STEWARTVILLE, Minn. (KTTC) – “It was just kind of like a moment in time where it’s paused, and you’re looking around like ‘wow, this is really it.’ But it’s a heck of a way to go out,” Stewartville defensive lineman Graysen Schneider said.
Pause the moment and cue the celebration — a celebration that’s just getting started.
“We normally have a 24-hour rule,” Stewartville football head coach Garrett Mueller said. “But we can celebrate this one a little longer than that for sure.”
It’s well deserved for the back-to-back undefeated Class AAA champions, finished off with a 43-22 win over Dassel-Cokato for the crown on Saturday.
“It helps having guys like this on the field for you,” Mueller said. “Could not be more proud of the group of players and the collection of players and coaches for just the time that they’ve put in to get us to this point. It’s not by accident; it doesn’t randomly happen.”
It happens with hunger and a team not complacent with the highs from the previous year.
“How do we stay hungry and stay motivated and continue to improve and get better? Because the goal was to end up back here again this year, and these guys just stuck to that mission every single day.”
The benefits are as tangible as they are historic. 28 straight wins, averaging 46 points per game this season while holding teams to less than six points per game. A trophy is the end result, but the behind the scenes is just as meaningful.
“We come in three times a week in the summer. I get to work out and hang out with these guys just doing what we love, and of course the OTAs,” senior Jayce Klug said. “It’s just awesome seeing all of our hard work pay off, but even better just seeing our group succeed together is just one of the best feelings in the world.”
It’s a fitting final feeling for Klug and a group of 18 seniors who haven’t lost a game since their sophomore year. While they got to share one final moment as a team, their legacy will live in the rafters.
“A lot of it can be encapsulated by what you saw on the sidelines at the end of the game. A lot of seniors walking around hugging each other, a lot of them were crying,” Klug said. “I think it’s just because we value the relationships we’ve built with each other.”
“You hear it all the time that Friday nights aren’t forever, and it really doesn’t hit you until its gone,” Schneider said. “So being able to go out on top is a huge thing I think for all of us.”
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