BEMIDJI STATE FOOTBALL

Faber: First impressions, difficult farewells to the community that gave me my start

Alex Faber — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

I didn’t know much about Bemidji before I moved into town last July. In fact, I had never even been to Minnesota before when I accepted the offer to be the Pioneer’s sports reporter.

A few things surprised me in those first few months.

First, none of you has the accent. I was fully expecting the thick, heavy “dontcha know,” nearly-Canadian-type stuff, ala “Fargo.” Turns out, it’s just classic Midwest, the “ope” lingo that I grew up with in Michigan.

Second, unicycle basketball and dragon boats exist.

Finally, covering prep and Division II sports can be just as fun as writing about Michigan State football.

My first few months here were full of surprises. It’s one of my favorite things about life, jumping into the unknown and learning about a world I knew nothing about, even if it was still in the Midwest and less than a day’s drive from my hometown of Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Next week, I’ll be making another jump. This time, I’m heading over to North Dakota to join the sports staff at the Grand Forks Herald. At least this time, I had the chance to visit my future home before moving in.

My decision to leave the Pioneer was not an easy one. I have never been in such an enjoyable newsroom (though I haven’t been in many newsrooms). My coworkers became my friends as I tried to adjust to living 12 hours from everyone I grew up with.

Though he is uncomfortable with praise, my sports editor, Jared Rubado, was the best mentor I could’ve asked for right out of college. Besides lengthy discussions about movies and sports in the office, he helped me hone my skills as a writer and a journalist. I grew exponentially in the past 11 months under his tutelage.

Plus, the job itself has been so fun. I’ve enjoyed meeting all the coaches, players, staff and student information directors at Bemidji High �� and Bemidji State, discovering the passion that the community has for their teams.

Bemidji State football was especially enjoyable to cover, even if some of the NSIC streams for road games were choppier than Lake Superior in mid-November. Witnessing the homecoming tradition of jumping into Lake Bemidji and traveling to Mankato for the playoffs were a couple of standout memories from what was a rollercoaster of a season.

However, some of my favorite stories came out of unexpected events. From something as wacky as the unicycle basketball team full of eccentrics to something more standard like a women’s tennis meet on a Wednesday afternoon, I rarely struggled to find an interesting story in Bemidji.

I’m going to miss shooting the breeze with everyone at the office, hopping on the radio with Joel Hoover and meeting Lakeland’s Charlie Yaeger, TJ Rhodes and Rubado at Slim’s on occasion. I’ll miss Saturday afternoons at the Chet and random weekday evenings at the BHS Gymnasium, and reading on the beach when events were more sparse during summer.

I don’t think I’ll miss the winter weather, but I’ve been told that Grand Forks is colder – and windier – so maybe I will.

However, I’m no stranger to making jumps in my career. My time at Bemidji helped me grow as both a writer and a journalist, but when I heard there was an opportunity in Grand Forks, it was too tempting to ignore the chance to cover D-I basketball, hockey and FCS football.

I’m extremely excited to learn from Tom Miller and Brad Schlossman, two of the best in the business. I’m also excited to leap into the world of North Dakota sports, though I still don’t think they'll be any more appreciative of my Detroit sports fandom.

I owe too many thank yous to all my coworkers, the community and everyone I met along the way for being so welcoming this past year. At a time when journalism isn’t necessarily the most lucrative career to enter, my year in Bemidji helped reassure me that I have, in fact, chosen the right path.

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Best of the Beavs: The Pioneer’s top 2024-25 moments from each Bemidji State team

Jared Rubado — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 17:05:48 GMT

BEMIDJI – When the athletic year comes to a close, it gives us time to reflect.

Bemidji State and its 14 athletics programs are firmly in their offseasons. Before the Beavers arrive on campus this fall, the Pioneer sports department looked back on our favorite moments from this past season.

It was a year of triumphant highs and crushing lows, as is for any institution that competes on the field, ice, pitch, track, course and court. Here are the moments that stuck out to us:

Football: Gabe Ward’s miracle in the mountains

Faber: On Nov. 30, Bemidji State trailed Western Colorado 19-14 on the road with less than four minutes left in the game. The Mountaineers were driving deep into Beaver territory, content with milking out the clock in the second-round Super Region 4 Tournament tilt.

The Beavers needed a miracle. Stephen Hoffman and Gabe Ward provided it.

On a designed quarterback keeper, WCU’s Josiah Roy rushed past the line of scrimmage and was met by Hoffman, who forced a fumble. Ward scooped the ball up and blitzed 75 yards to the end zone, giving BSU a 20-19 lead with 3:25 left in the game.

The lead stuck, and Bemidji State advanced to the Super Region 4 Championship for the first time in program history.

Volleyball: A brave effort with heavy hearts

Rubado: It’s hard to remember a sporting event as emotional as the Bemidji State volleyball game on Sept. 26.

The Beavers’ home opener was heavy, to say the least. It was the first contest BSU played in since the passing of head coach Kevin Ulmer, who died after his three-year battle with cancer.

With his wife and kids in attendance, Bemidji State battled No. 15 Minnesota Duluth and pushed the Bulldogs to the brink. Ultimately losing in five sets, it was a night where any score or result was secondary.

I find myself looking back on that game and thinking about how tough the BSU players were for having the courage to suit up that night. Ulmer, among a plethora of apt descriptors, was a beloved community member, and he would’ve been proud of the effort his players and coaches showed that night.

