September 11, 2024 • 21 mins
Former East Grand Forks Senior High Head Football Coach, Bruce Nelson- joins Tim and Paul to discuss the 20 year reunion/anniversary of the Greenwave's State Football Championship.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Who was celebrating this year twenty years since winning the championship.
Good morning birds, thanks for being on.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Jim, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Good morning coach.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know how long that was? How long ago that was?
Let me give you this, Yeah, let me give you
this one. That was also Crosby's first year in the
National Hockey League.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Wow, there you go.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Really said the kid?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yeah that's the kid then?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, he was a kid then not anymore?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Right, No, he's still pretty good though, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Coach, having had a chance to call all the so
many of those games that year and be a part
of it, and it was so fun to be so
integrated you you made it so fun to be in
with your staff and getting to know your players. And
I'm sure you know this is going to be kind
of fun. But because you don't have a chance over
(01:05):
these years to get together, you don't have a lot
of opportunities to get everybody back or get as many
as you will get back all together in one place.
So that's just got to be a special thing here
happening coming up on Friday, where most of these guys
are many of them anyway, will be back and back
together again.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah. So we had a ten year of course ten
years ago, and that was a blast, and we're hoping
to have a many people back, if not more, from
the entire coaching staff. Shield Er to managers, players, Yeah,
you see you folks around town once in a while.
They see them out of town and missing that, but
you never get a big group. So we are excited
Friday night.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Speaking of your coaching staff, it was a really special staff.
I mean you certainly got to be the head coach,
but talk a little bit about your assistance and kind
of how they were involved, because it was a really
good group that helped lead all those you know, offense, defense,
in the various positions. You had a really good coaching staff.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh, no question. I mean there's a he was a
top notch staff and a number of those coaches are
still coaching. Roger Hanson masterminded the offense and he's still
helping out. He's he's basically a volunteer assistant. He helps
the offense now with the current team. Mike mahar was
a defensive coordinator and he used to play cover on
(02:28):
this team for Ryan Kasowski's Those two are still still
on the staff. Todd Schumacher is still teaching science at
the high school and Brandon Lunik he's down in Morehead
as a superintendent more at high school. People are still
still busy. You know. We had an anchory staff Buzzles
and Buzz still around town. Retired a few years ago.
(02:48):
That was Buzz's last year, you know, for a way
to go out for him. Chad Grassell under freshman coach.
He's a principal here in East Grand Forks, and yeah,
it was. That was the ninth grade staff and the
high school staff right there, and just work together for
quite a few years before that, because you have to
build a gel, as you both know that, it takes
takes more than just a couple of years to get
(03:10):
things right. And we had a lot of talents, a
lot of talent, a lot of hard work in the offseason,
from going to camps and throwing the ball summer camps
seven on seven to the weight room. It was a
special group and the stars aligned.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
As they say, Well, I was also going to say that,
you know, it's easy to talk about the skill players
because they were certainly the guys that got the headlines,
But I don't think you get as far as you
do without the guys up front. I just thought that maybe,
you know, we really need to look at the interior guys,
the offensive lineman and the defensive front for you guys
(03:46):
that were able to be so instrumental in getting to
where you needed to be.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That's a great, great point, Paul, and we talk about
it every year. On our offensive line, those five guys
just played off line and the four D linemen just
played D line. So to have that luxury and three
A football is almost unheard of. So they weren't getting
pounded every play on defense and offense. They got breaks
(04:12):
which kept them healthy all fourteen games. Obviously, since you're
healthy ever beat up, not saying that, but you know
what I mean. It kept them fresh and that once again,
that's almost unheard of at least three A level to
be able to platoon like that. And yeah, without the
guys up front, never gets I don't care what level
you're talking about. From Pop Warner over the pros, you
(04:32):
don't have the folks up front doing the job. And
our skill guys appreciated that. They knew that, and our
linemen new they are very very important and you just
have got to have them. It doesn't matter where you are,
what level unity Vikings. It doesn't matter without the people
up front. Doesn't matter how good your show kids are,
because you don't have time to do things.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It's a long night tim That's crazy that you had
the offensive guys. Offensive line, that's all they played in.
The defensive line, that's all that played. That doesn't happen
very often at your level, does No.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No, we were, we were. We're extremely and that was
our goal to get with this year crew, to get them.
You know, we have some great juniors as well. We
had a couple sophomores played on that team towards the
end of the year. You have to have a good
junior class behind to help out unless you're the senior
classes are good obviously and vaguely had the big number
of kids, but our juniors were excellent as well. And yeah,
(05:29):
you did to have that platuning was just unheard of.
