SOCCER

U11 boys take home title as Bemidji Youth Soccer invades Tri City Summer Classic

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 23:11:49 GMT

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Fifteen teams from Bemidji Youth Soccer attended the Tri City Summer Classic Tournament over the weekend.

The U11 boys, coached by Mike Ceballos, followed up their championship victory in Blaine two weeks ago with a championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota, earning a 3-2 victory over MC Legends from Minot. North Dakota.

In regular time, goals were scored by River Ceballos and Silas Meyer. Weston Holte put away the game-winning goal with a left-foot drive into the net during the first overtime period. The team was able to hang on to its lead during the second overtime period to clinch the victory. The U11 boys went 4-0 on the weekend and outscored their opponents 22-7.

Four boys teams and two girls teams played in a Jamboree format in the U9 and U10 age group, with no championships determined. Of the remaining nine teams, three of them made the championship, with team team taking home the hardware. Bemidji U19 boys, coached by Logan Mitchell, advanced to the championship match before falling to Jamestown 3-2. The team ended their final tournament of the season 3-1.

The U11 girls, coached by Seth Freundschuh and Harper Toward, won their first two matches of the weekend, earning them a spot in the semifinals. A tightly contested match against Dakota Fusion out of Fargo resulted in an overtime victory to move on to the finals, where they fell to the Magic from Bismarck, North Dakota. The team went 3-1 on the weekend.

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2 Bemidji Youth Soccer teams claim first place in Fargo

Pioneer Staff Report — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 03:33:01 GMT

FARGO, N.D. - Fifteen Bemidji Youth Soccer teams traveled to Fargo, North Dakota, over the weekend to play in the Tri City Summer Classic Tournament.

Six out of the 15 teams were ages 9-10, playing under a jamboree format. Three of the 15 teams made it to the championship, with two of them – the U11 boys and U16 girls – taking first place. Both teams also took first place at the All-American Cup in Blaine two weeks ago.

The U11 boys went 4-0 over the weekend, outscoring their opponents 22-7 through four games en route to first place.

The U16 girls finished the weekend 3-0-1, tying St. Michael-Albertville’s record. Bemidji’s plus-9 goal differential was the difference to claim first place, as St. Michael-Albertville had a plus-7 goal differential.

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Bemidji Youth Soccer fosters consistency, continuity and culture

Jared Rubado — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 16:06:29 GMT

BEMIDJI — Every 45 minutes on a typical warm, sunny Saturday in late May, the echoes of an air horn can be heard through the air near Bemidji High ��.

It’s time for eight more games to commence.

Bemidji Youth Soccer has hosted its six-on-six tournament, the Bemidji 6V6, for over a decade. On its surface, it’s a laid-back, family-friendly youth sporting event at a low cost with lower stakes. While that’s by the design of program directors Jeff Mitchell and Rick Toward, it’s helped infuse a culture that’s carrying over generations as former program players now guide their kids through their past footsteps.

“The club has given us the flexibility that not every sport gets to have,” Toward said. “Our 19s team, our oldest team, will essentially be our varsity team. It’s not going to exclusively be that, but a lot of those kids get to play together all summer. That’s an advantage we have over a lot of (Twin Cities) teams, where kids all break up and play for their own clubs.”

Toward, who will enter his 31st season as head coach of the BHS boys soccer team, with Mitchell by his side as a valued assistant, sees the benefit in the continuity Bemidji provides in its coaching.

Players are taught the fundamentals and systems that are used at the boys and girls varsity levels. Toward is using his “same message, different voice” approach to find his leg up on programs that have more players to pull from.

“Our guys get to play together all year long, and there’s an advantage to that,” he added. “Those teams have a depth of talent we will never reach, and that’s their advantage. We have to make do with what we have.

“What grows our program is we are seamless between club soccer and high school soccer. The voice you get in the season is the voice you’re getting in high school. … The success you see in the high school programs and the club’s growth are correlated. It’s a strategy we use in how we approach kids and their development.”

What Bemidji Youth Soccer has is consistency.

Every summer, parents can pencil in four tournaments and the Bemidji 6V6 held at the end of May. Regardless of age, Bemidji teams travel the same places on the same weekends.

