The Trojans Reign Reestablished
Despite a .500 record through the 2018 regular season with tough losses coming to former Lake Conference rivals Eden Prairie and Minnetonka, the Wayzata Trojan football team was gaining momentum after a 45-0 waxing of Centennial in the opening round…
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Continue ReadingDespite a .500 record through the 2018 regular season with tough losses coming to former Lake Conference rivals Eden Prairie and Minnetonka, the Wayzata Trojan football team was gaining momentum after a 45-0 waxing of Centennial in the opening round of the ’18 section tournament. However, a crushing 14-16 defeat to the Woodbury Royals on a Friday in early November ended what was an overall tough 2018 season for Wayzata. On the bus ride home after the game, the returning Trojan football players thoughts weighed heavy as the losses throughout the season all began to sink in. Within those disappointing emotions, Trojans such as Malaki Jackson (6’2, 210 lbs.), Jack Clausen (6′, 170 lbs.), and Cole Brown (5’10, 190 lbs.) made promises to themselves to do everything in their power to not feel that sting of a playoff or rivalry loss again. As Clausen, a junior DB put it: “I remember after we lost to Woodbury, we said we aren’t gonna have to feel that disappointment again next year.” Jackson noted to Northstar Football News that “because of the moments (the losses), it motivated us to work harder than we ever have and coming into our season we had a chip on our shoulder and played every game like it was our last.” Eddie Beeninga (6’1, 170 lbs.), a junior, added that “when I was a freshman, the variety went 2-7, and I knew the culture was not at all what it needed to be. Last year during my sophomore year, we improved to 5-5 but still lacked that family bond…When we lost to Woodbury we knew no one wanted that feeling again, and everyone made a promise to get motivated to not let that happen again.” Well, Wayzata made more than good on their promises as the Trojans never felt the sting of loss once in 2019.
The Trojans.Going 8-0 through the regular season and defeating Centennial, Lakeville South, and Champlin Park in the state quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship respectively, Wayzata capped off a perfect 13-0 season and their first state championship since 2010. It seems that with a young coaching star in the making with Lambert Brown leading Wayzata, the Trojan Reign of the early 2000’s and 2010’s has been firmly reestablished, much of the dread of the Metro’s rival coaching staffs. Representing Northstar Football News, I caught up with six Wayzata Trojan football players: Jacob Wildermuth ’20, Anthony Ukofia ’20, Malaki-Milton Jackson ’20, Jack Clausen ’21, Cole Brown ’21, and Eddie Beeninga ’21 to get the inside scoop on the Trojans 2019 state championship as well as some insight into the culture of the program. I hope you enjoy!
When Lambert Brown got the Wayzata head coaching in 2017 after leading Fridley to a share of their conference title in 2009 and Chaska to its first state tournament appearance in 39 years in 2013, the emphasis seemed to begin with and revolve around reestablishing the culture at Wayzata and getting back to what made them a prep dynasty in the early 2000’s. Wayzata have since rebuilt this Trojan Way, and won the state title this year off of the same formula that made them so dominant a decade ago: a suffocating defense and a dominant rushing attack. Senior All-Metro and All-State safety and recent Concordia-St. Paul commit Anthony Ukofia (6’1, 180 lbs.) commented on this tenacious d, as the 2020 grad told me that “to be honest, during the offseason we knew our defense would be legit, and we knew no other team had the athletes we did on this side of the ball.”
Ukofia’s commitment graphic for CSP.Hard to argue with Ukofia, as the Trojan defense only relinquished 82 yards per game passing and only 115 yards on the ground while playing some of the most dominant rushing teams in the state through the regular season, and only allowed 16.4 points per game in the ’19 playoffs. Jackson added that the “defense was just on a whole ‘nother level…nothing but beasts.” This new level was accomplished due to the work that the Trojans offseason leading up to the 2019 season. Jackson told me the hard work that was needed to win a state title was not as daunting to the players as expected as “the entire team was on the same page as to wha tour goal was for this year, and that was to win a state championship. To do that we understood that we were going to have to put in the work.” Ukofia explained to me that the strength & conditioning coach at Wayzata, Coach Halverson, “put us through some of the toughest workouts I’ve ever seen. He really emphasized us working as hard as we could so that the season could be easier.” A lot of teams work hard in the offseason, but senior three-sport athlete who plays WR for the Trojan football team Jacob Wildermuth (6’3, 200 lbs.) told me that it was something much smaller that made the biggest difference for the ’19 Trojans: excitement. Offseason workouts and two-a-days can be physically and mentally taxing, but Wildermuth stated that the difference from ’18 to ’19 was “all of us were excited to go to lifts and two-a-days. All of us loved the grind, and it made us stronger mentally and physically. It also made our teams chemistry that much stronger.”
