Northland Pines achieves a team feat not seen since 2013

It was another milestone night for the Northland Pines varsity football program, as it was the first time the team had started 3-0 on a season since 2013, as the team picked up a 19-6 win over Manawa at home last Friday. 

It is also the first three-win season since 2019 for the revamped Eagles. The defense showed out in the victory, not giving up a single point in the second half as the offense finally broke through and scored 19 unanswered in the fourth quarter after trailing 6-0 for much of the game. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty awesome,” was Head Coach Justin Nimsgern’s response after being asked how it feels to turn a program around and win early in the season. Senior Jacob Beer has been a part of the program for four years, including the 2023 season, where the team didn’t field a varsity team due to low numbers. Here’s his initial reaction to the program’s turnaround. 

“It’s crazy. So much energy at practices. We haven’t been 3-0 in I don’t even know how long, it’s been a long time, so it feels really good getting out here and winning three games,” he explained. 

The Northland Pines defense continued its tear again as the team hit its home field for a second time in three games to open the season. As both teams battled cold and somewhat rainy conditions throughout the night, big plays and scoring were at a premium. 

Each offense struggled to move the ball in the opening half, as both teams executed the game plans on defense. 

“I mean, the defense was just lights out. It just showed we have some depth; we’ve got some guys that felt conditioned,” stated Nimsgern regarding the defensive performance. “On a cold night like this, they’re still flying around, and we still looked fast all the way through the fourth quarter.” 

Manawa was able to sneak away by halftime with a 6-0 lead after scoring with about three minutes left in the second quarter. Northland Pines had a few chances to find pay dirt, but the Wolves’ defense made the stop each time down in their own territory. The start of the second half was like much of the first, with the offenses still unable to find their footing. Pines was plagued with penalties that killed its drives on offense, and another goal-line stand by Manawa kept the Eagles scoreless after three.

“We just had to get refocused,” stated Nimsgern about getting the offense back on track for the final quarter. “We tried some things we saw on film that we wanted to do with the pass game, and with the wind, it was getting a little rough. We just got back to the bread and butter basics, and we ran the ball.” 

Beer found the end zone early in the fourth quarter on a reverse play to tie things at 6-6. “I just saw my teammates making great blocks,” said Beer postgame on what he saw as he navigated himself to the end zone. “We had them all pulling out to the outside, and all I had to do was look one way and see the huge gap, and just took it.” On what looked like a similar play, the Eagles later scored from 10 yards out to make it a 13-6 game with 1:55 remaining in the game. Another defensive stop brought the Eagle offense back onto the field to finish the game. After a few kneels, they needed to run an actual play, which led to junior Tucker Brock rushing for a touchdown to make it 19-6. Beer sealed the game with an interception with just seconds remaining. The Eagles sit at 1-0 in the Northwoods Conference after the win and will travel to face Crivitz this upcoming Friday, Sept. 12, for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The team is back at home Friday, Sept. 19, for its homecoming game against Crandon. 

*This story will be updated with game stats when available.