While this year’s football season has had its defining moments with big wins and tough losses, this group of seniors will be remembered for the heart they showed on the field — during practice, and every time in between. As the final whistle blew during the last game of the season, the chapter closed for the seniors on the team who have led, inspired, and shaped the team from their first practice four years ago until this emotional final season.
To understand just how much this senior class has meant and what their departure will mean to the rest of the team, The Olaf Messenger sat down with members of the football coaching staff, who shared their view on the legacy of the class of 2026.
“We didn’t have the record we hoped to have, but as you look back at your senior year, that is something you will look back on with pride,” Head Coach James Kilian said.
With the tragic death of one of their teammates, Matthew Lee ’27, in the early season, Kilian remarked on how these seniors persevered through their pain, showing a true brotherhood as they supported each other through it all. Oles were able to watch on Sept. 20 as the team fought for their first win since the devastating loss of Lee, as well as their first win against Concordia College in 12 years. Games like that show the strong connection these players have built as a team.
Kilian said that being rewarded with the relationships and lifelong bonds was enough to motivate the team. Along with that, this team has been motivated by its three pillars: brotherhood of trust, unit pride, and championship behavior. Kilian remarked on how seniors like Johnathan Hartwig ’26 truly worked and wanted to make the team a more connected group, and how these seniors “made it a team you want to be a part of, with a group of guys you want to be around.”
On a team with over 50 players, you have to remember that not everyone is going to play every game. Sometimes you are going to put in the work and not immediately see the payoff, but sometimes, there are unsung heroes off the field, who will be remembered.
“I think it is a great testament for someone to stick it out all four years without that recognition,” Kilian said, noting the guidance from players like Diego Nava ’26. “I’m gonna remind the underclassmen of the stories of those guys, because they put all that work and time and effort in to help build up the team.”
This senior class left it all out on the field, working through even the toughest of moments as a team and brotherhood. Even after receiving an injury during the final home game on Nov. 8 against Hamline University, Will Skemp ’26 reflected on that home game win.
“It was our last chance to play, we needed the mindset just to leave it all out there,” Skemp said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. Skemp and others on the team have focused on wanting to give it their all and set up the underclassmen for future success.
Assistant coaches Matt Paulson and Eric Pulley remarked on this group of seniors’ dedication to the sport.
“Don’t count the minutes, make the minutes count, and this group of seniors made the minutes count,” Pulley said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. Paulson also remarked on this chapter’s closing, saying “This is not a lifetime sport, there’s a finality to it. So much work goes into winning. Appreciate every minute throughout your career.”
This dedication was always able to show through the amazing leadership that the group of seniors gave to the team. Kilian commented that in practice, they would focus on “the process of what it takes to win, not the outcome.”
“You don’t want to take the fun out of it, even on the field, you have to keep it positive,” Noah Barrett ’26 said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. It is this uplifting spirit that built the community on the team to what it is today.
So to the graduating seniors, thank you for all the dedication and leadership you have shown on the team. As Pulley said, “They truly are O.L.E.S. — Outstanding. Legendary. Extraordinary. Sons of a Gun.”
