The nine-time defending Section 8AA Football champion Barnesville Trojans have been tabbed by the section coaches as the team to beat again this year, but it was much closer this year, with Hawley and Pelican Rapids in a battle for second. Most teams were senior-dominated last year, but Hawley seems to have the most impact players returning, and with a new coach, things will be a little different. Will this year be the year that Barnesville gets knocked off? We will see.
POLL RESULTS –
1. Barnesville – 8
2. Hawley – 14
3. Pelican Rapids – 15
4. Frazee – 29
4. Roseau – 29
6. Warroad – 33
7. Crookston – 40
The team previews are below-
BARNESVILLE TROJANS – Coach Bryan Strand (22nd year)
Barnesville was 8-4 in 2025 and beat Hawley 26-12 in the section championship before falling to Holdingford in the first round of state 40-24. They have won nine straight Section 8AA championships.
Top returners –
Jacob Strand (5’10 160-pound Junior QB) He has 1700 yards rushing in his career and 500 passing yards. He is one of the top players in the section and is a huge dual-threat.
Martin Dukek (6’4 310-pound Senior Center/DT) He is a force on the line on both sides.
Eli Amundson (6’0 200-pound Senior TE/LB)
Parker Strom (6’2 180-pound Senior TE/DE)
Owen Thorkildson (6’5 225-pound Senior lineman)
Brayden Dunham (6’1 170-pound Senior RB/DB)
Matt Jahr (5’9 175-pound Sophomore FB/DL)
Top newcomers –
Charlie Peterson (Junior OL/DE)
Brody Eickenbrock (Junior T/DT)
Jaxon Berg (Junior RB/DB)
Grady Field (Junior RB/DB)
Key Losses –
Major Ness
Cameron Halverson
Season Outlook according to Coach Strand – “I believe we will be in the hunt for the section title again if we can stay healthy and improve throughout the season.”
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CROOKSTON PIRATES – Coach Jim McBride (2nd year)
Crookston was 2-7 last year with a 63-0 loss to Pelican Rapids in the first round of the section playoffs.
Top returners –
Lukas Helgeson – a hard-nose, tough kid that plays much bigger than his size!
Jaxen Reitmeier – A kid that had a great summer and is a tough kid that will be a leader for the team this year.
Nolan Johnson – a big strong kid on the line. He is only a sophomore and keeps getting bigger, faster, and stronger.
Jaron Knudson – led the team with 2 INT’s last year
Maurico Arriaga– He has speed and strength and will be a big part of both sides of the ball.
Paul Thornhill – averaged 33.3 yards per punt last season on 12 punts.
Top newcomers –
Beau Smith – had a solid eighth-grade year playing varsity basketball and is looking to make an impact this year on the varsity football field
Gabe Ali – his older brother Zach graduated, and he will look to fill his brother’s shoes
Top Losses –
Tate Hamre (now playing at UND) scored 58 of the Pirates 142 points last season. He had 70 carries for 459 yards and 9 TD’s. He was 24 of 51 passing for 241 yards and 3 TD’s.
Casey Weiland and Jose Arriaga were two of the top defensive players for Crookston last year.
Season outlook according to Coach McBride – “As a team, we have put in a lot of work in the weight room and good work during the summer. . We are better as a team and it will be fun to see how we have progressed.”
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FRAZEE HORNETS – Coach Russ Hackel
The Hornets went 6-3 last season, but didn’t play a section opponent until the playoffs. They beat Browerville-Eagle Valley 22-0, Menahga 44-6, New York Mills 26-12, Wadena-Deer Creek 46-12, Lake Park-Audubon 28-22 and Otter Tail Central 42-6. They lost to Hawley 24-14 in the first round of the playoffs.
KROX hasn’t received anything from Frazee yet. Crookston didn’t play the Hornets last year, so I have nothing. If we get anything, I will add it.
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HAWLEY NUGGETS – Coach Nate Brager (7th year overall, 1st at Hawley)
Hawley went 2-6 during the regular season before going on a run in the playoffs. They beat Warroad 35-19 in the first round, Frazee 24-14 in the semi-finals and then lost to Barnesville in the championship game 26-12 to finish 4-7 on the year. Veteran Coach and all-around great guy Peder Naatz retired and now Nate Brager has taken over the helm.
Top returners –
Charlie Steer (Sr. RB/S) – 403 yards rushing, 5 TDs and 75 tackles and 7 interceptions last year.
