A year after bringing Silver Bay football back, the Mariners are looking to do more than simply keep the program alive. This season, they want to build on it.
When Bryan Carpenter stepped into the head coaching role for the varsity football team this fall, the decision came without a lot of hesitation.
“I’ve been coaching a long time and I have been a head coach before,” he said. “It’s something I enjoy doing, so I was happy to step in.”
Former coach Ward Kaiser had mentioned last year that he might only have a season or two left, giving Carpenter time to consider the possibility.
“I was kind of aware that the opportunity might be there,” he said, adding that he weighed the timing with his family.
Carpenter brings a philosophy rooted in teaching. The competition is part of what he enjoys, but much of the satisfaction comes before game day.
“The games are always fun, but sometimes the most enjoyment is just what you can teach them in practice,” he said, explaining that that is where he sees kids learning the skills they need to be successful.
Practices have gone well as the team adjusts to a new coach and a new system. The offense has shifted, the pace has changed, and the players are learning a different rhythm.
“There’s a lot of new things. I do things a little bit different than have been done in the past,” he said. “You don’t get everything done that you’d like to, but I think it’s gone really well and the kids have been great and they’ve been working hard.”
One of the team’s biggest advantages this year is experience.
Last season marked the program’s first year back after a long absence of a Mariners varsity team. Silver Bay had maintained a football presence through a partnership with Two Harbors, allowing varsity players to continue playing for years.
Now, most of last year’s team is back.
“We only lost two seniors and actually one of those seniors missed most of the season,” Carpenter said.
That gives the Mariners a group of players who already know what varsity football looks like.
“These kids have played, most of them have played in a full season under their belt. They know what to expect,” the coach said.
Carpenter sees a balanced roster this fall.
“We’re really pretty good at all our positions. We don’t have a lot of weaknesses,” he said. “I’m pretty confident in all of it.”
The offensive line is solid, the backs are talented, and the quarterback, a sophomore, already has varsity experience.
The team’s three seniors, Nolan Robinson, Cooper Goutermont, and Dane Thompson, were selected as captains by their teammates and coaches.
“They’re not the most vocal kids,” Carpenter said. “So we’re working on that a little bit, but they are good leaders.”
The vote reflected the respect the players have earned from their teammates and coaches.
“It shows that they’ve shown some leadership throughout last year and what we’ve done so far this year,” said Carpenter.
The Mariners did lose senior Carson Kindstrand for the season after he injured his shoulder during summer hockey. Carpenter calls his absence “very unfortunate.”
For a small program, an injury like that can have an outsized effect.
“Being a small team, an injury or two could really change things,” Carpenter said.
Silver Bay does not have enough players for a true JV team, so younger athletes rotate into varsity reps whenever possible. A recent scrimmage gave the team an opportunity to field a second group and get those players valuable experience.
The numbers are even thinner at the junior-high level.
“We tried to get one going this year with the seventh and eighth grade group, but it just ended up not being enough,” he said.
Nine players were not enough to form a full program. Some are playing with Two Harbors, while two chose to stay and practice with Silver Bay.
“They wanted to keep playing football,” Carpenter said. “So they’re practicing with us and they’re going to be part of the varsity.”
Those numbers make the future of the program an important part of this season.
Last year, the ambition was simply to bring Silver Bay football back.
“Last year we kind of got the program resurrected,” Carpenter said. “This year we’re trying to transition from not just having football back, but to having a winning program.”
Carpenter’s goals are straightforward.
“Our goal is to win football games, to work hard in practice so we prepare ourselves to do that,” he said.
He wants the Mariners to compete at the section level, stating, “We’re hoping to contend in our section. We’d like to be one of the best teams in our section if we can pull it all together.”
At the same time, Carpenter is looking beyond this fall. Silver Bay has a large junior class, giving the team a strong core of returning players who could help carry the program forward.
“We got a really nice sized group of juniors. There’s eight juniors,” he said.
After that, the numbers drop, which makes building interest among younger players especially important.
“We’re really hoping that we can have some success this year and get some of these younger kids more excited about football so we can keep things going,” he said.
Carpenter is not building the program alone.
Ward Wallin returned to coach after previously retiring from football, coordinating the defense. Matt Cook is also back, working with the offensive and defensive line and coordinating special teams.
And then there are the people beyond the field.
“I really appreciate the support of the families and the community,” Carpenter said. “They’ve really helped out a lot to help us get this thing back going.”
For a small program, that support can matter just as much as what happens on Friday nights.
“If we get a lot of people in the stand and a lot of people enjoying watching them play, that will just encourage more kids to play and keep things going,” Carpenter said.
Last year, Silver Bay proved it could bring football back. Now the Mariners are trying to prove they can build something that lasts.