“We don’t split up our tournaments,” Mitchell said. “If you have a kid who’s 8 and another who’s 16, they play at the same tournaments. You don’t have to choose which parent goes with which kid, and that’s important for a lot of families. You’re all in one place.”

BYS plays in tournaments around the state, from Grand Forks down to the metro area. So Saturdays like the Bemidji 6V6 give the locals a chance to stay local.

Forty-one teams competed in the Bemidji 6V6, with over 400 players in levels U9 to U19. Each block includes 45 minutes. All games start and end at the same time with the help of an air horn.

The Bemidji 6V6 features Lumberjacks of the past and future, and then some. It is not a requirement that a player needs to be signed up for organized soccer to compete, paving the way for BHS athletes in other sports to lace up their cleats.

It also gives recently graduated Lumberjacks one more chance to play at home. Kids in club soccer can play until they turn 20, meaning the newly-minted alumni can compete the summer after they graduate.

The Bemidji 6V6 ultimately serves as a fundraising effort for BYS. Each road tournament can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $9,000 for the traveling 15-16 Bemidji teams. The Bemidji 6V6 helps fortify the BYS sum, while also going toward funding soccer for underprivileged players.

“The first money that comes out of the pot goes to players who can’t afford the full registration,” Mitchell said. “This covers that cost and the cost for scholarships. … I’d say about $3,000 of that will go toward scholarships for players and jerseys for players who can’t afford them, and so on.”

Ultimately, BYS is a cyclical program. Once players reach the varsity level, they begin serving as coaches for the youngest age groups BYS offers.

Toward attributes the cycle to the culture of soccer at all ages in Bemidji.

“It’s a big part of it,” he said. “It’s stuff like this. It’s also stuff like our rec program on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where we have 250 kids, 4-8 years old, over at the complex. The vast majority of the coaches are high school kids. Harper (Toward) used to play rec as a kid, then coached rec in high school and now is a coach in the club.

“We’re seeing that second generation come through, and that’s part of the environment Jeff and I worked hard to create. We’re a family-friendly organization.”

While it’s too late to register for the BYS program for the summer of 2025, registration opens in late July for 2026. For more information, visit bemidjiyouthsoccer.org.

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A wild stretch leads to Loons’ first win in Seattle

Andy Greder / St. Paul Pioneer Press — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 02:41:18 GMT

SEATTLE — A preposterous four-goal outburst in less than eight minutes defined Minnesota United’s first win in Seattle.

Loons forward Tani Oluwaseyi scored the opening goal in the 51st minute, and the seal was ripped off on Sunday. Robin Lod made it 2-0 with a penalty kick in the 54th and Sounders’ Kalani Rienzi scored only seconds later to cut the lead to 2-1.

Then Oluwaseyi slotted in his second goal in the 58th during an eventual 3-2 win at Lumen Stadium.

With that outburst, MNUFC ended one of the most-lopsided series drought in MLS history: the Loons had zero points across nine total MLS games in Washington state before this weekend.

An own goal from Nico Romero in the 83rd minute damaged Minnesota’s lead to 3-2 and brought back nightmares of how MNUFC gave up a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss in that building in the 2020 Western Conference final. But that history wouldn’t be repeated.

Here are three takeaways:

No big deal

Loons’ second-year head coach Eric Ramsay did not address the club’s nine-year struggles in Seattle with his players before the match.

Oluwaseyi pointed out how there are so many players who have who little to no involvement in the “so-called drought.”

“In general, I don’t think we cared going into the game,” said Oluwaseyi, who added to his tally with a team-high eight goals. “You could see with the way we played, we didn’t really show them too much respect and we came out with the win.”

Captain Michael Boxall has been around since the beginning, but downplayed that bugaboo.

“I don’t go into these games with results from 2018, 2020 on my mind,” Boxall said. “It’s just every day is a fresh day, a fresh opportunity to keep building on what we are doing with Eric. Maybe I’m delusional. I go into every game thinking that we always have a chance.”

Mids were main men

Lod and Joaquin Pereyra were instrumental in setting up each goal. Lod’s ankle-breaking turn past Seattle’s Nouhou Tolo created the space for his assist on Oluwaseyi’s first goal.

