Cowboy linemen allowed only one sack all season• By Robert Wanek Jr.
The Breckenridge football team was led into battle all season by ultra-efficient quarterback Cooper Yaggie. The Cowboys won six of those seven battles, on the way to their first section championship win since 2008. However, the war for Section 6A was ultimately won in the trenches, by Yaggie’s senior-laden line — The Hogs. This impressive group of true athletes led by Gavin Johnson, Jonah Christensen, Jared Aamold, Bryant Hasse, Gus Hasbargen, Ben Krump, and Dallen Ernst allowed only one sack all year long. Yes, you read that right — one quarterback sack in 7 games, 61 passing attempts, 28 quarters. As a result, Yaggie posted 14 passing touchdowns to 1 interception, while rushing for 400+ yards behind his beastly brothers. “I think what made the line so good was that they were such a tight knit group who all loved each other,” Yaggie said. “They took it personal to keep me protected at all times. I loved every single one of them like a brother and I trusted that everyone on that line would give 100% to give me time while passing or a hole to run through. I’m glad I was able to quarterback behind a line that will go down as one of the best to ever play for Breck.” Cooper held up his end of a preseason deal he made with his blockers — buying them a meal if they allowed a low number of sacks. It was fitting he rewarded his linemen off the field, since they piled up the pancakes on the field. Johnson was named the Midwest White District Offensive Lineman of the Year. He and Connor Twidwell will be taking their talents to Minnesota State University Moorhead. Aamold brought some serious fire to the group, spinning the football in celebration after multiple fumble recoveries. After the huge loss of Hasse to injury with two games remaining, Ernst stepped up and used his towering frame to keep pass rushers at bay. Christensen was excellent in pass protection, allowing his quarterback ample time for several deep completions, resulting in a completion rate of 22.3 yards per clip. Hasbargen was a shotgun snapping aficionado, delivering the football with precision to his dangerous quarterback. Krump crushed opponents at the goal line on a number of touchdowns and 2-pt conversions. There was no weak link in the Breckenridge line. “When I heard that I was voted offensive lineman of the year, that was pretty cool for me because we don’t get a whole lot of credit down in the trenches,” Johnson said. “I would just play and leave it all on the field and it’s cool to see people notice that. There’s no way I would have gotten that (award) without my other linemen. You can’t have only one or two good linemen and win games. They always had my back.” Head coach Chad Fredericksen had plenty to say about the linemen that carried him to his first section title in 12 years and one season after finishing as runner-up. “Tough, dependable, physical, durable, strong, big, competitive,” those were the words the veteran frontman used to describe his pile pushers. “It didn’t matter who was rotating through, they all helped each other out. They made us tick,” Fredericksen said. “You don’t put up the offensive numbers we did without a great offensive line. You add Daniel (Erlandson) and Connor (Twidwell) to that group and you have something pretty special. It’s hard to imagine not having those guys next year.” Daniel played fullback for a fearsome rushing attack led by Midwest White District Running Back of the Year Christian Nieto, Wide Receiver of the Year Jacob Vizenor, and James Mertes. Twidwell lined up at tight end, where he caught a pair of touchdowns and ran over opponents with his excellent downfield blocking. Erlandson was widely regarded as Minnesota’s top fullback. In seven games, the Cowboys rushed for 1,878 yards and 25 touchdowns. “They’re the real dawgs and I wouldn’t trade them for any other line,” Nieto said. “They worked their tails off. None of us backs would have been able to do what we did without them. I’m gonna miss those hogs.” Aamold, Christensen, and Johnson were all three year starters. That level of experience and earned toughness was crucial to the Cowboys winning the line of scrimmage. “That made our lives as coaches super easy,” assistant coach Jordan Christensen said. “They always knew what their assignment was and had the physical skills to execute it. It’s not very often that you’ll find a group of linemen as good mentally as they are physically. Overall this group will be one of the best offensive lines to come through Breckenridge.” In addition to coaching, Christensen also runs the strength program, a role that’s produced an obvious increase in the performance of Cowboy players across the board. Breckenridge boasted a lethal return game as well. Johnson and Twidwell did damage in that department, leveling opponents to free Vizenor, Mertes, and Dylan Bernotas for return touchdowns. Against Staples-Motley, Twidwell’s block sent a would-be tackler three yards in the air, springing Bernotas for a punt-return score. While it was typically the A-Team of Alex Martel and Alex Tschakert upending returners, the Breckenridge big boys got dirty on special teams as well. Most of the Cowboy line played both sides of the ball, where big plays came in bunches. Hasse tripped up Barnesville’s scrambling Adam Tonsfeldt on a fake punt. Erlandson and Aamold each recovered fumbles inside the 10-yard line just before halftime of the Ottertail Central and Barnesville games. Twidwell showed off his mitts, adding an interception to his multiple receiving scores. With size came great athleticism, a heralded combo for linemen. Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes, the hard hat and lunch pale crew, doing a thankless but vital job. This wasn’t the case with the 2020 Breckenridge Cowboys, as the The Hogs made their mark loud and clear, as a unit and individually.
