Submitted photo: Fairmont High School senior Tyler Bicknase will represent the Cardinals program in the 52nd Annual Minnesota High School Football All-Star Game on Saturday, Dec 13. The contest will start at 1 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium.

FAIRMONT – Fairmont High School football’s Tyler Bicknase will represent the Cardinal program in the 52nd Annual Minnesota High School Football All-Star Game on Saturday, Dec 13. The offensive lineman will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to become the 35th player in school history to receive this honor.

“I was so hyped [on receiving this nomination],” Bicknase said. “I went to the game last year and watched Hank [Artz] and Elijah [Johnson] play, and I said, ‘I really want to play in this.’ It was an amazing feeling getting that text that I made it.”

Members of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association select players and coaches to participate on the North and South teams. This year’s roster has representation from 75 schools and 37 Sub-Districts.

The North and South teams are compiled from two separate committees in each area: the North Metro and Out-State, and the South Metro and Out-State. Metro and Out-State representatives come together to select 44 players from their combined locations, plus one kicker, leaving both North and South teams with 90 total players combined. Each team also gets six coaches to help coordinate the game.

“It’s basically the coaches nominate whoever they think is eligible,” Fairmont football head coach Mat Mahoney said. “We as a committee, we kind of just do our research. I send out a Google Form to all the [other] coaches, have them rank them, and see if they are an All-Star.”

Bicknase earned this selection after a stellar season for the Cardinals this past fall. The senior played three positions-offensive guard, defensive line, and inside linebacker-in 2025, proving his importance to the team across nearly all phases of the game. He finished this past season with 43 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and five tackles for a loss, commanding the right side of the offense as one of Mahoney’s most consistent linemen.

Off the field, Bicknase was a true leader among his teammates, helping lead offseason workouts and earning the title of one of the team’s captains.

“I think he’s a really good interior offensive lineman,” Mat Mahoney said. “As a sophomore, he started for us at center. In his junior and senior years, we moved him to guard, but at the next level, he could do either. …A really dedicated weight room guy and probably one of the top leaders we have had in a long time at Fairmont.”

Bicknase plans on continuing his football career at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls next season after committing to the Falcon program on Nov 6.

“I am excited to just go out there,” Bicknase said. “These are kids who are as passionate as me playing the game of football. I am just excited to see how that is compared to the high school [level].”

Fairmont has had a rich history of sending players and coaches to this event since its start in 1945. Tackles Richard Sexe and Alan Ledebur represented the Cardinals in the games’ opening years of 1945 and 1951.

The event took a handful of years off in the 1960s, but got reinstated in 1973, with defensive end Jerry Rosburg joining the South team for Fairmont. Since then, 32 Cardinals have played in the prestigious event. Fairmont sent more than one player twice during its program history: Wide receiver Luke Becker and safety Jay Ruen in 2013, and running back Elijah Johnson and utility man Hank Artz in 2024.

Fairmont has sent coaches to the game on five different occasions. Tom Mahoney earned his spot in 1983 and 1993 as head and honorary coach. 1985 was Arv Soma’s year as an assistant coach for the South. Mat Mahoney and Brad Johnson joined the staff as assistants in 2019 and 2023.