Football

gobblers season comes to an end

The Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels scored a pair of touchdowns in each half and shut down a strong Gobbler offense to capture the Section 7AA football title 28-0 over the Aitkin Gobblers at Esko Thursday. The Rebels led at the half 13-0 and allowed the Gobblers only 12 plays from scrimmage in the second half as they moved their record to 10-0 and finished the Gobblers season at 9-2.
The Gobblers took the game's opening kickoff and went three and out and a short punt gave the Rebels the ball at the Gobbler 35. They used 7 plays to score the first touchdown of the game, a one-yard run by Brayden Strand. That came with 6:24 left in the period and when Willy Yague kicked the PAT it was 7-0. The Gobblers moved the ball on their next possession, moving from their own 45 to the Rebel 15-yard line. A face mask penalty on the Rebels and a 14-yard run by Carter Pietz helped Aitkin along on that drive but a fumble at the 16-yard line gave the ball back to MLWR. The Rebels went 84 yards in 5 plays as the game moved into the second quarter. Parker Samarzia gained the edge and went 77 yards for the touchdown. Yague missed the PAT, and it was 13-0 with 9:00 left in the half. Aitkin got a couple of first downs on their next possession, but things stalled at the 25-yard line after a penalty and a sack by the Rebels. Aitkin punted and got a good roll to the MLWR 25. MLWR got to the Gobbler 39 before punting the ball away. The Gobblers ran two plays, and the first half clock ran out with the Rebels leading 13-0.
The second half started with a long drive by the Rebels, eating up nearly eight minutes before fumbling at the Gobbler 6, Eli McNevin falling on the ball for Aitkin. It was three and out for Aitkin and a nice runback set up the Rebels at the Gobbler 33-yard line. Nine plays and 33 yards later Micah Thompson hit Jackson Sickler for the touchdown. The play came on a 3rd and 24 and broke the back of the Gobblers. The PAT made it 21-0 with 9:36 left in the game. The Gobblers took over at the 20 but on third down Mikayon Miller picked off a Bo Sanford pass at the Rebel 47-yard line. On the second play Samarzia went 46 yards through a host of tacklers for the touchdown. Yague kicked the PAT that gave the Rebels a 28-0 lead. Aitkin ran five plays on the next possession, but a fourth down pass was short, and the Rebels had the ball on downs. On the first Rebel play they fumbled, and Fulton recovered at the Rebel 20-yard line. The next play Thompson picked off a pass at the Rebel four-yard line, and they ran the clock out from there.
Gobblers 0 0 0 0 0
Rebels 7 6 0 15 28
Aitkin finishes 9-2 and were shutout for the first time since the '23 playoffs when they lost to Barnum 41-0.

gobblers and rebels for the section title

The Aitkin Gobblers meet Moose Lake-Willow River Thursday for the Section 7AA football championship. For the Gobblers it will be their 6th appearance in the title game while the Rebels will be seeking their 19th title in Dave Louzeks 27th season as coach of MLWR. The two teams are very similar, and this should be a great game. The Rebels average over 42 points a game while Aitkin scores at a 37 ppg clip. MLWR gives up around 10 ppg while Aitkin surrenders 14 ppg. Both have a 1,000-yard rusher, Parker Samarzia, 1,037 yards and 15 touchdowns while the Gobblers counter with Parker Fulton with 1,043 yards and 19 touchdowns. Micah Thompson and Bo Sanford are the opposing quarterbacks, and both have completed near 50% of their passes with Sanford throwing for 8 scores and 6 interceptions and Thompson logging 6 touchdown passes and a single interception. Sanford has thrown for 641 yards and Thompson has 426 yards through the air. On defense Robbie Roach has 65 total stops for the Rebels while the Gobblers counter with Parker Fulton with 92 total tackles. Aitkin has recovered 10 fumbles and picked off 13 passes, (Nolan Dotzler with 5), while the Rebels have covered 10 fumbles and had 11 interceptions.

The coaches are both optimistic going into this matchup. First, here's Dave Louzek of the Rebels. "Aitkin is a very well coached team. Our first meeting in week three was much closer than the score indicates. We expect they will be a much better team at this point of the season going into the Section final, but we expect that we have improved quite a bit also. This will be a game of controlling the line of scrimmage and not making mistakes. It should be a very physical game; it's a great matchup. We have built a Rebel Football Family; the older kids take the younger ones under their wings and teach them what being a part of this family is all about. Players change but expectations never do."