I'm trying to think now there's maybe four kids that
played both ways. Yeah, that's that's that's huge as well,
And there is some case you got to keep on
the field. But to have that and that's when that
most state championship teams or teams that have great runs
in any state, I'm sure it's very similar to keeping
(05:50):
guys rested and people getting beat up every single play, huge,
huge advantage.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
There are a couple of games that stand out to
me before he got to the state playoff that I
think about a lot or a pharomount in actually early playoffs.
So number one was the couple of meetings with Crookston,
and then there was an early home season regular season
game against Staples Motley where you pulled the rabbit out
of the hat. Those are the games that stand out
(06:19):
to me, you know, in the early portion of the season,
before we even got to the to the late deep
playoff run.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, the Staples the game, like you said, we we
got smacked in the mouth by them. They came in.
They actually won the Section six that year. They were
not in our section, they were in our conference. We
played them all time, and they were good, they were deep,
they were incredible as well. They won Section six that
year and they lost to Becker in the first round
of the state playoffs, the team we beat in the finals.
(06:48):
So they were a very good team and we were
down at halftime. We played Little Falls in the first
game of the year and beat them forty one to eight,
and came back a little bit confident, I think for
a home opener, and we were down at halftime, came
remember to score but at least seven or ten points,
and had a great second half, blocked a punt, returned
(07:10):
for a touchdown and another turnover, and then we're still
down with about under a minute ago, and somehow from
i'd say from about the forty yard lineer thirty five
yard line. Yeah, Merton's found ramback for one of his many,
many spectacular catches in coverage and we score and kick
(07:30):
off them, hold home, win the game. So it was just, yeah,
a game we probably shouldn't have won, but like I said,
when the stars aligned to take it, we've all been
on the other side where you have games where you
should don't win. So yeah, that was That was a
great start to the season. And then Kristen twice, as
you said, and they were incredible those those years as well,
(07:50):
with athletes unbelievable twenty miles away. You had so many
athletes from the basketball team in football. It's hard to
ever happen again. Because they won the Section the year
before he went to the Section State State Semis. It
was just it was loaded, loaded in the area that
those gives battles back and forth since probably five years old.
You know, there's incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, well yeah, I mean there just was. You know,
when you put on the field guys like Kenley Wallen
and others, uh from from Crookston and then on this
side you got you know Nick Mertens and Chad Larson
and Nate Rambeck and others and and the yeah that
you're right. They they played against each other in every
sport basically for their entire lives. And in this instance
(08:32):
it was east Gren Forks's uh time to finally move
past Crookston and and get and you're right it was
Becker in the championship game. But you know, the semi
final against glen Coe down at the Metrodome was a
game you know because glen Coe was and is it
has been known as a powerhouse football program that you
(08:54):
were going up against in that in that semi final
and just it was a slog. It was a tough,
tough game, but somehow again figured it out away.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Blenco they were a three times defending state champs. They
were going for their fourth straight title and they are
at that point they are smash balls football. They rarely
threw the ball. They didn't have to throw the ball,
and we were more we were more almost more passed
than run, so kind of the two two different aspects
of offenses. And yeah, it was it was a battle
(09:26):
from the from the get go. We got behind, caught up,
and went ahead. They missed a pat we made ours
one twenty eight, twenty seven, and if he recall the
last five minutes of the game, they punted and pinned
us deep and we got a couple first downs. We
had to punt, and we punted and the snap goes
(09:47):
over top top of Nick Merton's head. He chases it down,
rolls to his left, somehow finds Casey stole them on
their sideline for a first down and we don't ever
to kneel it out and in the game to one
of those plays that I've still convinced that that that
that bad snap and that play by mertens was a
huge part of getting him the AP Player of the
(10:09):
Year because it was it hasn't been announced before that,
but yeah, he had a phenomenal game in that game
and that play there was just like off off the rails.
