Minnesota high school football: Holdingford Huskers looking to play physical in 2019
HOLDINGFORD — The Holdingford Huskers are looking to bring intensity this year after a 2018 season where they finished 3-6 and were knocked out of the Section 5-2A playoffs in a 20-14 loss against Eden Valley-Watkins.
"The kids are working hard," said head football coach Luke Mitchell. "They've put in a lot of time and effort, and I really appreciate how hard they've come out to practice."
Mitchell is starting his eighth season as head coach of the Huskers and plans on a similar style of play.
"We're looking for downhill, physical football — like we always play, and we want to play great defense," Mitchell said.
Holdingford's offensive schemes will look familiar, but the personnel has changed with 10 seniors graduated.
Senior captain Jake Ethen is stepping in as the starting quarterback after spending most of 2018 as a running back.
Last year, he led Holdingford on the ground, rushing for 362 yards and two touchdowns on 67 carries. He also completed 11 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns as the backup quarterback.
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Ethen, a linebacker on defense, tallied 29 tackles (24 solo, 5 assisted) and two sacks last year. He is excited about the Huskers' intensity
"You should expect a physical team," Ethen said. "We've always been physical, and that's what we're going to do."
With Ethen moving out of the feature-back role, seniors Carter Douvier, a halfback, and Avery Nienaber, a fullback, will split the carries.
While both played in all nine games for the Huskers last season, they saw limited carries in a crowded backfield. Douvier gained 149 yards in 47 attempts and Nienabar gained 70 yards in 16 attempts.
Nienaber and Douvier were also key contributors on last year's defense, tallying 51 and 49 tackles respectively.
Holdingford will need to replace the production of its two leading receivers, Tyson Patrick and Blake Sigler. They accounted for 832 of the Husker's 1,177 receiving yards and nine of their 13 receiving touchdowns.
The candidate to lead this year's receiving core is senior Blake Niemeyer, who played in all nine games for the Huskers last year and caught 11 passes for 72 yards.
Senior receivers Kyle Grzybowski, Michael Miller and Aaron Welle will also see more action this year.
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On defense, expect to see Grzybowski and Miller in the backfield while Welle is expected to start on the defensive line along with seniors Spencer Trobec and Christian Willoughby.
While the Huskers would love to push past the first round of the section playoffs this year, Mitchell stressed the importance of taking the season one game at a time.
"We're just looking to stay competitive in a very good Mid State Subdistrict 1 and be playing our best football when the playoffs come," Mitchell said.
Holdingford Huskers
• 2018 record: 3-4 Mid State Sub 1, 3-6 overall. Holdingford lost 20-14 against Eden Valley-Watkins in the first round of the Section 5-2A playoffs.
• Head coach: Luke Mitchell. Assistants: Aaron Bring, Brody Anderson, Kelly Kobernusz, Jason Bruns.
2019 schedule
(All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated)
Friday, Aug. 30 — Long Prairie-Grey Eagle
Friday, Sept. 6 — at Melrose
Friday, Sept. 13 — at Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
Friday, Sept. 20 — Pierz
Friday, Sept. 27 — Maple Lake
Friday, Oct. 4 — at Rockford
Friday, Oct. 11 — at Paynesville
Wednesday, Oct. 16 — Eden Valley-Watkins
3 things to watch:
• Senior captain Jake Ethen is taking on a new role as starting quarterback this year after spending most of 2018 as a backup. He led the Huskers in rushing last year, so look for his versatility to open up options for the offense.
• Watch for senior receivers Blake Niemeyer, Kyle Grzybowski and Michael Miller as they look to replace Tyson Patrick and Blake Sigler who combined for 56 catches, 832 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago.
• Look for the production of senior running backs Carter Douvier and Avery Nienaber to increase as they share the load this year after splitting carries with seven other backs in 2018.
Follow Eric Fraser on Twitter @ejfsports or call 320-255-8772. Send an email to efraser@stcloudtimes.com.