Gobbler head coach Alan Hills, in his 9th season at the helm knows that this is a big game for his team and the program and he's ready, "I think we are a better team than when we met MLWR early in the season. We are very good at what we do, and we've worked hard to get to this point. I think we will have to pass the ball more than usual to loosen up their defense which is very good against the run. Our offensive line is ready for the challenge, and our team is not intimidated by anybody. Our seniors have provided great leadership during the season and when we have to make changes the next player in line is ready to do the job. The Rebels are well coached and ready to go. The pressure is on them; they are the defending champions."

This game might well come down to the kickers and both teams have a good one. The Gobblers have the best in their history in Lumies Wang, 47-51 on PAT kicks this season. Meanwhile the Rebels have Willy Yague who is 25-27. The anticipation is palpable, and this game should be a classic.

in the coaches office with Alan Hills

The Aitkin Gobblers aren't exactly breathing rare air this week as they get ready to take on Moose Lake-Willow River Thursday for the Section 7AA football championship and a berth in the State Playoffs. The Gobblers have been to this point before in the Alan Hills era. Hills has taken his teams to four of these in the nine years he has been at the helm, and he is confident as preparations continue for the battle in Esko later this week, "I think we're a better team now than when we met them in week three. They had like 20 seniors, and we had a lot of guys who didn't have a ton of varsity experience when we met them in September. The score was 34-14 but both teams know it was a lot closer game than the final score. Our players have gotten better since that time. We didn't do a lot on the ground in that game, less than 100 yards, but now with our offensive line playing so much better we are averaging 256 yards a game on the ground. We know we will have to throw the ball this week to make our running game successful and we did that some in the first game." I asked Hills the difference in his team from September to this week, "Senior leadership, they keep the younger players loose and grounded. We've made a few adjustments, but you always have to do that during the season. The players have been given more ownership at what we do, and the staff has made some adjustments as well. The guys have really stepped up, they are hungry to be successful, and I keep going back to it, but our offensive line has gotten so much better over the season." The Rebels are the perennial State team, (eight trips in ten years), but that doesn't bother Hills either, "Look, there is no pressure on us, they are the top seed, they are the ones expected to win, they are the ones who have gone to State. Our goal was to get to the Section championship game and we've done that. Do we want to win one more game, of course we do but our season has already been a success." Why are you going to win this week? "I think this team is really good, we're going to keep doing what we do because we are good at it." This team has had really great support this season; "We always travel well; our fans support us every year. I think people wondered how this year would go after a so-so season last year and losing arguably the best player that has ever played at Aitkin, Jacob Williams. We started the season and won a couple of games and fans started thinking these guys are fun to watch, and it just steamrolled after that. Our kids feed off our crowd, and it becomes a community wide thing." How about the play of sophomore quarterback Bo Sanford, "HIs leadership qualities are like that of a senior, wise beyond his years. He commands the huddle which isn't easy with as many seniors as we have but he does it." One of the highlights this season has been the kicking of Lumies Wang, "He is a difference maker, 47-51 on extra-point kicks, I like not having to think of what play we will run for the two-points, it's been great, and his kickoffs have put the opposition deep in their own territory many times this year. I know he's a little mad at me because he hasn't gotten a chance to kick a field goal but let's face it, this week's game might be decided by a field goal so I know he will be ready if the time comes. We're playing on turf this week and he is one of a few kickers who doesn't use a tee, he kicks off the ground, and I have to give props to holder Bo Sanford and long-snapper Quintin Christy. It's a team effort."

This year has been a great ride for the Gobblers and their fans. The first 9-win season for Coach Alan Hills and their 4th trip to the Section finals under his watch. The Gobblers are ready for the challenge and it's a big one but there's no reason to think this team won't break through and get that State tournament appearance. Success is measured in many ways, wins and losses and goals achieved among them, but the Aitkin Gobblers of 2025 are a success in the most important way, playing together and as a family. Game time in Esko is 6PM, dress warm and cheer loud!

