The Fathers of Fall

Taking home a state championship is something few kids ever get to experience.

This past weekend, our boys of fall at New Rockford-Sheyenne/Maddock ended their football season in dramatic and dominant fashion, by shutting down the LaMoure/Litchville Marion Loboes and setting a state record for most points scored in a championship game.

This season has been epic since the beginning, and this team was like none we've ever seen. I got to see it all from the sidelines, standing right in the midst of the players and coaches at nearly every game.

My big takeaway from all this football frenzy isn't what you would expect, however. I saw something remarkable on those sidelines every week: none other than the fathers of fall.

This team has incredible father figures in their lives, and it has never been more evident to me than it was as I observed the sidelines during the Rockets' playoff run. With my camera in my hand, I've captured moments that took my breath away, made me cry and had me cheering until I lost my voice.

Coach Reed Weisenburger has not only been a role model to his own son Brody, but a source of strength to every one of those boys in Rocket uniforms.

I've been on the sidelines behind the camera next to Brody's mom, Jenna, for the last two seasons. I've learned a lot about the art of photography from her, and I'm grateful for that.

For the state championship, however, she was noticeably missing from the sidelines. She wanted to experience the game from the stands, with her family. I had watched her taking sideline shots of the players and coaches at key moments of each game during the playoffs, so my goal was to make sure she got the same vantage point through my photos at the Dakota Bowl.

I teared up watching Brody come off the field, right into Reed's outstretched arms. The look on his face and the strength of the embrace are now forever captured.

Reed's post-game reflection on Facebook shows both his dedication to coaching and unconditional love for his son: "As coach Belquist said many times this week, we have the rare opportunity to end this thing on our own terms ... Only a few teams get that. I was able to be standing on the sideline watching my son play his last snap as the seconds ticked off on our way to a state championship. It wasn't until I got this video this morning that I realized he got the tackle. And then we got to embrace. He ended it on his own terms. There are no words to describe how proud I am of his hard work and commitment to this program and his teammates. It's about more than football."

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the playoffs, I captured fathers and sons sharing moments of pure joy. These are the moments that will forever be etched in my memory of this state championship season.

I first photographed Jordan Meier and his son Haydon cheering during the quarterfinal game against Grant County. Haydon had his arm stretched in the air, and Jordan was yelling words of encouragement from the home stands in New Rockford.

Then, after the awards ceremony at the dome, I saw Bennett look into the stands and raise both hands in the air in celebration, encouraging his dad and brother (and all the Rockets fans) to cheer even louder.

Senior Paxton Neppl found his dad, Kent, in the front row of the stands. When he did, he didn't just extend a hand to be shaken, he scaled the metal barrier and sprung into his dad's arms. I captured it all. Kent also coaches, and I remember seeing him on the opposite side of the sidelines when our daughters played basketball. He was the head coach for the girls' basketball team in Maddock. I've photographed him cheering for his son's team on the sidelines at a few different games this season, and so I couldn't miss the chance to capture the moment he and Paxton embraced.

I also caught Ryan Jacobson and his family cheering on Layton at the state championship game. But the top Jacobson moment of memory for me came as the clock struck zero in the semifinal game. The Rockets were going to state, and Ryan lit off fireworks in celebration. The entire fanbase looked to see where the excitement was coming from, and I snapped a photo of Ryan, fireworks in hand.

Elliott Belquist, head coach of the Rockets for 16 years, coached his own son, Bo, through varsity football. He saw him from the stands in between media interviews at halftime, and he extended a hand to Bo and they spoke for a moment as I snapped photos.

Then, on the day after his high school team won the state championship, Elliott was in Grand Forks watching Bo play in the last home game of his college career at UND. Bo hauled in a touchdown reception with less than a minute to go and is now just two touchdown grabs away from breaking UND's Division I record in career touchdown receptions. UND traveled to Indiana State for the first time in school history on Saturday, Nov. 23, for its last regular season game.

My father was there too. He sat near the 50-yard line in the second row next to the student section, and he was one of the first people I saw in the stands. For a moment I felt like I was in high school, and he had come to watch when I was a cheerleader for the Wells County Bears football team.

I have the greatest job in the world: I get to be there for all these moments and call it work.

Yeah, I know that sometimes my kids would rather not have me on the sidelines taking pictures. In fact, I honored my daughter's request a few times and called in for back up at key volleyball matches so I could experience it from the stands.

Yet, my job as a community journalist gives me the unique opportunity to show up for my kids, and that I wouldn't trade for the world. I think being there is the most important thing of all, no matter if you're on the sidelines as a coach, taking photos from the end zone or cheering from the stands. Kids remember when we show up. They catch a glimpse of us from the field, court or diamond, and they know that we care.

Check out this gallery of photos featuring each one of these Rocket dads and their players (and more) taken during the playoffs, here: https://www.newrockfordtranscript.com/photos.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what we've had the pleasure to see all season.