Becker's offense runs all over Hill-Murray in football program's 400th victory

BECKER — The official statistic will have to wait until yardage is tallied in the morning, but on Thursday when the Becker football program and coach Dwight Lundeen won for the 400th time, the Bulldogs were also gunning for 400 yards of offense.

The Bulldogs won 51-0 against Hill-Murray in Week 1 of Minnesota's high school football season.

"We couldn't have played that much better I don't think," Lundeen said after the game. "Offense, defense, special teams, for a first game I really couldn't be happier. We didn't turn the ball over, no interceptions, no fumbles, our offense was really good. Our execution was very good, very few penalties."

The namesake of Becker's now one-season-old stadium, Lundeen has coached 55 years since starting the program in 1970. Several dozen alumni came to the game and were honored after the game with a giant banner commemorating the 400 career wins. Lundeen joked that no Bulldog team had gone 0-fer, and that everybody had contributed at least a win.

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This season is mighty meaningful for a large and talented senior class. After two straight years of losing to ROCORI in the Section 8-4A championship, 2024 is their last chance at a state berth. The team isn't shy about its goals.

"I feel like we're just super hungry," Daluge said We felt like we could win a state championship these last couple of years and haven't."

Daluge is one of 25 senior Bulldogs on the team. Owen Angell, a running back and defensive end, said the team has played together since pee wee and that their brotherhood and high competitive drive has grown organically. They enjoy pushing each other, even if "it gets personal at times," he said. Daluge, who plays DB and wide receiver, agreed that even if having more offensive weapons takes away reps, opponent defensives having to strategize their focus on other guys makes their big plays bigger.

https://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/hi: ROCORI football season ends against Hutchinson, Spartans finish Class 4A runner-ups

Angell scored a touchdown in the second quarter, punching in from the red zone after breaking off a big gain the play before. Angell runs hard downfield and isn't afraid to lower a shoulder through a would-be tackler.

Deluge also scored. Leading 38-0 at the half, Becker stopped a strong Hill-Murray drive after the break where the Pioneers had a couple of big rushing gains. When Hill-Murray punted, the other returner Sawyer Brown picked up the rolling ball around the 20-yard line and handed it off to the reversing Daluge, who was already at full speed and had a train of blockers.

Another senior to score was running back Cody Klatt, who got two TDs. He got the team's first score and receiver Carter Reckelberg got the second, both in the first quarter. Reckelberg had several talented catches on passes from Brown, who is throwing passes to the varsity squad for the first time this season. Reckleberg's first TD was in the first frame for 60+ yards. The other was in the third where he jumped head and shoulders above his coverage to come down with possession in the end zone.

Brown, a junior, started the game at quarterback, but senior Kaden Nicholas also got some drives.

"Both of them when they executed the offense they audibled a number of times to make plays work," Lundeen said. "And any time you're in running time, we're really, really excited about the offense."

It was Becker's speed that killed the Pios. On defense, several drives stalled before Hill-Murray got a first down, including three in a row in the second quarter. Becker, meanwhile had two scores within a minute in the quarter. Senior Johnathon Boecker had at least two sacks in the game.

In 2023 Becker started the season 9-0 before that fateful loss to ROCORI in the section final. The Spartans advanced all the way to the Class 4A title game, only to lose to section opponent Hutchinson 14-6 in the state final. ROCORI had previously beaten the Tigers 11-0 in Week 4 and Becker beat them the week after 21-20. Becker plays at both schools back-to-back in 2024: on Sept. 27 at Hutch and on Oct. 4 at ROCORI.

The Bulldogs play next at Providence Academy.

Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglen@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Becker's offense runs all over Hill-Murray in football program's 400th victory