BISMARCK, N.D. — In the first round of the Class single A playoffs, the Killdeer Cowboys upset Des Lacs-Burlington on the road.

The upset victory marked the Cowboys first postseason win since 2015. Coach Andrew Cook says that the development of the program has come from kids who don’t limit themselves to the grind of the football season.

“The kids have done a tremendous job of buying into the things a successful program has to do,” Cook says. “To be a good football program, you have to commit yourself to being physically prepared. So, that a lot of hard work in the summer. It’s a lot of hard work in the offseason if you’re not playing another sport. We certainly encourage our kids to play basketball, wrestle, go out for track, and do all sorts of things. They really bought into the fact that you don’t just show up in August and expect to be good.”

Killdeer travels to take on the undefeated Dickinson Tirnity Titans on Saturday. A rematch from the regular season with the Titans winning 33-22. Kickoff is set for 7:30 central time.