“I played with Robin enough to know the turn was coming,” Oluwaseyi said with a laugh. “I was waiting for it to happen. He had a similar one actually last year for an assist for me, so once I see him in those positions, I’m on my toes for him to make his move. It worked out perfectly.”

Pereyra’s long dribble into the attacking third led to a cross to Bongi Hlongwane, who was fouled in the box for the PK Lod converted. Then Pereyra’s initial shot was stopped by Stefan Frei, but Oluwaseyi converted the rebound.

Four is fine

Minnesota held Vancouver without a home goal in a match for the first time this season during a scoreless draw on Wednesday and United handed Seattle its first home loss of the season on Sunday. That’s four combined points against the first-place Whitecaps and the fourth-place Sounders — both on the road.

“We’ve done incredibly well against two very good teams over the course of what has seemed like a very long trip for us,” Ramsay said.

This puts MNUFC (8-3-6, 30 points) in a second-place tie with San Diego heading into the international break. Those two teams will play next on June 14 in St. Paul.

Three tidbits

Owen Gene, 22, made his first MLS start Saturday. The French midfielder, who missed nearly two months with an ankle injury, had played only 139 minutes across seven matches this season. … The Loons signed 17-year-old attacker Darius Randell to a first-team contract and he will occupy an off-roster homegrown slot. He is the club’s fourth-ever homegrown player, joining Devin Padelford, Patrick Weah and Fred Emmings. … MNUFC has 10 players — including six regulars — called up to national teams: Dayne St. Clair and Oluwaseyi (Canada); Lod (Finland); Boxall (New Zealand); Joseph Rosales (Honduras); and Carlos Harvey (Panama).

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Brady Riley scores twice, Bemidji beats Moorhead in hectic second half

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 03:19:59 GMT

BEMIDJI – After a scoreless 40 minutes, it was a busy second half for the Bemidji High �� boys soccer team.

The Lumberjacks scored four times in the final 40 minutes to seal a 4-1 home victory against Moorhead.

Isaac Stone broke the scoreless tie at the 52nd minute to give Bemidji a one-goal lead. However, eight minutes later, Romeo Kromah Quiah notched a game-tying goal for the Spuds.

Then, Brady Riley took over.

Riley scored an unassisted goal at the 72nd minute to put BHS back on top by a goal. Less than two minutes later, he knocked in a header to give the Jacks a two-goal lead.

Reed Johnson iced the game for Bemidji just three minutes later, scoring on a free kick to extend the lead to 4-1.

Bemidji 4, Moorhead 1

BEM 0 4 – 4

MOR 0 1 – 1

Bemidji – Stone ‘52 (Schmitt), Riley ‘72, Riley ‘74 (Huseby), Johnson ‘77.

Moorhead – Quiah ‘60 (Selman).

Saves – Heuer (BHS) 2; Beljulji (MOR) 6.

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Emma Kvant converts twice, St. Michael-Albertville handles Bemidji

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 01:13:21 GMT

ST. MICHAEL – The Bemidji High �� girls soccer team stumbled on the road in a Section 8-3A contest against St. Michael-Albertville.

The Lumberjacks lost 3-1, thanks to a pair of goals from Emma Kvant and a late strike from Rachel Couture.

Kvant scored in the 10th and 34th minutes before Couture added another in the 68th. Bemidji’s Kate Corradi scored her fourth goal in three games in 77th minute.

Clara Bieber made six saves for BHS (1-2-0), while Brynn Hedberg turned aside three shots on target for the Knights (2-1). All three of Bemidji’s completed games have come against Section 8-3A teams.

St. Michael-Albertville 3, Bemidji 1

BHS 0 1 – 1

STMA 2 1 – 3

Bemidji – Corradi ‘77.

St. Michael-Albertville – E. Kvant ‘10 (Ostlie), ‘34 (C. Kvant); Couture ‘68 (Ecerischrud).

Saves – Bieber (BHS) 6; Hedberg (STMA) 3.

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Jacks inch closer, fall in tightly-contested match against class of Section 8-3A

Jared Rubado — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:34:25 GMT

BEMIDJI – It’s often that a highly-billed regular-season game comes with more to be desired.