So it was a wild game and you got to
remember also, guys that that same time frame, you've got
Grand Forks Central. That year in four they lose in
the state finals. The next year, next year in five,
(10:29):
they win the state title. And that's Frank Ryan Keselski
senior year and he's our head coach now, so Ryan
knows a lot of our guys as well. And they
competed not much in football. I actually did a little
bit like we played in the fall of two.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
It's the end.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
They played basketball all the time, those guys always, So
Ryan knows all these guys as well. So it's going
to be making even more specials for this Friday.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Yeah. I call it the glory days of Grand Forks
where I just came to in fact that the schools
were going to be winning. It was almost as it
was a true treat. And you're right, it just rolled
right in from Central to you guys, and then back
to Central winning the championship a year later. Tim, what
else you got for coach?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, I was still going back to the numbers, and
you know, you know, you talked about the whole offensive line,
whole defensive line. That's all they played. You must have
had big numbers. Have did that state championship, increase your numbers.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
We didn't. Tim. I'm looking at the roster right now
as we speak, we had fifty guys fifty now I'm
talking tien through twelve. Yeah, ten through twelve, fifty two,
fifty three guys, which isn't huge. It's enough, obviously, but
you know, you get the right special ones, and it's
you know, right now Ryan has nine through twelve, he
(11:52):
has over seventy five incredible numbers. I know better. Ver
Central and Polkony West numbers are off the charts right now.
So football is alive and a well in the Grand
Cities here and U. It's just yeah, it's great to
see the numbers, but the numbers were not crazy big,
which is kind of weird. It makes even more strange.
But just got the right dudes.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, that's you know, That's what I was going to say.
We talk about it quite a bit that a group
of athletes comes through and they're special and gifted, and
then there's other years when they're just not those guys there,
and all you guys can do is sit back and
try to coach them up, whether it's the good ones
(12:36):
or they're not so good ones.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Right, Yeah, we've always we've tried to pushed harder that
if I could get my average kid better than your
average kid, I might I might beat you, a better
chance to beat you. Most zones have most sounds. I've
got to dudes and good players. It's the average kid
team to get better in the weight room and get
faster and get bigger and get stronger. That make you
even better. So we pushed hard to make those kids
(13:00):
were averaging a little bit better and it seems to
pay off in the long run. Any may better kids
better too. But that's just the training that is is
all year round in that sport.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Especially going back to the championship game against Becker, because
I just think of all those teams in that in
that region of the world. It just seemed like that
was the gauntlet that you had to go through because
they're all kind of you know in that area of Minnesota,
and uh, you know, having survived, I was kind of
curious how how your football team would respond after having
(13:34):
figured out a way to get past Glencoe. And I
guess that was the big question going into that championship
game against Becker.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yep, you know the funny thing back then, so the
Right County, which is a county by the city's right county.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
YEP.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Those three teams, Delano, Becker, and Glencoe all played in
the Right County Conference back then, right, So they all
played these that are during the year, but for some strange,
crazy reason, come playoff time, they went to three different
sections whatever, and that's kind of gone a long wayside
twenty years laight or now. But they went to and
(14:11):
usually they won their sections. And they were all three
eight they were on our level. So those three they
would play sure during the year and probably split their games,
and they go to the playoffs and they probably win
their sections and go to Certainly you're right, that was
the think about the football Mecca. Incredible incredible teams. Becker
in the finals. Yeah, we got past glen glen Coe
(14:32):
and I got to meet and talk to Dwight Lunde
and by the way, who was still coaching today, so
he's been there a long long time, a great guy.
And at that point they had not won a Staate
title yet. They had probably lost round four or five
of them in the state title games. They won a
couple of years after we played them. He won six
year old seven. He won quite a few cents then
(14:54):
at the four ray level, but yeah, incredible man. I
got to meet him and change back in the day. Now,
we changed tapes five years ago. It was VHS you know,
have a high eight review on a call. It was
we actually would change tapes with coaches. So I drove
down to Fergus Falls and met him and the coach
down there and had some coffee and breakfast, and I
talked football and I had about Becker was more like us,
(15:19):
more finance, more throw. Still incredibly good. A lot of
a lot of Gophers come on with a lot of
pros out of their Fridgish tradition, I mean football football
community big time and got down there as well. Got
down when I say got behind ate nothing. They came
out and drove on us right away, and they got
a two point conversion and I think we picked them
(15:40):
off and kind of get the ball rung. We have
five interceptions of that game. We did almost at that
point almost almost hell a Prep Bowl record. Uh yeah,
our dvs were special that year and our soft stared
up front with the past, the past pressure. Our interception
ration was was insane that year when teams three we
just love because we we're gonna have to pick them off.
(16:01):
But yeah, that was a I came out of a
thirty one to fourteen something like that, I believe. Yeah,
thirty one fourteen is backer in the finals. I wouldn't
say it was a breezy game, but it was a
little easier than Glenkell in the Semis. But yeah, lasts
just a fun, fun time in the old Metrodome.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
It was. Indeed, any guys are going to be back, Yeah,
that's a great question.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I've got some people that said they're not coming back
because they're just in Hawaii, the New Jersey and so on.
