John's Journal: Celebrating A Century Of Football In Deer River

DEER RIVER -- There were plenty of former Deer River High School football players standing on the field at halftime here Friday night. In fact, there were 125 proud Warriors, many of them wearing their old jerseys.

It was a happy crew for a couple of reasons. One was the score at halftime: Deer River 13, Mille Lacs 0. The other reason was really special, a once-in-a-lifetime event: Celebrating 100 years of high school football in this small community in Itasca County.

The alumni players were recognized by name at halftime as they gathered on the field behind signs designating the decades. As expected, the further back the decades went, the fewer players there were in each group. Two men represented the teams of the 1960s and one player from the 1950s was on hand, 97-year-old Leonard Kossow.

Even Leonard wasn’t there when it all started. The details are sketchy, but here is an account from long ago…

It was the fall of 1925 and most of the credit for getting the game started should go to Billy Forsman. He stirred enough interest on campus for a group of us to approach Mr. Hollands, the superintendent, and coach Jake Christianson.

Hollands gave his consent but no financial support. A few players managed some pieces of regulation equipment, but by and large the pads and equipment were make-shift. Hunting caps worn backwards as helmets, sections from fiber wastebaskets as thigh guards, and I took in a pair of bicycle shoes to Mr. Kossow, the shoemaker, to be fitted with cleats.

Due to lack of time the schedule was limited to a scrimmage with Grand Rapids and two games with Cass Lake. We did well against Rapids and won the other two. In the first game of high school football ever played, Deer River defeated Cass Lake 25-6. Those of us who were there would like to be remembered for being in on the first kickoff.

The loss of the seniors from that first team might indicate lower aspects for 1926, but football fever had arrived at Deer River. Veterans and subs from the first two teams had matured to put the 1927 team on par with most high schools of that time. (Undefeated unscored upon). 

Evidently little record of those earliest teams exists outside of the memories of those who participated, this we accept. Yet would it not be fitting, for the edification of all who love our school and its programs to have indelibly etched among its archives the names of Billy Forsman, the instigator, and J.M. Christianson, the Coach, who laid the foundation and got it all started in 1925.

--The above article was written by Dr. Roger E. Harmon and printed in 1927 by the Western Itasca Review.

Baseball is often the longest-standing sport in many communities, but high school baseball didn’t come to Deer River until 1956, three decades after football debuted. It’s safe to say that football is in the DNA of this town of 903 people.

Along with celebrating 100 years of high school football, the weekend festivities also marked 50 years of Pony League football for younger kids in town. A Pony League game was played Saturday afternoon, followed by a gathering at the high school that included a meal, speakers, group photos and lots of storytelling.

Nobody knows what the Warriors’ all-time record is, but their most recent game was something to remember. They defeated Mille Lacs 19-8 in a defensive-minded contest marked by big plays. The Mille Lacs Raiders – a cooperative team involving students from Onamia and Isle that plays two home games at each school – came in with a 3-0 record while Deer River was 2-1.

After Friday both teams moved on with 3-1 records and the knowledge that they well could meet again in the Section 7A playoffs. The other five teams in the section (Braham, Chisholm, Ely, South Ridge and East Central) are all 1-3.

Deer River had the advantage of playing three of its first four games at home. The Warriors will play the next two on the road at Chisholm and Ely, play at home vs. Braham and close the regular season on Oct. 16 at East Central. At that point the postseason paths will be laid out for everybody.

“We'll see them again in the section final, probably,” said Deer River coach Brent Schimek. “If we’re the No. 1 seed, I’m sure they’ll be the No. 2 seed, so we'll see them again.”

The Warriors finished 7-3 last season, losing to Braham in the section championship game. In 2022 Deer River was undefeated until losing to Springfield in the Class A state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The football expectations are lofty in Deer River. The Warriors have gone to state 15 times since 1984 (including 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022) with the high-water mark a Class B state runner-up finish in 1991.

The 2024 team is a veteran group with a lineup stocked with a dozen seniors who know the ropes. The Warriors threw the ball with success against Mille Lacs, with senior Caiden Schjenken throwing touchdown passes of 32 and 12 yards to senior Damian Cash, along with a scoring toss to classmate Nicholas Bakkedahl.

Mille Lacs, also a senior-heavy outfit, took advantage of a Deer River fumble in the fourth quarter, driving 90 yards on a drive that ended with sophomore Phillip Bober running four yards for a touchdown.

The Warriors lost another fumble a few minutes later on the Raiders’ 11-yard line, but what might have turned into another long scoring drive ended when Schjenken picked off a pass from his defensive back position near midfield with 1:39 remaining.

Mille Lacs’ long scoring drive was emblematic of how the game was played: tough blocking and hard running in a spot where winter can arrive early.

“We’ve got to ground and pound here,” Schimek said. “It's been pretty nice this year; usually it's pretty cold by now or getting colder by now. So that helps us. If you come out here and play spread, usually in October that doesn’t work, so you’ve got to be able to pound it.”

The 2024 Warriors were meeting behind the grandstand at halftime so they missed seeing all the former players honored. But they certainly know about their team’s history.

“This is just a great program,” said Schjenken, who has played football since fourth grade. “Deer River has always had a good program. I think it starts when we're in fourth grade, and it just rapidly comes up from there.”

Getting a big win was special, he said.

“It's an awesome win for us. We’re going to be a tough, tough team during the postseason, but this is probably who we're going to have to get past to go to state. So it's a big win. It's a big win for us mentally because we know we can beat them next time.”

--MSHSL senior content creator John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at [email protected] or [email protected]