Gobblers 9-1 record takes them to the finals

Monday Stat-Line

The Gobblers posted their ninth win of the season Saturday as they defeated the C-I Rangers 42-14. The stats bear out how they were able to dominate the matchup. Let's have a look.

Total Yards-Aitkin 287-109

Rushing yards-Aitkin-281-50

First Downs-Aitkin 15-8

Turnovers-Aitkin-C-I-4

Penalties-Both teams 3-25 yards

Individual Stats

Rushing-Parker Fulton-19-168 yards-2 TD

Carter Pietz-13-50 yards

Jack Jacobson-5-35 yards-1 TD

Passing-Bo Sanford-1-2-6 yards-1 TD/1 Int

Receiving-Isaiah Fowlds-1-6 Yards-1 TD

Tackles

Tolo May-10

Eli McNevin-6

Parker Fulton-6

Teagan Vogtlin-4

Brandon Kinz-4

Interception-Jack Jacobson-1/Fumble recoveries-Tolo May, Eli McNevin, Nolan Dotzler-1

The Coach-"Our goal to start the season was to make it the Section finals and today we achieved that goal. I'm so proud of how this team has not only come together as a family, but how hard they've worked throughout the season. They're one of a handful of teams in school history to make it to this point in the season. It's something they should be very proud of. Hopefully we can get another great crowd to cheer us on in Esko Thursday. I know these guys are going to leave everything they have on the field and hopefully find a way to get one more victory."

The Players

Jack Jacobson-"Crosby came in thinking they could hang with us but we started fast and set the tone early. The turnovers gave us momentum, and we played together on both sides of the ball, finishing drives and making big plays. That's what helped us get the win. We have to keep that same energy next week and clean up some stuff before we play Moose Lake/Willow River."

Lumies Wang-"I think our team did great. It was unfortunate that we gave away a touchdown on a kickoff. It was on me as a safety to be on him, but I wasn't fast enough, but overall, we did great."

Karson Hopperstad-"Yeah it was a great win. We got our overall goal for the season to make it to the Section championship game. Now it's time to get over the hump. Can't wait until Thursday."

Bo Sanford-"I thought we played a great game, domination from the start. Early in the game when we had to make plays we did. Our offensive line played amazing and Noelan Jones did a great job coming in at guard. Now it's on to play MLWR."

Tolo May-"I just want to say I'm proud of the guys next to me. It feels super nice knowing that if I hit my assignment and do my job the guy next to me will no matter what. If we play like that in Esko we will win. Speaking of, it's nice to enjoy this win, it's a wonderful feeling and shows the work and grit and camaraderie this team has. But when we play Moose in Esko today means nothing, so we need to take it in now and then focus on the Rebels. I already am."

Quintin Christy-"I think we had a great game on both sides of the ball, now we just have to continue it into the Section final and play our hearts out."

Brandon Kunz-"It was a very good game on our part. We played all 48 minutes, and I am proud of each one of our boys. I am really excited to see Moose Lake in Esko,"

This weeks opponent-Moose Lake/Willow River-9-0
Beat I. Falls-40-20
Beat Barnum-21-7
Beat Aitkin-34-14
Beat H-F-48-7
Beat Rush City-33-20
Beat C-I-62-6
Beat GNK-37-0
Beat Mesabi East-56-6
Beat GNK-55-18

The Series MLWR-7-3
‘25-MLWR 34-14
‘24-MLWR-32-14
‘23-MLWR-26-0
‘20-Aitkin 36-20
‘19-MLWR-20-0
‘18-MLWR-27-8
‘17-MLWR-27-6
‘16-Aitkin-14-6
‘15-Aitkin-24-12

'12-MLWR-42-0

gobblers move to section final with 42-14 win over C-I

The Aitkin Gobblers advanced to the Section 7AA football Championship game with a convincing 42-14 win Saturday over the visiting C-I Rangers. The two teams met early in the season and Aitkin won 14-12 but this game was entirely different. The Gobblers dominated from the opening kickoff and moved their record to 9-1 with the win.

