By Jaxson Miller

After coming up short in the Dakota Bowl two years in a row, West Fargo Sheyenne finally got over the hump in 2021.

It was an historic year for the Mustangs. They dominated all season long, scoring 364 points and only giving up 90 points. It was their first perfect season with a record of 12-0.

The 364 points the Mustangs put up this season is now the best mark in program history, while the 90 points they allowed is the fewest amount of points the Mustangs have ever given up.

West Fargo Sheyenne rolled to a 27-7 victory over their cross-town rival, the Packers, to capture their first state title in program history.

Josh Henricks, who was one of the top rushers in the state all season, had a whopping 39 carries for 238 yards and three touchdowns in the final game of his high school career.

Henricks was the main workhorse for the Mustangs this season and finished his senior year with 275 carries for 1,451 rushing yards, and an amazing 23 touchdowns.

Grant Warkenthien had the other rushing touchdown in the Dakota Bowl for the Mustangs as he was able to finish his glorious high school career on a high note.

Grant Warkenthien was a three-year starting quarterback for West Fargo Sheyenne and will continue his academic and football career at MSUM next year.

Warkenthien had four rushing touchdowns in the semifinal game against Shanley where the Mustangs won 36-21. He showed his leadership as a senior this year and was very hungry to bring this program a state title.

West Fargo Sheyenne’s defense made a statement this season and was a big factor all season long. Their 7.5 points given up per game average is the lowest in program history.

The Mustangs didn’t allow a lot of big plays this season. Defensive backs coach Andrew Rott stated, “This year we asked the secondary to do some new things that required more communication and attention to detail. They did a good job of being focused and continuously improved. Even though we allowed a few touchdowns through the air, we did a pretty good job of limiting big plays this year.”

The coaching staff put a lot of emphasis into the importance of a strong defense. “In practice, we typically focus on footwork, technique, and ball skills,” coach Rott said. “As a defense, we focused on tackling, pursuit, and setting the tempo. We also focused on playing mistake free football.”

West Fargo Sheyenne had five shutouts during their championship season which were against Grand Forks Central, Bismarck High, Minot High, Bismarck Century, and Fargo Davies. Shanley was the only team that could score at least three times against the Mustangs this year.

Shanley put up 29 points in their week three matchup against West Fargo Sheyenne and 21 points in the AA semifinal matchup.

The Deacons were also the only team to build a lead on the Mustangs. The Mustangs trailed the Deacons at halftime 21-14 in the AA semifinal game before the Mustangs scored 22 unanswered in the second half.

Other than the two games against Shanley this year, the Mustangs controlled the tempo in the other 10 games they played.

Dominance on both sides of the ball this year showed the Mustangs’ desire for a state title this season. Jeremy Newton, head coach of the Mustangs stated, “I think the team did a great job this year and hopefully they will stay hungry moving forward. We all work hard to reach the same goals every season.”

West Fargo Sheyenne is 64-21 under head coach Jeremy Newton and are 40-5 in the last four years.

“I think we played well as a team this year and worked hard in practice. We don’t really think about that other stuff,” coach Newton said. “I think that we just took it one week at a time.”

West Fargo Sheyenne has reached the playoffs 7 times out of their 8 years as a varsity program.

Coming into the season, the Mustangs were looking to finish some unfinished business from the previous two years.
Bismarck Century knocked off West Fargo Sheyenne in the Dakota Bowl in 2019 and 2020.

Grant Warkenthien and most of the seniors knew it was their last chance at a state title this year so they wanted to make sure that they finish their high school football careers in dominant fashion.

The Mustangs were able to get revenge on Bismarck Century late in the regular season with a 14-0 victory at home in front of the Mustang faithful.

West Fargo Sheyenne snapped Bismarck Century’s 29-game winning streak. The defense only allowed four yards of total offense in the third quarter.

Tharin Parson was an animal at defensive tackle and had three sacks against the Patriots. The Mustangs carried that momentum into the playoffs.

The 2021 West Fargo Sheyenne football team will go down as one of the most dominant teams in North Dakota high school football history.

It was all about getting stops on defense and controlling the clock on offense for the Mustangs this year and that’s the way they play.

This was a team that never gave up and pushed through adversity when they faced it.

After a slow start against West Fargo High in the Dakota Bowl, West Fargo Sheyenne was going to make sure that they didn’t shut down.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 14-0 lead and held that lead for the rest of the game to win 27-7.

As the clock hit zero, the players rushed out onto the field and the fans and student section went wild.

For the first time in program history, the West Fargo Sheyenne Mustangs had the right to call themselves, state champs.