Tuesday night’s Section 8-3A boys soccer contest at Bemidji Middle �� wasn’t one of those times.

The BHS boys soccer team fell 3-2 against St. Michael-Albertville, the two-time defending section champs in what the Lumberjacks hope, in some respects, was an 8-3A Championship preview.

“We went down to their field last year and got wiped by them,” head coach Rick Toward said. “Today, we did pretty well. We created enough chances to get more. But it was our mistakes that cost us the three goals we gave up. They’re kids, I get that. They’re going to make mistakes. We created enough chances to get more goals than we did. We just have to clean up the mistakes.”

Both teams traded empty first-half scoring chances until Femi Omotayo paid off a late first-half push by the Knights in the 39th minute. Omotayo made a quick turn to his right after receiving a pass from Alex Hernandez in the middle of the 18-yard box and beat keeper Kellen Heuer to the low-right side of the goal to put STMA ahead 1-0.

Bemidji opened the second half with flare, as Isaac Stone delivered a free kick just outside of the penalty area to Charlie Zellmann. STMA was caught off guard, expecting Reed Johnson to take the free kick. But Stone took it and found Zellmann. His header, though, missed wide in the 41st minute.

While many of the Lumberjacks started on the pitch last year, Dash Hiller wasn’t one of them. But this year is a new year, and Hiller came up big in the 43rd minute to preserve the one-goal deficit. He held the goal line on a St. Michael-Albertville corner kick, chesting the ball away from the Knights’ attackers.

“He did a terrific job of positioning himself where he needed to be,” Toward said of Hiller. “Obviously, I’m very happy about that, but I’m kind of wondering where my goalie was to put us in that position. We have some film to go back and look at. Positioning-wise, there were times where we were doing things we weren’t supposed to be doing.”

Hiller’s save led to an equalizer on the other end from Lincoln Schmitt, who picked an opportune time for his first goal this season.

Jeron Huseby received a long pass from Brady Riley in the midfield. Huseby shook one defender, then found Schmitt on a cross in the center of the box. On an afternoon of close chances that missed, Schmitt left no doubt.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that we work on that every day in practice,” Toward said. “Every practice, we work the ball wide, then play it in for a one-touch. If the ball is played with enough pace like Jeron did, all Lincoln has to do is turn his foot. He doesn’t have to swing. There’s enough force behind the ball where all he has to do is redirect it.”

Despite finding the tying goal, a stretch of defensive discombobulation was Bemidji’s downfall.

In the 67th minute, Anthony Davis lobbed up a prayer. Davis, an STMA junior midfielder, booted a 30-yard beauty past Heuer, who was stretched off his line after a defensive scramble.

Five minutes later, Hernandez put home the eventual winning goal. He beat Heuer on a low-left shot, finally paying off a ball after a bevy of his missed chances through the first 72 minutes.

Bemidji sliced its deficit in half in the 77th minute. Zellmann notched his second goal of the season, finding the ball in the middle of a scrum just feet away from the goal line. Johnson fed Zellmann, who converted emphatically.

However, the Jacks ran out of time in their push to match the Knights’ three goals.

In a fixture that featured preventable BHS gaffs that led to STMA goals, Toward ultimately felt encouraged and confident.

“It comes down to the coach doing his job,” Toward continued. “We recognize the mistakes, now we have to put the kids in a position to avoid the mistakes going forward.”

Once again, the Knights are poised to have the Section 8-3A Tournament run through them. But Bemidji hopes Tuesday afternoon was the appetizer, with something different on the menu for the entrée and the 8-3A first-place plaque being the dessert.

“This game cuts both ways,” Toward said. “You win this game, you feel confident. These guys will go into a second game against these guys hungry to prove that today wasn’t the result you should see. It’s tough to beat a team twice in a season, and we hope an opportunity to play them again.”

St. Michael-Albertville 3, Bemidji 2

STMA 1 2 – 3

BHS 0 1 – 2

Bemidji – Schmitt ‘50 (Huseby).

St. Michael-Albertville – Omotayo ‘39 (Hernandez); Davis ‘67; Hernandez ‘72 (Roher).

Saves – Heuer (BHS) 4; Bot (STMA) 2.