People have some weddings going on here and there. Talking
to about the cheerleaders and the managers. I don't know.
I'm hoping total with the coaches and so on, hopefully
get more than half. That's hard to say. I mean
hoping thirty forty fifty, but I don't know. We'll see, yeah, thinking,
(16:49):
I just don't know. We are meeting before the game,
going to give the guys some stuff before the game,
and then we're going to be announced the team and
the whole entire team they enter yet at halftime of
the game against Perham on Friday, nights right here at
Senior High Field and we have a six pm kickoff.
(17:10):
I don't think we'll probably be announced by about seven
issues before seven. Probably all depends on the first half goes.
And then after the game, everyone's invited to the Blue
Moose in East Grand Forks do have a little celebration
with the team that's been talking to anybody, people all
around town come by after that should be eight thirty
nine o'clock and we'll see along that goes or the
(17:32):
U in the game the next day. So it's a
lot of fun, a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
This weekend will be one heck of a mixer. I
tell you what you'll be pushing, whether the Blue Moose
can stay open long enough. Basically have a feeling for
some of those guys. But I will say that that
you know that what's interesting. And here here's another question.
How many weddings have you been invited to out of
that group over twenty years? And I'm sure you couldn't
(17:58):
get to all of them, but I bet you got
to quite a few of them. But I bet you,
guys we're on the list over twenty years and a
fifty player roster. I bet you you were on getting
quite a few invites in the in the mail over
these twenty years.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, there's quite a few. Got to a few in
the area, of course, and try to go as many
as you can. You know, I was telling the guys,
a lot of these guys they have kids and them obviously,
and they have children. Yeah, they're not quite playing high
school football yet, so that they can probably get back.
Now we do a thirty year a little bit different
with your kids involved in sports in the fall and
this and that. But yeah, I think this one here
(18:32):
should be a pretty good The kids are getting older,
part of that ten nine, ten eleven night range and
so on, but not quite playing high school balls. So
we're hoping we can get a lot of them back.
And you know, it's it's fun for the community, it's
fun for the fun for everything over in East Grand Force.
We appreciate the time to just one of guys and
like I said, all we all you guys do for
sports and time, we love it.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Oh well, you know what, it's one of my favorite memories.
I've done a lot of things and been a part
of a lot of sporting events, and the coverage of
your team back then and the coverage of the central
team the following year is a definitely the feathers in
my cap. I enjoyed those so much and so so
fun to recall these times. And I know you'll be
(19:14):
doing it all over again and all weekend long with
these guys back in town and in the area, and
we wish you at the very best and have a
great Friday and have a great reunion. So congratulations twenty years.
Enjoy the celebration.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
I remember, Paul, were you and I were in the
bottom of the Metrome on one of those three game shows. Yeah,
I remember vividly. Whether the Semis or finals, I can't remember,
but I remember we were chatting about everything. We were
obviously niverse at that point. But that was a blast.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Oh well, you know, like I say it, it was
it was a privilege and I enjoyed it, and I
just felt it was so important to where I was
able to grow in my in my craft as well.
But when you get to call games of that magnitude
with a great group to cover, it made it pretty easy,
so much fun, and I just hope over the next
few days it's going to be a lot of fun.
(20:03):
For you, your your coaching staff that was a part
of it, and then for all the players as well
in their families. So thanks for this, Bruce. We'll be in.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Touch to guys.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Thank you, all right, Thank you coach Bruce Nelson. He
was the head coach of the East Grand Fork Senior
High Green Wave and their state championship in two thousand
and four, twenty years ago, and they celebrated here on
Friday night. That's gonna be really cool for them.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Pretty sweet, Yeah sweet.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
That's Isn't that crazy what he said?
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Though?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Right County they played in the Right County Conference and
somehow Delano, Becker and Glencoe.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Were not in the different sections.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Do you think there was some Jerry manderin there? No
Minnesota State No, no, no, of course not. So's that's
just incredible to think about. But man, that that half
hour flew by in our appreciation for coach who's still
in the school system doing his work, so we appreciate
(21:01):
him taking a bit of time in the start of
his day on a very busy week, I'm sure. So
thanks for that for coach Nelson for swinging by talking
about his two thousand and four state championship. Team for
East Grand Fork senior high football, and we appreciate his
time here this morning.
