Football

       The Aitkin Gobbler JV/C-Squad football team wound up their season Monday with a tough 12-8 loss at Deer River. Coach Rob Williams after the game, "It was a good football game. Our defense played well all night against a very good Deer River team. They took a 6-0 lead just before the half on a 40-yard pass and they led 12-0 after three quarters. Our offense moved the ball well throughout the game, but key penalties and turnovers held us scoreless until the 4th when Jordan Goeritz hooked up with Skyler DeMars on a 70-yard touchdown. Jordan converted the PAT on a quarterback keeper. That was it for the scoring and we finished the season with a record of 3-2."

         The Gobblers are 5-0 for the first time since the fall of 2021 after their big win Friday at Mesabi East. They continue their quest for an unbeaten regular season Friday at Rush City, a team that sits at 2-3 after a loss to MLWR last week. The Gobblers led 16-8 just into the second half against the Giants but they caught fire and put up 36 points in the final two periods to put the issue to bed. It was a big win for the Gobblers. Here's a look at the stats from win number five.

Total yards-Aitkin 417-308

Rushing-Aitkin 348-200

Passing Aitkin-69-108

Rushing-Parker Fulton-22-218-3TD, Jack Jacobson-7-120-3 TD

Passing-Bo Sanford-8-13-69 yards-1 TD

Receiving-Nolan Dotzler-3-50-1 TD

First Downs-Aitkin 22-10Penalties-Aitkin-3-30, ME-7-50

Tackles-Tolo May-10, Nolan Dotzler-6, Parker Fulton-6, Jeremiah Franzen-6

       Now let's hear from the players.
Damien Maciel-"I thought we went out and played unstoppable football especially on offense. We had a few mess-ups throughout the game on defense but fixed them and finished the game great."

Coen Olson-"We met a lot of adversity and I think we handled it well. Their first score really lit a fire under our butts and got everybody fired up and we showed that by putting up 30 plus points in the second half. Overall, we played outstanding on offense. I'm very proud of our team and the effort everyone has put in this year starting the season 5-0 and having a good time along the way."

Tolo May-"I think on offense we did an all-around swell job. Jack had a great night running the ball. Nolan a great job of making big plays when we needed big plays and Parker went out there and did his thing. Our line did a great job making space for the backs and keeping the pressure off Bo for the most part. Bo, as always did a great job leading the team to the victory. On defense we did a good job too. I'd say we let up a bit and that will have to be tightened up. Otherwise, we did a good job. It was my first career interception, so I felt on top of the world."

Reed Parkin-"This was a really good team we faced tonight. We were faced with adversity at the start of the second half and we handled it amazingly, putting up 36 points in the last two quarters. I'm proud of each of my brothers for fighting through to the very last minute. They had some big, tough guys but we were even bigger and tougher tonight and I'm so proud of this team to start out 5-0."

Noelan Jones-"This year our linemen have been so close to each other from the beginning of camps and we just kind of clicked right away and are able to move the other team as a unit. Our team is able to put in so many different people and rotate in to handle different formations and defenses."

Jack Jacobson-"It was a well-deserved win even though our first half was closer than we expected. We proved something in the second half. I think that kind of shows what kind of team we are and how bad we want it, week after week. Proud of my brothers, all the coaches and my family for all the support, I couldn't do it without any of them."

Bo Sanford-"We played a solid first half then came out in the second and made it a one-score game. After that we really figured it out. I'm happy with our team, it's a great feeling to be 5-0."

Nolan Dotzler-"It was an awesome game, we showed we can push through adversity when it happens, and the first half wasn't the greatest. We came on in the second half and showed what Aitkin football really is."

Eli McNevin-"I thought we started off slow as a team, but we definitely stepped it up after the first half. We went through some adversity with no calls, but we played through it and got the job done."