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Fast start paces Lumberjacks to season-opening win over Storm

Jared Rubado — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 01:07:34 GMT

BEMIDJI — Reed Johnson never tires of being the facilitator for the Bemidji High �� boys soccer team, even if his coaches do.

In the Lumberjacks’ season-opening 5-0 win over Sauk Rapids-Rice, Johnson tallied three assists. It’s a welcomed sight for head coach Rick Toward, despite urging Johnson to be more selfish with the ball on his foot.

“I challenged him to score more goals this year, and he said, ‘I’d rather get 100 assists,’” Toward said. “He got one today, but he also got his three assists. Reed is one of the most valuable players on our team – if not the whole field.”

Toward called Johnson’s assist-first mindset “immeasurable.” But in the end, each party got what it wanted.

Johnson capped off the clean-sheet victory with a goal in the 79th minute, shouldering in a corner kick from Lincoln Schmitt.

“It’s always good to get one in there just to know that I can,” Johnson quipped. “It was curving toward the goal. Usually, I’m not the one to find the ball on corners. But I got up there and I missed the ball with my head. I hit it with my shoulder, and it somehow went in.”

BHS wasted no time in getting out to a good start. Isaac Stone scored in the sixth minute with an assist from Brady Riley. Five minutes later, Riley made it 2-0, receiving a throw-in from Reed Johnson before cutting into the box to double the lead.

Austin Riewer added a third goal in the 37th minute on an up-for-grabs ball. Johnson fed a through pass into the 18-yard box, leading to Riewer’s chase-down. Riewer collided with Storm goalkeeper Liam Mick but got the last touch on the ball before it crossed the line.

Again, Johnson picked up an assist. He made it a triad of helpers in the 77th minute on Charlie Zellmann’s late goal.

“That’s my favorite part of the game,” Johnson said. “I know I had 12 or 13 assists last year – and like two or three goals – but getting out there wide and taking corners, that’s the best part of the game for me.”

On the other end of the field, the BHS defense looked like it was in midseason form. Toward praised Zellmann, a two-year captain, for his back-line prowess.

“This is a team that is very used to being defensively sound,” Toward said. “Charlie Zellmann is one of the best center backs I’ve ever coached. He’s super intelligent. His timing is impeccable and he’s good out of the air. But when a mistake is made, to have Kellen (Heuer) back there, oof.”

Though he wasn’t tested much, Heuer, a junior goalkeeper, made a difference to kick off his second season in the starting role.

Midway through the second half, Heuer turned aside a pair of high-danger Sauk Rapids-Rice chances. He also showed his ability to distribute the ball from the keeper position in a way that allows the Jacks to play with speed up the field.

“We were talking in practice yesterday about all of the good keepers who have come through this program,” Toward said. “Technically, he might be the best goalkeeper I’ve ever seen here. He understands the game and he communicates and distributes very well. … You’re going to see him on the scoresheet this year.”

Ultimately, a clean sheet is a team effort.

“Levi (Renn) and Dash (Hiller) were solid,” Toward continued in his admiration for the back line. “Levi has been in that position for three years, and Dash is taking over for a starter from last year. But he’s played there all summer long and shown that he’s fine. Then you put Gabe Morin in front of them, he’s a monster back there and plays much bigger than he is, and he never seems to get tired.”

Saturday afternoon offered a chance for the Lumberjacks to not only notch their first win over a Section 8-3A opponent but also an opportunity to prepare for another. BHS welcomes defending champion St. Michael-Albertville to Bemidji Middle �� at 4 p.m. on Tuesday for its first true test of the 2024 season.

“Sauk is one of those teams where we’re expecting to win,” Johnson said. “But if we play badly, it can always not go the way we want it to. But our transition was good today, going from defense to offense. We found those passes that weren’t going to get picked off, even against a better team.”

Bemidji 5, Sauk Rapids-Rice 0

SRR 0 0 – 0

BEM 3 2 – 3

Bemidji – Stone ‘6 (Riley); Riley (Johnson) ‘11; Reiwer (Johnson) ‘37; Zellmann ‘77 (Johnson), Johnson ‘79 (Schmitt).

Sauk Rapids-Rice – No scoring

Saves – Heuer (BHS) 3; Mick (SRR) 5; Filiaggi (SRR) 2.

