After a year in captivity, the Homestake trophy has been returned to the Young Center at BHSU.
Following a blowout 24-52 loss to the Colorado School of Mines on the road and a tense week of practice, the Yellow Jacket football team donned their away uniforms and took on the South Dakota School of Mines Hardrockers in the 139th Black Hills Brawl Oct. 5.
“I feel like that week we just had a weird feel in practice,” said Jordan Brown, the Jackets’ Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach. “The energy level wasn’t at our norm. I don’t know if we were nervous or just trying not to make a big deal of the game.”
Tied only with the Battle of the Ravine, the Black Hills Brawl is the longest-celebrated rivalry in Division II football. The first matchup dates back to 1895.
“The newspapers and the media and the community members always want to really blow up the Black Hills Brawl and make it into the biggest game of the year,” said Head Coach Josh Breske. “But it’s only the fifth game on our schedule, and we still have six more games to play, so how can you say it’s the biggest game of the year when every game has huge implications on winning the conference and making the playoffs.”
Moving against the media current, Breske decided to enter the week of practice leading up to the rivalry matchup with an air of calmness, encouraging his players not to buy into the hype.
“I’m a big believer that pressure is all internal,” Breske said. “All week I was just trying to tell them not to put added pressure on themselves because the game as a whole has enough pressure on its own. I think that really helped the guys just focus on what they needed to do at practice each day.”
However, beneath all of his preaching about remaining calm and collected, Breske was suffering through a loss far greater than any game – rivalry or not.
“That Monday afternoon, a really close friend of my wife and I passed away,” Breske said. “She was one of our best friends and our neighbor, and she died from breast cancer at 38 after fighting for seven years.”
The loss shook the Breske family. It impacted nearly everything in Breske’s life, including his plan to remain a calming presence for his players. But in an attempt to preserve his team’s focus in the face of one of the most highly anticipated BHSU football games of the season, Breske elected not to share his loss with the team.
“I was very angry and distant and disconnected with my guys,” Breske said. “The loss of my friend just amplified all of those negative emotions that come with a difficult week.”
As the week wore on, Breske’s morale and the team’s focus declined. By Friday, focus was lost and the last practice before the game was left unfinished.
“I kicked [the team] out of practice,” Breske said. “We just weren’t focused enough to finish.”
The next morning, Breske attended his friend’s funeral before joining his team and his coaching staff for the team’s pregame routine.
“Jordan Brown, our defensive coordinator, grabbed me at the team meal Saturday afternoon and basically told me I hadn’t been myself all week,” Breske said. “Then he told me that he thought we really needed more of a ‘rah-rah’ pregame feel. I told [Brown] that I wasn’t in the right mind frame to give that kind of a speech, so I asked him to do it.”
Instead of delivering his usual pregame speech, Breske decided to take the risk and open up to his team just hours before kickoff.
“I asked them to take a knee,” Breske said. “And then I shared with them about our friend who passed away, and how much it impacted me. I was able to show some vulnerability and apologize to the guys. I contemplated not sharing that information with them, but we’re a family, so why would I withhold that? Afterward, the attitude changed. All of a sudden, the game meant more than just a trophy game.”
After the Jackets’ 22-20 victory over the Hardrockers, the team swarmed both Breske and his wife, sharing their condolences and love for their family.
“It was one of the most special days as a coach and a special ending to a tough week that was full of grief and mourning,” Breske said. “I thank God for Coach [Brown] and for this team. I’m very thankful for the way they responded and how they were able to pick up and carry me through the day.”
