Lignite Energy Council

10/14/2026

Coal country showed up! Thanks to everyone who bid on our 2026 and jerseys. With your support, we were able to donate more than $2300 to booster clubs for Southern McLean, Central McLean, Hazen, and Beulah to support their students and athletes. Thanks again to all of the coaches, ADs, players, parents, and others who made this campaign a success.

10/09/2026

We were honored to receive the 2026 Founder Award from the Bismarck State College Foundation last night at the annual President’s Club Dinner.

The Lignite Energy Council is proud of our longstanding partnership with BSC and the many ways we support its students and programs through scholarships, sponsorships and special projects.

Most recently, we partnered with BSC to bring the story of North Dakota’s lignite industry to life through a series of murals in the new Bavendick athletic building. These murals celebrate the people, history and impact of coal in our state while introducing that story to students, athletes and visitors.

BSC plays an important role in preparing the next generation of North Dakota’s workforce, including the skilled professionals who keep our lignite industry strong.

Thank you to the BSC Foundation for this recognition! We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting opportunities for students for years to come.

09/19/2026

What a night for Coal Country! ⛏️🏈

Two great games, four great programs, and communities coming together to celebrate high school football and the industry that has helped build this part of North Dakota.

Congratulations to the Hazen Bison on a hard-fought 30-27 win over the Beulah Miners in the Coal Bowl, and to Central McLean on their 30-22 victory over Southern McLean in the Coal Classic Showdown!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped make these games special — the players, coaches, schools, fans, volunteers, sponsors, and everyone behind the scenes who helped bring the special Coal Bowl and Coal Classic jerseys to life.

And we aren’t quite done yet!

The autographed team jerseys are still up for auction, with proceeds going back to support each school’s program. If you’d like a pretty unique piece of Coal Country football history while supporting these kids and their schools, get your bids in!

👉 Auction link is in the comments.

Great football. Great communities. Great kids. And a little Coal Country pride mixed into all of it.

That’s what this was all about. ⛏️🏈

09/18/2026

🏈⛏️ LESS THAN TWO HOURS TO KICKOFF!

It’s a cool, cloudy Friday night in Coal Country, but things are about to heat up under the lights. 🔥

If you’re headed to the Coal Bowl or Coal Classic Showdown, keep an eye out for our crew and grab a FREE “COAL KEEPS THE LIGHTS ON” rally towel while supplies last. Wave it proudly when your team takes the field!

And don’t forget, you can own a piece of tonight’s games. We’re auctioning four special #26 jerseys, one from each team, signed by the players. These jerseys were designed specifically for the 2026 matchups, and proceeds from each jersey go back to support the respective school’s program.

👉 BID HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/coal-bowl-and-coal-classic-showdown--2026.

Bundle up. Grab your rally towel. Cheer loud. And let’s light up Friday night in Coal Country! 🏈⛏️

Support Coal Country communities and take home a one-of-a-kind piece of rivalry history! This online silent auction features four team-signed jerseys, each…

09/18/2026

🏈⛏️ It’s GAME DAY in McLean County.

Central McLean vs. Southern McLean.

The Coal Classic Showdown may be a newer tradition, but the connection behind it goes back generations.

These teams represent small towns across McLean County where coal mining and power generation are part of the fabric of the community. The people working in the mines and power plants are parents, grandparents, coaches, fans and neighbors. And tonight, they’ll fill the stands on both sides of the field.

The Lignite Energy Council is proud to celebrate that connection by sponsoring special-edition jerseys for Central McLean and Southern McLean, designed specifically for tonight’s matchup.

Before the teams take the field, watch the story behind the Coal Classic Showdown and the Coal Country communities represented under those Friday night lights.

Then pick your side and cheer them on. 🔥

Central McLean vs. Southern McLean.
Coal Classic Showdown 2026.
LET’S PLAY FOOTBALL.
7:00 pm

09/18/2026

🏈⛏️ THIS is the Coal Bowl.

For generations, Beulah and Hazen have been neighbors, rivals and communities shaped by North Dakota’s lignite industry.

Tonight, they meet again.

The Coal Bowl is about football, but it has always represented something bigger. It’s community pride. It’s generations of families filling the stands. It’s bragging rights. It’s a traveling trophy made from the resource that has helped build these communities.

And for the next year, one team gets to say:

WE GOT COAL.

This year, the Lignite Energy Council is proud to add another chapter to the tradition by sponsoring special-edition jerseys designed specifically for the 2026 Coal Bowl.

Before kickoff tonight, take a few minutes to watch the story behind the game, the rivalry and the Coal Country communities that make it special.

Then get to the field and get LOUD. 🔥

Hazen vs. Beulah.
Coal Bowl 2026.
GAME DAY.
7:00 pm

09/17/2026

These jerseys are up for grabs…and they’re a hot item 🔥🏈
Don’t miss your chance to bid on a piece of 2026 coal country rivalry history.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/coal-bowl-and-coal-classic-showdown--2026

09/17/2026

The jerseys are ready. The teams are ready. Coal Country is ready. 🔥🏈

Tomorrow night, Central McLean and Southern McLean meet for the Coal Classic Showdown.

These teams represent communities where the connection to North Dakota’s lignite industry runs deep. They’re home to the miners, plant workers and families who help keep the lights on across our region.

The Lignite Energy Council designed and sponsored special jerseys for both teams to celebrate that connection, and they were made for ONE game only.

This one. ⛏️

Turn up the volume and watch the full hype video. 🔊

CENTRAL McLEAN vs. SOUTHERN McLEAN. TOMORROW.

Then come back Friday for the story behind the game, the communities and the Coal Country connection.

09/17/2026

THIS is Coal Bowl week. 🔥🏈⛏️

Hazen vs. Beulah.

Two teams. Two Coal Country communities. Decades of rivalry. And one very important question that gets settled tomorrow night:

WHO GETS COAL?

For this year’s matchup, the Lignite Energy Council wanted to do something worthy of the tradition. We designed and sponsored special Coal Bowl jerseys for both teams, made specifically for this game and this moment.

Now it’s time to see them in action.

Turn up the volume. 🔊
Watch the full Coal Bowl hype video.
Then get ready for Friday night.

BEULAH vs. HAZEN. TOMORROW.

And tomorrow, we’ll take you behind the rivalry and the Coal Country communities that make this game mean so much more than football.

09/17/2026

48 hours. 🏈⛏️

That’s about all that’s left until Beulah and Hazen line up across from each other for another Coal Bowl.

You don’t have to manufacture a rivalry like this one. It’s been built over generations.

Neighbors. Friends. Coworkers. Families.

And for one Friday night every fall — rivals.

This year, the special Coal Bowl jerseys add another chapter to a game that already means a lot to both communities. Faces of North Dakota Coal is proud to have helped the Lignite Energy Council bring the project together and celebrate the coal heritage that Beulah and Hazen share.

The jerseys celebrate what connects us.

The scoreboard will settle what divides us. 😏

Beulah vs. Hazen.

Friday night.

The Coal Bowl. 🏈⛏️

Coal country, get ready.