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Newcomers break though, Bemidji beats Sartell for 1st time since 2018

Jared Rubado — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 23:07:23 GMT

BEMIDJI – After graduating its top two goal scorers from last season, the Bemidji High �� girls soccer team needed new faces to contribute offensively.

In steps Stell Schoonover and Isabelle Vaughn.

In a home-opening contest against Sartell, two of the Lumberjacks’ rookies cracked the score sheet for the first time, helping BHS snap a five-game losing streak against the Sabres with a 4-1 win.

“I’m really happy, specifically with the mental fortitude we showed,” BHS head coach Logan Larsen said. “If you have a bunch of players who look at the past and those losses, you can step into a game and play week. We stepped in and played tough right away while still playing smart. We’re really starting to play with 11.”

Schoonover’s strike came in the 39th minute. Mya Thompson booted a cross to the middle of the 18-yard box before the ball skimmed off a Sartell defender.

Schoonover, a sophomore, was in the right place at the right time, picking up the loose change and scoring her first varsity goal.

“It’s exciting,” Schoonover said. “That one felt good. It definitely gives you more confidence. It kind of pushes you to go out there and get another one.”

From there, Schoonover received a noticeable boost.

“She is an amazing athlete,” Larsen said. “The coolest thing about her is she’s extremely humble. She’s kind of goofy, likes to laugh stuff off. She’s a great kid to coach and watch play the game because she’s smart and talented with good coordination.”

Vaughn, a junior, needed just four minutes to get her first after Schoonover got hers. She launched a ball from roughly 30 yards out over Sartell keeper Brynn Darling’s head to double the lead.

“I wondered if it was luck, but she said she had her eyes up and saw where the keeper was,” Larsen said. “That reinforces our perspective as coaches that she is a smart player and can recognize chances like that.”

The Lumberjacks’ third strike, however, came from a veteran. Kate Corradi shook a Sartell defender and shelved the ball over Darling's head. It was the third BHS goal in six minutes of game time.

“It makes me happy (to see her score) because she’s worked so hard,” Larsen said. “It’s fun to see players get rewarded.”

Sartel got a spark on a misplayed punt in the midfield. Darling booted one from her goal to the midfield, and Lilly Breitkreutz took advantage off of a Bemidji error. She beat Jacks goalkeeper Clara Bieber to cut the Sabres’ deficit to 3-1.

Without Bieber, though, Breitkreutz’s tally could been far more damaging. She thwarted Sartell’s first scoring chance on a through ball midway through the first half. Breitkreutz found a seam through the middle of the field but lost the foot race to the goal.

Bieber was called on again in the first half, this time making a crucial save. A back-line error led to a chance for Sartell’s Mollie Statsick, who tried to beat Bieber low. Bieber charged to make her first save of the match in the 32nd minute.

Statsick jolted another Sartell chance three minutes later. She found a step on Addison McCrady and delivered a cross to Brietkreutz, who directed the ball toward Bieber standing in the middle of the goal.

After Breitkreutz finally scored, the Sabres pushed for more. Bemidji’s back line was tested in the ensuing minutes. That was until Corradi added another to put the match to bed.

From about 25 yards out, Corradi scored an insurance goal – her third of the season – to regain a three-score lead in the 67th minute.

“It feels good,” Schoonover said of sealing the win. “It feels like we’ve worked hard to get it. I think we see each other well and play well with each other. We’ve just been working on (finishing).”

Sartell has had Bemidji’s number since the 2018 Section 8A title game. The Sabres came into Saturday’s contests with a five-game winning streak over the Jacks, finishing on the better end of three one-goal games and a penalty kick finish in the 2020 8A championship.

Not only did BHS snap its skid, it did it in style. The Lumberjacks scored four goals against Sartell for the first time in program history.

More importantly, Bemidji’s first win of the season will boost its Section 8-3A resume for playoff seeding.

“We came into this game knowing there was a lot riding on it,” Larsen said. “You always wonder how the players will react to that. But they were mentally strong today. It’s a confidence booster, not just for the players but for the coaches as well. Today was something we can lean on knowing that we’re a very capable team.”