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New location, same attitude for breck-wahp gym owners
“One of the coolest things to me when we first moved here was Vance Johnson walking in and telling me a story about Chad, then Chad starts to train his son," Tracey said. "It’s so interesting to me that these men that were older than Chad or the same age have come back around to share these stories and think we are the best place for the job.” Next Level has served a variety of clients from young hockey players to 80-year-olds working out well into the twilight of their lives. While the gym is all-inclusive, much of the training is geared towards the hardcore athlete looking to continue their sports career and enter unique fields such as body building and mixed martial arts. NLP is home to Golden Glove boxing champion Braydon Olson, champion weight lifters Brandon Thiel and Bailee Heitkamp, and MMA fighters like Wyatt Meyer, Dennis Booke, and Jacob Thiel. Those fighters compete in North Star Combat, ran by president and former UFC star Stephan Bonnar. Thiel and Booke have poured their time into the mixed martial arts arena with their personal brand “Elite MMA,” doing so under the radar for the most part. They built a training cage in the back of NLP, equipped with an area for heavy bag and speed bag training as well. “Those two are amazing and don’t really get much recognition,” Desjarlais said. “They have full-time jobs, families, and still make time for our fighters and MMA fitness in general. They were really interested in continuing to fight after their high school wrestling careers and they’ve pushed that into instruction for the young guys, competitive guys, and people who just want to get in shape. They have 10-15 members and about four or five who compete.”
Chad’s journey into physical fitness started around age 12, when he got into a little bit of trouble and his mother sent him to Coach Larry McDaniel’s summer camp at NDSCS to blow off some steam. Chad’s love for the gym was reinforced in high school by legendary strength coach John Bell, who was lauded by the 1988 Breckenridge state championship football team for his instructional skills in the weight room.
“My freshman and sophomore year under Coach Bell I was actually the assistant strength coach, before leading the program my junior and senior year,” Chad said. “John (Bell) was an inspiration because he used all of his own funding and formed a powerlifting team from the area that went all over to compete, traveling in his personal RV.” When COVID-19 came sweeping through the nation, the Desjarlais family was forced to move from their location, causing a sense of uncertainty for a duo that was gaining traction in the community. “Law enforcement came over and told us the governor was shutting us down,” Tracey said. “We closed our doors just like every other business. We were laying in bed and got a phone call from our landlord telling us we needed to move. We had a really good relationship with the owner so we weren’t expecting a move and we were really devastated and blindsided by it.” The couple initially scoped out the old Pamida building just west of town for a new location, but ultimately honed in on the vacant Sears building next to Family Dollar. “I hated it at first. I wanted to go to the old Pamida building but there was way too much work to get started there,” Tracey said. “There was still appliances in the Sears building and I didn’t like the space, but as soon as we walked through the double-doors everything changed. We went from 4,500 square feet to 6,800. This put us right on main street and made a big difference with visibility, too.” Tracey handled the transition and renovation single-handedly, kicking her husband out of the new space for 45 days until they were allowed to reopen. When Da Bull finally touched down, he was chomping at the bit to get back to work with the NLP Family and reconnect with them as individuals. "We’re really a family here. Our members will come in not only to talk about lifting and things like that, but about school, relationships, their new job, anything important in their lives. So it’s really a place of counseling too and we take pride in the mental aspect of our gym,” Chad said. The gym hosts “Savage Saturdays and Sundays,” where members come home for the weekend and train viciously to attain new personal records. Some of the members do miss the basement at the old facility however, as they could see the ceiling caving in from how heavy they had been lifting upstairs. The Desjarlais power couple works as a team to keep operations rolling during these crazy coronavirus times, offering different dynamics to those who walk through the door. “Tracey does a lot more of the business management part. I’m more into the hardcore individual training,” Chad said. “I always wanted to have a gym that was open for everybody — runners, traditional athletes, lifters, every aspect of sports. Making sure we push people to go to a higher level is huge. When I was coming out of high school, our coaches didn’t really take that second effort to prepare you for what’s to come at the next level. We want our athletes to be prepared if they are serious about playing at that level.” Chad’s experience playing for the Bison and professionally before blowing out his quadriceps and hip during a powerlifting accident, adds an aura of experience when it comes to the stresses of continuing a sports career. He had dreams of making it to the NFL before realizing his purpose was in preparing younger generations to take the mantle. “The physical part is the fun part but the mental part needs more understanding,” Chad said. “The coaching is tougher, the locker room dynamic is tougher. Studying, workouts, meetings, a lot of kids don’t understand the level of things they are signing up for.” Tracey is always willing to lend a hand, or an ear, as an active listener for NLP athletes. “Often times I’ll be holding court with our athletes and figuring out why they aren’t playing sports anymore,” Tracey said. “Chad’s grabbing them in a way to find out what they can do to get better and I’m a little more therapeutic. He’s the bull in this house and I’m here to facilitate his and their dreams.” In the age of hustle and bustle, where the compassionate parts of fitness life get caught up in the “Grind” mentality, Next Level Performance is the family we need. To Chad, it's not just a figurative family, it's a fitness family. “It’s almost like it’s your own kids going off to college, and it’s emotional when they come back to see how much progress they’ve made and to see them doing things they probably wouldn’t have done if they never walked through these doors.”
