The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game. “This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said. The matchup was the first football game in school history. “The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.” The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner. “It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.” The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles.
“It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.” The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory. The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out. "We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.” White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools. "This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.” With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved. "We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.” Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034759","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"462","title":"","width":"480"}}]] A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community. “Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.” Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself. Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game. Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score. The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034776","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","title":"","width":"480"}}]] “I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’” Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night. “I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36 BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8 Statistics: COL: Rushing: Johnny Annette 11-42 TD Monte Parisian 7-61 TD Tyler Parisian 8-109 2TD Jordan Hanks 2-18 TD Aaron Thompson 4-40 Passing: Johnny Annette 0-2 Defensive; Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assist Tyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec) Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec) Jared Whitener 2 Assist Aaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assist Cole Brown 1 solo 2 assist Travis St Clair 1 assist Chris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack) Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec) Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays) BUG: Rushing Tavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TD Josh Losh 3-3 Passing: Austin Morgan 0/3 Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game. “This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said. The matchup was the first football game in school history. “The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.” The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner. “It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.” The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034769","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"371","title":"","width":"480"}}]] “It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.” The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory. The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out. "We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.” White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools. "This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.” With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved. "We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.” Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12.
A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community. “Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.” Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself. Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game. Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score. The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034776","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","title":"","width":"480"}}]] “I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’” Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night. “I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36 BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8 Statistics: COL: Rushing: Johnny Annette 11-42 TD Monte Parisian 7-61 TD Tyler Parisian 8-109 2TD Jordan Hanks 2-18 TD Aaron Thompson 4-40 Passing: Johnny Annette 0-2 Defensive; Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assist Tyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec) Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec) Jared Whitener 2 Assist Aaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assist Cole Brown 1 solo 2 assist Travis St Clair 1 assist Chris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack) Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec) Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays) BUG: Rushing Tavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TD Josh Losh 3-3 Passing: Austin Morgan 0/3 Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game. “This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said. The matchup was the first football game in school history. “The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.” The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner. “It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.” The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034769","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"371","title":"","width":"480"}}]] “It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.” The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory. The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out. "We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.” White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools. "This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.” With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved. "We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.” Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034759","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"462","title":"","width":"480"}}]] A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community. “Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.” Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself. Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game. Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score. The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy.
“I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’” Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night. “I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36 BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8 Statistics: COL: Rushing: Johnny Annette 11-42 TD Monte Parisian 7-61 TD Tyler Parisian 8-109 2TD Jordan Hanks 2-18 TD Aaron Thompson 4-40 Passing: Johnny Annette 0-2 Defensive; Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assist Tyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec) Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec) Jared Whitener 2 Assist Aaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assist Cole Brown 1 solo 2 assist Travis St Clair 1 assist Chris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack) Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec) Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays) BUG: Rushing Tavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TD Josh Losh 3-3 Passing: Austin Morgan 0/3 Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game.“This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said.The matchup was the first football game in school history.“The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.”The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner.“It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.”The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles.
“It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.”The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory.The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out."We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.”White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools."This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.”With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved."We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.”Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034759","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"462","title":"","width":"480"}}]]A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community.“Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.”Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself.Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game.Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score.The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034776","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","title":"","width":"480"}}]]“I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’”Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night.“I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8Statistics:COL:Rushing:Johnny Annette 11-42 TDMonte Parisian 7-61 TDTyler Parisian 8-109 2TDJordan Hanks 2-18 TDAaron Thompson 4-40Passing:Johnny Annette 0-2Defensive;Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assistTyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec)Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec)Jared Whitener 2 AssistAaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assistCole Brown 1 solo 2 assistTravis St Clair 1 assistChris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack)Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec)Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays)BUG:RushingTavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TDJosh Losh 3-3Passing:Austin Morgan 0/3Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game.“This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said.The matchup was the first football game in school history.“The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.”The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner.“It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.”The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034769","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"371","title":"","width":"480"}}]]“It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.”The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory.The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out."We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.”White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools."This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.”With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved."We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.”Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12.
