Titans turn doubt into playoff season

Courtesy / Griggs County Central Athletic Boosters By Paul Garcia II November 04, 2026 at 7:00 AM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? COOPERSTOWN, N.D. — Griggs-Midkota entered the 2026 season with low expectations from outside sources. In the polls, the Titans were projected to finish sixth in Region 1 after a 3-5 season in 2025. Instead, they opened 5-0, earned the region’s No. 3 seed and returned to the playoffs for the second time in three years. ADVERTISEMENT Head coach Ryan Dockter said the season became another step toward changing what is expected from the program. “When I look back at the season, we were projected to take sixth,” Dockter said. “Whether it’s the media or the coaches in our region, we weren’t getting any respect.” Griggs-Midkota finished 6-4, with its season ending in a 62-6 first-round playoff loss to Cavalier. The ending didn't erase what Dockter saw in a group that spent the year leaning on two themes he introduced before the season: commitment and heart. “We preached all year long when it came to heart that heart was going to get us where we wanted to be,” Dockter said. “We didn’t have the depth that some teams across our region had. But when you lack in one area, you’ve got to find it in a different one.” Proving they belonged Dockter viewed the fifth game of the season against Hatton-Northwood as the first major measuring stick for a team trying to prove it belonged near the top half of Region 1. The Titans built a lead before holding off a late Thunder surge for a 40-36 victory. “They understood the situation; they knew the importance of that game,” Dockter said. “There’s some stuff in the second half that got a little bit away from us, but that’s what it all comes down to, being able to turn it on when you need it.” ADVERTISEMENT “We knew it was going to be a fourth-quarter fight,” Dockter said. “Even if we got ahead of them, they’ve shown the ability to come back in the fourth quarter, which they did, but our guys were able to hold on enough.” The late-season reality Courtesy / Griggs County Central Athletic Boosters The 5-0 start ended with a 62-8 loss to LaMoure-Litchville/Marion in week six. Griggs-Midkota responded with a 36-28 win over Wyndmere-Lidgerwood, clinching a playoff berth and giving Dockter his first win over a program that had eliminated the Titans from the postseason two years earlier. “It’s hard to come back after you get your butts kicked a little bit,” Dockter said. “But our guys fought for it, and they knew this was a big one.” Losses to South Border and Hankinson closed the regular season before Cavalier ended Griggs-Midkota’s year in the first round of the playoffs. Dockter saw more than one reason for the difference between the first and second halves of the season. Injuries and a thin roster mattered, but so did the strength of the schedule and a weakness opponents increasingly attacked. “We’ve always said we’ve been weak on the run stop,” Dockter said. “We boast a secondary that is all upperclassmen who are extremely skilled and athletic. We don’t have the same size that some of the other schools have on the line.” ADVERTISEMENT Stopping the run remains one of the clearest offseason priorities. “Between the line of scrimmage, that’s where everything happens,” Dockter said. “That’s what we need to do.” An offense built around Spickler Courtesy / Griggs County Central Athletic Boosters Griggs-Midkota’s approach changed depending on what senior quarterback Trace Spickler could give the Titans. Spickler finished with 690 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns despite battling ankle and leg injuries throughout the season. When healthy, his speed forced defenses to account for him on every snap. “Our offense really revolved around our quarterback,” Dockter said. “When he was able to run, it was all green pastures.” Spickler’s running threat created opportunities in the pass game for senior wide receiver Lakin Ronningen, who finished with 42 receptions for 633 yards and 14 touchdowns. “He’s able to understand when a defense is in a zone versus a man right away,” Dockter said. “If they’re sitting back in a zone, I’m not just going to follow a normal route that my coach gives me. I’m going to go set myself up in between the zone and find some extra area to work with.” ADVERTISEMENT When Spickler could not play against Richland, junior Tristen Zaun offered a glimpse of the future. Zaun stepped in at quarterback and threw for 354 yards as the Titans adjusted to a defense committed to stopping the outside run. Dockter said Zaun will likely enter the offseason as the leading candidate to replace Spickler at quarterback. Courtesy / Griggs County Central Athletic Boosters Junior Kameron Tafelmeyer also established himself as a major part of the future, rushing for 611 yards. “He’s a weight-room junkie,” Dockter said. “He has grown into his role.” A standard left behind Griggs-Midkota graduates seven seniors from a roster that relied heavily on a small core. The group made the playoffs twice in three seasons after the program went roughly two decades without a postseason appearance. For Dockter, that has helped raise the standard for what football can become at Griggs-Midkota. “These guys got to experience the playoffs two times in three years, which is huge for our program,” Dockter said. “We’ve got a lot to offer in our football program. Our guys are excelling. They’re doing some different things. These seven seniors were the ones that led the way.” ADVERTISEMENT Dockter expects six seniors next season. The work to replace the departing production will begin where the Titans turnaround started: the weight room. Dockter said the coaching staff believes increased offseason participation played a significant role in outperforming preseason projections. “We do think that a good part of that change was our commitment to the weight room,” Dockter said. A year after asking for more commitment, Dockter saw what it could produce. Now, the Titans have to make it the expectation. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags GRIGGS-MIDKOTA TITANS PREP SPORTS FOOTBALL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY By Paul Garcia II Paul Garcia II is a sports reporter for The Jamestown Sun. Paul is an Air Force veteran where he was stationed at Minot Air Force Base. After finishing his contract with the Air Force, Paul obtained a bachelor's degree in Communication and Media Studies at University California of San Diego, and a Master's in Sports Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Twitter Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Subscribers Only Prep Braden Hemminger finishes the year as the Jays top ground-gainer 12h ago · By Katie Ringer Prep Dakota Bowl berths on the line in 9-man semifinals 2d ago · By Paul Garcia II Prep Jamestown finishes regular season at 16-2 2d ago · By Katie Ringer ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads Subscribers Only College Postseason ambitions highlight Jimmies men's basketball media day 12h ago · By Paul Garcia II National Burgum, with millions invested in AI industry, leads charge allowing data centers on public lands 1d ago · By Mark Olalde / ProPublica North Dakota Fedorchak to continue connecting with North Dakotans in second term 11h ago · By Jordan Rusche North Dakota Is agriculture ‘losing its voice’ in North Dakota's Legislature? Some are concerned 12h ago · By Pamela Knudson