Following a rare Week 10 bye week, Minot State University (MSU) football is back to hit the gridiron with hopes of finishing the 2024 campaign on a high note. While this home stretch of games has not gone the way of the Beavers, there is one more opportunity to strike in a season which head coach Ian Shields and Minot State have pioneered into territory unknown in the D2 era.

It is not just about finishing strong; it is also to put a bow on the careers of the graduating class of Seniors as Minot State embarks on Senior Day. To be able to send this group of seniors with a win would be a sparkling feat as they head off into the sunset.

On top of that, it would also set the stage on a promising outlook for the Beaver program. Amidst all the festivities, the Beavers welcome Winona State for the final game of 2024.

MSU (4-6, 3-6 NSIC) and Winona State (5-5, 5-4 NSIC) will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16, at Herb Parker Stadium.

Before they get things started on the field, the Beavers will honor the following Seniors for pre-game recognition: Matt Sanchez, DJ Schneibel, Jake Swirple, Emmett Espino, Damon Darling, Aaron Wood, Erik Palmquist, Deshawn Carter, Roman Pickens, Carson Cayko, Isaak Guzman, and Will King III.

Emotions will be flying high as coach Shields had some well-deserved praise to give to the seniors.

“There is such a debt of gratitude to this group of seniors, there’s 12 special guys in this program that have been pivotal in our transition in moving this program forward which we’ve clearly done,” said head coach Ian Shields. “The emotions start getting real for these guys. The sand is working its way out of the hourglass right now.”

Another conference battle awaits the Beavers, as Winona has not been easy to handle for teams on their schedule.

“They’re super well coached, they do a great job and they have a good team. And they’re playing well,” said Shields.

In the final week of the season, it is all about doing the right things internally as the Beavers are coming off a tough 42-38 loss to the MSU – Moorhead Dragons, a game in which miscues late in the contest were costly for MSU.

“We need to play better. We need to take care of the ball, said Shields. “We need to not make silly mistakes, get penalized, things that honestly got us beat in our last contest that were uncharacteristic. We go play good football, play hard, win the turnover battle, do the things that correlate to winning football games, the focus is on us.”

In a limited sample size, the Warriors have come away perfect to this point in the all-time series versus Minot State. Winona has 6 wins dating back to when they first met in 2013. Included in that stretch was a 13-7 result in the last time these two collided on the gridiron, which was November 11, 2023. The Beavers look to get back at them and turn the tide.

Leading the charge for the Warriors on offense is quarterback Cole Stenstrom. The Arden Hills, Minnesota native brings 1,747 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with 6 interceptions.

Sylvere Campbell is Stenstrom’s favorite target, to the tune of 756 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns through the air.

The ground game runs through Cair’ron Hendred. While the numbers may not seem eye-popping, he can still put up enough numbers to be a factor averaging just over 5 yards per carry and 50 yards per game. He has found the end zone on 7 occasions, which is also a useful red zone tool for Winona.

Kyjuan Vengrowsky is a menace on defense, and a player to keep extra tabs on. He enters this weekend with 5.5 sacks and 8.5 TFL, both of which lead the Warriors. Conner Haggerty paces Winona in tackles with 47. The secondary is also a very active group as six players have one interception.

MSU possesses the No. 1 rushing offense in the conference and will look to keep that spot at the conclusion of the season. Two big reasons are Evan Lovett and Carson Chrisman. Lovett has carried the rock for 703 rushing yards and 4 scores, while Chrisman sits behind him with 574 and a single season record of 12 rushing touchdowns.

Connor Raetzman has been stacking up on plays for the No. 3 pass defense in the NSIC. He is disruptive in the backfield with 2.5 sacks and 6.0 TFL. Alongside him, Cody Raetzman forms the second of the splash brothers duo with 46 total tackles which is tops on the list. Staying in the secondary, Nalu Cordeiro flashed for the Beavers last time out with his 4th interception of the season as he has created many turnovers on defense.

The Beavers will carry out one last performance for the hometown fans, and then it is right into the offseason. Although, there is a lot to be admired with team 99. With 11 weeks having come and gone, many accomplishments were reached that give signs of optimism for next season and beyond.

The Magic City witnessed the most wins in the D2 era, a transformation of the offense to be the No. 1 rushing attack in the conference, and a defense that also saw improvement especially in the pass game being top 3 in the NSIC. MSU was one of the least penalized teams in the country for most weeks, sometimes even the least penalized team in the country. They have also set the tone on the home turf and made it a tougher place to play, especially early in the season when the Beavers won their first three at Herb Parker Stadium.

And yet, with how Beaver football has been molded, one thing is now a guarantee: MSU has a chance to win in any given contest. As is evident in a majority of the final scores week in and week out, and that is a testament to what coach Shields and company has implemented in how they want to play.

Along with that, they stick to an identity that has been hard to come around for MSU in many years past. It is all about playing Beaver football, their style and doing all the right things by taking care of themselves first.