Women’s soccer: The Stocke connection

Rubado: A pair of siblings competing for the same collegiate program isn’t unheard of. Three of them, however, are worth remembering.

Maria, Bri and Dayna Stocke were raised in Andover, but hadn’t played more than one high school game together on the same team. Maria, a senior, and Dayna, a freshman, were years apart, with Bri, a redshirt sophomore, splitting the age difference.

In their own ways, all three were and are valuable contributors to the Beavers. But it took a little bit more in the tank for Bri to get there. In high school, she had “calf problems,” and was later diagnosed with compartment syndrome. She played in 10 matches this season, the most since she was a Husky at Andover.

Men’s golf: Schoepp’s three-day reign

Rubado: Going wire-to-wire in a tournament is impressive at any level of golf. Doing it with an individual NSIC championship on the line certainly adds to the resume.

Bemidji State junior Logan Schoepp went to Blue Springs, Missouri, in April and finished every round at the top of the leaderboard. Schoepp edged out Concordia-St. Paul’s Thomas Gutzmer to win his first individual crown.

Women’s golf: A message worth continued sharing

Rubado: I never met Tracy (Depew) Lane. I never got to see her golf. I’ve only heard stories about the kind of person and athlete she was.

Unfortunately, Lane’s golf career can be overshadowed by her premature passing. In August 2013, Lane died after a battle with cervical cancer. Three years later, Judy Mayotte, Tracy’s mother, has taken time to travel to Bemidji and speak with the players at the Tracy Lane Memorial Golf Tournament about “Tracy’s dying wish.”

Sometimes, the best sports moments are routine. And while it’s become part of the yearly routine for Mayotte to speak with the women’s golfers who make their way to Bemidji in the fall, my conversation with her opened me up to a passionate cause.

Women’s track and field: Trading throws

Rubado: Mikenna Pattrin decided she’d thrown enough softballs and taken enough hits on the rugby pitch. During her freshman year at Bemidji State four years ago, Pattrin was offered a spot on the BSU women’s track and field team as a thrower. She wrapped up her senior spring season with her best.

On Jan. 31, Pattrin heaved a throw of 13.10 meters, breaking into the NCAA Division II College Indoor rankings at No. 48 for the first time in her career.

Women’s cross country: Twilight personal records

Rubado: The Bemidji State women’s cross country season is the shortest of all sports at BSU. The Beavers had just five meets before their focus shifted toward the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

However, one meet stuck out. Bemidji State took third place out of 13 teams at the Dragon Twilight meet in Moorhead. Maggie McCarthy (19:26.196, 18th place) and Carol Miller (19:30.02, 23rd) finished inside the top 25. Additionally, four runners notched personal-best times. Miller, Sydney Price (21:58.4), Sophie Rylance (20:44.6) and Ava Werner (23:18.9) all cruised to their best marks under the lights in Moorhead.

Men’s hockey: Late night in Sioux Falls

Rubado: I think BSU head coach Tom Serratore would scoff if I tried using this space to talk about his 400th win again instead of the team as a whole. Luckily for me, one men’s hockey moment sticks out above the rest.

Bemidji State trailed its Mason Cup Playoffs quarterfinal series 1-0 against second-seeded Augustana. The Beavers were dead to rights after not recording a shot on goal in the third period in Game 1. Despite that frustrating conclusion, BSU showed its resolve and tied the series, then Adam Flammang sniped the winner. The Beavers’ upset over Augustana in the first round, in a lot of ways, mimicked a season packed with highs and lows.

Women’s hockey: Deering’s OT heroics

Rubado: When Bemidji State women’s hockey defensemen get in on the scoring action, the Beavers are typically in good shape. Senior Makenna Deering thought that one goal wasn’t good enough.

After tallying a power-play goal midway through the first period against Minnesota State on Jan. 31 at the Sanford Center, Deering showcased her overtime magic 20 seconds into the extra session to give the Beavers a 3-2 win.

To that point, Deering hadn’t scored a goal in her senior season. Her second goal notched BSU its fifth win and surpassed its win total from a year earlier.

Deering wasn’t the only senior defenseman to make headlines. Kendra Fortin became Bemidji State’s first-ever finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award for her efforts in organ donation awareness.

Men’s basketball: JP’s 3-point party against the Marauders

Faber: Heading into the 2025 season, the Beavers knew they had a star in John Sutherland. They knew they had returning talent and upside in Tate Olson. They knew they had exciting potential in transfer-portal addition Malang Athian.

What might have come as a surprise, though, was this season’s 3-point specialist: John Pecarich.

After a quiet freshman season, the guard from Brainerd made his presence felt just three games into his sophomore season, scoring 24 points and splashing six 3-pointers against Valley City State.

Perhaps his best performance (in a win), though, came against an NSIC opponent on Jan. 30. Pecarich was an efficient 6 for 9 from beyond the arc, finishing with 24 points in Bemidji State’s 88-76 win over U-Mary.

In a season that featured some inconsistency, Pecarich’s 3-point scoring ability – first off the bench and eventually in the starting five – was a near constant.

Women’s basketball: Beavers best Huskies for first conference win

Faber: Outside the BSU Gymnasium on Dec. 19, the wind was whipping and the snow was piling up. But inside, the Beavers were finally heating up.

Bemidji State had kicked off its NSIC slate with four-straight losses when it welcomed St. Cloud State to town. However, thanks to strong scoring performances from Tieryn Plasch and Rachel Koenig, the Beavers finally stopped their conference skid with a 78-74 win over the Huskies.