Bemidji 4, Sartell 1

SAR 0 1 – 1

BEM 1 3 – 4

BEMIDJI – Schoonover ‘39; Vaughn, ‘43 ( M. Thompson); Corradi ‘45, ‘67 (McCrady).

SARTELL – Breitkreutz ‘59 (Darling).

SAVES – Bieber (BHS) 4; Darling (SAR) 7.

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Youth soccer in Bemidji thrives on the back of Mitchell family coaching tree

Jared Rubado — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:00:00 GMT

Barry Mitchell returned from a business trip to his home just outside of Tulsa, Okla., in 1978. His wife, Marlene, was waiting with a surprise.

“After I got home, she told me what she’d done,” Barry recalled.

While Barry was away for work, Marlene received the news that one of her sons was on the verge of seeing his summer soccer team disbanded. They didn’t have a coach.

Without hesitation, Marlene volunteered Barry’s services.

“I had absolutely no idea what soccer was or how to coach it – not a clue,” Barry said with a laugh. “Our middle son wasn’t going to get to play. There were 10 other kids that weren’t going to have a team to play on because of it. Not that I had a choice, but we went from there.”

Barry didn’t know he was signing up for a 46-year commitment. It was the summer that kickstarted a coaching career and strengthened his family’s love for soccer.

As time wore on, Barry refined his craft. His son, Jeff, followed in his footsteps. Now, Jeff’s son, Logan, is following in his.

But instead of building a three-generation coaching legacy in the South, the Mitchell family landed in Bemidji.

“(We) vacationed up here, and it just sucked us in I guess,” Jeff said. “I brought my wife up here, and she liked it. So when we got done with college, we made a pros and cons list and decided to give it a whirl up here. We probably won’t ever leave.”

Jeff moved to Bemidji in 1999, and his soccer-crazed mentality pushed him to get involved at the youth level. He approached longtime Bemidji High �� boys head coach Rick Toward with an idea to rejuvenate youth soccer, creating a more competitive lane for thousands of underutilized athletes.

“(Bemidji) had youth soccer going through Community Education at the time for the little kids,” Jeff said. “Most of the (coaches) they had out there were football players, baseball players. A lot of them had never played soccer. It kind of changed when I started talking to Rick. We wanted to bring that program under the Bemidji Youth Soccer Association, and it’s just continued to grow.”

When the revamp happened 25 years ago, it started with roughly 150 kids. Now, over 500 players, either playing competitively or recreationally from ages 4-19, play in the Bemidji Youth Soccer Association – one of the area’s most prominent youth athletic programs.

And at any given practice, scrimmage or tournament, you’ll likely see a Mitchell family member on the sideline.

Barry, 85, hasn’t given up coaching. Jeff, 52, serves as a coach and the program’s club administrator. And now, Logan, 22 – a product of the program – is paying it forward as a coach.

“It’s a sport I love, and I just want to see it keep growing in Bemidji,” Logan said. “I hope it gets bigger and bigger because we still need some of the recognition we don’t have being from a smaller town in northern Minnesota. I don’t think my dad and Rick could’ve picked a better place to get a big program up and running. I’m so extremely thankful for everything they do for the community.”

Planting new roots

When Jeff and his wife moved to Bemidji, they didn’t have kids to place in the youth program. It proved to be a bit of a hurdle for getting involved in youth soccer.

“When I came up here, I tried to get on the board of directors,” Jeff said. “They wouldn’t let me because I didn’t have a kid playing, which was a rule at the time. I got on the board the next year, and I’ve been on it for 24 years now.”

Long after Jeff got a handle on things, Barry made the move up from Oklahoma. He and Marlene settled in Bemidji 12 years ago. His itch to coach soccer traveled with him.

“For the longest time, I never knew that he didn’t actually play and only got into coaching when my dad was younger,” Logan said of Barry. “Seeing him do that, and then eventually getting to coach with him and seeing how he coaches and what he knows without ever playing the game himself, it’s honestly extraordinary. The things he knows and how he can get kids to progress, it’s remarkable.”

Through each stage in the latter half of his life, Barry kept coaching. He stuck with it after moving to Minnesota, then again after his wife died in 2021. For Barry, soccer has been a rewarding cornerstone.

