In the parlance of the game, the sport of football has been pancaked recently. Fans are inundated with police reports and injury concerns and accusations of cheating that the positive aspects of the sport are often unnoticed.
Notice, for instance, the undefeated, highly ranked team from Providence Academy.
On the field, the No. 2-ranked Lions in Class 3A are a coach's dream. Hard work is never an issue. They run hard, hit harder, never talk trash and rarely make mistakes. The result so far is a 6-0 record, the best the 15-year-old Catholic school in Plymouth has ever had this late in the season.
"You couldn't ask for a better group of kids,'' coach Derek Asche said. "They work hard, put in the time and are very coachable."
Oh, there are the traditional reasons for the Lions' success. Senior running back Ryan Richelsen is a 6-2, 200-pound battering ram who rarely goes down on the first, second or even third hit. He's rushed for more than 800 yards and has 18 touchdowns.
The lines on both side of the ball are strong and sturdy and, averaging 220 pounds, are much bigger than your typical Class 3A team. At 6-4, quarterback Henry Van Dellen shows poise and has a large upside and benefits from receivers that run true routes and have even truer hands. The defense led by stellar linebackers Richelson, Trey Wiebusch and Ryan Ylitalo gives up yards grudgingly.
But if the Lions have all the pieces of a great team, it's off the field that sets them apart. Football is an enjoyable diversion, but for most, it's the classroom that is the passion.
"The main thing here is academics," said lineman Trent Wiebusch, twin brother of Trey. "Academics and the arts. That's what the school was founded on. It wasn't until the third or fourth year that they started football."
Rules are strict. Good grades are a given. Homework gets done. Missing homework means missing practice.
"This is an amazing place," said Asche's father, Cliff, a longtime teacher in the Richfield school district who helps out with the team and substitute teaches as well. "It's always please and thank you. There is so much respect for each other."
It's from that respect that the Lions' football bond springs.
"We've had four years of being together," Richelson said. "Everyone trusts everyone. There's no doubt that the guy next to you will do what he needs to do. I never thought that I would be this close to so many guys."
To a player, they acknowledge that football is just a part of something bigger.
"We came up with a theme of 'family.' We emphasize family, being tight and close together," said defensive back Conor White, another team captain.
It was the close-knit Providence Academy community that drew the Wiebusches to the school. New Prague natives, the family had been commuting to the west metro as their mother underwent cancer treatment five years ago, Trent, Trey and now-graduated older sister Kelsey originally attended Orono, but when their mother died, it became important to keep the family together. Providence, with its hedgerows and impressive colonial-style buildings and K-through-12 student body and commitment to each other, was an easy choice.
"At first, my dad thought it was Hogwarts," Trent said, referring to the school in the Harry Potter series. "I thought it was more like the Notre Dame of Minnesota. Even the uniforms look like it. I'm proud to say I go here."
The Notre Dame comparison is understandable. A Catholic school where football and academics go hand-in-hand and success has followed both.
The Lions might not have the championships of the Golden Domers, but that could change this season.
"This team can go far," said Richelsen. "It would be disappointing if we didn't take that final step of playing at TCF Bank [Stadium, site of the 2014 Prep Bowl]. This team has the right attitude and work ethic."
Jim Paulsen • 612-673-7737