Plasch scored a team-high 22 points, highlighted by six 3-pointers. Koenig was next up with 20, putting together an efficient 7 for 8 day from the field. Freshman Aubrey Heyer also pitched in with 13 points in the win.

Women’s tennis: First time since ‘17

Faber: On April 5, the Beavers achieved something they hadn’t since 2017. They secured a win over Winona State.

It was a 4-3 victory that perfectly encapsulated the scrappy 2025 squad. Though the Warriors took the doubles point, the pairing of Mia Leshem and Sophie Groen flexed their ability at the No. 1 spot with a 6-2 win.

Groen outlasted Lainey Ristau at No. 1 singles in a three-set battle. BSU picked up another hard-fought, three-set win at No. 2 singles courtesy of Leshem, an exciting freshman from South Africa. Ana Lucía Ibáñez Castro and Lauren Rutten won at Nos. 4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, to clinch the win.

Softball: Ranked win in the Sunshine state

Faber: While campus was still busy thawing from winter, the Bemidji State softball team spent the first few weeks of March racking up wins in Clermont, Florida.

The Beavers collected eight victories at the Spring Games from March 6-14. Those wins brought the season total up to 13, matching the final tally from the entire 2024 season.

The most impressive victory was a 1-0 nailbiter on March 13. Bemidji State took down No. 16 Indianapolis, thanks to a stellar performance from freshman pitcher Kennedy Joachim. She gave up four hits and no runs through seven innings, issuing one walk while tallying 10 strikeouts.

Baseball: Ending on a high note

Rubado: Wins were hard to come by for the Bemidji State baseball team, but one of them showcased its growth.

Too often did the Beavers let games slip away in the late innings. The regular-season finale against St. Cloud State wasn’t one of them. Leading 9-1 after seven innings, BSU took the Huskies’ best punch. SCSU scored five in the top of the eighth inning at the BSU baseball field, but couldn’t find the tying run. Ty Schulte recorded a four-out save with two strikeouts.

Brandon Lind had his best. The starting pitcher threw 7 1/3 innings, striking out ten batters in 123 pitches to give the Beavers a shot. Despite making four errors, Bemidji State held on to win 9-7.

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Bemidji State’s defense stands tall; spring scrimmage brings some clarity to positional battles

Alex Faber — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 16:18:56 GMT

BEMIDJI — Concrete decisions are rarely made as early as spring, and the Bemidji State football team has plenty of questions to settle before it starts the 2025 season with a road trip to Michigan Tech on Aug. 28.

What does the defensive line look like with so many new pieces? Who’s going to be the new signal caller? Is the offensive line still going to be a strength for the Beavers after losing a couple of key players?

BSU didn’t get those questions fully ironed out in its spring scrimmage with Concordia-St. Paul last weekend. But for the coaching staff and the players, it was an essential step in the offseason process as players continued to build their individual bodies of work and ready themselves for the coming year.

“I think you’ve got to look at it as a whole body of work, with it culminating (in) going against someone else,” BSU head coach Brent Bolte said. “You’ve got to put stock into what they did leading into it and the whole body of work, not just eight or 10 plays or 12 plays in a scrimmage.

However, some answers have begun to crystallize this spring in different parts of the roster.

Though extracting too much from spring practices and a scrimmage is ill-advised, Bemidji State’s “gang green” defense certainly lived up to its billing against the Golden Bears.

“I thought the defense just overall played really well,” Bolte said. “We had six drives, we gave up a handful of first downs, but no scores. They played well. … Our ones really played well defensively, really all groups played well.”

The young defensive line held up especially well, highlighted by a pair of transfers. Nah’Shawn Keith, a defensive tackle from Colorado State Pueblo, and Joel White-Watkins, a defensive lineman from Delta State, each impressed with strong individual plays against CSP.

“(Keith) did a really good job,” Bolte said. “He had two or three sacks in the game. He stepped up and did a really nice job. I thought (White-Watkins), another d-tackle transfer, did a really nice job, was in the scrimmage as well and played some meaningful downs.”

In addition to those new pieces, the Beavers rolled out familiar faces like Tyler Sapit and Eli Coenen on the defensive line, each of which played important reps as the 2024 season wound on.

“The d-line in general, I thought they had a good day,” Bolte said. “On a piece of paper, (it’s a) really young group and a lot of new faces, so they were pretty dominant throughout the course of the day.”

The linebackers and secondary impressed as well. Though top-end defensive backs like Jamel Stone and Savon Cameron have moved on, Bemidji State is still bringing plenty of experience into 2025.

First team all-conference cornerback Isaiah Johnson, second team all-conference linebacker Kamrom Gothard, Jacob Dreitz, who took just about every snap at mike linebacker, Tommy Luhan, Caden Bolte, Gabe Ward and a handful of other depth pieces are back.

That group, alongside some younger players like defensive backs L’Shawn Taylor and Reese Sheldon, a transfer from North Dakota State, played a major role in BSU’s stout defensive output in the scrimmage.

“I thought they covered really well, I thought those guys did a nice job and had a lot of confidence coming out of spring,” Bolte said. “Watching the film again, I’ve watched it three or four, maybe five times now. I felt like we could cover everybody downfield, we had really great coverage.”

On the other side of the ball, things were a bit choppier. Bright spots were aplenty, but self-inflicted wounds cast a pall over some of those individual performances.

