TrekNorth's grassroots football program takes center stage under the lights
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 15—BEMIDJI — After the TrekNorth High School football players made their way through the postgame handshake line, they turned to the small batch of home fans posted behind the sidelines at Chet Anderson Stadium.
There were hoots and hollers, high-fives all around and a celebratory team photo in front of the scoreboard.
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The Sundogs lost 44-12.
Wins and losses are merely tallies in arbitrary columns for TrekNorth. Wednesday night's nine-man contest against Laporte was just the fourth game in school history. It plays a mix of junior varsity and varsity 'B' squad opponents during its inaugural tackle football season, one that took a seismic effort to even start the program.
"We've been working on this program for three years," head coach Jerry Snow said. "We're the only nine-player program that's a charter school in the state. Some of these kids have never played football before. For some, it's the only athletic experience they'll ever get. Just being able to be here, with Bemidji State hosting under the lights, the kids were so pumped. The score could've been double what it was, and we would've been over the moon."
In 2024, Snow and assistant coach Sam Udeen
started a flag football team,
with the hope of raising enough money to enter the tackle realm. The bill was over $30,000, but thanks to the Sundog Football Booster Club, TrekNorth now has its only official team sport, with the hopes of attaining Minnesota State High School League varsity status in the coming years.
One of the taller hurdles was funding for equipment, which Snow estimated at roughly $11,000.
"As a charter school, we don't have access to federal or state funding, because we're a subset of a preexisting district," he said. "All of the money to get this going, all of the equipment we bought, it came from privately raised money. We all work really hard on fundraising, and it's just a continuous cycle.
"All of this is grassroots. There is zero — none — funding or grants. It's all donations."
The transition from flag to tackle was in the works throughout the summer, leading to a two-week preseason in late August, which is when the school received its equipment.
"We tried to follow the MSHSL programming as much as possible," Snow said. "That learning curve was really steep. We knew we were going to tackle football, but we had to wait for the gear to arrive and get everyone fitted. We basically had two weeks.
"We were able to develop our playbook in the flag football program. When we made that transition to tackle, the only thing we added was the mechanics of the tackle game. The playbook was there, the defensive positioning was there — we just had to add the kicking and the tackling and all of the physicality of tackle football."
On Sept. 17, TrekNorth played its first-ever game against Red Lake County's JV team. The Sundogs had a goal of scoring one touchdown this season, which was achieved on that day.
"When they put on the pads for that first game, everything was a little hesitant," Snow said. "But they get halfway through it, and they're like, 'All right. We can do this.' Now, they come here, and maybe they were a little awestruck under the lights, but they know the playbook, the calls, the positioning. Now, it's just a matter of repping it out."
The product on the field improves with each practice and game. Because the Sundogs don't play a varsity schedule, games are more flexible.
On Wednesday against Laporte, the two schools played with mostly a running clock. Defenders weren't allowed to rush the kickers on punts, and officials were lenient on more of the procedural aspects of the game.
"Laporte is a great team to play against," Snow said. "They're very congenial, and everything worked out. It was a great game for us. Everything went smooth. We got to play our own game, and it was great for the kids.
"You have to think outside the box. We can make our own schedule, and that works in our favor. We can play any day of the week — even Saturday afternoons. ... Communication is so huge, and it's nonstop."
The Sundogs didn't need any extra reasons to celebrate the occasion, but they got them in the second half.
Jakai Lord had a 7-yard rushing touchdown with 37 seconds left in the first half. Everett Flemming recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, then had an interception with just over two minutes left in regulation. Lord had another rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
TrekNorth has just 14 players on the roster, and only 13 of them suited up on Wednesday night. Snow, who has experience as a trainer, is overly cautious when it comes to injuries while the program searches for new participants.
"The recruitment is nonstop," Snow said. "We're kind of a revolving door. Kids will come and try it, then realize it's not for them. Some of them stick with it for a few days, then find something else. We're a small school — we have about 260 kids in grades 6-12. So our varsity ages, (grades) 10-12, are a very small pool of kids. I'd like to get 24 kids on the team, and we're getting there."
Snow, a science teacher, takes pride in creating opportunities for people to play. He served as Bemidji State's women's rugby coach until 2012. He's also been involved with TrekNorth's taekwondo club, which was a motivator to start a football program.
Still, the challenges of building a team sport without designated funding are incredibly taxing. His will is often tested as he wonders if the end result is worth the demanding effort.
But the highs, such as the players' elation after suffering a 32-point defeat, keep him grounded in his vision.
"Did you see their faces? You can't put a price on that," Snow said softly. "They're worth it."