Micah Friez: FRIEZ COLUMN: 3 cheers for Bemidji State football, soccer and the 'army' behind the mega-weekend
Nov. 29—Something Brent Bolte said last week resonated with me.
"I've always said that football is an army sport," the Bemidji State football head coach said. "You've got to have an army of players, an army of people behind the scenes to make it function."
That sentiment rings true for far more than just football. Two historic runs collided into one mega-weekend at Chet Anderson Stadium on Nov. 18-20, where the BSU soccer and football programs hosted groundbreaking NCAA Tournament games at home on back-to-back-to-back days.
Those teams deserve plenty of praise for their accomplishments, full stop. They've achieved things that nobody in a Beaver uniform had ever done before, and they've raised the bar at Bemidji State forever.
But, like Bolte said, it takes an army to make it function.
The athletes themselves made incredible memories through their play on the field, but that pristine-looking pitch didn't just happen. It took a shovel party with multiple BSU teams to clear off the snow in the stands and on the field, plus the game management crew scooping it all away both before and during the events.
The heating tents were life-savers for athletes
enduring sub-zero cold.
The fans didn't have that luxury, but they still came out in impressive droves to support their teams.
From a media standpoint, the sports information crew was essential for us to do our jobs and share the stories we did. Tyler Christiansen, the assistant director of athletic media relations, has worked 70-hour weeks to make it possible, and he and his staff have done everything from photos and graphics to stat keeping and record watching so that coverage goes off without a hitch. (And, mind you, they were also juggling other Beaver sports going on at the same time.)
Speaking of sharing the stories we did, kudos are in order for Pioneer multimedia editor Madelyn Haasken, who made our stories come to life with excellent photography all three days. The same goes for sports reporter Christian Babcock for finding a secondary story during the frigid football game. I at least got to perch up in the warm press box, but those two bundled up and did their jobs well while braving the cold. Our colleagues and friends in TV and radio also did exceptional work, and I'm proud to work alongside them.
There's a hundred other folks who had a hand — from scoreboard operators and cameramen to athletic trainers and referees. It'd be impossible to name everyone, but if you were involved, I hope you take pride in knowing it served our community well.
Like all good things, the unprecedented runs eventually came to an end. The Bemidji State women's soccer team
reached the national quarterfinals before meeting its match,
while the BSU football team
bowed out in the Sweet 16.
But soccer
won the Central Region championship
and hosted four rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. And football brought the postseason to Bemidji for the first time in program history —
winning its debut in dominant fashion,
no less.
I felt fortunate to sit up in the old Chet Anderson Stadium press box to watch it all unfold — both the action on the field and all the dedicated efforts off of it.
The old rule for sports scribes is that there's no cheering allowed in the press box. But cheers are still in order for those involved in such a first-rate, historic weekend at the Chet — one that BSU ought to be proud of.