“There isn’t a lot of style to me, but I do like to show my excitement. I like to set the tone of a game, and that seems to motivate others to do the same,” Anthony said. “I’ve always been the type of person, even growing up, who was willing to step up and do the dirty work.” Grace is more even keeled on the court, showing little emotion in victory or defeat. Even during a junior season in which she averaged a double-double of 11.2 points and 10.1 rebounds, it was done quietly and efficiently at 55% shooting from the field. Grace keeping her nose to the grindstone is something she credits to the support of her mother, Jennifer. “Since she was an athlete, I could always go to her about sports. She’s taught me hard work and determination, so I’m very grateful for my mother,” Grace said. Anthony kept sharp during the coronavirus shutdown by shooting hoops at St. John’s gym where his mother often rebounded for him. Anthony’s biggest inspiration is his father, Clint, a successful businessman and a perennial hard worker decades in the making. “It’s funny that the person who inspires me most didn’t really push me toward playing basketball at all. Yet, he teaches me how to be the hardest worker in life — not just athletics,” Anthony said. “He ran three businesses when he was just 30 years old and he’s the calmest person I know.” Anthony tested the AAU basketball waters with West Central United this offseason, competing alongside athletes from Perham, Montevideo, Paynesville, Ashby, and Fergus Falls. He hopes the diversity of players on that squad will help him evolve as a basketball player. "I had to understand how people move differently, run plays differently, and how to support each other no matter which ways we were different. I’ll never forget the experience," Anthony said. "Each guy was unique in their own way and had their own unique talents. I feel honored to have been asked to be a part of their team." Grace's dominance on the low block may now be paired with an improved shooting touch away from the hoop. As scary as she is around the basket, she hopes her offensive arsenal will stretch the floor much deeper as a senior scorer. "I have been shooting more outside shots around the perimeter. I have been improving footwork and finishing at the rim. I've practiced new post moves and footwork. I've worked on many parts of my game to become a more versatile player," Grace said. While Anthony's improved individual game is a focal point, his team's success remains number one on his 2020 agenda. "Our goal is to compete in the Section Championship game and play at our highest level when it comes to playoffs," Anthony said. "My goal is for our team to work together and not worry about any drama going on around us. We can’t allow ourselves to get distracted." When asked about her favorite Cowgirl basketball player of all time, Grace pointed to a hard worker and consummate team player --- Lauren Johnson. "She was a senior when I was a sophomore, and always came to practice with a smile," Grace said. "She was a very hard worker and always hustled for loose balls and sprinted down the court. Lauren and I frequently would stay after practice and get some shots up. She would do anything for the team to make it better and always had a positive attitude." Anthony's favorite player is Breckenridge's record-setting, and more importantly, example-setting leader --- Noah Christensen. "I look up to him because he’s a great friend and a good person, he has a lot of energy, and he builds people up when they are down," Anthony said. "In a game, he does the dirty work that others don’t want to do. You can’t break him down, because he always gets back up. He has a true winning attitude. That’s what I strive to be." For these two blooming Breckenridge athletes, reflecting on their childhood is becoming more important in a turbulent year full of twists and turns. After all, high school zooms by in the blink of an eye. "There are so many memories growing up, it’s hard to choose one," Anthony said. "A lot of our memories have to do with water activities, whether it was hanging out with our friends at the Breck pool or going to the lakes and jumping off the pontoon. We were always outside doing something. As redheads, we had to watch out for sunburns though!" Being able to laugh and learn, yet compete with tenacity --- That's what makes these twins so special. Anthony and Grace will continue to use their blessed upbringing to remain positive during an uncertain senior season. After graduation, Grace plans to go into nursing, or a career elsewhere in the health and medicine field. Anthony plans to attend college and go into the business field. Both athletes have a desire to play basketball at the next level. Grace was the 2019 Breck Sports Talk Co-Athlete of the Year. |
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March 2021
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