Wildermuth takes a catch upfield against Edina.That excitement, coupled with the Trojans depth of talent that included six All-State selections, six MNFootballHub All-Metro picks, and nine CCXSports Jam All-Area picks, made for a more than dangerous combination.
It all came to a realization that this season could be special at different points for the Trojan players. For Cole Brown – the junior LB who had 49 tackles, 13 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and an interception in his first year playing prep ball – it came during summer two-a-days, as he remembers telling his dad that “we have something special here.” For 2021 DB Jack Clausen, the Prior Lake game was his moment, as the “95-yard drive capped off with a stop on defense to seal the game let everyone know we were legit.” No matter when people realized it, there was no denying upon realization that “legit” was just one term that could the 2019 Trojans. Wins over some of the best big-school 6A squads Minnesota has to offer in the regular season such as the aforementioned Prior Lake Lakers (14-10), a 28-18 W over STMA, a 17-7 victory over arch-rival Eden Prairie, and an impressive 14-7 win over a tough Shakopee squad led the Trojans into the playoffs undefeated and still hungry. Ukofia told me that “being undefeated during the regular season kind of gave us a chip on our shoulder, not that we were cocky or anything, but we knew that we didn’t want to go undefeated just for the regular season, we wanted to finish the season perfect and with a ring.” This sentiment was echoed by his teammates, as stud WR Wildermuth added that “we knew we were going undefeated before the season even started. We weren’t cocky about it, we just knew that there wasn’t a team that was as talented or as close to ours. We felt even better about that fact after the regular season.” Call it confidence, cockiness, or simply competitive, this attitude aided the Trojans mightily as Wayzata beat Eagan 35-7 and East Ridge 56-20 in the section tournament before meeting a physical and much improved Centennial Cougars squad in the state quarterfinals. They battled to a 38-21 victory, and were poised to meet dominating rushing attack in the Lakeville South Cougars. I expected a great game and came away far from disappointed as the Trojans out-ran the Cougars and held them to one of their season low 14 points. Ukofia told me that “it felt really good for us to be challenged because we love fighting through adversity.” This win led to Wayzata’s berth in the 6A prep bowl, and the players I talked to all stated that these games were a crazy experience that tested their resolve and hunger for the state title. For Brown, it was a dream come true, as he had “always dreamed of playing in a game like the state championship and being a part of hanging a banner at Wayzata.” As a Minnesota boy, I was happy when Wildermuth added that it was “just so surreal to play at the Bank. It was an amazing atmosphere and a great crowd.”
Brown (31).What was the key to the Trojan mindset in the state championship against Champlin Park? A good question, Jackson told me it was again simple. The senior said that “we had the same mindset like we did coming going into every other game, just play our hearts out and have fun.” Beeninga added that “we have a saying ‘do your 1/11th’ which means do your job and trust everyone else to do theirs.” Easier said than done, the Trojans did focus on doing their job, which mostly meant containing Champlin Park’s . My choice for Minnesota’s Mr. Football, Miller is a dynamic athlete who was an All-State WR last year who was moved to QB for the Rebels this year. He also recently received an FBS offer from Wyoming. The game began with an early 3-0 lead for Champlin that carried through the 1st quarter, but the Trojans Mankato State commit and bulldozer of a RB Christian Vasser started to get hot in the 2nd, and him and the Rebels Shawn Shipman traded back-to-back rushing TDs that ended the half with a 17-14 lead for Champlin. The second rushing TD for Wayzata in the 1st half by Vasser was set up by a huge 81-yard KOR by North Dakota CB commit , which Cole Brown and Jack Clausen were blocking on the field for Robertson, and Clausen described it to me as “the best moment (of the game) for me was when Sam almost housed the KOR.