       Coach Alan Hills has done another great job with the 2026 version of the Aitkin Gobblers, and he has his guys playing great football. Let's hear what he has to say after another win. "We got out to a lead Friday, and we tried a few things to add to our offense but after they scored in the second half we went back to doing what we do best and I actually challenged them at the half. I didn't think we had a big enough lead, and I wanted 30 points in the second half and they responded very well. Our guys play with a lot of pride, and they didn't like the fact that they scored to close it to 16-8. Looking at the film, I thought the runner was down but there was no whistle and credit Mesabi East, they kept the play going and made a big gain. We turned up the defense after that score and put some big plays together and put the game away. Jack had a great game, and he is electric on grass but on a turf field with his ability to start and stop and make guys miss, he is almost unstoppable. Parker had a big game as well, over 200 yards on just 22 carries. He is 6'3 and 230 so he is tough to stop but I think people underestimate his speed. We were able to clean some things up as well like penalties, only 3-30 yards so that was nice to see, and we just work to get better every week. This week it's on the road again at Rush City, they will be eager to play us I'm sure, we have that target on our back like we talked about last week. They will be run-heavy like a lot of teams we play this season, so we'll have to be ready. It's all about execution and so far this season we have done that every week."

     The Gobblers haven't won six straight games since 2016 when they lost the opener and then ran a six-pack. Every week is another challenge, and this week is no exception but look for another big Gobbler effort and look for them to make it 6-0 with one game to play in the regular season.

  

        The Aitkin Gobblers blew open their contest against Mesabi East Friday night with 36 second half points on their way to a 52-22 victory on the road. Aitkin took a 16-0 halftime lead, but the Giants scored on their first possession in the third quarter to make it 16-8. That was the first touchdown given up this season for the starting defense and they were not happy about it. Aitkin scored on their next five possessions to put the game away.

        Aitkin went 64 yards in 8 plays with Jack Jacobson racing 45 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring. Bo Sanford hit Nolan Dotzler for the PAT and with 8:56 left in the first it was 8-0. The Gobblers scored again in the second quarter going 75 yards in 12 plays with Parker Fulton going the final yard. Sanford hit Tyce Jorgensen for the PAT, and it was a modest 16-0 at the break. The Giants took the second half kickoff and went 71 yards in 11 plays, the big play being a 48-yard run by Trevor Prophet who broke a number of tackles to get it to the Gobbler 20-yard line. They took it in from there and after the PAT it was 16-8 and the Gobbler faithful started to wonder about things. That worry was unfounded though as the Gobblers went 40 yards in 4 plays after a dandy kickoff return by Jacobson. Fulton ended the drive with a score and after the PAT it was 24-8. The defense took over from there. After a fumble on the kickoff and recovery by Aitkin they were set up at the Giants 38-yard line. They needed only one play as Sanford hit a sprinting Dotzler who took it to the house. The PAT failed but it was 32-8 with 3:45 to go in the third. Shortly after Eli McNevin picked off a Giants pass and Aitkin took over at the Mesabi East 42. Fulton ran for 32 yards and Jacobson picked up the final 10 and after the PAT run by McNevin it ballooned to 38-8. An interception by Tolo May set up the next Gobbler score, a one-yard Fulton touchdown with 8:31 left in the game. Dotzler booted the PAT for a 45-8 lead. The Giants weren't quite done yet. They scored on a 60-yard run to make it 45-14 before Aitkin would strike again. They went 69 yards in 5 plays with Jacobson scoring from 19 yards out. Dotzler again booted the PAT and it was now 52-14. The Giants would score again with just :33 left, this time on a 65-yard pass and the PAT made it 52-22. Bo Sanford who did another great job running the offense liked his team's effort in the win, "We played a solid first half then let them make it a one-score game, but we really figured it out and put them away. I'm really happy with our team, 5-0 sounds really nice." Eli McNevin had a nice pick in the second half and had some thoughts after the win, "I thought we started off slow as a team, but we stepped it up after the first half. We definitely went through some adversity with no calls, but we played through it and got the job done."

Gobblers     8 8 22 14 52

Giants          0 0  8  14 22

       The Aitkin Gobblers are off to a perfect 4-0 start, and they've done it with some great offensive performances and a defense that has simply stopped other teams in their tracks. The Homecoming win last Friday was another example of how the season has gone. Aitkin has not allowed a point in the first or third quarters and has allowed just 7 first half points. The defensive play has allowed the offense to take a lead in every game and not look back. 

      Here's a look at the stats from the win over the Broncos. The Gobblers outgained I. Falls 374-215 with an 83-27 advantage in the air and 291-188 on the ground. Jack Jacobson had his best game of the season with 137 yards rushing on just 5 attempts and scored three touchdowns. Eli McNevin added 74 yards on 5 carries and a touchdown and Parker Fulton had 29 yards on 6 carries and one score. Bo Sanford was 5-7 for 83 yards and a touchdown with an interception as well. Nolan Dotzler grabbed 3 passes for 54 yards, Jordan Goeritz had 1 catch for 22 yards and Jacobson grabbed 1 for 7 yards. On the defensive side Fulton had another big night with 9 stops while Jacobson, Damien Maciel and Tyce Jorgensen each had 6 tackles. Now let's hear from the players. 

