Page 22 Fall Football Preview • Thursday , August 29 , 2024 sailor . mnsun . com
Proven winner arrives as new head coach by JASON OLSON jason . olson @ apgecm . com
“ Better Every Day ” is the red and white wristband senior captain Luke Guggenberger and his teammates wear as a reminder to improve on the little things each day to achieve the big things , like a state tournament run .
This year marks the addition of new head coach Brad Anderson , who joined the program in February after a stellar 18 seasons guiding Wayzata High School to 156 wins and five Prep Bowl games , winning three in 2005 , 2008 and 2011 .
“ It ’ s fun , and I think the players have had a lot of fun ,” Anderson said of the first week of fall practices under the belt in a new location , swapping out his blue wardrobe for BSM ’ s red and white these days . “ I had to throw out my whole summer wardrobe and half my closet because it was all blue and gold , but I was thrilled to wear the blue and red for Orono for those years . I had to do the same thing again because I didn ’ t have anything red or white , but I made the transition . It was very easy .”
A 10-time section coach of the year and two-time state coach of the year will be at the helm of a program coming off a state tournament appearance . The Red Knights finished with a 5-7 record but won the Section 5AAAAA title at rival Holy Angels before losing the state quarterfinal to North Branch
BENILDE-ST . MARGARET ’ S RED KNIGHTS
FOOTBALL PREVIEW 202�
( SUN PHOTO BY JASON OLSON )
Red Knights running back Khalif Brown works his way through the Holy Angels defense during the regular season game in Richfield last fall .
38-27 in a game played at Monticello High School .
“ Every year is new , and you must earn it ,” he said .
A benefit of that experience is knowing what it takes and wanting to get back there .
Anderson spent the last three seasons on the coaching staff at Orono High School , where the Spartans reached the Class AAAA state tournament and went 9-2 .
Anderson now has a new coaching staff , with several former Wayzata players on his staff .
“ I enjoy the process of mentoring football players but also football coaches ,” he said . “ One of my strengths and passions is building teams , and I ’ ve done that in the past with my administrative jobs with staff members
to function highly , and that ’ s one of the challenges here . How do we bring all these faces from these sports together to function together ? For me , that ’ s the exciting part of being a coach . I get to coach the coaches .”
Among those former players who are now on his coaching staff are first-year coaches Rob Bathe ( offensive line ), Bo Illikainen ( tight ends ), Mitch Heflin ( defensive line ), and Max Underhill ( linebackers ). Longtime BSM assistant coaches Michael Swann , Joe Creer , Randry Mugisha , and Darren Jakes Jr . return to the staff .
Joining Guggenberger as seasonal captain is Tommy Staples , along with game captains .
Anderson said the team
made a great decision in naming the two seasonal captains . Due to the senior class ’ s array of leaders , he recognized them with a week-by-week captaincy .
Guggenberger returns as one of the top receivers on the team . He caught 57 passes for 875 yards and 12 touchdowns from senior standout Nirvaan Yogaraja , who completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 3,297 yards and 28 touchdowns .
As for the start of the new season , Guggenberger said there is a lot of excitement in the air to get the firsts out of the way .
“ You walk in the first day ; it ’ s the easiest day of the year to get up at 5:30 in the morning ,” Guggenberger said .
With Anderson at the helm , Guggenberger says the experience level speaks volumes . “ It has been a change , but I think coach Anderson is well-experienced and brings a lot of great things with him . You see his stuff from Wayzata with three state titles and many great players he ’ s coached and it ’ s cool to bring that to Benilde ,” Guggenberger said . “ All the sports are good and have great athletics . We care about our athletics here ; football has been down for the last couple of years .”
Trying to get as familiar as possible meant taking full advantage of the 7-on-7 passing scrimmages to not
See BSM , Page 26
QUICK HITS
Head Coach
Brad Anderson First season
Last Year ’ s Record : 5-7
Key Returning Players
Senior receiver Luke Guggenberger caught 57 passes for 875 yards and 12 touchdowns . Classmate Khalif Brown caught a team-high 70 passes for 1,047 yards and eight touchdowns . Senior linebacker Chase Brixius is back along with Slater Crandall and Eddie Wolfe .
Schedule
All start times 7 p . m . Aug . 30 at Willmar Sept . 6 vs . Byron Sept . 13 vs . Rocori Sept . 20 at Totino-Grace Sept . 27 at SMB ( Blake ) 6 p . m . Oct . 5 vs . Holy Angels noon Oct . 11 at Delano Oct . 16 vs . Mound Westonka