Who was celebrating this year twenty years since winning the championship.
Good morning birds, thanks for being on.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Good morning, Jim, Good morning.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Good morning coach.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You know how long that was? How long ago that was?
Let me give you this, Yeah, let me give you
this one. That was also Crosby's first year in the
National Hockey League.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Wow, there you go.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Really said the kid?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yeah that's the kid then?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Yeah, he was a kid then not anymore?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Right, No, he's still pretty good though, you know.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Coach, having had a chance to call all the so
many of those games that year and be a part
of it, and it was so fun to be so
integrated you you made it so fun to be in
with your staff and getting to know your players. And
I'm sure you know this is going to be kind
of fun. But because you don't have a chance over
(01:05):
these years to get together, you don't have a lot
of opportunities to get everybody back or get as many
as you will get back all together in one place.
So that's just got to be a special thing here
happening coming up on Friday, where most of these guys
are many of them anyway, will be back and back
together again.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeah. So we had a ten year of course ten
years ago, and that was a blast, and we're hoping
to have a many people back, if not more, from
the entire coaching staff. Shield Er to managers, players, Yeah,
you see you folks around town once in a while.
They see them out of town and missing that, but
you never get a big group. So we are excited
Friday night.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Speaking of your coaching staff, it was a really special staff.
I mean you certainly got to be the head coach,
but talk a little bit about your assistance and kind
of how they were involved, because it was a really
good group that helped lead all those you know, offense, defense,
in the various positions. You had a really good coaching staff.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Oh, no question. I mean there's a he was a
top notch staff and a number of those coaches are
still coaching. Roger Hanson masterminded the offense and he's still
helping out. He's he's basically a volunteer assistant. He helps
the offense now with the current team. Mike mahar was
a defensive coordinator and he used to play cover on
(02:28):
this team for Ryan Kasowski's Those two are still still
on the staff. Todd Schumacher is still teaching science at
the high school and Brandon Lunik he's down in Morehead
as a superintendent more at high school. People are still
still busy. You know. We had an anchory staff Buzzles
and Buzz still around town. Retired a few years ago.
(02:48):
That was Buzz's last year, you know, for a way
to go out for him. Chad Grassell under freshman coach.
He's a principal here in East Grand Forks, and yeah,
it was. That was the ninth grade staff and the
high school staff right there, and just work together for
quite a few years before that, because you have to
build a gel, as you both know that, it takes
takes more than just a couple of years to get
(03:10):
things right. And we had a lot of talents, a
lot of talent, a lot of hard work in the offseason,
from going to camps and throwing the ball summer camps
seven on seven to the weight room. It was a
special group and the stars aligned.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
As they say, Well, I was also going to say that,
you know, it's easy to talk about the skill players
because they were certainly the guys that got the headlines,
But I don't think you get as far as you
do without the guys up front. I just thought that maybe,
you know, we really need to look at the interior guys,
the offensive lineman and the defensive front for you guys
(03:46):
that were able to be so instrumental in getting to
where you needed to be.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
That's a great, great point, Paul, and we talk about
it every year. On our offensive line, those five guys
just played off line and the four D linemen just
played D line. So to have that luxury and three
A football is almost unheard of. So they weren't getting
pounded every play on defense and offense. They got breaks
(04:12):
which kept them healthy all fourteen games. Obviously, since you're
healthy ever beat up, not saying that, but you know
what I mean. It kept them fresh and that once again,
that's almost unheard of at least three A level to
be able to platoon like that. And yeah, without the
guys up front, never gets I don't care what level
you're talking about. From Pop Warner over the pros, you
(04:32):
don't have the folks up front doing the job. And
our skill guys appreciated that. They knew that, and our
linemen new they are very very important and you just
have got to have them. It doesn't matter where you are,
what level unity Vikings. It doesn't matter without the people
up front. Doesn't matter how good your show kids are,
because you don't have time to do things.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
It's a long night tim That's crazy that you had
the offensive guys. Offensive line, that's all they played in.
The defensive line, that's all that played. That doesn't happen
very often at your level, does No.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
No, we were, we were. We're extremely and that was
our goal to get with this year crew, to get them.
You know, we have some great juniors as well. We
had a couple sophomores played on that team towards the
end of the year. You have to have a good
junior class behind to help out unless you're the senior
classes are good obviously and vaguely had the big number
of kids, but our juniors were excellent as well. And yeah,
(05:29):
you did to have that platuning was just unheard of.
