Rick Toward doesn鈥檛 ask for much out of the former Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 boys soccer players who show up for the annual alumni game, just a few spurts of competitive play.
鈥淪ome of these guys clearly don鈥檛 play a lot anymore,鈥� Toward quipped. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e weekend warriors.鈥�
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The Lumberjacks鈥� 30-year head coach crafted the alumni game into a dual-purpose event 鈥� celebrating the past while preparing the current crop of BHS players for the upcoming season in a scrimmage.
The score is irrelevant.
鈥淚t is the highest level of competition (the current players) will experience before getting into the game next Saturday,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淲e always hope our alums can push our guys. I think there were some moments today where our alums had to buckle down in a particular manner to do that. We get it for bursts, but it鈥檚 not as consistent as the game on Saturday will be.鈥�
For the players, the alumni game is their first chance of the year to play against an opponent.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun to play in this game,鈥� senior Levi Renn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for us to get ready for the real season, get to know some of the new players who joined us on the field this year on varsity. 鈥� Obviously, you have tryouts and stuff, but this is the first test we face as a team. It鈥檚 nice to get some in-game pressure put on you before the real games start.鈥�
The last time the Jacks took the field in a high school setting, it came with heartbreak, losing in the Section 8-3A semifinals 2-1 against Sartell. They felt it was a premature playoff exit after a 12-win season.
鈥淭hey have a pretty sour taste in their mouth after the way the season ended last year,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淭hey felt they were the better team in that section semifinal, and in their mind, they underachieved. So there is a certain level of pressure, but with pressure comes opportunity. It鈥檚 up to them to seize the opportunity.鈥�
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Renn is one of nine seniors 鈥� Isaac Stone, Charlie Zellmann, Brady Riley, Andrew Kavanagh, Lincoln Schmitt, Hunter Olson, Dash Hiller and Reed Johnson. Most of them started or rotated into games consistently in 2023.
The Jacks also have a handful of juniors who returned after getting in-game experience last fall, most notably Austin Riewer, Kellen Heuer, Jeron Huesby and Gabe Morin. It鈥檚 that experience that Bemidji will use as a crutch to maneuver through a competitive Section 8-3A.
鈥淭hey have nine years of playing together,鈥� Toward said of the seniors. 鈥淚 mean, they鈥檝e basically been playing together since they were 5 years old. We鈥檝e woven a few other players in this mix over the years, but the biggest strength is they know each other.鈥�
With that experience comes an added challenge.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 be too predictable,鈥� Toward continued. 鈥淚n the sense of how we play together with this particular (core), can we do something different when opponents are prepared for it? It鈥檚 a continued effort to create trust and getting them to work together as an entire unit instead of some very talented individuals. We need to be together鈥�
Bemidji will also have to navigate a tougher schedule after it added 2023 state qualifiers St. Cloud Cathedral and Hill-Murray to the regular season slate.
Since the program started in 1989, the BHS boys soccer team has made it to state just three times. The first trip wasn鈥檛 until 2016, but it kickstarted a stretch of three consecutive state berths.
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The Jacks haven鈥檛 been back since 2018, and they feel like they have the goods to do it again this fall. They鈥檒l have to go through defending champion St. Michael-Albertville, along with other contenders in Moorhead, Sartell, Buffalo and Brainerd.
鈥淲e definitely want to do well and constantly build through the season,鈥� Renn said. 鈥淭he end goal is becoming section champs. We want to go to state. It would mean a lot to our whole team. We definitely want it, we鈥檝e wanted it for years. We鈥檝e been playing together since we were 10-year-olds talking about this.鈥�
If BHS gets to state, it can count on many of the alumni who played on Saturday to be tuned in.
鈥淭here鈥檚 pride in this program that made a name for itself,鈥� Toward said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e guys that had good memories of playing, and a lot of them were successful. They played on the state tournament teams. Even players who maybe didn鈥檛 have that experience, they cherished the time when they played, and they want to pay that forward with this (current) group. When you wear this crest, when you wear the Lumberjack soccer logo, you take pride in that.鈥�
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