I was looking forward to talking with Ward Kaiser, the junior varsity football coach in Silver Bay, to hear how his team is shaping up for the season. I caught him on the morning of Monday, September 9th, just hours before their season opener at home against Mountain Iron-Buhl.
Ward is passionate about football, coaching, and the community he serves. His dedication makes him easy to talk to—he’s patient with my remind-me-again questions, pauses for me when I am taking notes, and always kind and gracious. This thoughtfulness makes him easy to interview.
Kaiser is also mindful of the current football team’s season and what future seasons may hold. In the past, Ward coached Silver Bay’s varsity team, but in 2022, a low number of varsity-aged players locally threatened the program’s future.
That’s when Tom Nelson, the varsity coach in Two Harbors, reached out to see if there was interest in combining teams. The offer was a welcome opportunity for Silver Bay players willing to travel to play for the Agates.
At that time, it was decided that Ward and his assistant coach would remain in Silver Bay to focus on building up the junior varsity team. They’re now in their third year and optimistic about forming a varsity team again in the future.
The junior high team is actually more of a hybrid team that consists of three 7th graders, five 8th graders, and seven 9th graders. The decision to keep the freshmen on the JV team was made by both the coaches and the parents. This ensures the Mariners have enough players to compete against other schools and helps keep the sport accessible to younger players.
“Travelling to Two Harbors is a little bit of an obstacle for them wanting to play,” Ward said. “It’s kind of making it more accessible that way being able to have 7th through 9th grade up here.”
Having players from various age groups can present challenges when scheduling games. The Mariners and other small school teams often face off against other teams made up of only 7th and 8th graders, a full team of 9th graders, or a 9th-10th grade JV team. Despite these challenges, these schools all work together to make sure the kids are able to play.
With good participation in the Pony League (4th-6th graders), this may not be as much of an issue in future seasons. Keeping player numbers up is key to bringing back a varsity program— something that Ward and many in the community hope to see.
“It makes it more accessible for kids that maybe can’t make the drive every day back and forth. We do lose some. We don’t have very many playing in 10th through 12th,” explained Ward.
The five Silver Bay-based student-athletes playing for the Agates include seniors Ethan Meeks, Jacob Carpenter, and Jeremiah Kreger-Buus, junior Cooper Goutermont, and sophomore Dain Thompson.
“They are having success down there and contributing at a high level,” Ward said.
Ward is grateful for the opportunity Two Harbors has extended to the Silver Bay players. At the same time, he continues working on developing the junior varsity team, hoping they will one day form a strong varsity squad for Silver Bay. This goal will need to be evaluated over the coming months as they plan for next season.
“They’ve been great for us,” Ward said of the Two Harbors team. “Coach Nelson and the program down there, they’ve been very supportive of us playing down there and also knowing we’re trying to get the team back. That’s never been a question.”
While Silver Bay has sometimes struggled with player numbers, talent has never been in short supply.
“We were competitive right up through our final season of playing as an independent program. It’s not like football hit the rocks really bad. Just a few years ago we were in the section championship game two years in a row,” Ward reflected. “It’s not the lack of interest in football. It’s just that we’ve had smaller class sizes in recent years and that’s starting to change.”
The current team is embracing the challenge of rebuilding a varsity program. “They know that the ultimate goal is to try to get football back here. I think they take the commitment pretty seriously and their expectations are pretty high in the sense of what they need to accomplish because they know if we do get the team back, they’re going to be expected to contribute right away,” Ward said.
Ward is often asked, especially in the fall, how the team is progressing and whether varsity football will return to Silver Bay. While he isn’t certain, he remains hopeful as long as the players commit to playing in future seasons.
He is, however, certain of a few things: “Football is still alive and doing alright. There’s always going to be someone from Silver Bay playing somewhere. We’re going to be represented. We would just like to get it back here so that there is football on Friday nights here and that it’s more accessible and more kids will play.”
The team has won two out of their three games and have a busy two weeks ahead of them, playing a scrimmage with Two Harbors and two away games against Carlton/ Wrenshall and Cook County.