“Offensively, there wasn’t a lot of flow,” Bolte said. “I think we were our own worst enemies when you really watch the film of what we got accomplished. We had a couple big plays called back, we missed a touchdown over the top where we had a wide-open guy we didn't connect on.

“So just a little bit off and not clicking as much as probably they wanted, but when you watched it, there’s still a lot of good.”

One of the areas of success, however, was found in the ground game.

Pounding the rock with a second-team all-conference running back in Jayden Washington, as well as talented rotational backs like Justin Incaprepra and Antonio Brown, played into that success, as did the guys in the trenches.

Though the Beavers lost Will LeMire and Jake Gannon on the offensive line, it’s a unit that could very well be one of their strengths yet again.

Conor Kovas, Isaac Hagstrom and Zach Ott return as the “lynchpins” along the line, bringing loads of experience and starts to the unit.

Gannon, who was awarded the Rimington Trophy for the best center in Division II football, is not going to be easy to replace in the middle. However, Bolte believes the drop-off won’t be a sharp one.

Clayton Birsdall, who stepped in at fullback last season thanks to injuries, is expected to step in at center for BSU. Needless to say, the Alexandria native is going to have big shoes to fill, though Bolte thinks he’s up for the task.

“Clayton Birdsall is extremely gifted as a center for us,” Bolte said. “Yes, obviously, we’ll have some growing pains without having Gannon, all the experience. … But (Birdsall is) a heck of a good football player and (I) view him as a kid that, in my opinion, we’re not going to have a huge drop off. And that’s a pretty big statement, considering who he’s replacing at that spot.”

It’s still unclear who’s going to be tossing the ball behind that wall of men, though. Bemidji State gave reps to multiple quarterbacks against CSP, trying to give the young group a taste of more game-like reps.

Of the four quarterbacks, Connor Carver and Zach Romak are the only two who will enter the 2025 season with collegiate snaps under their belts. Carver saw some especially important in-game usage as the season progressed, carving out a role as the Beavers’ go-to signal caller in the wildcat package in the playoffs.

That invaluable experience might give the duo a “leg up” as the competition for starting QB heats up, much like it did for Sam McGath last offseason. But Bolte is going to let the battle play out into the offseason, content with letting the youthful position group continue their maturation process and development.

“We'll still have a quarterback battle, I’m sure, progressing through the offseason here,” Bolte said. “But I think they all did, respectively, some good things throughout spring and also in the game.

“I thought Romack had a good end of spring. I thought Connor did some good stuff, too, and Bart McAninch did some really good stuff, just developmental, and Caleb (Thinesen) did some things, too. … I was really, honestly, happy with the progression of all the quarterbacks.”

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Beavers to hold youth football clinic on April 26

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:46:30 GMT

BEMIDJI — The Bemidji State football team is holding a youth clinic on April 26, welcoming kids in kindergarten through fifth grade to Chet Anderson Stadium.

Registration opens at 10:15 a.m. and the camp will start at 11 a.m. The camp will end at noon, with lunch and departure set for 12:15 p.m.

The cost of the camp is $30. Individuals interested in attending can register here.

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Beavers ready for spring test against Golden Bears after offseason of change

Alex Faber — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — The Beavers’ offseason seems to be getting shorter and shorter every year.

The Bemidji State football team is back out on the field for spring practice after a winter that felt a little shorter than usual, thanks to the postseason run to the Super Region 4 Championship game.

Though there’s still quite some time until BSU’s season opener at Michigan Tech on Aug. 28, it’s already been a busy offseason.

Starting quarterback Sam McGath is gone. Star wide receiver Bubba Peters is gone. The four starters that combined for one of the best defensive lines in the nation – Marcus Hansen, Stephen Hoffman, Marco Cavallaro and Cade Barrett – are all gone.

“It’s always good to kind of turn the page,” head coach Brent Bolte said. “Every year, it’s like the offseason gets shorter, which is a good thing because you’re winning football games. But we did lose a lot of quality, quality players over the last really four cycles. Just kind of got to get the stepping stones to see who’s going to take over roles.”

Along with the typical graduations and transfers that are part and parcel of collegiate football, the Beavers have had a few shakeups in the coaching staff.

Jordan Hein is back in Bemidji as the offensive coordinator, replacing Karson Pike. Brandon Labath and Shevin Smith Jr. have joined the staff as assistant coaches.

In short, spring ball will be one of the first major steps towards a season that will look quite different from last year’s, at least in terms of roster and staff makeup.

But the Beavers are excited to be back on the gridiron and are more than ready for the competition that comes with spring ball.

“It’s amazing, we’ve got another group of guys that’s just ready to compete, ready to win,” sophomore quarterback Connor Carver said. “Last year, obviously, there was a lot of older guys. Those guys have been through a lot together. Some of those guys were even here during COVID and stuff. So it’s exciting that it feels like our time a little bit.”

Some of the returning players are already stepping into leadership roles this spring, ready to prepare their younger teammates for the coming season.

“I love working with the younger guys, really get them to get going,” sophomore defensive end Eli Coenen said. “Of course, I’m working on my game all the time too, but my goal for this is for sure getting the young guys up and ready for this next upcoming season for sure. … I feel like there’s a lot of people that stepped up in that (leadership) role.”

This weekend, the Beavers will finally have a chance to hit someone who’s not also wearing the green and white.

