Around four months ago, about the only thing Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi could do when asked most questions about the winter sports season was shrug his shoulders. There was a lack of clarity about rules for participation and for a time, doubts about whether or not there would be any competitions at all.
Fast forward to March and his Bulldog winter programs are coming to the end of one of the most successful winter regular seasons in memory, as the dance, wrestling and girls basketball teams have each claimed Mississippi 8 Championships, despite Becker having one of the smallest enrollments in the conference.
“We are very proud of all their efforts and flexibility during a very challenging season,” says Niemi, who has been on the job in Becker for 10 years.
Becker High School Principal Dave Kreft has been at the school for two years, and he has witnessed a level of dedication from the programs, both coaches and athletes, that has led to the success.
“Conference championships are not earned by the efforts during the months of their season, but it requires far more dedication outside of the school day and outside of the season,” says Kreft, who played college baseball at St. John’s University.
“The success these teams have is a reward for what they do all year long. As successful student-athletes, they masterfully manage the demands of their activity and the classroom.”
Both men point to the dedication and resiliency the program’s coaches have shown during the season as a focal point for the success the Bulldogs have shown across activities.
“The teams that had this level of success are reflective of the culture their coaches have built,” says Kreft. “Our coaches have greeted every challenge in this COVID year with outstanding flexibility and positivity so when a new situation has been presented, they think and act accordingly.”
Dance
Becker dance team coach Nadia Fischer-Danzeisen credits her team’s persistence and positive attitude as keys to winning this year’s Conference Championships in the High Kick and Jazz events, their second consecutive conference titles.
“I believe the reason we were successful this year is because our team has a ‘never give up attitude’ and our team values our connection, integrity, and grit,” says the second year coach. “We strive to embody those things at all times, in all areas of our lives.”
Senior dance captain Skylar Kipka agrees, noting how her team embraced the uncertainty and focused on supporting each other the best they could.
“This year has been one of many unknowns and our team had never wavered in knowing that we were in it no matter what, our culture is different from any other, and we are led by the best,” says Kipka.
It’s that type of attitude that Fischer-Danzeisen witnessed throughout the year and led to the cohesion necessary to win the conference titles.
“Our captains and team leaders were phenomenal this year and put everything they had into the season which helped keep the underclassmen going,” says Fisher-Danzeisen. “I watched some of the most resilient kids thrive under the pressures of our current circumstances because they felt supported by their teammates, coaches, and parents.”
Co-captain Paige Mohs says the success was attributed to a common goal among all the participants and coaches.
“The biggest part of our success this year was having a team and staff filled with dedicated people,” says Mohs. “Even though nothing about this season was certain, everybody showed up and gave it their all.”
The concentrated effort has lifted the Becker dance team to one that is now recognized as one of the top 10 teams in the state.
“It has been a dream come true to watch this program take off and become a legacy team,” says Fisher-Danzeisen.
Wrestlers
The Bulldog wrestlers are riding high after posting their own second consecutive conference title, the third overall in the program’s 41 year history.
Co-head coach Matt Aho says that the conference championship is a goal for the team every year and he appreciates the rivalries that chasing that dream can help build.
“It is a great feeling to be conference champs and to be back-to-back makes it more special,” says Aho, who shares the head coach title with Jeff Zimmer.
“I think having a conference schedule and having a goal of champs year to year creates great rivalries. We have had some great battles with the teams in our conference, so being on top is a good feeling.”
Aho’s wrestlers themselves have noticed the focus the coaches have put on competing for the Mississippi 8 title, as the pursuit of the dream helps to build a common bond among the athletes.
“At the beginning of last season, coach Aho had said he was sick of looking at our conference title banner and only seeing one year on there,” says team co-captain Caden DeWall. “This team has put in a lot of work over the last two years and we have been fortunate enough to put two more years on that banner.”
Having a team goal to focus on has helped all of the wrestlers buy into the culture of the program, something that the more veteran wrestlers have been able to share with the younger ones.
“I think that what gives our team an edge is the determination to get better from everyone on the team, including seventh graders all the way up to seniors,” says co-captain Lukas Paulson. “With all the adversity we’ve faced this year, the team has been great and remained focused which has paid off with being the first back-to-back conference champs.”
The Bulldogs are currently ranked sixth in the state and enter section competition this week with the team’s second ever state entry as the ultimate goal.
Girls BB
Few teams in Becker history have had as high of expectations as this year’s girls basketball squad, which has been ranked as the #1 team in Class AAA for the entire year. The team hasn’t lost a conference game in three years, and outside of Cambridge has rarely been tested in any of the Mississippi 8 contests. After having their state title dreams shut down by COVID-19 a year ago, the team has gained statewide attention as a top program regardless of class designation.
Head Coach Dan Baird has embraced the high expectations, scheduling top teams for his team to face and focusing on a return trip to the state tournament, even while collecting the fourth conference title in program history.
“Our goals have been to compete at the state tournament and potentially win the thing and we have loaded our non-conference schedule so that helps out,” says Baird, who noted a lack of top competition in the conference this year.
“Other conference schools like Monticello and St. Francis are well coached, so I’m sure they’ll come around in the near future.”
Dealing with the expectations of the season was made more difficult because of the frequent changes caused by the pandemic, but the athletes on the team point to the camaraderie among the players as a reason for their success.
“Our keys to success so far is definitely our team chemistry, and we are all great friends and can easily cheer for each other’s success ,” says senior Courtney Nuest. “Also, our coaches do a great job of having fast paced and competitive practices that help us compete at a high level.”
Senior Julia Bengtson, who has signed to play collegiately at Eastern Illinois, also credits teamwork for the high level of confidence the team has when it takes the court.
“We go really hard at practice every day so that games feel easy, we are competing in every drill that we do,” says Bengtson. “Girls are also in the gym a lot outside of practice, getting extra shots, which leads to confidence coming into games because we are able to rely on the extra work we’ve put in.”
Becker is just completing a week of tough non-conference games, but will be the undisputed favorites to secure the Section and Class AAA state title in the upcoming playoffs.
School Praise
The extra work and dedication from all the winter teams and the players has led to an enriching experience for the coaches, players and fans who are enjoying the championship ride this winter season. The resiliency and flexibility shown by the programs has been noticed by the fans, as well as the school leaders.
Count Principal Kreft, who attends as many competitions as possible, as one of those people who is impressed and inspired.
“As leaders, they [coaches] get their teams on board and you see the student-athletes demonstrating the same positivity as their coaches,” says Kreft. “They all represent Becker High School tremendously in our school, in competition, and in our community.”
For Niemi, the championships are just some of the rewards of a successful season that began with so many uncertainties.
“As we were on the verge of the winter season in November when the ‘pause’ was enacted by the MSHSL, I would have been happy at that time to just have any opportunity for our winter teams to compete,” says Niemi. “In early January, our teams were forced into a quick start and a month and half later we have four Mississippi 8 Conference championships! Simply amazing with all that our athletes and coaches have been through. I am very proud of not only our champions, but all of our winter teams.”