A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community.“Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.”Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself.Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game.Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score.The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034776","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","title":"","width":"480"}}]]“I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’”Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night.“I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8Statistics:COL:Rushing:Johnny Annette 11-42 TDMonte Parisian 7-61 TDTyler Parisian 8-109 2TDJordan Hanks 2-18 TDAaron Thompson 4-40Passing:Johnny Annette 0-2Defensive;Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assistTyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec)Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec)Jared Whitener 2 AssistAaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assistCole Brown 1 solo 2 assistTravis St Clair 1 assistChris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack)Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec)Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays)BUG:RushingTavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TDJosh Losh 3-3Passing:Austin Morgan 0/3Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing The Circle of Life Academy in White Earth ended a special day with a homecoming football victory Thursday night in a contest that was far more than just a football game.“This is the biggest event here ever,” Superintendent Ricky White said.The matchup was the first football game in school history.“The real meaning of this is to lift a community that absolutely needs something like this,” White said. “It’s not just about a sporting event. It’s about a community coming together, supporting each other and the youth. It gets them involved in something greater and brings people together in the greatest way possible, a community event.”The game was an initiation of happiness, White alluded, and a postmodern way via sporting event for the community to not only get back to their roots, but do so in a very positive manner.“It’s something new, but it’s something that is very familiar to people,” said White. “Our people, especially, we are used to coming together. It’s in our blood. It’s in our history and let’s be honest; this is a community that is suffering a bit. We need some more good and there is so much good in the community. You can see it in the faces of everyone here.”The football team put even more smiles on the faces of their fans with two first quarter touchdowns from Tyler Parisian on a 13-yard run to cap the opening drive and a 18-yard run by Monte Parisian on the first play after a fumble recovery to put the Warriors up 14-0 early over the visiting Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School Silver Eagles.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034769","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"371","title":"","width":"480"}}]]“It was really a question mark going in because we’re so green,” Warriors head coach Tom Mason said. “As a team, we came in not even fundamentally sound.”The coaching staff began this season’s practices with the most basic of fundamentals, with proper football stances on up and that work manifested into a big 36-8 homecoming victory.The school fielded a nine-man football team expecting maybe 10 players to try out."We had 30 boys out,” said White. “When we first started with our girls volleyball team here we thought we’d barely be able to field a team of six and we had 26 girls out. We knew with that support and our coaches, community and tribe stepping up we would be successful.”White credits tribal funding for providing a state-of-the-art facility and praised the students for their willingness to be a part of something new and to help push the beginnings of tradition that are so important to schools."This is a second-to-none campus and we’re utilizing our facilities for our community,” White said. “One of the things we noticed right away was our students wanted to be involved in activities. We absolutely didn’t spare a dime or a moment. We said we are going to do this and with that spirit these students aren’t just going to step up but they’re going to be involved.”With the pep rally and a volleyball game that was scheduled far in advance of the inaugural football game, Thursday was a special day with the entire student body involved."We happened to have a volleyball game scheduled,” Mason, who is also the school’s athletic director, said. “We wanted to include our girls because in our Ojibwa culture, the girls are the backbone of our people. We had our guys in there supporting them and our guys are celebrating with our girls. We wanted to bring our community joy, happiness and togetherness. If it takes a football game on a Thursday night to get the community here, that’s awesome.”Nearly 500 White Earth community members were in attendance at the games and the volleyball team got the day started with a win defeating the Silver Eagles 2-1 by set scores of 25-6, 13-25, 25-12.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"2034759","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"462","title":"","width":"480"}}]]A pep fest moment earlier in the day had its own special moment that showcased the deep meaning for the students and community.“Andy Roy, he’s got a big heart but he’s one of our little guys,” said Mason. “He was so overwhelmed with being on a team when they called his name down during that pep rally he cried tears of joy and it just affected our whole gym. Tonight, I’m going to dedicate this game to Andy Roy. He’s the one that pumped us up and got us going.”Pregame festivities featured an honoring of the communities veterans by the White Earth Honor Guard, a veterans’ song and warriors’ song were sung at midfield by a drum circle that included a player from each team and was led by Mason himself.Back on the field, the Warrior football team kept all the built up momentum going leading 22-0 at halftime on a nine-yard touchdown by Tyler Parisian, his second of three in the game.Quarterback John Annette scored from the one-yard line in the fourth quarter and Tyler Parisian, almost fittingly, ran into the end zone scoring on the final play of the game for the 36-8 final score.The effort was a surprise to the coaching staff and capped a thrilling day for everyone involved at Circle of Life Academy.
“I played for the legendary Stuart Nordquist up in International Falls and I bounced a lot of ideas off him. He said, ‘don’t worry about the outcome of this first game. Get your boys out there to play and keep drilling in the fundamentals.’”Nordquist’s career mark at International Falls was 275-133-2 eighth all-time and his words of wisdom worked out for the Warriors Thursday night.“I’m so happy,” said Mason. “I thought it was going to be a closer game.” COL 14 8 0 14 - 36BUG 0 0 0 8 - 8Statistics:COL:Rushing:Johnny Annette 11-42 TDMonte Parisian 7-61 TDTyler Parisian 8-109 2TDJordan Hanks 2-18 TDAaron Thompson 4-40Passing:Johnny Annette 0-2Defensive;Jordan Hanks 3 solo 1 assistTyler Parisian 1 solo 5 assist (1 TFL, 1 Fum Rec)Johnny Annette 2 solo 4 assist (2 TFL, 1 Forc Fum, 1 Fum Rec)Jared Whitener 2 AssistAaron Thompson 2 solo 2 assistCole Brown 1 solo 2 assistTravis St Clair 1 assistChris VanWert 1 assist (1/2 sack)Logan Dakota 1 solo 1 assist (1 1/2 sack) (1 forc fum, 1 fum rec)Offense 234 rushing 0 passing (34 plays)BUG:RushingTavian Lyons TB 5-13 Austin Morgan QB 8-127 TDJosh Losh 3-3Passing:Austin Morgan 0/3Offense: 143 rushing 0 passing
