Towner-Granville-Upham’s scheduled game with Divide County (Crosby) earlier this season was canceled due to the tragic death of a senior student from Crosby a few days into the school year.

The game was never rescheduled, but ironically enough, the two teams will get to face each other in the first round of the 9-man playoffs.

T-G-U will travel to Divide County this Tuesday, Oct. 20 in a matchup of No. 3 seeds.

“It should be two pretty evenly matched teams,’ said T-G-U coach Scott Thorson. “We both have two losses and both teams have showed they can put up points.”

The Maroons feature a balanced offense led by quarterback Tanner Wolter and receiver Dalyss Hanson. “One game they can run for couple hundred yards and the next they can rely on their passing game to pick up yards,’ Thorson said.

The focus for the Titans’ defense will be to limit big plays and put pressure on Wolter.

Offensively, T-G-U will look to quarterback Tyler Thorson who has close to 1,000 yards rushing. The junior is going to garner much attention from the DC defense, so the Titans may be opening up their playbook and pass more. Thorson has showed he can air it out and Zach Thompson and Daniel Syvertson are two receivers who could play a big roles in the game.

Unfortunately, T-G-U again won’t have all-state flanker Ian Keller in the lineup. The senior is still recovering from a fractured collarbone and has missed the last three games.

“It’s frustrating not to go into this game at full strength, but we have a number of other players capable of making plays,’ Thorson said.

Getting a road win is always difficult, especially come playoff time, but the Titans have a team full of seniors and juniors who have played in the past two postseasons, including on the road. “We’ve been in this situation before, so I don’t think we’re going to be intimidated (about playing a road game),’ he said. “What is important is to come out and put together a good first series, whether that’s on offense or defense, and build from there.”

There is some playoff history between the teams. T-G-U defeated the Maroons 30-8 in a 2003 second round game played in Towner. Thorson said DC is a program which has enjoyed its share of success over the years, including several region titles and long runs in the playoffs.

The winner will advance to a second round game to be played on Saturday, Oct. 24.