Aitkin took the opening kickoff and went 76 yards in 10 plays to take the lead. Parker Fulton and Carter Pietz led the rushing attack down the field with Fulton scoring from the two-yard line for his 18th touchdown of the season. Lumies Wang booted the PAT for a 7-0 lead. Aitkin used up half the first period on that drive, and the Rangers went three and out on the next possession but the Gobblers would score again. This time they would go 80 yards in 8 plays with Fulton scoring again on an 11-yard scamper. Wang kicked the PAT for a 14-0 lead with 11:02 left in the half. The two teams traded punts, but the Gobblers punt was bobbled, and Eli McNevin was all over it at the Rangers 36-yard line. C-I held and took over but on the ensuing possession Jack Jacobson picked off a pass and took it back to the Ranger 7-yard line. Two plays later he took it in from the four, his 5th touchdown of the season, and it was 21-0 after the PAT kick. That was the halftime score.

The Rangers took the second half kickoff and went three and out with Aitkin taking over on their own 47. They went the 53 yards in just eight plays. Fulton ran for 19 to open the drive and then went for 13 more before Bo Sanford hit Isaiah Fowlds across the middle for a 6-yard touchdown. Wang booted the point, and it was 28-0. The Rangers moved to their first score of the game and put the ball in the end zone with 11:03 left the final period. Jeremy Henson ran it in from 13 yards out and after the PAT run failed it was 28-6. The Rangers faced a third down and 40 on their next possession and Jack Jacobson broke through and got a sack and stripped the ball and Tolo May pounced on it at the C-I three-yard line. Cade Kazmerzak went in from there to make it 35-6, his third touchdown of the season. On the ensuing kickoff Henson found a seam and raced 80 yards for the touchdown and the Gobbler lead was trimmed to 35-14. The Gobblers weren't happy with that score, and they went 60 yards in 4 plays with Tolo May scoring his first touchdown of the season from 4 yards out. Wang kicked the PAT making the final 42-14. The Gobblers outgained the Rangers 287-109 in the game including 281-50 on the ground. Fulton ran for 168 yards on 19 carries. Carter Pietz had 50 yards on 13 carries and Jacobson had 35 yards on five carries. Tolo May led the defense with 10 tackles, one for a loss and recovered a fumble. Fulton and McNevin each had 6 tackles on the day.

Rangers 0 0 0 14 14

Gobblers 7 14 7 14 42

The Gobblers have a rematch Thursday against the Rebels of MLWR, a 55-18 winner today over Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin. The two teams met in week three with the Rebels handing the Gobblers their only loss of the year 34-14.

The Coach-"Our goal to start the season was to make it the Section finals and today we achieved that goal. I'm so proud of how this team has not only come together as a family, but how hard they've worked throughout the season. They're one of a handful of teams in school history to make it to this point in the season. It's something they should be very proud of. Hopefully we can get one more great crowd to cheer us on in Esko Thursday. I know these guys are going to leave everything they have on the field and hopefully find a way to get one more victory."

The Players

Jack Jacobson-"Crosby came in thinking they could hang with us but we started fast and set the tone early. The turnovers gave us momentum, and we played together on both sides of the ball, finishing drives and making big plays. That's what helped us get the win. We have to keep that same energy next week and clean up some stuff before we play Moose Lake/Willow River."

Lumies Wang-"I think our team did great. It was unfortunate that we gave away a touchdown on a kickoff. It was on me as a safety to be on him, but I wasn't fast enough, but overall, we did great."

Karson Hopperstad-"Yeah it was a great win. We got our overall goal for the season to make it to the Section championship game. Now it's time to get over the hump. Can't wait until Thursday."

Bo Sanford-"I thought we played a great game, domination from the start. Early in the game when we had to make plays we did. Our offensive line played amazing and Noelan Jones did a great job coming in at guard. Now it's on to play MLWR."

Gobblers continue to post impressive stats

Thursday Stat-Line

The Aitkin Gobblers moved their record to 8-1 with the win over Ely Tuesday night. Let’s have a look at the stats.

