Minnetonka has had a long-standing tradition of being one of the state’s best teams when it comes to football. They play in the Lakes Conference with other powerhouses including Wayzata, Edina, Hopkins and Eden Prairie.

 

This will be no small task for the Becker Bulldogs.

 

But despite the ink, the accolades and the notice the Skippers get from being a high-profile team in the state of Minnesota year-after-year, Becker has nothing to hang their heads about.

 

Last year, the Bulldogs advanced to the Section 5AAAA tournament only to lose in the waning seconds to Delano 20-14. Becker had won eight games in a row up to that point and were poised to return to state to try and capture their second state title.

 

Historically, Becker Bulldog football has quietly emerged as one of the top schools when it comes to the sport. Head Coach Dwight Lundeen will be heading into his 45th season at the helm with about 320 wins.

 

Last season, the team rotated three QBs throughout the season, shuffling in plays and giving each player a chance to become a star. Zach Zimmer was the senior, Mike Veldman the junior and Andrew Stanger the sophomore and each brought their own gifts and talents to make Becker’s offense a challenge to defend.

 

Zimmer has since graduated so the team will be looking to Veldman and Stanger to help lead the team to the promised land.

 

Veldman and Stanger will be looking downfield to connect with seniors Matt Conzemius, Eric Blomgren and junior Robbie Benson. Senior Dawson Brown should also see a lot of playing time as WR and has proven to be a reliable target for the numerous QBs he’s seen over the years. 

Junior Milan Kent — who was a mighty force on defense last year will also be expected to get more playing time as fullback now that Austin Soare has graduated. C.J. Schwintek will also handle the running back position along with Beau Pauley, Will Cody and Logan Anderson.

 

The Bulldogs have 33 seniors and 37 juniors on the team that is looking to dominate once again the Granite Ridge Conference, which they’ve won every year of its young existence. They have also won 14 consecutive games since leaving the Mississippi 8 for the Granite Ridge Conference. 

 

Lundeen has his full coaching staff intact which will include Brent Scheideman, Shane Potter, Jeff Zimmer, Greg Bockrath, Hokan Bengtson, Greg Veldman, Mike Lundeen, Troy Robinson, Todd Smith, Todd Brown and Tony Vesledahl.

 

Bengtson was named the team’s coach of the year for having the #1-rated defense among all 4A schools in the state.

 

This year’s captains are Veldman, Schwintek, Brown, Austin Rasmussen and Chris Weberg.