Linkoln Midthun (Sr. WR/DB) – 511 yards rushing, 6 TDs and 563 yards receiving 6 TDs
Hudson Midthun (Soph. QB) – 898 yards passing with 7 TDs as a freshman
Colton Klages (Sr. RB/LB) – 113 Tackles
Jayden Alverado (Sr. OL/DL) – 53 tackles, 4 sacks
Dawson Kratzke (Sr. OL/DL)
Top Newcomers –
Quade Kosmatka – (Jr. OL/DL)
Eddie Olson – (Jr. WR/DB)
Jordan Hoekstra (So. RB/LB)
Parker Stotts (So. WR/DB)
Key Losses –
To graduation – Jaxon Schenck and Connor Kosmatka
Brody Hadley (Sr. QB) and Elliot Lee (Sr. WR/DB) to Injury
Season outlook according to Coach Brager – “We bring back a lot of experience from 2025 and hope to capitalize on that. Our district is very strong. That will make every regular season game difficult to win. We hope to improve throughout the regular season and stay healthy for playoffs. Our goal is to return to the section championship, but hopefully advance to the state playoffs this time.”
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PELICAN RAPIDS VIKINGS – Coach Eli Beachy (6th year)
The Vikings were 4-6 last season with wins over East Grand Forks, Thief River Falls, and Warroad. In the first round of the playoffs they beat Crookston 63-0, before losing to Barnesville 66-36 in the semifinals.
Top returners –
Seniors:
Grady Larson (QB) – completed 178 of 315 passes for 2,331 yards last year (13.1 yards per completion), had 16 TD’s. He also carried the ball 65 times for 150 yards and 5 TD’s.
Ethan Isaman (WR) – had 83 receptions!!!!! For 1,028 yards and 11 TD’s.
Edwin Escobar (Lineman) – only allowed 8 pressures and 1 sack last year and is one of the top lineman in the section.
Bricker Haugrud (TE) – had 5 receptions for one yard last year and was a solid blocker while only giving up one sack last year. Defensively, he was a stud. He had 58 solo and 33 assisted tackles. 5.5 for a loss.
Roscoe Stubbs – He had 13 solo and 16 assisted tackles, including 8 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and recovery. He is one of the many key pieces back for the Viking line.
Tate Marich – He had 19 receptions for 232 yards last season. On defense, he 15 solo tackles and eight assisted tackles, including 2 for a loss and one pass breakup.
Calvin Norton – he was one of the top defensive players last year with 37 solo tackles and 32 assisted tackles, 13 for a loss, 3.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. He also had 4 carries for 42 yards and 1 TD.
Maddyx Vondra – one of the top linemen returning for the Vikings. He only allowed 2 sacks and committed two penalties last year. He had six solo tackles and five assisted tackles with 1.5 tackles for a loss.
Andon Roisum – Had 6 receptions for 49 yards last season.
Juniors:
Levi Hillukka – a top returning lineman that only gave up 2 sacks last year on 315 passing attempts! He was fifth on the team in tackles last year with 35 solo and 27 assisted. He had 9.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and one recovery.
Michael Honrud – played on the line a bit as a junior. Will be looked at to fill what should be an outstanding line. He had a few tackles last year as a defensive lineman.
CJ Fahje – He had 3 receptions for 56 yards and he added 27 solo tackles, 10 assisted along with 2 tackles for a loss, 1 INT, and 9 pass breakups.
Top Newcomers –
Seniors:
Jaxn Heintzelman
Thomas Johnson
Juniors:
Mark Roisum
Treyd Dokken
Zane Pint
Charlie Stubbs
Carter Johnson
Sophomore:
Jace Wolf
Top Losses –
Miguel Torres – had 44 receptions for 722 yards and 4 TD’s.
Harley Jacobson – was a force on the line and had 14 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.
Maclain Hovland – was in on 20 solo tackles and 14 assisted.
Season outlook according to Coach Beachy – “Team strengths: Positional size and athleticism, Senior leadership, Attitude and effort on a daily basis. Team weaknesses: Depth and numbers; turnover margin differential over the past two seasons; we need to take care of the ball more often and force turnovers more frequently; mental mistake penalties. Coming off a disappointing season last year, we’re looking forward to starting fresh and bouncing back this coming year. We’ve had the best first week of practice our coaching staff has ever been apart of since we’ve been here.
Our offensive line has the potential to be the best group we’ve had over the last five seasons. They have great size and have worked their tails off in the weight room all off-season. From left to right, our offensive line consists of Senior, Edwin Escobar (3 year starter), Senior, Maddyx Vondra (2 year starter), Junior Levi Hillukka (2 year starter), Senior, Roscoe Stubbs (2 year starter), and Junior, Michael Honrud (1st year starter but doesn’t play or look like it). All 5 of those guys will play crucial roles on the other side of the ball for us as well up front and in the box.
Grady Larson is going into his 3rd season as the starting Quarterback having accumulated nearly 5,000 passing yards and 54 total touchdowns through his career to this point. He is a natural born leader and is the voice of the team.
Ethan Isaman, our most dynamic weapon offensively and shutdown corner since his 9th grade season is also back for his final season as a Viking. Ethan is coming off an incredible record-breaking season in which he eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark receiving, which was the first time a Wide Receiver has done so in Pelican Rapids history.
