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Two years in a row, time to make it three.

That outlook and people expectations didn’t observe the 2000 Sleepy Eye Indians soccer group, nonetheless. After graduating the majority of their starters from the 1999 state group, the Indians stepped onto the gridiron for the 2000 season unranked and with cautiously optimistic attitudes at finest. There was expertise on the group, albeit most of it younger.

The Indians additionally needed to take care of a strong convention which included a dominant McLeod West Falcons, a group the Indians needed to face straight away in Week 1 of the 2000 season. The Falcons ended up successful that Week 1 check in a 48-38 shootout.

Fast ahead to the top of the season, the Indians obtained payback over the Falcons within the first spherical of the Class A state match, defeated Murray County Central within the state semifinals and inched out a 13-12 win over Warren-Alvarado-Oslo to finish the season as Class A state champs for the primary time in program historical past.

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Marty Hoffmann (54) holds the Class A state title plaque above his head because the Sleepy Eye Indians have a good time their victory over Warren-Alvarado-Oslo on Nov. 24, 2000 on the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

SHAPED FOR SUCCESS

Often when the Indians’ 2000 group comes up in dialog with Sleepy Eye residents, recollections of the 2 soccer groups Sleepy Eye despatched to state in 1998 and 1999 shortly come up additionally.

Cory Haala, assistant head coach on the time of the sport and present Activities Director at Sleepy Eye High School, mentioned many individuals suppose the 1998 and 1999 Sleepy Eye groups have been much more loaded with expertise.

“A lot of people would probably argue our 1998, ’99 state tournament teams had more talent,” Haala mentioned. “The 2000 team was probably a little bit, maybe unexpected. But they were also practicing against some very talented people for a few years, so that probably helped them as well.”

Two starters and leaders again from the 1999 group in 2000 have been senior linebackers Marty Hoffmann and Isak Rasmus.

Jose Saenz, a sophomore fullback for the Indians in 2000 who’s now working for the City of Sleepy Eye, mentioned he performed on particular groups as a freshman because the Indians have been stacked with expertise in 1999.

“It was great because we were on the scout team,” Saenz mentioned. “Our defense got to go up against the best team in the state, that’s what we thought. So the whole time that you’re practicing, that’s what you’re up against. So essentially the whole scout team ended up being the next year’s team, minus Marty and Isak.”

New to his varsity position, Saenz mentioned he didn’t put an excessive amount of strain on himself or suppose too far down the highway within the 2000 season.

“I went in there with an open mind and just a play-the-game mentality, whatever happens, happens,” Saenz mentioned. “I don’t think anybody thought we were going to make it that far. They just threw a bunch of guys together and made it work.”

GETTING GOING AGAIN

After making state in 1998 and 1999 and unable to come back away with a championship plaque, the Indians needed to reset in 2000 with virtually a wholly new lineup.

Saenz mentioned he didn’t keep in mind the group being ranked at any level into the season going into the state match.

“Going into the season they didn’t expect nothing from us,” Saenz mentioned. “Back then the Tomahawk Conference was so tough there. There were probably five, maybe six teams ranked in state out of our conference. So for a while there, whoever won our conference ended up going to the state tournament.”

After dropping to McLeod West within the opening week of the 2000 season,

Hoffmann, present head soccer coach on the University of Minnesota Morris, mentioned regardless of opening the season with a loss, he was optimistic after the sport.

“We opened the season with that McLeod West team and we lost that one,” Hoffmann mentioned. “It was close, and I just remember thinking to myself, ‘Hey, we’re not going to be that bad.’ Obviously we had an uphill climb and we knew that we got a lot of guys kind of their first live varsity experience from that game. But I think we came out of that game feeling pretty good.”

Hoffmann wasn’t the one one to see potential after that opening loss.

Dean Deibele, Sleepy Eye’s head coach on the time who now resides in Monticello, additionally took positives away from that Week 1 defeat.

“They were so solid and so well-coached, we knew we had to play really well,” Deibele mentioned. “But playing a pretty close game against them the first game of the season with what they had coming back and what we had lost, I think it gave us a little bit of confidence that, ‘Hey, we can maybe play with some of these better teams.”

After opening the 2000 season with a loss to McLeod West, the Indians gained their subsequent 5 video games, defeating Wabasso, Buffalo Lake-Hector, Mountain Lake/Butterfield-Odin, Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Springfield throughout that stretch.

“I think we lost, if I recall, about 16 talented seniors from that [1999] group, so we didn’t know what to expect in 2000,” Deibele mentioned. “We had some very good athletes returning and as the seasons progressed, I think we became more and more confident that we could compete against some of the top teams in our conference. … Without a doubt, I think our opponents that year helped prepare us for our state tournament run.”

CRAFTING CONFIDENCE

The Indians bumped into a tricky Red Rock Central Falcons group in Week 7, struggling a 34-12 loss to the Falcons.

“The Red Rock Central game kind of sticks out in my mind as a turning point for us,” Hoffmann mentioned. “We got a little bit of a run, won a few games, were feeling pretty confident and then kind of got kicked in the mouth, so to speak. I think that kind of refocused us all and really got us dialed in on the end of the year and then getting that playoff run.”

Deibele mentioned the loss to a really bodily RRC merely got here right down to not teaching or enjoying effectively.