“It’s the kids,” Barry said. “I hear people my age talk about the younger generation. They say it’s going to hell in a handbasket. That’s because they don’t know them. These kids are great.”

By the time Barry got settled into Bemidji, his grandsons, Logan and Cole, were middle school-level players.

“I think I was 3 years old when they first brought me out here and I started doing rec soccer,” Logan said. “Ever since then, I just stuck with it and kept playing. My first soccer memories are kicking the ball around with my dad and my grandpa. I’ve been at these fields my whole life.”

Logan had a standout high school career with the Lumberjacks, helping BHS to state tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018 before graduating in 2020.

However, Logan didn’t necessarily see himself extending the Mitchell family coaching tree.

“When I was younger, I never really thought about (coaching),” Logan said. “Once I got to high school, I started coaching the rec kids here, and I enjoyed it. But even doing that, I never really thought I’d start coaching (beyond that). But I’m really glad I did.”

Together, the Mitchells all work toward the same goal, regardless of what level they’re coaching. They instruct with an emphasis on development, serving as a feeder program to the high school teams from the ground up.

But more importantly, they aim to give kids positive, life-building experiences.

“Part of why Bemidji soccer is so successful at the high school level is because of the seamless transition from youth to the school program,” Toward said. “It’s the same voice from when they start until they’re 19 years old. It may come out of a different mouth, but it’s the same voice. It’s the same song, and that’s largely driven by what Jeff sees as a way to teach and play the game.”

Progressing in all areas

Over the course of 25 years, Jeff has seen a competitive bump across the board. Players at each level are further developed than they were before the program was revamped in large part due to the continuity through coaching.

“(The competitiveness) is higher now than it was 25 years ago, and hopefully, it’ll get better, too,” Jeff said. “The struggle we have is we don’t have multiple options for kids. We don’t have a separate competitive program. If you know you’re going to make a team, you don’t have to (give) 100% to make it. We want to get to a point where kids are pushing and being pushed for (roster) spots.”

Despite the lack of competitive avenues for youth players beyond what the Bemidji Youth Soccer Association currently has to offer, Bemidji still plays at a higher level than towns of similar population.

Toward, who’s entering his 30th year coaching the Lumberjacks, is reaping the developmental awards in Section 8-3A.

“Look at the towns similar to our size like Detroit Lakes and Crookston. We’d still be one of those kinds of programs competitively if Jeff didn’t show up.

“Now, we beat Moorhead, we beat Brainerd, we beat (St. Cloud) Tech. We sent the U19 boys to four tournaments this summer, and they were in the championship game in all four of them, winning two of them and losing the other two in (penalty kicks). We’re playing at a high level, and a lot of it has to do with those three Mitchells.”

But what each Mitchell coach had to learn was the ability to adjust their expectations and approach for different age groups. Jeff and Barry got an understanding of that when they coached in Oklahoma, and Logan is learning as he gets deeper into coaching.

“I needed to learn the nurturing side of it,” Jeff said. “When you look at that aspect with a younger age group, you want them to compete, but you also want them to do their very best. We’re not trying to put the super team out there – a team of 8, 9-year-olds who are the fastest and most athletic. We want to teach kids the game and help them develop. We want them to learn the game.”

Jeff expects to have a fourth Mitchell on the pitch next summer when his oldest son, Cole, rejoins the youth soccer program. For Jeff, the youthful injection into the Bemidji youth soccer coaching scene is needed.

“At some point in time, my dad will be done coaching, and so will I, and so will Rick,” Jeff said. “We need those guys like my sons Logan and Cole coming up doing this stuff. We need guys like (BHS girls soccer head coach) Logan Larsen, or Rick’s daughter Harper (Toward). We need that next generation to come through and continue this. I’m just so happy two of my kids want to do it.”

But above all else, the Mitchells are thankful to be in it together.

“Seeing my son, my grandson out here, it makes me so proud,” Barry said. “It makes me go to tears. They’re the people that you’ve gotten to see grow in the sport over time. Now they’re paying it forward to the next generations. … I always mention this (to the players), what we coach doesn’t just pertain to soccer. This is life. These are lessons you learn in soccer that you take with you as you get older. That’s very rewarding to me. It keeps me young.”

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