Nov. 3—BEMIDJI — For the Bemidji High School football team, entering the Section 8-5A play-in game against Sauk Rapids-Rice with low hopes would’ve been easy.
Given how the season was going for the Lumberjacks, no one could’ve blamed them.
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They struggled with their offensive identity through the first three weeks of the season, scoring 20 points or fewer against Elk River, Grand Rapids and Buffalo, losing all three games.
An ugly 48-35 homecoming loss against SRR was the catalyst for change. Junior Josh Arel was inserted at quarterback, while senior Owen Vandermeer played positions on both offense and defense.
The position swap worked. Against Brainerd, Arel looked comfortable under center, and Vandermeer made athletic plays on both sides of the ball. The Lumberjacks were a 2-point conversion away from a victory, but the Warriors eked out a 28-27 win, making Bemidji 0-5.
As the season went on, the losses became more severe on paper — a 41-21 defeat to Alexandria, a 37-20 road loss to Sartell. Then, facing the No. 1 team in Class 5A, the Jacks got shut out 27-0 against Monticello, finishing their first winless regular season since 2004.
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Despite everything the team had gone through, the Lumberjacks still believed in themselves. They still believed they could improve as a team. And most importantly, they still believed they could win.
They did just that against the Storm in the 8-5A play-in game last week. Garret Halverson ran for 296 yards and four touchdowns, while the defense limited SRR’s potent running game to claim their first win of the season, 35-21.
“I was really impressed with their ability to continue to believe in themselves all the way through the season,” head coach Kyle McMartin said. “They could have quit. And we talked about not quitting and always trying to work to improve — and they did that, they did stick to that. And that’s something that I would love to be able to carry on into next season.”
Bemidji’s season officially ended on Saturday in Brainerd, a 49-35 loss to the No. 1 seed in the Section 8-5A semifinals.
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The Jacks kept up with the high-flying Warrior offense, being tied 21-21 in the second quarter. But just before halftime, Brainerd scored two touchdowns in 14 seconds — aided by a surprise onside kick — to take a commanding 35-21 lead into the second half.
Vandermeer and Arel both went down to injury in the final two quarters. Sophomore quarterback Jude Hagen stepped in for the Jacks and went 4-for-5 with 53 passing yards and a touchdown.
The Lumberjacks were also missing starting cornerback Thandi Rood, whose presence was missed on the defensive side of the ball.
“Defensively, we were a little bit more outmatched on the edge game,” McMartin said. “We have senior Evan Lundin, who’s been doing an amazing job for us all season long. We had other guys that stepped in when Thandi was out, who hadn’t been playing the position as much and were just trying to do the best they could at the end of the season.”
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McMartin has now completed his first season as Bemidji’s head coach, going 1-9, including the postseason. There are so many games — from the two-point loss to Grand Rapids to the missed 2-point conversion at Brainerd — where it felt like the Jacks were snakebitten.
But that’s now all in the past, as McMartin and his Jacks enter an important offseason, eager to wipe the slate clean and get back on track in 2027.
McMartin admitted that it took the Jacks a while to find their identity offensively this season. Once they did, it was because the coaching staff wasn’t afraid to switch up personnel. Moving Vandermeer to wide receiver and Halverson to the No. 1 running back position helped the Jacks find their footing.
Getting a full offseason may speed up the process of placing the best players in the best positions, he said.
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“We worked on trying to put the right kids in the right spots throughout the year, and that took us a minute to figure that out,” McMartin said. “We have the opportunity next year to accelerate that process, now that we’ve seen a little bit more about what we’re looking for (and) what brings value to different positions within the systems that we’re trying to run.”
As is the case with every offseason, the Jacks will lose key returners. Nehemiah Schwinghammer, Jerry Farmer and Logan Caron will be missed on the defensive line. Halverson’s punishing rushing attack will be tough to replicate, as will Vandermeer’s production.
But Bemidji has lots of talented juniors eager to be the leaders on the team in 2027. Arel will aim to build off of his experience in the back half of the 2026 season at quarterback. He’ll still have talented receivers to throw to, like Jack Zellmann and Brennen Brower. Owen Geerdes will help the defensive side of the ball at linebacker, as will Sawyer Evje in the trenches.
Then there’s the talented sophomore class, led by guard and defensive tackle Gabe Zwack, who received a lot of playing time in 2026.
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“We really, really need them to put in an offseason where they continue to improve,” McMartin said. “That’s going to be our common commitment. We’re not looking for individuals; we’re looking for a team, and it takes a team to be able to make individuals look good. So we need an off-season that resembles that.”
Work on next season has already started for McMartin and his coaching staff. After the end-of-year banquet, coaches meet to set up offseason plans with the players, from possible camps to workout regimens.
“Then it’s just working on implementing and checking in with the kids and staying connected as much as possible throughout the off-season,” McMartin said, “and continuing to help them develop towards the athletes that we need them to be for the next year.”
It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Jacks and McMartin himself. A common theme from the coaches to the players was that they were better than their record suggested. That’s now all behind them. For many, including McMartin, training camp next August can’t come soon enough.