Bemidji State is heading down to Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday, taking on the Golden Bears for a 2 p.m. spring game.

“Eventually, you get tired of hitting somebody that is on your team, but I think I would say the guys in the trenches are a lot more excited than I am,” Carver quipped.

It’s the second iteration of the spring game in the new era.

Last spring, BSU traveled to Minnesota Duluth for the scrimmage. The Beavers look for NSIC opponents that they won’t be playing in a given season, and go from there in terms of scheduling.

Naturally, these spring scrimmages don’t play out like a traditional regular season game. Each team puts together different groupings, pitting offensive starters versus defensive starters, second-stringers versus second-stringers, etc. until they “run out of bodies.” The goal is to get around 60 plays in.

With a contingent of Twin Cities-area players on the roster, the Beavers will also be participating in a social afterwards with families, players and alumni.

However, Bemidji State still approaches it like a traditional game week in practice. There’s install on Tuesday and Thursday and a walk-through on Friday. Then it’s off to the buses on Saturday.

“It’s an opportunity to get these young guys on the road and play a road game, so to speak,” Bolte said. “We treat this as, if you want to call it minus one week or zero week, however you want to look at it. This is our first opportunity, like I said, to go out and compete against somebody different. So just kind of (gets) the juices flowing when you get to go do it against somebody else.”

For the coaching staff, the spring game is an opportunity to assess depth and positional competitions, seeing which players step up in a game-like situation.

“To round out our two deep, have a better understanding to see if we need to bring anybody in, rely on some freshman or transfers, that’s part of it,” Bolte said. “But sometimes when the lights get bright, some kids step up, some kids falter. So you want to see who’s going to step up in those situations.”

Bemidji State has lost plenty this offseason, but that’s nothing new. Last year, the Beavers were tasked with replacing program legend Brandon Alt at quarterback, star wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby and a collection of other top-end talent sprinkled around the roster. And BSU still ended up making the deepest run in program history.

This year’s squad is young and has plenty of question marks, but this Saturday is one of many stepping stones in seeing if the Beavers can reload yet again.

“It’ll be fun, but it’s a work day for us,” Bolte said. “We’ve got to go down and perform well. We look at as an opportunity to put things on film, and you want to go out and dominate your opponents or play well. … Like last year, I thought our team really played well at Duluth, but yet we were a really veteran group. We’re a pretty young group this year, so just see which cast of guys steps up to the plate when the lights get bright.

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Shevin Smith Jr. takes unconventional path to lead Bemidji State’s cornerback room

Alex Faber — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 12:15:00 GMT

Shevin Smith Jr. didn’t play football until his senior year of high school.

Seven years later, he met Bemidji State head coach Brent Bolte in a hotel room in Lincoln, Nebraska for an impromptu interview to be the Beavers’ new cornerbacks coach.

Smith was clued in about a job opening at Bemidji State by a trainer in California who had connections with Brandon Brooks, the Beavers’ former defensive backs coach. Smith told the trainer he was interested in the position, and the following morning, he received a call from defensive coordinator Joe Ford.

Less than 24 hours later, Smith found himself in a hotel room interviewing with Bolte

“I liked it because it was the most non-interview interview ever,” Smith said. “Bolte is such a chill, kind of old-school guy, so he was like “So what do you think about all this NIL?” and stuff like that. We just started having a conversation, not even like, ‘What do you like to teach, this, this, that,’ we were just talking about NIL, recruiting, football.”

As it turned out, Bolte was already in Lincoln, attending the Rimington Trophy ceremony alongside center Jake Gannon. Ford told Smith that, if he was interested in the position, he could meet Bolte in his hotel room before the award ceremony.

Smith obliged. The two met up and talked for about 30 minutes, discussing coaching experience and the current state of college football.

“I could tell that he was really aligned in the way that we thought about the overall philosophy of football and the football world,” Smith said.

The feeling was mutual.

“I think the big thing for me, I let coach Ford do a lot of the dirty work with who he feels comfortable with, the X’s and Os,” Bolte said. “I just want good people, that’s who I look for. (Smith and I) talked a little shop, we talked just in generalities about the sport of football, different stuff. … He’s very mature, probably beyond his years in terms of how he presents himself. Very, very knowledgeable young man as well.”

Shortly after the interview, Smith received the job offer and accepted.

From a late start to his career to playing cornerback in the Big 12, and eventually a shift to the coaching side of the game, Smith’s journey to northern Minnesota has been a nontraditional one.

From novice to D-I

Smith “never really played” football growing up. He was involved in athletics but stayed away from the gridiron in part because of his mother’s fear of potential injury.

However, Smith decided to give the sport a try his senior year of high school. Considering the late start, he entered the endeavor a little nervous.

Luckily, Smith had a former NFL safety in his corner for support. His father, Shevin Smith, was a Florida State defensive back who wound up playing two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“He was definitely the biggest influence on my self-confidence,” Smith said. “He was just like, ‘If you go out and do it, just go out and believe that you’re the best at it instead of the third (best).’ I think that’s where he influenced me more than anything else. … He’s very confident, and not in an arrogant way, but like whatever you do, just make sure you feel like you’re the best at it. Just get to the level that you feel you’re at.”

Smith found success in that senior prep season, and eventually, it was time to look to the collegiate level. Baylor’s cornerbacks coach, who knew Smith’s father, reached out and offered a tryout.

Smith made the cut, joining the Bears’ defensive back room as a corner for the next few seasons. Near the end of his collegiate career, though, Smith began to show an interest in the coaching side of things.

