Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Philip's back to throw. He's gonna have one down about
the Oh look at those the game. New London Spicer
Steve champions and one of the greatest predisces of the
history of the rock ball. This is the Minnesota tim
(00:30):
Podcast and I'm excited to be joined by Chad Gustufson.
He is the head coach for New London Spicer. People
are calling this the Minneapolis Miracle Part two, after the
original miracle case Kingdom the Stephen Diggs after they won
the state championship game in dramatic fashion. Coach, first, I
(00:51):
want to ask you, well, first, thanks for coming on,
But first I want to ask you where were you
when the original miracle happened. Did you watch the Vikings
keenom two digs and that on that touchdown? Yeah, so
I'm a huge Vikings fan. It grew up one, you know,
so just still following like crazy, sitting in the basement
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watching the Viking game that that year and totally bummed
out because I knew it was over and we were
gonna lose, and then all of a sudden, the miracle
hap So yeah, I vividly remember exactly where I was,
who I was with, how I felt we went crazy
in the basement, and you know, so I never thought
maybe that that would ever happen or be a party
anything like that. You know, in living color for the
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emotions similar to you, did you have the moment of,
oh my gosh, we're gonna lose this game after they
scored a touchdown with twenty four seconds left, and then
you win and let's go everyone's going crazy with it?
Was it similar? You know? Similar? But I guess I
had a little bit more faith than I did in
the Viking. Uh when when d g F scored with
twenty four seconds to go, I was just like, man, really,
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this is how it's gonna go, and I'm not gonna lie,
I know. I said a little prayer and we went
down the field and got it. That's great, that's super cool.
Take us inside that final play, coach, So when obviously
the quarterback through a tremendous pass and the receiver caught
it and he pitched it to Christiansen who ran into
the end zone. By the way, christians and killed the
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Watertown Royals three touchdowns. I think in the previous game, um,
which I'll get too shortly, I want to talk a
little bit about that because there was something about that
game that stood out to me that I want to
touch on on a little bit. Um, was that play
programmed like or was that was? Was there a lot
of improvisation on that play? Um? Take us inside that play. Sure,
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I'm gonna start you. At the kick off, we thought,
you know, they weren't kicking very deep. They were squib
and so we thought we're gonna get a decent field position.
Got to get it to the fifty? Was there thinking
then with to have any kind of a chance of
a hail Mary type play. So when we finally got
in that position, I think it's four seconds to go.
Blake Schultz runs over. We got no time outs, and
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I said, okay, we're going trips right to ninety all clear.
And the only thing I told those told Blake to
tell the guys is don't get tackled with the ball
because we have practiced in in our practice sessions two pointers.
You know in high school you can't return him. So
never get tackled with the ball when you're doing a
two point play because it doesn't matter. And I said,
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I it's the turf to games over anyhow, you know.
So he sent them out there they ran the play,
So yeah, we called the play. It's really basically the
Hail Mary that almost everybody runs, you know, when they
when they need to when they need to play at
the end. Everything else was improvisation by the boys. Blake
through a great pass. He actually put a little extra
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on it and it was headed uh uh. He thought
he was thrown, you know, to Bryson, but it ends
up going over because he had a little bit um,
just a little juice s up, you know. Path Wrath
is locating the ball and Bryson sees this that it's
going to path Raft, so he kind of down throttles
in his in his speed. Path Rath makes a great
(04:10):
catch because the deal Worth kid just barely missed the ball,
and as he's getting tackled, he's getting spun around and
and Bryson Christiansen is yelling Grant, Grant, and path Wrath
laterals in the ball. Christiansen, you know, catches that lateral,
but then still has to go about twelve to fourteen
yards with Jordan's summers closing in on him hard and fast,
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and gets to the end zone. And it was just amazing.
The kids, you know, they were there. They've been so
level headed all year. They kept their poised to do
those things. You know, it's it's the kind of stuff
you probably practice in sand lap football when you're gooping
around with your buddies and things like that. We've we've
done plays like this in practice, but we don't practice
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them a lot because if they're like a jump all
you worry about somebody getting hurt or ankle or something.
