Dassel-Cokato Football

This article is from the In the Midst archives, November, 2019 Volume 39, No. 4 issue.

1973 D-C Chargers. Front: Perry Hardell, Joe Kelly, Dan Latt, Daryl Danielson, Steve Pankake Back Row: Jeff Johnson, Bryan Thiele, Mike Jorgensen, and Brian Larson.

2019 D-C Chargers at U.S. Bank Stadium after achieving second place in AAA MSHSL football! Photo by Amy Sluis.

This year (2019), the Dassel-Cokato football team has championed against adversity, reaching the state tournament for the first time since the Chargers’ 1973 season. In honor of this marvelous accomplishment, let’s take a quick look back at the start of the Charger legacy.

​During the fall of 1972, the Dassel Vikings and Cokato Cardinals set aside their long rivalry, merging into the newly formed Dassel-Cokato Chargers. This first team was comprised of Dan Latt, Dennis Hendrickson, Terry Weir, Tom Morris, Jim Martinson, Mike Holmquist, Jerome Woetzel, Gordon Nelson, Todd Gabrielson, Perry Hardel, Joe Kelly, Darrel Danielson, Brian Larson, Jeff Murphy, Ken Abramson, Larry Bollman, Doug Abramson, Steve Pankake, Galen Johnson, Mark Peterson, Dennis Danielson, Kim Nelson, Tom Nelson, Brian Danielson, Kurt Olson, Ron Beckman, Peter Settergren, Dave Harkman, Keith Bollman, Greg Johnson, Keith Olson, Kim Wiley, Gordon Nikkola, Dave Danberg, Calvin Keith, Brad Johnson, Jeff Johnson, Andres Zumaeta, Wayne Peterson, Marshall Carlsted, Rick Beckman, Mike Jorgenson, Barry McKay, Paul Johnson, Brian Thiele, Doug Carlson, and John Nelson. They were coached by Head Coach Dave Urness, and assistants Phil Ernst and Cliff Paulson.

By the end of the first season of D-C football, the Chargers had reached the Class B State
tournament. Their first round was against the Appleton Aces in Wilmar. According to the November 16, 1972 Cokato Enterprise, D-C beat the Aces in Wilmar 15-14. As a result, D-C High School was fired up! In the same article, Cokato Enterprise reporter and D-C teacher Lee Rosenquist recalled one particular poster hanging in the high school “Let it rain, let it snow, there is just one more goal to go.”

For the state championship, D-C faced Mount Iron at the St. Cloud Apollo High School field. According to the D-C 1973 yearbook, the Chargers lost 54-6, achieving second place.