“We simply did not coach or play very well in that game, it’s that simple,” Deibele mentioned. “And I think it really woke us up and made us realize that we had to be totally prepared for every opponent. We kind of took them a little bit lightly for whatever reason and was at their place and they just came out ready to play. They were very physical and they kind of put us on our heels right away and they pretty much dominated us that game.”

The Indians had a brief reminiscence as they ended the common season with a 54-21 win over Cedar Mountain. They then defeated Bethlehem Academy 27-14 within the first spherical of the Section 2A match, New Ulm Cathedral 20-6 within the part semifinals and Minnesota Valley Lutheran 21-6 within the part finals to earn a visit again to state.

In the primary spherical of the state match, Sleepy Eye obtained payback over McLeod West by eking out a 26-24 win. The second spherical wasn’t any much less heart-stopping for Sleepy Eye as they scraped out a 13-10 win over Murray County Central. Regardless of the purpose differentials, Sleepy Eye was headed to the championship sport.

THE BIG DANCE

Nov. 24, 2000.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome performed host to the Class A State Prep Bowl sport between the Sleepy Eye Indians and the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Ponies.

With the tough turf on the Metrodome, one thing Haala described as carpet on a cement ground, the Indians entered the state title sport decided to show a unranked season into an undeniable one.

With a 4-4 protection and a mixture of a 5-2 look in a while within the season, the Indians have been ready to do all they might prime cease Ponies star working again Brett Lindenberg. Easier mentioned than carried out.

“In the state championship, we actually went to a 5-2 and tried to free up our linebackers as much as possible to chase down [Lindenberg],” Deibele mentioned. “[He was] a really good running back, so we changed it up a little bit and we tried to force them to throw the ball because they were a really good running team.”

Saenz, who completed the sport with 111 yards speeding, obtained the primary TD of the sport after it was arrange on a pleasant pitch from Indians quarterback Bryce Belseth to Cody Walter, who stiff-armed his method to the Ponies 8 with a 19-yard run. Two performs later, Saenz was untouched on his method to the top zone for a 4-yard rating.

The XP was blocked, retaining it a 6-0 sport.

While Belseth was the person beneath middle for the Indians, he didn’t find yourself throwing the ball a lot within the sport and was extra of a standout on protection and particular groups.

After the Ponies drove throughout midfield within the second quarter, a sack by Belseth was adopted with an interception by Walter to maintain it 6-0 heading into the half. The Ponies tied it halfway by way of the third on a TD rush from Lindenberg, however the 2-point strive was snuffed out within the backfield on a deal with from Belseth.

Sleepy Eye ran it again down the sphere the next drive, getting a few sturdy runs by Walter for 20 and 15 yards. Walter completed the sport with 86 yards on the bottom. His good rushes on the drive helped arrange his personal TD run of three yards.

The PAT kick by Jeremy Ibberson made it 13-6.

The Ponies obtained a landing again the following drive on an 8-yard rush from Lindenberg, his twenty eighth of the season, however Sleepy Eye once more stopped the 2-point strive on a go deflection by Belseth to carry the 13-12 lead with 7:45 left to play.

Having to punt it away after a three-and-out, Sleepy Eye’s protection got here by way of, however not earlier than Lindenberg and the Ponies made the Indians sweat. Following a 50-yard punt by Walter that bounced out on the Ponies 14 with 5:22 left, the Ponies galloped down the sphere with a number of stable runs that obtained them to the pink zone.

There, Hoffmann and Rasmus made back-to-back huge stops.

After Warren-Alvarado-Oslo obtained a third-and-1 alternative within the pink zone, Lindenberg was stuffed on the line by Hoffmann to convey up a fourth-and-1. A run outdoors by Lindenberg adopted and he was wrapped up by Rasmus in site visitors.

The chain gang was introduced out to measure the place the ball was from the first-down marker and Lindenberg was marked down a foot wanting the road to offer the ball again to the Indians, who then have been capable of kneel the clock out and make historical past.

Lindenberg completed the sport with 183 yards on the bottom, however Sleepy Eye did sufficient ultimately to depart with the {hardware}.

“It was one of those memories I guess you never lose,” Hoffmann mentioned of the Indians’ late stops. “Obviously the third-down play, I believe there was a timeout in between that … however the fourth-down play with Brett Lindenberg, their huge time working again, we simply obtained into stance to type of see what was happening, the whole lot went quiet, so to talk.

“You almost kind of just heard in your head that they were gonna run toss. They ran a motion guy across and I remember yelling, ‘Toss, toss, toss,’ before it even snapped and shot a gap and thankfully my teammates were there to clean it up.”

Haala mentioned he was assured his gamers made the cease even from his Metrodome field excessive above the group.

“I was able to see probably before anyone where the ball was spotted in relation to the sticks and I knew it was going to be short from that perch,” Haala mentioned. “I just remember knowing it was going to be short and we were gonna have the ball on downs and be able to run out the clock, so I literally packed up my headset and I started down the tunnels and I had to run all the way around to the other side of the field because I was up in the press box on the opposite side.”

Haala had most likely one of many higher views in the home when it comes to seeing the place the ball was noticed, however the gamers had a number of extra butterflies on the sphere.

“I just remember letting the chains get through and kind circling behind so you get a look right at the spot,” Hoffmann mentioned. “I believe Isak was with me on the time and we simply type of obtained down on our knees and actually simply appeared and stared at it.

“That’s a feeling that never leaves you in terms of what that felt like to see, those chains getting stretched past the ball and you just knew you did something extremely special.”