ABOVE: Front row (l-r): Jerry Lebbi, Hunter Sommer, Mac Anderson, Isaac Taplin, Jacob Porter, Asst. Coach Jesse Walters, Asst. Coach Brian Wille, Head Coach Mat Mahoney, Asst. Coach Brad Johnson, Asst. Coach Shawn Chambers, Ryan Szafryk, Seth Siebring, Caiden Utesch, Caine Gronewald, Ethan Darnell, Calvin Foster-Boswink, Dayton Draper. Row 2 (l-r): Wyatt McGowan, Cody Reeves, Kaden Bell, Ethan Siebring, Tavian Harvey, Jaron Schutz, Elijah Johnson, Caleb Chambers, Jordan Thompson, Merritt Pomerenke, Dakota Wiley, Bryce Roeschen, Kayden Williams, Allen Szafryk, Landen Traetow, Brayden Williamson. Row 3 (l-r): Chase Birr, Mason Ingvoldstad, Andres Rodas, Benet Mathiason, Joe Long, Max Nielsen, Ty Kolbe, Joey Crissinger, Hadan Toomer, Owen Terfehr, Ivan Martin, Johnny Fernandez, Jacob Ehlert, Angel Barajas, Ben Sunken. Row 4 (l-r): Marcus Gamboa, Trayvon Harvey, Tyler Bicknase, Ty Tumbleson, Hank Artz, Nolan Schultze, Mathew Martin, Aaris White, Ethan Farnum Back row (l-r): Hunter Johnson, Brett Williams, Dj Miller, Trevor Maakestad, Oliver Tordsen, Lucas Rosberg, Nolan Anderson, Reed Johnson, Vincent Schultz, Cole Brockmann. Photo courtesy of Seifred Portrait Design.

FAIRMONT – Coming off of a 9-2 season and tough overtime loss to Waseca in the Section 3AAA playoffs, the Fairmont High School football team is heading into the season with a new mantra and a different conditioning format for the year.

With returning stars in Nolan Schultze, Hank Artz and Elijah Johnson the team has built a versatile pro-style offense to make the push back to the state tournament. The team missed the state tournament last season after making back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2022.

Returning senior running back Elijah Johnson is coming off of a record-setting season where he went for 1,487 yards and 21 Touchdowns on 178 carries. Johnson also set the school’s single-game rushing yards record against Albert Lea in which he ran for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receiver Nolan Schultze caught 17 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns also last year and is expected to develop further in his senior year.

“We feel like we’ve got a pretty special running back in Elijah,” Fairmont head football coach Mat Mahoney said. “I would call us a pro offense. We have a tight end, we have a full back and we have a running back. We’re all out of the shotgun. Now, in the snap of a finger we can go from running power to having four wide and chucking the football.”

The defense is bringing back some solid talent for the season in defensive end Hank Artz, who had 11 solo tackles, 14 assists, and 4.5 sacks. Another returning defenseman is linebacker Caleb Chambers, who is coming off last season with 20 solo tackles, 47 assists and 4.5 sacks. Linebacker Hunter Johnson, who had 15 solo tackles, 52 assists and 1.5 sacks last season, is also back.

The loss in the playoffs last season has led to a shift in conditioning this year for the team, now running the conditioning drills in the middle of practice. Mahoney stated that this was to ensure that the team is better prepared for overtime situations.

A tough schedule and a strong desire for this team has led to some big changes in mindset for the seniors on the team who are looking to “take it to the bank” this year, referencing U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for the state tournament.

“We have all the pieces and we’re not changing any Xs and Os,” Mahoney said. “We’re not changing any of that stuff. But we have to change our mindset. Because we’ve got to be able to get over that hump.”

One change the team has seen this year is at the quarterback position with Joe Long taking over the starting job for Blaze Geiger. Mahoney has faith in Long and how he has been developing over the offseason and is confident he will be able to run the offense well for the Cardinals.

Working on rebuilding their approach to how they think about the game, the team has changed slightly, still maintaining the classic “Fight On!” slogan but adding “Finish the Fight!” for this year.

“I said we’re going to go with a brick-by-brick mentality. I took the letters of [the word] brick by brick and I broke them all up. So, like the ‘B’, it’s unbreakable,” Mahoney said. “The ‘R’, we’re going to play relentlessly. The ‘I’, is our identity, we’re going to play with some grit, kind of some toughness, that’s kind of who we are. ‘C’, we have to play with some confidence and that’s kind of our job now, we’re developing their confidence. The ‘K’, is for ‘Kickstart My Heart’ by Motley Crew. So, we have to play with energy and enthusiasm.”

The Cardinals will put the new training methods and mindset to the test in their first game on Thursday, August 29, at 7 p.m. in Fairmont at Mahoney Field against Tri-City United.