Damien Maciel-"I thought we went out there and played great football and played very confident and not cocky. We trusted the guy next to us to do their job. Now we can't wait to get on the road for the next game."

Bo Sanford-"I thought it was a great game. We were the better team and showed it. Some things to improve on and fix going to Mesabi."

Tolo May-"The offense was able to do whatever we wanted right off the bat, and we continued to do what we wanted until coach was ready to put in some JV kids. Defensively we were great again. Alpha defense has yet to be scored on. This team is doing well, and we plan on getting better."

Jack Jacobson-"Yeah, these games keep stacking up and each game we are getting better and closer. What I value the most in this sport is "we not me". I love these guys to death, and this season is long from over. Next week we will take it to Mesabi and go from there."

Eli McNevin-"I had a feeling before the game that it would be a big one for the team and myself."
Parker Fulton-"It went well, everyone played great football. The linemen were awesome. Defense was great, everyone ran hard. I loved seeing all the young kids get in. Great start to the year and I'm excited for next week."

      The last words belong to Head Coach Alan Hills. "We had another great game from our defense; our starters have not given up a point yet this season. Part of that is that they are so focused from practice to games end. We stress getting all 11 players in the picture every play. Offensively we have said all along that we have so many skill players. If teams concentrate on stopping a player like Parker, here comes Jack with 137 yards on the ground. Then every once in a while, Bo will find Nolan for a big gain. You can never have too many weapons so we're pretty excited to have so many. We worked on special teams after the Rebels game, and I thought we did a lot better in that aspect of the game as well. I always tell the players that the scoreboard and the pads are the only things that matter. We need to use our pads but there is a fine line between being physical and getting penalties. I'm not a big fan of the silliness and the players know that. As the season goes on the little things are always magnified so we work on that every day. This week is our first real road trip of the year heading to Mesabi East. They are coming off a close loss to C-I and will be prepared for us. We are the ones with a target on our back now, so we need to put these games away early." 

        The Aitkin Gobblers remained unbeaten after a 35-14 beating of the International Falls Broncos Friday night. It was Senior Night, Parent's Night and Homecoming all rolled into one evening as Aitkin celebrated their 4-0 record. Any thoughts of an upset by the Broncos went out the window early as Aitkin scored the first four times they had the ball in the opening 24 minutes. Jack Jacobson scored three touchdowns and Parker Fulton and Eli McNevin each scored once before the Broncos scored a pair of meaningless touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game.

       Aitkin scored twice in the opening period. They went 35 yards in 3 plays to open the scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run by Fulton, his 8th of the season with 8:25 left in the period. Bo Sanford ran the PAT for an 8-0 lead. Six minutes later Sanford hit Jacobson from 8 yards out finishing off a 7 play 80-yard drive. Nolan Dotzler kicked the point and it was 15-0. Aitkin took a 22-0 lead with 7:55 to go in the second with Jacobson going 7 yards for the score. That ended a 50-yard drive in 4 plays and after Dotzler kicked the PAT Aitkin had a big lead. Aitkin went 50 yards again five minutes later, this time in 6 plays ending with a 1-yard run by McNevin. Dotzler again booted the PAT. The Gobblers scored at the 6:40 mark of the 3rd on a scintillating 77-yard sprint by Jacobson breaking tackles the entire way to the end zone. The PAT failed and it was 35-0 into the final period. The Broncos, now 2-2 on the season scored twice to close the gap before the final horn.

     Jacobson led the Gobblers on the ground with 137 yards on just 5 carries. Eli McNevin added 74 yards on 5 carries and Fulton had 29 yards on 6 carries. Sanford was 5-7 for 83 yards and a touchdown with one interception.  Dotzler had 3 catches for 54 yards. Fulton had 9 tackles to lead the defense while Jacobson, Tyce Jorgensen and Damien Maciel each had 6 stops.

Broncos    0  0 0 14  14

Gobblers 15 14 6  0 35

       This Friday's Homecoming football game between the Aitkin Gobblers and the International Falls Broncos shapes up to be a good one. Let's look at the two teams heading into the matchup.

