JACKSON -- After having qualified for the state football tournament in 2015 and 2016, the Jackson County Central Huskies were due for a “down” year in 2017. Most of their stars graduated following the 2016 campaign. This year’s Huskies came in young and experienced.
Jacob Tvinnereim was one of the exceptions. A senior, he’d already made a big name for himself another sport -- wrestling. A state tournament grappler, he maintained his fighting shape last summer when he participated in the USA Wrestling Junior Men’s National Championships in Fargo, N.D., where he went 2-2 in freestyle and 3-2 in Greco-Roman.
It was up to seniors like Tvinnereim to help whip the Huskies’ young football team into shape this fall. So how has it turned out?
Jackson County Central is playing for another state tournament berth this week. The team owns an 8-2 record, and on Friday the Huskies will play top-seeded Fairmont at New Ulm High School for the Section 3AAA championship.
Not bad for a team that was supposed to be in its “downward” curve.
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Tvinnereim, a running back, had a strong game last Saturday in a 26-6 semifinal victory over Tri-City United. He carried 25 times for 137 yards and a touchdown, and on defense he intercepted a pass.
Recently, The Globe found Tvinnereim on the football practice field in Jackson and interviewed him about his athletic exploits. You can find the interview, and an accompanying video, online at www.dglobe.com .
Here’s a sampling of the interview:
QUESTION: As a running back on the Jackson County Central team, it’s your job to get the tough yards. How do you approach the game?
ANSWER: “My running style, I’d say I’m more of a bruiser back, which is weird because I’m not very big. But I do not avoid people very well. And I get tough yards, like hitting people and falling forward -- which doesn’t sound like much, but when you get 4 yards instead of 2 yards in a carry, it makes a big difference throughout the game.”
Q: This JCC football program continues to win year after year. How does the coaching staff contribute to the culture of winning? Do the JCC football players simply expect to win and do what’s necessary to keep it going?
A: “I think the coaching staff helps keep a culture of winning in Jackson because they expect to be good every year. And they expect us to play good every year. The team came in this year and everyone had low expectations coming into the year. Everyone was expecting to beat Jackson this year because we have a young team. But the coaching staff just never let us think about that.”
Q: Do you have a favorite memory from your time with the football team?
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A: “My favorite memory from the football team is probably last year in the section finals when I got an interception at the end of the game against Fairmont, which sealed the game for us.”