Bricker Haugrud returns as the lead Running Back and Mike Linebacker. Bricker had an awesome Junior season, accumulating 16 Rushing Touchdowns and over 750 Yards on the ground. Bricker was also the leading tackler defensively last season. Bricker is going to be an absolute workhorse running the football behind his offensive line while continuing to lead the defensive unit.
Calvin Norton, Tate Marich, Andon Roisum, and CJ Fahje will play crucial roles to the team offensively and defensively on the back end. Calvin is an all-gas-no-breaks kind of linebacker and will be a hard-nosed Fullback offensively. Tate Marich has worked his tail off in the weight room and has the potential to be the best Tight End / Outside Linebacker we’ve had in a long time. Andon Roisum is a great sized Tight End that has not had the ability to show off his talents on the football field as much as he or we would like over the last two seasons due to injury but I know he’s ready for a big leap. CJ Fahje is another Wide Receiver and Safety with great size and hands and will be a big part of our passing attack and stopping the pass on the other end.”
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ROSEAU RAMS – Coach Mike Picard (2nd year)
The Rams went 1-8 last season with a 50-30 victory over Pelican Rapids. They lost to Barnesville 65-32 in the first round of the playoffs.
Top Returners –
Jordan Borowicz (Sr) – Had over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns and led the team in tackles.
Barron Muirhead (Jr.). He was the second-leading tackler and rusher last year, and we’re really looking forward to him making a significant impact this year and becoming one of our top players.
Eli Kvein (Sr.) We’re expecting him to shine. His leadership during the summer has been outstanding.
Toby Bryan – At 6’7 and 275lbs, he’s going to be a force this year.
Draycen Byfuglien and Dan Skoien are also returning starters, both seniors. They’re both very physical players and we’re expecting them to be fierce competitors at the line of scrimmage this year.
Heath Baugher is also a returning junior this year. Heath is always ready to help out, and his involvement on both sides of the ball will be crucial this year.
Top Newcomers/or returners who will play a bigger role –
Brayden Krank at QB is starting his second year as a sophomore. We’re hoping he’ll make a big jump this year.
DeSean Johnson is a junior and is set to make a big splash on offense. He’s versatile and can play multiple positions, contributing in many ways.
Hayden Picard is looking forward to his sophomore year. He played most of the games last year as a tight end. He is making the switch to the offensive or defensive line.
Trent Spindler is a new player from Wisconsin, and he’s going to be a big help on the offensive and defensive lines. We’re expecting him to be a playmaker on both sides of the field.
Plus, there are lots of kids who got playing time last year who are now competing for those starting spots. Jace Kombe, Owen Cummings, Keane Johnson, Ethan Vasko, Meryk Ullman, and Chace Johnson are all in the mix.
We also have a great group of incoming freshmen. Lincoln Kvein, Hutch Baugher, Dmari Hutson, Micah Severson, and Jonas Didrikson are all likely to contribute in some way.
Key Losses –
We had several players last year who graduated. Landon Baumgartner, Beck Hammer, Liam Johnson, Matt Danielson, Caleb Dvergsten, Jude Witrock, and Kasen Howdahl will all be tough to replace.
Season Outlook according to Coach Picard – “Our numbers are down, but the kids we have this year are really committed to the process we’re trying to build here at Roseau. Our offense and defense schemes haven’t changed much, so the learning curve has been much easier this year. We’re really looking forward to the year. If we’re in top physical shape, we’ll be the more physical team and play disciplined football, so we feel like we should be able to compete in games this year.”
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WARROAD WARRIORS – Coach Brandon Barker (3rd year)
Warroad was 2-7 last year, beating Hawley (17-16) and Roseau (28-8) in the regular season. They lost to Hawley 35-19 in the first round of the section playoffs.
Top Returners –
Conner Lund (Junior-RB/LB) Was a stud last year and had 1,050 yards and 14 TD’s along with 77 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 int, and 1 TD on defense.
Brady Fast (Senior- QB/S) He had 630 yards and 3 TD’s last year.
Parker Lien (Junior- RB/LB) Was a beast on defense last year with 73 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 int.
Matthew Nordine– (Senior- OL/DL) Will be an important part of the offensive and defensive lines. Last year, he had 38 total tackles and 2 int.
Lane Landis (Senior OL)
Parker Moes (Senior-K)
Top Newcomers-
Christian Daoheuang (Sophomore RB/DB)
Key Players Lost –
Sam Hard
Kael Thompson
Ryan Chamernick
Season Outlook according to Coach Barker – “We have five returners on offense and six on defense. With a large junior class, many players gained playing experience last year and are expected to fill the open starting positions. The returners are in key positions on both offense and defense. We hope to stay healthy and improve on our record from last year.”
