 record, a heartbreaking loss by Wahpeton derailed the Hi-Liners, who lost their last five games to finish the season at 4-6. The Hi-Liners will open up this season on the road against the Lisbon Broncos on Friday at 7:00 PM.

Second-year head coach Travis Engen’s squad will feature only nine seniors, including starting quarterback Bryson Heck, whose development from last year Engen says will be one of the key factors in how this season plays out. The trenches on both sides of the ball will also be an area of focus this year, with a lot of turnover from last season.

One returning interior player will be senior Scot Rhode, who, along with junior lineman Trey McPartland, has drawn impressive reviews from the coaching staff in offseason camp. Senior FB/DL Dylan Hunt has also gotten positive early reviews from Engen, who says that the rotation of young and old players into the lineup this year will be crucial for team success.

Below are the offensive and defensive starters listed for Friday’s game against Lisbon. That game, along with all other Hi-Liner football games, can be heard on 1490 AM/ 93.3 FM KOVC.

QB- Bryson Heck
Halfback-Caden Amann
Fullback- Dylan Hunt
Wide receiver- Derek Shape, Jamison Mutschler
Right Tackle- Scot Rohde
Right Guard- Brandt Mueller
Center- Owen Hunt
Left Guard- Ryer Muske
Left Tackle- Trey McPartland
Tight End- Jack Dieterle

DL- Scot Rohde, Owen Hunt, Trey McPartland, Dylan Hunt
LB- Caden Amann, Ryer Muske, Kaleb McClaflin
DB- Derek Shape, Jamison Mutschler
Safety- Koltyn Grebel, Parker Amann