BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The Dakota Bowl is an illustrious thing. For the first time ever, the South Border Mustangs will be playing in the Fargodome, vying for a state championship.
“It’s a dream,” said senior Daniel Schumacher. “Everyone wants to go to the Dakota Bowl. Ever since I was younger, I dreamed of going there and now we’re going.”
Players like Trevor Schmidt, for example, believed this team had the ability in them from the start. Head Coach Evan Mellmer believed in his team too, but he just didn’t know how realistic that goal would be.
“As a team, we knew we were going to be here,” says Schmidt. “All of our dreams, everything we worked for was to get here and it’s just amazing to be here.”
“We knew we had a good team and that we could potentially do something special, but I don’t think that you could ever expect to go into a season to get to play for a state championship,” Coach Mellmer said. “You get to this point and all these teams are too good. But hats off to our guys, they’ve battled all year. They’ve put so much time and effort into this and they deserve it. These communities deserve it. This is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”
For the team, it’s been a long time coming. For Coach Mellmer, it all happened so fast.
“These seniors, when they were freshman, they were a 1-7 football team. Now they’re going to finish their careers inside the Fargodome,” said Coach Mellmer. “I mean, that growth and what they’ve put into this program and to see it all pay off, that’s the best part. And to see these communities and what it means to them, it’s awesome.”
“I’m 27 years old, I’ve been a football coach for three years,” continued Coach Mellmer. “In Region 4 when you’re playing against guys, you’re coaching against the Steve Kleinjan’s, the Jamie Krenz’s, the Mike Zier’s. They’ve got more years as a head coach than I’ve got on this planet. I don’t have any business competing with those guys. People want to give me all the credit, it’s those guys (the players) who get the credit, they work their butts off and we have a lot of fun doing this. We’re going to try to win one more.”
Whether it’s in Ashley, Wishek, or anywhere in between, one thing’s for sure: the Mustangs couldn’t have done it without the support of the South Border community.
“It’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive and it looked like it was a home game for us,” Schumacher says. “Our community, our fans, they support us so much and we appreciate it so much, too.”
For those joining the team in Fargo, Coach Mellmer has one last reminder: “Last one out, shut the lights off in Ashley and Wishek.”
The Mustangs will face the North Prairie Cougars in the 9-Man state championship on Friday.
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