I guess we talked about situations, but we we didn't.
We haven't done it for weeks. We hadn't done a
play like that for weeks in practice, so it was
in the repertoire. But they totally the magic was all
the kids. You know that, all the improvisation was all
all the kids. How do you describe the atmosphere and
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your emotions after that touchdown? Yeah, it was total, Chay asked.
I mean when he came down and he caught it,
and then you see Bryson get in the end zone. Well,
I got injured in the Section championship. I got wiped
out in the celebration, so I'm wearing a knee brace.
So I'm one of the last guys and I'm seeing
everybody rushed the field and Uh, just pandemonium. Uh you know, uh,
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penny hits you like wow, you know, because you were
on the other end twenty seconds ago, like this is
probably not you know, a lot of doubt with twenty
four seconds ago, and then you see your team storm
in the field and you're like, wow, we're state champions.
This is unreal and so cool. M hm. Did you
get an opportunity to speak to the guys in the
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locker room after the game? You know, that's the toughest
part about it. Uh, Normally at the end of a
ball game, you're gonna get together with your team on
the field. There during this, during a championship game, so
many things happened. So you know, the awards presentation, well,
then they give media times, so then it's you know,
you take about four or five guys into this media
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room to meet reporters and talk yourself. And so really
we didn't get to talk a lot about it until
we were on the bus right and home, and that
we did have a team meeting where I talked about
you know, it's forever. I mean, you're linked forever as
state champions. The way it happened is amazing, you know,
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fifty sixty However, many years down the road, your kids,
your grandkids, you're gonna tell this story forever, and it's
you now have a brotherhood that lasts for heard. Being
a state champion, they'd still have that, but the dramatic
fashion that had happened, it just makes the story truly
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story booker or a movie worthy. A Seriously, this could
be a movie. That was such an incredible moment in
the state championship game. This wasn't a section, this wasn't
the Semis, but the state championship which was so so unbelievable. Um,
take us back to the beginning of the season, coach,
when you're discussing with other coaches and you're talking with
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the players, what were the goals at the beginning of
the season. Was this on the radar? Yeah? So last
season we had a very good team, but we play
in a very difficult right I call it the Right
County Conference. They have a new name for it, but
we still use the old one a lot. And we
finished the season three and five, made a huge playoff run,
ended up in the state tournament only to get beat
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in the last twelve seconds by a great Esco team.
Last year, so coming back, we knew we had a
pretty good squad um and how would thee to pit together.
We had to find a quarterback because our quarterback had
started for three years and graduated. But we knew we
had a pretty good squad. After we beat Malacca and
I think week three, I said to the assistant coach,
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I think we could be in the state championship. And
I just it wasn't like a prediction, but I was
just like Malacca was extremely good. I mean, they were
so so talented this year, and uh, you know, we
we had to play them once again, you know, to
to get down to the bank. But that's where it
kind of we're laying it out. You know. We knew
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we had a lot of pieces back. I think we
returned you know, four or five starters on each side
of the ball, and knew we'd have a decent chance
that at being competitive. But when we beat Malaca, I thought, okay,
we got a special team here. And then having to
you know, climb our way through the rest of the
Ray County Conference, we we wanted to be playing for
the section title. That was our goal at the start
of the year. So that's super cool. He received a
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lot of national attention from this. I saw Jim Nancy,
Tony Romo made a comment about it the Good Morning
Football Boys We're talking about it. Peter Schreeger tweeted about it. Uh,
Sports Centers shown it, I believe a couple of different times.
What's been the coolest that you've seen so far? Well,
the Boys? The Boys would say being the top play
on ESPN Tops Plays and they made the number one play.
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You know that they would probably say that. I'm a
little older, and so I like the Randy Moss tweet
that he put out. Um, you know, the Jim Nance thing.
I'm a huge Jim Nance masters, you know, follow him
in you know, listen to him in football games. So
those types of things they're so cool. Uh, you know.