Total Yards-Aitkin 338-124
Rushing-Aitkin 281-124
First Downs-Aitkin 15-4
Turnovers-Aitkin 0-3
Penalties-Each team had one

Rushing
Parker Fulton-4-93
Bo Sanford-1-50
Carter Pietz-4-49
Jack Jacobson-2-23
Eli McNevin-2-23
Chip Zasmeta-2-16
Aydin Franzen-4-15

Passing-Bo Sanford-4-9-64 yards-2 TD
Receiving-Braden Wagner-4-47 yards-1 touchdown
Isaiah Fowlds-1-14 yards
Nolan Dotzler-1-3 yards-1 touchdown

Tackles
8-Tolo May
6-Dane Powers
5-Parker Fulton
5-Noelan Jones
4-Isaiah Fowlds

Fumble Recovery-Jack Jacobson. Interceptions-Eli McNevin-1 Carter Pietz-1

The Players

Nolan Dotzler-“I thought we came out from the start and did what we needed to be done... made the plays that needed to be made and handled our business.”

Bennett Sadlowsky-“A good win to get us to the second round against Crosby. Good to see all the young guys getting in and getting varsity experience. Good experience for the future. Can’t wait until Saturday.”

Lumies Wang-“I beat my school record for PAT kicks that I had set against Mora, which was fun, but the game was just too one sided, not that much competition. I just gotta keep kicking the ball through the uprights. It was a pretty easy game for all of us.”

Parker Fulton-“It was a fun game; it was great to see everybody play. Most of the time the reserves only get action when they are on the scout team during the week, so it was fun to see them get some game experience.”

Jack Jacobson-"It was a good way to start our playoff run and now we have to take that into the game Saturday against Crosby.”

Eli McNevin-“I just thought we played great tonight and I’m glad we could get out there and do our job. All year I’ve been wondering what it was like to get a pick-six and I’m glad I finally got the opportunity. Now we have to stay focused and get prepared for C-I.”

Coach Alan Hills-“We got a full team effort tonight. We got everyone on the field and we were able to rest our starters which is huge this time of the year. We have to forget about this win now and get prepared for C-I.”

The Season

C-I Rangers-3-6 (Avg. Pts-17-23)
Lost Aitkin 14-12
Beat East Central 45-8
Lost GNK-20-14
Lost Mesabi East 24-8
Beat H-F 44-21

Lost MLWR-62-6
Lost Rush City 30-6
Lost I. Falls 34-12
Beat I. Falls 6-0

The Series-Aitkin 10 of last 11, 8 in a row.
‘25-Aitkin 14-12
'24-Aitkin 15-6
‘23-Aitkin 42-36/Aitkin 22-18
‘22-Aitkin 34-0
‘21-Aitkin 50-0
‘20-Aitkin 30-6
‘19-Aitkin 30-6
‘18-C-I 20-16/Aitkin 34-6
‘17-Aitkin 20-14

Football

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Football this week

Parker-MVP

Quintin-Co-Defensive MVP

Quintin-Co-Defensive MVP

Quintin-Co-Defensive MVP

Quintin-Co-Defensive MVP

Quintin-Co-Defensive MVP

Brandon-Lineman of the Year

Lumies-Special Teams Player of the Year

Lumies-Special Teams Player of the Year

Lumies-Special Teams Player of the Year

Lumies-Special Teams Player of the Year

Lumies-Special Teams Player of the Year

shots by Nicole as season comes to an end

"We can do this"

"We can do this"

"We can do this"

"Upside Down"

"We can do this"

"We can do this"

"Here I come"

"Here I come"

"Here I come"

"Come get me"

"Here I come"

"Here I come"

Sunday Stat-Line

"The Captains"

"The Seniors"

"The Family"

"The Family"

gobblers season comes to an end

gobblers and rebels for the section title

in the coaches office with Alan Hills

Gobblers 9-1 record takes them to the finals

Monday Stat-Line

Gobbler winning shots by Nicole

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

Parker-"Mr. Touchdown"

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

"Tolo had a day"

Jack-"tough on both sides of the ball"

"Tolo had a day"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

"Here comes Jake"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

"Defense stands tall"

Eli McNevin-"A huge fumble recovery"

"Defense stands tall"

gobblers move to section final with 42-14 win over C-I

Gobblers continue to post impressive stats

Thursday Stat-Line

"Can you say Pick-Six"

"Who said quarterbacks are slow"

"Who said quarterbacks are slow"

"Who said quarterbacks are slow"

"Who said quarterbacks are slow"

"Who said quarterbacks are slow"

"Here comes Braden"

"Here comes Braden"

"Here comes Braden"

"There goes Braden"

"Here comes Braden"

"Here comes Braden"

Aitkin gobbler football schedule 2025

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