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When Ryan Damitio boarded a plane last week with the rest of the Bemidji State football team for Midland, Texas, he knew he had someone special waiting for him on the other end of his flight.

Damitio, long snapper on the football team, is a sophomore from Olympia, Wash. He transferred to BSU for his second collegiate season after a year at Presentation in Aberdeen, S.D. 鈥� an NAIA institution that shut down at the end of the 2023 school year.

Damitio found a new home in Bemidji with the Beavers. And when he found out he was going to play in a first-round NCAA Tournament game, he got on the phone with his dad, Greg.

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鈥淲hen I told him we were in the playoffs, he said, 鈥極K, I鈥檓 coming to Texas,鈥欌�� Ryan said. 鈥淗e drove 21 hours to Texas with my dog. He got there the day of the game and drove back right after. He was a proud father.鈥�
Saturday was the first time Greg watched Ryan play college football in person, and he picked a good game to witness.

The Beavers upset UTPB 10-3 to advance to the second round of the tournament, matching the furthest point any Bemidji State team has reached in program history.

Despite this being the third consecutive season for the Beavers reaching the Sweet Sixteen 鈥� which has become somewhat of a postseason tradition 鈥� Greg wasn鈥檛 about to take the opportunity to see Ryan play the biggest game of his life for granted.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not every day you get to watch your son play in the (NCAA) playoffs,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淟ike the conference championship against Augustana two weeks ago, I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 going to be my only chance to play for a conference championship, just like the playoffs. I came from a school where we won three games last year. I鈥檓 not used to winning. We weren鈥檛 taking the chance on missing this together.鈥�

Ryan has the look of a northern Minnesotan. His thick mustache and slicked-back mullet make for a rugged look that鈥檚 more than appreciated in a place like Bemidji.

鈥淓verybody tells me I fit the Minnesota vibe,鈥� he said, laughing as he ran his fingers through his hair. 鈥淢y prom date in high school wanted me to do something a little different than the high-and-tight look, so that鈥檚 when I grew it out.鈥�

Players like Ryan rarely make headlines. And if they do, it鈥檚 likely for the wrong reasons. His job is to hike the ball to punters and place-kick holders, align with some sparing blocking and tackling duties on special teams. It鈥檚 a thankless role that never shows up on a stat sheet.

When the news broke of Presentation鈥檚 plans to close its doors, Ryan received a phone call from Jordan Hein 鈥� an assistant coach and special teams coordinator for the Beavers. He asked Ryan if he wanted to snap footballs for BSU the following season. He came for a visit, then committed three days later.

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For the first time since he moved to Bemidji, Ryan and Greg reunited in Midland. Jeff, their 1-year-old golden retriever mix, tagged along for the ride with Greg. After the win, the two shared an emotional embrace in the parking lot before Ryan boarded the plane back to Bemidji.

鈥淚t meant a lot to me because, in high school, my dad came to every one of my games,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淚 decided to pack all of my stuff up and go play football across the country. It was better for me to do that. My dad moved to Ohio. He was about 17 hours away from here. He always wanted to watch me play, and he couldn鈥檛 watch me at my last school.鈥�

Head coach Brent Bolte was touched to see his special teamer relish in the family moment.

鈥淵ou could probably find a story like that with a lot of our kids,鈥� Bolte said. 鈥淔or him in particular, I saw him off playing with his dog in the parking lot. You could tell he was emotional, even going into the game. For him to have that opportunity, that鈥檚 what college athletics is all about. Everybody talks about winning and losing, but it鈥檚 more about the experience of higher opportunities.鈥�

Ryan鈥檚 moments with family are few and far between, a reality he鈥檚 lived in for most of his life.

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His mom, Sara Ann, died from complications with type 2 diabetes a week before his first birthday, leaving his dad to pick up the pieces of an aching family.

鈥淚t was just me and my dad growing up, which makes those moments like Saturday more special,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淭hat was one of the things we talked about. He got to experience the life moments with me that my mom never could. It hurts a little bit.

鈥淢y mom is who I use for my inspiration. She鈥檚 my 鈥榳hy.鈥� I鈥檓 the first one of my siblings to go to college. My family always told me that my mom would be very proud of me.鈥�

Ryan and Greg did their best to keep their cool after Saturday鈥檚 game. But tears flowed when Greg expressed his enjoyment of watching his son play the game he loves.

鈥淭hat felt really good to finally see my dad after a while,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淚t was crazy. We just started talking, and then he started crying, which made me start crying. He was definitely proud, and he made sure I knew that.鈥�

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