In the summer of 2022, he took an internship with the Indianapolis Colts. The first portion of the job was mostly spent setting up meeting rooms and other operational tasks, but as the summer wound on, Smith grew closer with the defensive staff. He eventually began helping at practice, doing smaller projects and assisting with substitutions.

“That’s when I really was like, ‘Oh, I actually really, really like this coaching aspect, I really want to go all in on it,’” Smith said.

After his internship with the Colts, Smith spent his final season at Baylor as a student coach.

“When I got to Baylor, (I was) athletic enough to certainly be amongst the people that were there, but I had to kind of teach myself football,” Smith said. ”So from there to being a coach in three years has been, it’s been a whirlwind of teaching.

“I came in so under everybody in terms of the curve that I feel like I overlearned over some people. While people are trying to learn, ‘OK, I got cover two in this coverage,’ I’m learning what cover two is, why we do over two, this, that.”

After graduating from Baylor in 2022, Smith decided to continue developing his coaching career in the Big Ten.

He joined Nebraska’s coaching staff in 2023 as a graduate assistant, working specifically with the defensive backs. It was a relatively small staff in that first year; Smith was the only grad assistant for defensive backs on a unit that had a five-DB scheme.

Smith picked up plenty in his time in the Big Ten, from coaching tidbits to his approach to the game as a whole.

“When I first started (at Nebraska) I thought I would be overwhelmed,” Smith said. “Then, as we got through the season, I just realized it’s another old day playing football, same as you’re in high school, in the backyard. … I think I learned to not be as obsessive on every little thing when I was at Nebraska – understand things are going to go wrong, things are going to go right, just try your best, put your best into it and don't overthink the moment.”

In 2024, he became a recruiting assistant for the Huskers. After that second season, though, it was time for Smith to begin a search for the next step in his coaching career.

“This year coming in, I was like alright, I learned the coaching, I learned the recruiting, I want to marry it into a position coach job,” Smith said. “Kind of have my own thing going on.”

Rising the ranks

Smith will have his first real taste of running his own position group this season, bringing a variety of knowledge from his time in the Big Ten and the Big 12 and from well-respected leaders in the coaching community, such as Nebraska head coach (and former Baylor head coach) Matt Rhule.

“I think he’s excited about coming in and proving that he can (run a room),” Bolte said. “We’re excited about what he brings to the table, not only as a hard worker but also just his football mind. He brings a lot to the table beyond his years in terms of knowledge and the schematic part.”

Spring practice is where the rubber will meet the road for Smith, offering the chance to really get to know his position group and start applying his accumulated coaching knowledge.

“I’m very excited to get some fundamental culture things down,” Smith said. “I feel like spring ball is where you kind of make an identity, summer is where you hone in on details and then the fall is when you get rolling and get your rotations and guys and little things going.

Smith doesn’t see spring camp as a way to beat up on the offensive personnel. Instead, it’s a chance to dive into the technical side of football.

“It’s can I get guys to do a technique the right way?” Smith said. “Can I get guys to play hard, the extra effort things, little things, knowing the base schemes? And if we can do that, then I'll be pleased with spring ball.”

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Brandon Labath rejoins Beavers’ offensive staff after coaching stint at St. Thomas

Alex Faber — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:47:00 GMT

When Brandon Labath interviewed for a coaching position with the Bemidji State football team four years ago, he was reminded of advice from one of his former coaches: “No matter what, in this profession, you want to be around good people.”

That counsel came courtesy of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. Labath started his coaching career with the Hawkeyes, serving as an undergraduate assistant coach from 2016-20.

After graduating from Iowa, Labath joined the Beavers’ coaching staff. Early on in the interview process, he realized that BSU would be a great fit.

“To get to Bemidji and go through that interview process the first time, you could tell this is somewhere that you can come to grow and develop as a coach,” Labath said. “I’d never really heard of Bemidji before coming up this way, but I had connections that knew of Bemidji and obviously the conference they play in, and how good it is top to bottom. There's a lot of really good competition, a lot of really good coaches in this league.”

Labath wore a few different hats at Bemidji State. He coached tight ends and fullbacks and was a co-special teams coordinator before departing for St. Thomas in March of 2023.

Two years later, Labath is heading back up to northern Minnesota, rejoining the Beavers coaching staff as an assistant coach focused on the offensive line and coordinating the run game.

“Really fired up to be back to work with coach (Brent) Bolte, coach (Jordan) Hein, some of the familiar names that have been in and around the program,” Labath said. “Couple guys that I have a lot of respect for, wouldn’t be back without those guys leading the way. And I think just them having the trust in me, seeing my growth over time; coach Bolte gave me my first opportunity coming out of college, basically to run a room for the first time, go recruit for the first tim, and (to) continue to develop professionally under him has been fun.”

Labath isn’t the only coach back at Bemidji State after a brief stint elsewhere. Former BSU quarterback and coach Jordan Hein replaced Karson Pike as the offensive coordinator this offseason after calling Northern State’s offense for a year.

Hein and Labath already have experience coaching together, working on Bemidji State’s offensive staff from 2020 through the 2022 season. It was a stretch that saw the Beavers secure their first playoff win in program history and host their first playoff game a season later.

“We've had a lot of success together,” Labath said. “We’re good buddies off the field. He was really a big part of me coming back this way and wanting to work together again because we’ve had that relationship in the working world there. He’s a really, really good one. Something I just wanted to be a part of and continue to grow with him.”