International Falls-2-1
Lost to MLWR 26-0, beat Ely 21-8, beat Rush City 17-16

Top rushers-Kingston Jean (#23), 42-240 yards and 1 touchdown
                       Carson Crandall (#44) 19-119 yards and 1 touchdown
                       Brooks Deziel (#32) 20-91 yards and 1 touchdown

Passing-Kingston Jean (#23), 4-9-49 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions
                Nick Schultz (#12), 6-15-63 yards

Tackles
Channing Wade (#43) 42 total tackles
Carson Crandall (#44) 32 total tackles
Kingston Jean (#23) 30 total tackles
     Coach Jerad Kostiuk, "Aitkin is a tough, hard nose team. They are well coached, Aitkin is always a tough place to play. Should be a very good test for our young team."
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Aitkin Gobblers-3-0
Beat C-I 29-0, beat Mora 40-6. beat MLWR 27-14

Top Rushers-Parker Fulton, 43-307 and 7 touchdowns
                       Jack Jacobson, 26-139 and 1 touchdown

Passing-Bo Sanford, 25-33 for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns

Tackles-Parker Fulton-24 tackles
                Damien Maciel-15 tackles
                Isaiah Fowlds-14 tackles
                Tolo May-12 tackles
                Eli McNevin-10 tackles + 1 interception
      Coach Alan Hills, "Every game is a big one for us, the Broncos always come ready to play and this week will be no exception. I look for a tough game."






 

       The Aitkin JV Gobblers lost a matchup Monday at Veterans Field to Little Falls 34-16. Coach Rob Williams fills us in, "It was a mental growth day for our kids. Some of them got caught up in the fact that Little Falls is a 4A school and I think that showed in the first half. We played hesitantly and doubted ourselves. After trailing at the half 20-0, I thought the boys responded well especially on offense. Coach Hills challenged them at half to go out and win the second half, and they accomplished that, winning the half 16-14. Quinton Rikala again ran the ball hard and freshman Luke Jacobson stepped up big scoring a pair of touchdowns in the second half. Lots of kids stepped up in the second half and showed what they are capable of, now we just need to do it for four quarters."

        Parker Fulton scored four touchdowns, and the Gobbler defense stifled the Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels offense in a 27-14 Gobbler win at Veterans Field Friday night. The first quarter was scoreless and featured five punts as the two teams fought to a 0-0 draw. The Gobblers struck first in the second as they drove 51 yards in 7 plays with Fulton scoring his 4th touchdown of the season on a 30-yard scamper at the 9:00 mark. The PAT failed and it was 6-0. After another three and out by the Rebels the Gobblers moved 67 yards in 10 plays with Fulton going in from a yard out. Bo Sanford tossed a pass to Nolan Dotzler for the PAT and a 14-0 lead with just :44 left in the half. The game nearly turned around on the next play though as Braden Strand took the kickoff and raced 70 yards to put the Rebels on the board. The PAT kick was good, and it was 14-7 at the break.

       Aitkin took the second half kickoff and went 62 yards in 10 plays to paydirt as Fulton scored on a 13-yard run. The PAT failed and it was 20-7 with 6:12 left in the third. The big play on that drive awas a 28-yard strike from Sanford to Teagan Vogtlin. The Gobblers executed an onside kick, and Evan Redepenning covered it at midfield, but the offense went three and out, missing a chance to bury the Rebels. MLWR moved the ball downfield, but the Gobblers stopped them on a 4th down play, and Aitkin took over at the 25-yard line. Later in the final period Aitkin went 35 yards in four plays to score their final touchdown of the night, a 21-yard run by Fulton, his 7th of the season and when Dotzler booted the PAT it was 27-7 with just 1:04 left in the game. The Rebels weren't quite done though as another long kickoff return set them up at the Gobbler 25. A 16-yard pass play gave them their second score of the game and after the PAT kick it was 27-14. Aitkin ran the clock out and moved their record to 3-0 while the Rebels dropped to 2-1.

       Parker Fulton rushed for 123 yards on 18 carries while Jack Jacobson added 58 yards on 12 carries. Bo Sanford was 5-9 for 37 yards through the air. Damien Maciel, Fulton and Isaiah Fowlds all had 6 tackles while Tolo May and Jacobson each had 4 stops.

Rebels       0  7 0 7  14

Gobblers  0 14 6 7 27