I'm trying to think now there's maybe four kids that
played both ways. Yeah, that's that's that's huge as well,
And there is some case you got to keep on
the field. But to have that and that's when that
most state championship teams or teams that have great runs
in any state, I'm sure it's very similar to keeping
(05:50):
guys rested and people getting beat up every single play, huge,
huge advantage.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
There are a couple of games that stand out to
me before he got to the state playoff that I
think about a lot or a pharomount in actually early playoffs.
So number one was the couple of meetings with Crookston,
and then there was an early home season regular season
game against Staples Motley where you pulled the rabbit out
of the hat. Those are the games that stand out
(06:19):
to me, you know, in the early portion of the season,
before we even got to the to the late deep
playoff run.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, the Staples the game, like you said, we we
got smacked in the mouth by them. They came in.
They actually won the Section six that year. They were
not in our section, they were in our conference. We
played them all time, and they were good, they were deep,
they were incredible as well. They won Section six that
year and they lost to Becker in the first round
of the state playoffs, the team we beat in the finals.
(06:48):
So they were a very good team and we were
down at halftime. We played Little Falls in the first
game of the year and beat them forty one to eight,
and came back a little bit confident, I think for
a home opener, and we were down at halftime, came
remember to score but at least seven or ten points,
and had a great second half, blocked a punt, returned
(07:10):
for a touchdown and another turnover, and then we're still
down with about under a minute ago, and somehow from
i'd say from about the forty yard lineer thirty five
yard line. Yeah, Merton's found ramback for one of his many,
many spectacular catches in coverage and we score and kick
(07:30):
off them, hold home, win the game. So it was just, yeah,
a game we probably shouldn't have won, but like I said,
when the stars aligned to take it, we've all been
on the other side where you have games where you
should don't win. So yeah, that was That was a
great start to the season. And then Kristen twice, as
you said, and they were incredible those those years as well,
(07:50):
with athletes unbelievable twenty miles away. You had so many
athletes from the basketball team in football. It's hard to
ever happen again. Because they won the Section the year
before he went to the Section State State Semis. It
was just it was loaded, loaded in the area that
those gives battles back and forth since probably five years old.
You know, there's incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, well yeah, I mean there just was. You know,
when you put on the field guys like Kenley Wallen
and others, uh from from Crookston and then on this
side you got you know Nick Mertens and Chad Larson
and Nate Rambeck and others and and the yeah that
you're right. They they played against each other in every
sport basically for their entire lives. And in this instance
(08:32):
it was east Gren Forks's uh time to finally move
past Crookston and and get and you're right it was
Becker in the championship game. But you know, the semi
final against glen Coe down at the Metrodome was a
game you know because glen Coe was and is it
has been known as a powerhouse football program that you
(08:54):
were going up against in that in that semi final
and just it was a slog. It was a tough,
tough game, but somehow again figured it out away.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Blenco they were a three times defending state champs. They
were going for their fourth straight title and they are
at that point they are smash balls football. They rarely
threw the ball. They didn't have to throw the ball,
and we were more we were more almost more passed
than run, so kind of the two two different aspects
of offenses. And yeah, it was it was a battle
(09:26):
from the from the get go. We got behind, caught up,
and went ahead. They missed a pat we made ours
one twenty eight, twenty seven, and if he recall the
last five minutes of the game, they punted and pinned
us deep and we got a couple first downs. We
had to punt, and we punted and the snap goes
(09:47):
over top top of Nick Merton's head. He chases it down,
rolls to his left, somehow finds Casey stole them on
their sideline for a first down and we don't ever
to kneel it out and in the game to one
of those plays that I've still convinced that that that
that bad snap and that play by mertens was a
huge part of getting him the AP Player of the
(10:09):
Year because it was it hasn't been announced before that,
but yeah, he had a phenomenal game in that game
and that play there was just like off off the rails.
