Click here for a video of Thursday's practice session and press conference.
In the midst of a hectic period of preparation for the NAIA National Championship game, the two head coaches and four players took part in a press conference at Darlington’s Huffman Center on Thursday.
The coaches and players discussed Saturday’s showdown between the No. 1-ranked Carroll (Montana) College Saints and the No. 2-ranked Cougars of Sioux Falls (S.D.) The game will kickoff at noon at Barron Stadium.
Both teams practiced at Darlington School prior to the press conference on Thursday. Both head coaches were impressed with the venue.
“The facilities here at Darlington are excellent, and it was nice to get out and stretch our legs here,” said Carroll coach Mike Van Diest, the three-time NAIA Coach of The Year.
Sioux Falls coach Kalen DeBoer, the 2006 coach of the year, said: “One of our assistant coaches said that we should take these facilities back to Sioux Falls with us.”
The head coaches also talked about the change in weather since arriving in Rome.
“It was 20 below at our last practice, so it was nice to be able to get outside and get a workout in,” said Van Diest. “At this time of the year, it’s not so much the physical part, but the mental preparation that makes the difference.”
DeBoer said: “It was nice to be able to go out and not have to worry about whether or not you can feel your fingers.”
Both coaches were very confident about their players’ ability to shut out all the distractions that a championship game environment can bring.
“I think that our guys aren’t in awe anymore of going to a championship,” said DeBoer. “Both of us have been here before. They know that these experiences are something they will remember forever, but that the most important thing is the football game."
“Every year is different,” said Van Diest, whose team has won five of the last six NAIA crowns. “After you win the semifinal and you kind of stop and catch your breath and say, 'Wow, we’re in the National Championship game.'”
This year’s game is a rematch of last year’s championship match-up. Carroll won the game and the title by the score of 17-9.
“We have 27 new players that weren’t here before. These are different teams, and this is a different year,” said Van Diest. “This game has nothing to do with last year.”
DeBoer said: “We want this team to have its own identity. There are a lot of new guys here that weren’t here last year. I don’t think Carroll cares who they play, they just want to play for the championship, and I think it’s the same thing for our team.”
“I have a lot of respect for Sioux Falls, and I think it’s fitting that these teams are here,” said Van Diest. “We have goals, and one of them was to be here in Rome.”
DeBoer responded by saying, “The Carroll program has a lot of class, and that starts at the top with coach Van Diest and his coaching staff.”
The teams bring identical 13-0 records into the contest, and both bring newcomers under center.
Sioux Falls will feature junior Lorenzo Brown in the quarterback spot, while Carroll freshman Matt Ritter will take the snaps for the Saints.
“We knew when we brought Matt in, he would compete for the job,” Van Diest said about Ritter. “At no time did he act like a freshman.”
DeBoer joked that his new signal caller “had never heard of ” his predecessor Chad Cavendar, who was last year’s NAIA Player of The Year, but was confident in his ability to lead the team. “When we were recruiting Lorenzo, we knew he had the ability to make plays and would do well.”
Both newcomers will certainly be put to the test Saturday on the biggest stage that the NAIA has to offer.
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