“What a great year,” exclaimed Brian Nielsen, one of the fifth grade coaches for the HLO-F MYFL team. “We had an awesome experience for the kids and parents on Sunday. For them to be able to play on a National Football League field and for parents to see their kids play on the field at US Bank Stadium is priceless.”
Thanks to the efforts of the team director, Danette VanderBeek, the fifth and sixth grade teams were able to scrimmage during the 2019 Southern Plains Football League Pigskin Classic held at US Bank Stadium.
The youngsters enjoyed scrimmaging on the Minnesota Vikings home field on Sunday, October 20. They played during the halftimes of semi-pro league games during the Pigskin Classic.
The Midwest Youth Football League (MYFL) consists of teams in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. The area team contains members from Heron Lake-Okabena, Fulda and Round Lake-Brewster Schools.
“With it being fifth and sixth grades combined, it was tough,” Nielsen added. “Some kids got to play their normal positions and some didn’t. We focused more on making sure everyone played the same amount of time and having fun than we did on winning.”
HLO-F MYFL has three teams, third and fourth grade combined, fifth grade and sixth grade. All three teams completed their regular season in Spencer, Iowa, and all took home season ending wins.
“Our last game in Spencer was a cold one – with snow and wind – and the boys played their hearts out and still won,” Nielsen stated proudly of the fifth graders. “If I recall, Spencer only earned one first down and that was because of a penalty.”
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