Much like Hein, Labath picked up plenty of experience in his time away from BSU. Initially joining the Tommies as a tight ends coach, Labath eventually moved to coaching the offensive line.

Though every program is different, Labath has witnessed firsthand the power of a strong, consistent culture at each stop. Ferentz has been the skipper for the Hawkeyes for 27 years. Bolte was promoted to head coach at BSU in 2017 and has spent more than two decades with the program. Head coach Glenn Caruso has led St. Thomas since 2008.

“What's really neat about all three of these programs is the stability of the head coach and how long they’ve been at each spot, and that’s something that really draws my attention,” Labath said. “What I learned at St. Thomas was the importance of that stability and building a culture, and (the) importance of that in today’s world of college football.”

Bemidji State’s culture specifically meshes well with Labath. BSU’s newest assistant coach joined the United States Navy as an operations specialist out of high school, earning the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and Navy Good Conduct Award during his service.

It was an experience that helped form some of Labath’s coaching philosophy, a set of beliefs that was only strengthened at Iowa.

“I think one of the biggest things is the attention to detail in what you're doing,” Labath said. “That kind of cross-bridges at Iowa. We used a term called, ‘Being the best at the basics.’ And it’s really from your first step, all your technique and your fundamentals, those are the biggest things. Just the whole detail-oriented part of everything and being able to bridge those concepts together, those ideas that’s kind of where that mindset takes it, takes form.”

Alongside his professional background, Labath’s personal hard work ethos fits well with Bolte’s program, which is built on that oft-mentioned blue-collar outlook on the gridiron

“I feel like I kind of fit that mold, with how I was raised and kind of where I came from, going right into the military right out of high school, it's kind of that same mentality.” Labath said. “You weren’t born with the things that allow you to go do the things that you might want to do, but you kind of have to make your own path and your own way, and that’s something that I think I’ve done for not only myself, but now my family, too.”

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Bemidji State positionally reloads, inks 29 signees to 2025 class

Alex Faber — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 04:35:32 GMT

BEMIDJI — The Beavers like to recruit from their own backyard.

The Bemidji State football team officially inked 29 players to its 2025 class on Tuesday. With four straight postseason appearances and a Super Region 4 championship berth, BSU has put itself on the map nationally, which is clearly a help for recruiting purposes.

Three players from the class hail from schools that are over 500 miles away from Bemidji State’s campus, including Cooper Woodhall, a defensive back from San Diego, Calif.

However, a vast majority of this year’s signees were brought in from familiar recruiting territory. Twenty players in this year’s class are from Minnesota. Four players are within fifty miles of Bemidji. Six hail from Wisconsin and Iowa, and a couple are heading up from Illinois.

“It certainly makes recruiting a little bit easier when you get that notoriety,” head coach Brent Bolte said. “But for us, it always starts in the backyard, in our footprint. Minnesota, Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Iowa and Illinois are probably the states that we hit the most.”

The region plays a factor in essentially every college football program. But for Bolte, the No. 1 factor when recruiting is always the buy-in.

“At the end of the day, I don’t care where you’re from, or what school, or any of your background. They have to be a fit for BSU. What we want is the kids that understand that you’re going to buy in,” Bolte said. “We’re a top 10 team in the country, you’re going to have to work really, really hard to get where you're at. You are a great athlete, come in here and make your footprint and make yourself known, that's how we sell it.”

When Bolte visits recruits, one of the first few slides of his pitch is focused entirely on work. That classic hard-nosed, football-guy work ethic is key for the program. The Beavers want players to trust the process, stick around and work their way up the depth chart.

“I want guys to stay here for four or five years to be a part of the development of themselves and our program,” Bolte said. “You need to come here and prove yourself and now that you’re signed, the ball is in their court.

“Like I tell them, hey, the keys are in the ignition, what you want to do with your career from here on out is on you. We’re here to guide you, to help you do everything, which we will. I love these kids and the players and the coaches that we have on staff. But it still goes back to how hard you’re going to work and how much you put into the team.”

Reloading the position groups

Every offseason brings the departure of some key talent. Last year, quarterback Brandon Alt highlighted that list. This time around, much of the positional transition will occur in the trenches.

The defensive line, arguably BSU’s best unit during the 2024 campaign, will look completely different come fall.

Stephen Hoffman, Marco Cavallaro and Cade Barrett, all highly productive starters, are gone. The fourth starter on the d-line, former NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Hansen, transferred to Harding. Elijah Brown, Darnell McCrea and Theodus Ringgold, all of whom logged solid minutes rotating into the line, wrapped up their collegiate careers.

The Beavers added five defensive linemen in their 2025 class. The signees aren’t likely to step up immediately to fill those gaps, but it’s an important step in stocking the cupboards for one of the future.

“If you’ve been paying attention to BSU football, we’ve had a pretty good run of defensive line guys over the last 10 years,” Bolte said. “We do certainly lose a lot of great depth. Number one, a lot of great players. Number two, great humans. So we knew we were going to have to reload at this position, so we took three d-ends, we took two d-tackles.”

On the other side of the ball, Bemidji State lost a pair of pivotal players along the offensive line: Jake Gannon and Will LeMire. Key pieces like Conor Kovas, Zach Ott and Isaac Hagstrom are returning, but all three will be entering their redshirt senior seasons.