But just to see the major national attention that it's gained, Uh,
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it's it's all over the United States, um, you know,
and so so it just really it's just so cool
to see, you know, because it really it's the play,
but it focuses on New London, Spicer, you know, two
little towns in Minnesota. That's such a cool story. Oh man. Um,
(10:06):
let's touch on last on the week before the state
championship game. So I'm from Watertown, near Minnesota, was at
the game supporting Watertown, and it's a great game back
and forth. You guys had the early halftime lead. I
just want to say something that I noticed. I want
to see if this is something that you stressed with
the guy. So before halftime, it's like what three seconds left? Um,
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you guys are at the twenty yard line and dry
and scoring position and through like a twenty yard touchdown
passed to christiansen. Um. Second half is third and fifteen. Again,
the quarterback through a what like a twenty yard pass
to Christians and on a huge play, and then there's
like a fourth and three. Um, if you guys don't
get the first down, Watertown can go score and take
(10:49):
the lead while you do a little fake reverse, fake handoff,
the tight end leaks out throw a touchdown pass. I
noticed that in three different situations your team showed up
and there was a perfect play call. How much do
you stress that throughout the course of the season. Yeah,
work a lot of situational football, uh, And I guess
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the biggest thing is to keep your team believing that
you have multiple playmakers and you all have to be
ready when it's when you're when your turn is called
to step up and make plays. You know, Bryson christians
and Is, he's a phenomenal football players. He's a wonderful person.
But you know, he he garners a lot of attention.
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And so in those moments where he might get the ball,
but he might not get the ball, you have to
be ready to be the guy to catch the pass
or you have to be the guy if we bake
it to him to get the fourth and three the
seal of the game. And everybody has to do their job.
I guess that's what we really focus on. You know,
everybody do your job, and uh, you know, when your
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moments called, you've got to be ready to make the play.
You know. And and I know Bryson made so many
of for us, but that that garnered so much attention
that it it leaked out to you know, being able
to get uh to get a receiver to leak out,
you know, and catch a pass when they're not expecting it. Uh,
you know, baking the ball to him and being able
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to run the ball and get the first down to
seal the game. So, uh, we we talked a lot
about you know, doing your job is really kind of
are one of the things we focus on so that
when you're when your numbers called, you're ready. As I know,
it's a slogan I'm not going to get right, but
it's something about all gas, Is that right? Yeah, all gas,
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no brakes. How did that slogan come to be? Yeah?
So a week two junior Lucas Swinson, big vocal leader
for US. Uh, and uh, you know, we talked about
we want to give everything we got, so when we
come to the when we come to the game, when
we come out of the locker room to start, it's
all it's a it's a mindset of all gas, no brakes,
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keep your foot on the gas, keep pushing, keep going,
given everything all the time. And uh, you know they
really believed in that mantra, and it it really sometimes
you think things are just a saying, but it would
keep coming up and keep coming up. And so when
you're in situations when you're behind that we were behind
a lot in the playoffs, or when it's close, or
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when you got to get fourth and three, it's all gas,
no breaks. And and you know, it just morphed into
the It went from kind of the saying that this
is who we are and this is how we're going
to push through and get it done. So every you know,
a lot of teams, I think pick uh slogans are
sayings for the season, and if if you can get
your kids to make it more than just a saying
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and more of a belief, uh, it really can can
help you carry you through some tough moments. That's awesomele coach,
congratulations on an amazing spectacular season. State champions New London
Spicer And hey, now with all of this national attention
and Jim Nance reaching out to you guys, maybe you
can reach back out to Jim nancey say, masters tickets,
(14:00):
can I can? I? Can I get one? Please? There
you go? Yeah, good, I get good. I get to
see a spot on the on the green there in
the gust that that would be amazing. Yeah, it has
been amazing to see. And I know it was the
dramatic fashion that you know, state chance would be. You know,
you get some local news and stuff that would report
on that, but the way that in which that had
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happened for the for the team, the dramatic fashion has
just been incredible. To see the national attention. It's fun
to see our hometown mentioned uh New London, Spicer very
supportive community of our kids and so we're super excited
to represent the community in this state championship. Congratulations coach,
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and thanks for taking time to join the Minnesotaan podcast today.
I appreciate it. Thank you very much