So it was a wild game and you got to
remember also, guys that that same time frame, you've got
Grand Forks Central. That year in four they lose in
the state finals. The next year, next year in five,
(10:29):
they win the state title. And that's Frank Ryan Keselski
senior year and he's our head coach now, so Ryan
knows a lot of our guys as well. And they
competed not much in football. I actually did a little
bit like we played in the fall of two.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
It's the end.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
They played basketball all the time, those guys always, So
Ryan knows all these guys as well. So it's going
to be making even more specials for this Friday.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
Yeah. I call it the glory days of Grand Forks
where I just came to in fact that the schools
were going to be winning. It was almost as it
was a true treat. And you're right, it just rolled
right in from Central to you guys, and then back
to Central winning the championship a year later. Tim, what
else you got for coach?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, I was still going back to the numbers, and
you know, you know, you talked about the whole offensive line,
whole defensive line. That's all they played. You must have
had big numbers. Have did that state championship, increase your numbers.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
We didn't. Tim. I'm looking at the roster right now
as we speak, we had fifty guys fifty now I'm
talking tien through twelve. Yeah, ten through twelve, fifty two,
fifty three guys, which isn't huge. It's enough, obviously, but
you know, you get the right special ones, and it's
you know, right now Ryan has nine through twelve, he
(11:52):
has over seventy five incredible numbers. I know better. Ver
Central and Polkony West numbers are off the charts right now.
So football is alive and a well in the Grand
Cities here and U. It's just yeah, it's great to
see the numbers, but the numbers were not crazy big,
which is kind of weird. It makes even more strange.
But just got the right dudes.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, that's you know, That's what I was going to say.
We talk about it quite a bit that a group
of athletes comes through and they're special and gifted, and
then there's other years when they're just not those guys there,
and all you guys can do is sit back and
try to coach them up, whether it's the good ones
(12:36):
or they're not so good ones.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Right, Yeah, we've always we've tried to pushed harder that
if I could get my average kid better than your
average kid, I might I might beat you, a better
chance to beat you. Most zones have most sounds. I've
got to dudes and good players. It's the average kid
team to get better in the weight room and get
faster and get bigger and get stronger. That make you
even better. So we pushed hard to make those kids
(13:00):
were averaging a little bit better and it seems to
pay off in the long run. Any may better kids
better too. But that's just the training that is is
all year round in that sport.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Especially going back to the championship game against Becker, because
I just think of all those teams in that in
that region of the world. It just seemed like that
was the gauntlet that you had to go through because
they're all kind of you know in that area of Minnesota,
and uh, you know, having survived, I was kind of
curious how how your football team would respond after having
(13:34):
figured out a way to get past Glencoe. And I
guess that was the big question going into that championship
game against Becker.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yep, you know the funny thing back then, so the
Right County, which is a county by the city's right county.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
YEP.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Those three teams, Delano, Becker, and Glencoe all played in
the Right County Conference back then, right, So they all
played these that are during the year, but for some strange,
crazy reason, come playoff time, they went to three different
sections whatever, and that's kind of gone a long wayside
twenty years laight or now. But they went to and
(14:11):
usually they won their sections. And they were all three
eight they were on our level. So those three they
would play sure during the year and probably split their games,
and they go to the playoffs and they probably win
their sections and go to Certainly you're right, that was
the think about the football Mecca. Incredible incredible teams. Becker
in the finals. Yeah, we got past glen glen Coe
(14:32):
and I got to meet and talk to Dwight Lunde
and by the way, who was still coaching today, so
he's been there a long long time, a great guy.
And at that point they had not won a Staate
title yet. They had probably lost round four or five
of them in the state title games. They won a
couple of years after we played them. He won six
year old seven. He won quite a few cents then
(14:54):
at the four ray level, but yeah, incredible man. I
got to meet him and change back in the day. Now,
we changed tapes five years ago. It was VHS you know,
have a high eight review on a call. It was
we actually would change tapes with coaches. So I drove
down to Fergus Falls and met him and the coach
down there and had some coffee and breakfast, and I
talked football and I had about Becker was more like us,
(15:19):
more finance, more throw. Still incredibly good. A lot of
a lot of Gophers come on with a lot of
pros out of their Fridgish tradition, I mean football football
community big time and got down there as well. Got
down when I say got behind ate nothing. They came
out and drove on us right away, and they got
a two point conversion and I think we picked them
(15:40):
off and kind of get the ball rung. We have
five interceptions of that game. We did almost at that
point almost almost hell a Prep Bowl record. Uh yeah,
our dvs were special that year and our soft stared
up front with the past, the past pressure. Our interception
ration was was insane that year when teams three we
just love because we we're gonna have to pick them off.
(16:01):
But yeah, that was a I came out of a
thirty one to fourteen something like that, I believe. Yeah,
thirty one fourteen is backer in the finals. I wouldn't
say it was a breezy game, but it was a
little easier than Glenkell in the Semis. But yeah, lasts
just a fun, fun time in the old Metrodome.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
It was. Indeed, any guys are going to be back, Yeah,
that's a great question.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I've got some people that said they're not coming back
because they're just in Hawaii, the New Jersey and so on.
