Boyceville’s gridiron gang hungry for a playoff berth in 2017

By Cara L. Dempski

BOYCEVILLE — First-year Boyceville football coach Jordan Anderson has no small task ahead of him.

The Bulldogs went 3-6 overall, and 1-5 in the Dunn-St. Croix, last season, leaving them out of the running for a playoff spot.

Then, the team’s former head football coach, Brian Roemhild, citing a desire to spend more time with his family following the sudden passing of his father last February, resigned along with assistants Michael Roemhild and Jamie Olson. Roemhild posted a 39-38 record and his teams made four playoff appearances in his eight years as head coach.

And to top it off, Boyceville lost a solid set of skill players to graduation this past May.

It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but Anderson does not see it that way.

“The strength of our team is our upperclassmen leadership,” Anderson said. “We have seen them grow not only as players, but as leaders this off season and in the first week and a half of practice. They are embracing the role of leadership, and are helping the underclassmen progress well so far.”

This year’s group of seniors are stepping into spaces vacated by players like first-team all-Dunn-St. Croix wide receiver Micadin Kahl, and second-team linebacker and honorable mention running back Hunter Lipke. The duo, along with Brandon Malean, Dante and Kyle Marlett, Gavin Olson, Tristan Talmage and Tyler Krueger, formed the core of the Bulldogs’ offense and defense in 2016.

Senior letter winner Bryce Boda will be back for one last year as the Bulldog’s starting quarterback. Boda nailed his target 51 times in nine games last season for a grand total of 561 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Defensively, his most memorable moment of 2016 may be a fumble recovery during a home game against Elk Mound that he took all the way home for a touchdown.

Boda is joined by classmates Luke Knudtson, Cooper Boesl and Bryce Larson, all of whom contributed to the team in various ways last season and who are providing guidance to younger players now. The trio of letter winners combined for 41 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and an interception in 2016. Boesl also saw some minutes on the offense, with 10 receptions and a total of 73 yards on the season.

Jason Swanepoel and Noah Novotney got in on the defensive fun a few times last season and look to join Jayson Gonzales in filling in for their senior classmates this season.

Junior lettermen Ty Gundlach and Brady Nye are back this year to provide some experience on defense. They will be joined by Erick Loback and Dylan McNew in the search for varsity minutes in 2017.

Dylan Hakanson and Brendan Sempf are back as sophomores after earning varsity letters their freshman season. Hakanson played a pair of games on offense, and rushed for 27 yards on two carries. Defensively, he hit the field in eight games to earn 22 tackles. Sempf had 15 tackles in just seven varsity appearances last season.

The duo is joined this year by fellow sophomores Austin Hatfield and Hunter Nye, who are in the hunt for some field appearances of their own.

Rounding out the team are freshmen Connor Sempf, Trevor Hollister, Nathan Stuart, Connor Larson, Triston Bowell, Tanner Anderson, Brian Fawcett, Brady Helland, Cole Morrissette, Dominic Schreiber and Brendan Hazelton.

Fans of Bulldog football may want to watch the players from the freshman class closely, since Anderson has already noted their work ethic.

“Our freshman class as a whole is a tight-knit group, and are bringing a lot of competition to practices,” the coach explained. “As the season progresses, their roles will expand greatly.”

The Boyceville football team’s main goal in 2017 is to make it to the playoffs. They will need to win at least three conference games for that to happen. Anderson said the Bulldogs are eager to get back to post-season play, noting individual awards are great, but it does not mean much if the squad cannot get wins as a team.

The Dunn-St. Croix is a tough conference, and the new Bulldog helmsman said he did not want to slight any of the teams in it by choosing top teams. He indicated each squad can make a run this season.

What he is focusing on instead is getting Boyceville through one game at a time.

“Every week will bring a new obstacle that we have to rise up to and take the challenge head on to become successful,” Anderson.

Jordan Anderson is in his first season at the helm of Boyceville’s high school football program, and previously served as a middle school football coach for the district. Anderson will be assisted by Carter Anderson, Colin Brown and Dewey Marlette.

Boyceville will open its season on the road August 18 at Chequamegon before playing its home opener August 25 against Clear Lake. The Bulldogs will host Gilman September 1 in preparation for their 2017 D-SC opener at home against Durand September 8.

Roster

Seniors: Bryce Boda, Luke Knudtson, Cooper Boesl, Jayson Gonzales, Bryce Larson, Jason Swanepoel and Noah Novotney.

Juniors: Brady Nye, Erick Loback, Dylan McNew and Ty Gundlach.

Sophomores: Dylan Hakanson, Brendan Sempf, Hunter Nye and Austin Hatfield.

Freshmen: Connor Sempf, Trevor Hollister, Nathan Stuart, Connor Larson, Triston Bowell, Tanner Anderson, Brian Fawcett, Brady Helland, Cole Morrissette, Dominic Schreiber, Brendan Hazelton.