Clausen keeping his eyes on a Prior Lake WR.I was blocking my guy and heard a huge roar from the crowd and turned and started running with him down the field. Being on the field during that play was the coolest experience of it all.” Brown told me something similar, as the junior elaborated that “I had my back turned to him blocking and just heard the roar of the crowd, which was very cool.” The play was a massive momentum shifter, and Champlin looked a little defeated going into the half despite their lead.
The 2nd half turned into the Christian Vasser show, as the Rebels continued to find no answer for the 215 lb. bruiser, and the Trojans scored 14 more points in the 3rd quarter while the Trojan defense found some strength and held the Rebels to zero points in the quarter. The Wayzata secondary bottled up stud Champlin WR Brock Johnson, who Ukofia told me is a “really good player” and presented a “matchup I was looking forward to going in to the game.” A very competent Rebel passing offense was struggling to string together completions, and they just could not put together a full drive in the second half. The final big play occurred late in the 4th quarter, as Champlin Park was knocking on the end zones door with a chance to get back into the game.
Brown chases down a CP running back.On 4th down, Jackson told me that “Jack Martinson’s stop got us the ball back and sealed the game. It was a huge play.” The celebration that occurred as the seconds ticked to zero was a memorable one as well, and Ukofia told me his favorite moment of the game was “just being with my brothers on the field after the game was amazing, we were holding up the trophy with our emotions just flying.” It was nice to hear the sentiment of closeness and brotherhood echoed by the All-State safety, as this brotherhood shared by the ’19 Trojans had begun long before this November.
Ukofia (2), Demro (99), and Roques (1) celebrate in the Bank.Through winter workouts, summer two-a-days, and nights dreaming of hanging that banner in Wayzata’s gym, the hard work put in by the Trojans culminated into the reestablishment of the Trojan Reign, and the bonds and memories created by this team will not be forgotten for the rest of their lives. Congrats, boys.
Now that some time has passed since that eventful championship game, and I saw it fitting to ask the interviewed Trojans: “how has Wayzata football prepared you for college ball and the rest of your life?” I think it’s an appropriate ending of this Northstar Football News feature.
Jacob Wildermuth: “The brotherhood will forever stick with me. Those guys are family to me and I would do anything for them. I learned a lot about doing it for the man next to me.”
Malaki-Milton Jackson: Having a 1-0 mindset (has impacted me the most.) Whatever you put effort into, make sure it’s full effort and you don’t look back with regret. If I keep my mind focused and apply myself, I can go very far. Wayzata prepared me by pushing me to do and be my absolute best, and showing me that putting in the work really does have great results.”
Jackson at his SMSU official visit.Anthony Ukofia: “Wayzata has taught me so many lessons I can carry into the next level. They taught me to compete on and off the field, and going 1-0 everyday. That’s something that will stick with me forever because it doesn’t just go for football, it means 1-0 in life.”
Jack Clausen: “In terms of playing college football if I decide to do so, I think how we practice, lift, and play with a purpose is important. We have fast paced and high energy practices that keep everyone focused on what their job is.”
Cole Brown: “The biggest thing that will stay with me is just the memories from this season. On and off the field, we made some great memories together. Wayzata has prepared me for college football just by being around great players everyday and learning from them.”
Eddie Beeninga: “I will always remember the bonds I created with my teammates and Wayzata really showed me what it’s like to play on the biggest stage.”
2019 was no doubt the year of the Trojan in Minnesota, and I hope everyone enjoyed the insight these boys were nice enough to give NFN regarding reestablishing the Trojan Reign this season. Thank you to Jacob, Eddie, Cole, Jack, Anthony, and Malaki for your time, and good luck in your future endeavors. Stay tuned for individual reports from the Trojan interviews, and recruiting reports of those still in need of recruitment. Happy holidays!