People have some weddings going on here and there. Talking
to about the cheerleaders and the managers. I don't know.
I'm hoping total with the coaches and so on, hopefully
get more than half. That's hard to say. I mean
hoping thirty forty fifty, but I don't know. We'll see, yeah, thinking,
(16:49):
I just don't know. We are meeting before the game,
going to give the guys some stuff before the game,
and then we're going to be announced the team and
the whole entire team they enter yet at halftime of
the game against Perham on Friday, nights right here at
Senior High Field and we have a six pm kickoff.
(17:10):
I don't think we'll probably be announced by about seven
issues before seven. Probably all depends on the first half goes.
And then after the game, everyone's invited to the Blue
Moose in East Grand Forks do have a little celebration
with the team that's been talking to anybody, people all
around town come by after that should be eight thirty
nine o'clock and we'll see along that goes or the
(17:32):
U in the game the next day. So it's a
lot of fun, a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
This weekend will be one heck of a mixer. I
tell you what you'll be pushing, whether the Blue Moose
can stay open long enough. Basically have a feeling for
some of those guys. But I will say that that
you know that what's interesting. And here here's another question.
How many weddings have you been invited to out of
that group over twenty years? And I'm sure you couldn't
(17:58):
get to all of them, but I bet you got
to quite a few of them. But I bet you,
guys we're on the list over twenty years and a
fifty player roster. I bet you you were on getting
quite a few invites in the in the mail over
these twenty years.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yeah, there's quite a few. Got to a few in
the area, of course, and try to go as many
as you can. You know, I was telling the guys,
a lot of these guys they have kids and them obviously,
and they have children. Yeah, they're not quite playing high
school football yet, so that they can probably get back.
Now we do a thirty year a little bit different
with your kids involved in sports in the fall and
this and that. But yeah, I think this one here
(18:32):
should be a pretty good The kids are getting older,
part of that ten nine, ten eleven night range and
so on, but not quite playing high school balls. So
we're hoping we can get a lot of them back.
And you know, it's it's fun for the community, it's
fun for the fun for everything over in East Grand Force.
We appreciate the time to just one of guys and
like I said, all we all you guys do for
sports and time, we love it.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Oh well, you know what, it's one of my favorite memories.
I've done a lot of things and been a part
of a lot of sporting events, and the coverage of
your team back then and the coverage of the central
team the following year is a definitely the feathers in
my cap. I enjoyed those so much and so so
fun to recall these times. And I know you'll be
(19:14):
doing it all over again and all weekend long with
these guys back in town and in the area, and
we wish you at the very best and have a
great Friday and have a great reunion. So congratulations twenty years.
Enjoy the celebration.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
I remember, Paul, were you and I were in the
bottom of the Metrome on one of those three game shows. Yeah,
I remember vividly. Whether the Semis or finals, I can't remember,
but I remember we were chatting about everything. We were
obviously niverse at that point. But that was a blast.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Oh well, you know, like I say it, it was
it was a privilege and I enjoyed it, and I
just felt it was so important to where I was
able to grow in my in my craft as well.
But when you get to call games of that magnitude
with a great group to cover, it made it pretty easy,
so much fun, and I just hope over the next
few days it's going to be a lot of fun.
(20:03):
For you, your your coaching staff that was a part
of it, and then for all the players as well
in their families. So thanks for this, Bruce. We'll be in.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Touch to guys.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
Thank you, all right, Thank you coach Bruce Nelson. He
was the head coach of the East Grand Fork Senior
High Green Wave and their state championship in two thousand
and four, twenty years ago, and they celebrated here on
Friday night. That's gonna be really cool for them.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Pretty sweet, Yeah sweet.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
That's Isn't that crazy what he said?
Speaker 1 (20:31):
Though?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Right County they played in the Right County Conference and
somehow Delano, Becker and Glencoe.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Were not in the different sections.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Do you think there was some Jerry manderin there? No
Minnesota State No, no, no, of course not. So's that's
just incredible to think about. But man, that that half
hour flew by in our appreciation for coach who's still
in the school system doing his work, so we appreciate
(21:01):
him taking a bit of time in the start of
his day on a very busy week, I'm sure. So
thanks for that for coach Nelson for swinging by talking
about his two thousand and four state championship. Team for
East Grand Fork senior high football, and we appreciate his
time here this morning.
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