Threepeat. Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to call your hometown high school football team, Threepeaters”? That’s the task of Dwight Lundeen’s players this year, though Lundeen and his coaching staff go about the season in the same manner as seasons past.
Play good football. Have fun. Fight for a championship.
With that philosophy, it takes all the pressure off the players and coaches and gives the youngsters achievable goals.
The 2016 Becker Bulldog football season will be Lundeen’s 47th at the helm.
“We're going to work like crazy to get them ready,” he said. “We may not have some of the great individuals we've had in the past, but I think we're going to be a great team that works together as a unit really well.”
Lost from last year’s (and the year before) state championship team are QB Andrew Stanger, OL Casey Vesledahl, Ol Dillon Radunz and LB’s Beau Pauly and Milan Kent. Gone too are running backs Alex Meidt and Gabe Dertinger.
This year, Lundeen will be counting on his 29 seniors that include Jaylin Hildebrandt, Jack Conzemius, Austin Benkowski, Tyler Schmitz, and others who now have the experience and know-how in winning another championship.
“I am optimistic that we can find good players to fill the holes from our very good senior class,” said Lundeen.
Though the familiar faces from the last two championships have changed on the field and in the locker room, Lundeen and his team leaders for this year foresee great things for this year’s team and the future of Becker football.
“It's a lot different,” said Hildebrandt, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound three-year starter at inside linebacker, commenting on this year’s roster. “I've been playing with those guys for two years. So it's strange not having them around. But we have a lot of talented guys coming up who are ready to take those spots.”
Lundeen can’t help but pump his chest with pride for the job his coaches at the lower levels have been doing with the future Bulldog starters.
“Our JV and 10th grade teams were undefeated last year,” said Lundeen.
In addition to Hildebrandt, who led the team with 58 solo tackles a year ago, outside linebackers Frankie Baker (5-10, 185, senior.) and Lucas Dertinger (6-0, 200, junior) are back.
So are senior defensive ends Jack Conzemius (6-3, 215) and Tyler Schmitz (6-3, 205).
“We only have a few guys returning, but I kind of like that,” Conzemius said. “Because I know we have a lot of players who've been waiting for their shot to show what they can do.”
At quarterback, Lundeen has two youngsters vying to fill Stanger’s role. Junior Bryce Boser may find himself rotating at the position with freshman Josh Fobbe when the season starts. Three years ago Lundeen used the rotating QB system in ideal fashion when he had Stanger, Michael Veldman and Zach Zimmer alternate under center throughout games.
Senior Cale MacMillan, who had 42 carries for 194 yards and three touchdowns in 2015, is back at tailback and Lundeen is very excited to get the ball in the hands of their speedster, Sidney Boros, who can run the 40 in 4.5 seconds and could play a big role in Lundeen’s system.
“He's as fast a kid as we've had in a Becker uniform,” Lundeen said. “We'd like to get him the ball in as many different ways as we can.”
Lundeen has 84 boys on the varsity squad. The team went 13-0 in 2015-16.
With the Bulldogs into their third week of full practices, the team will have had 21 practices and scrimmages under their belts with each one featuring stretching, work on special teams and break outs to do drill work by positions on both sides of the ball. At times, Lundeen has the boys practice 11-on-11, offense versus defense and practices typically end with running and awards.
Becker opened the season with a tough nonconference test in Hutchinson Thursday and will have a target on their back all season as plenty of teams will be looking to knock the state champs off their pedestal.
One of those teams will be Zimmerman.
“In our district, I think Zimmerman returns as the best team,” said Lundeen. In sections, we will have to beat two of these three teams — Delano, Zimmerman and Orono to advance.”
Lundeen’s goal — as it is for every single football season in the last 47 years - is to win the district, be section champs and play at U.S. Bank stadium.
Can we say threepeat?
Lundeen will have his surplus of talented coaches beside him in camp on the sidelines including Hokan Bengtson, Troy Robinson, Tyler Niedfeldt, Denny Hansen, Brent Scheideman Jeff Zimmer, Dan Schlicht, Brady Cobb, Andrew Hamilton, Mike Lundeen, Jason Pfingsten and Todd Smith.
Student managers are Anthony Agnew, Cheyenne Springer and Erica Freeman.
Schedule:
Sept. 1 @ Hutchinson;
Sept. 9 vs. NLS;
Sept. 16 @ Little Falls;
Sept. 23 vs. Zimmerman;
Sept. 30 @ Foley;
Oct. 7 vs. Milaca;
Oct. 14 vs. Cathedral;
Oct. 19 @ Albany.