Preparing for the inevitable departure of those top-end players, BSU brought in six offensive lineman in the 2025 class, each of which are at least 6-foot-1 and 260 pounds.

“I feel like we mass produce o-linemen up here,” Bolte said. “I think these guys fit that. … We have four or five guys who will be graduating next couple years, so you’ve always got to reload and keep big bodies on stock. And I think this group is going to be just that and do great things for us.”

Beyond the trenches, the defensive backfield will also receive a major injection from this year’s recruiting class. The Beavers added six defensive backs, three of which are 6-foot-1 or taller.

“We've lost some really, really good defensive backs and volume of defensive backs over the last couple years,” Bolte said. “We’ve got to play man-to-man coverage here at BSU with what we’re doing, but we just wanted some size, too.”

Rounding out the defensive signings was a trio of linebackers. Offensively, Bemidji State added a fullback and a host of skill positions: four wide receivers, a running back and a quarterback.

The lone special teams addition of the class was Jonah Thell, a long snapper out of Sauk Rapids-Rice High ��.

Bemidji State football 2025 signees

Brady Bortz, 6-3, 270, OL, Kiel, Wisc./Kiel High ��

Jake Allex, 6-2, 290, OL, Marshall/Marshall High ��

Heaton Hall, 6-5, 260, OL, Moorhead/Moorhead High ��

Prentiss Derrick Jr., 6-2, 300, OL, Chaska/Chaska High ��

Grant Winkle, 6-2, 300, OL, Osakis/Osakis High ��

Broden Benson, 6-1, 265, OL, Clearbrook/Clearbrook-Gonvick High ��

Louie Bucksa, 6-0, 175, QB, Decorah, Iowa/Decorah High ��

Hudson Omoke, 6-1, 180, WR, Sauk Rapids/Sauk Rapids-Rice High ��

Julien Bailey, 5-11, 155, WR, Manitowoc, Wis./Manitowoc Lincoln High ��

Trey Borchers, 6-1, 175, WR, Anoka/Anoka High ��

Brock Wyandt, 5-10, 180, WR, Farmington/Farmington High ��

Hank Artz, 5-10, 245, FB, Fairmont/Fairmont High ��

Gavin Delschlager, 6-4, 210, TE, Walker/Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High ��

Mitch Olson, 5-9, 185, RB, North Oaks/Mounds View High ��

Jason Eagle, 6-3, 215, DE, Spring Lake Park/Spring Lake Park High ��

Carter Drake-Metzger, 6-3, 255, DT, Wilton, Iowa/Wilton High ��

Ryan Carroll, 6-4, 205, DE, Park Rapids/Park Rapids High ��

Joey Funderburk, 6-5, 250, DE, Davenport, Iowa/Assumption High ��

Cal Myrin, 6-5, 265, DT, Rogers/Rogers High ��

Tristan Holbrook, 6-1, 210, LB, Belle Plaine/Belle Plaine High ��

Eli Klimek, 6-1, 210, LB, Nevis/Nevis High ��

Ben Watson, 6-1, 195, LB, Burnsville/Burnsville High ��

Kaine Larocque, 6-1, 160, DB, Apple Valley/Apple Valley High ��

Chad King, 5-10, 180, DB, Garrison/Brainerd High ��

Jett Schoenherr, 5-10, 170, DB, Stratford, Wis./Stratford High ��

Amani Akins, 5-11, 170, DB, Tinley Park, Ill./Victor J. Andrew High ��

Jacob Bednarski, 6-1, 170, DB, Mount Prospect, Ill./Prospect High ��

Cooper Woodhall, 6-3, 190, DB, San Diego, Calif./Hoover High ��

Jonah Thell, 6-3, 200, LS, Sauk Rapids/Sauk Rapids-Rice High ��

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Bemidji State unveils 2025 football schedule

Pioneer Staff Report — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:26:30 GMT

Bemidji State football head coach Brent Bolte announced the team’s 2025 schedule Thursday morning. The lineup includes one non-conference game, 10 NSIC matchups and five home games.

The Beavers will start off 2025 the same way they began their historic 2024 run, with Michigan Tech. BSU heads to Houghton, Mich. on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Kearly Stadium. The following week, the Beavers will head to Winona State to kick off NSIC play against the Warriors on Sep. 6.

Bemidji State's home opener is set for Sep. 13 against Sioux Falls, followed by Augustana the following weekend on Sep. 20. The annual Battle of the Beavers will be played in Minot, N.D. this season, as Bemidji State heads to Minot State on Sep. 27.

October kicks off with a home matchup against the Northern State Wolves on Oct. 4 at Chet Anderson Stadium. The Beavers will then make the trek to Wayne State on Oct. 11 to play the Wildcats at Bob Cunningham Field. The next week, BSU welcome the NSIC’s newest members, the Jamestown Jimmies, to Chet Anderson Stadium on Oct. 25.

Bemidji State has two road games and just one at home in November. They’ll start the month by traveling to Minnesota State Moorhead for the annual Battle Axe Rivalry game on Nov. 1. Heading to the opposite side of Minnesota the following week, the Beavers take on the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at James S. Malosky Stadium on Nov. 8. Rounding out the regular season, Bemidji State hosts U-Mary on Nov. 15 before potentially making a push into the NCAA playoffs for the fifth season in a row.

Kickoff times and more information will be released closer to the start of the season. All NSIC games are available on the NSIC Network for streaming and for listening on the Beaver Radio Network.

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