By Dan Ninham
The Bemidji High School Lumberjacks football team is coming off a 55-0 homecoming win versus St. Cloud Tech. The total team effort can also be broken down by the different positions playing at their best at the right time.
Elias Jourdain a senior at Bemidji High School. He is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe on his father Brandon’s side, and is from the Rosebud Sioux Tribe on his mother Angelina’s side.
Jourdain is the left tackle on the offensive line for the varsity team. In the past he also played defensive line and was a tight end.
The total athlete is a student first. Academics are important now and lay the groundwork for the future as athletes pursue college interests including competing at the intercollegiate level.
“Academically, I struggled a lot during my early years in high school,” said Elias Jourdain. “After the pandemic I found myself struggling in the classroom environment, and am proud of my improvements in grades every year.”
“My greatest academic accomplishment has been discovering that math and science were my strengths, which has led me to creating a plan for college and future career, as I intend to earn my bachelors in forensic science, and perhaps beyond. I enjoy the puzzles and patterns in math, and in science I’ve found that I love learning how everything works together,” added Jourdain.
“In football I’ve been told that my drive and constant want to learn different positions has been greatly appreciated,” said Jourdain. “I’ve even dedicated my own time to learning the entirety of the playbook, rather than just my position. I’m a positive team player and constantly provide support to everyone on my team, even in times when it isn’t looking so great in the future.”
“My coaches have said my determination to finish through the plays and through the game as a whole has been greatly noticed. Even though I’ve been told to specifically remain a left tackle, I make it known to my coaches that I am willing to be in another position and to play wherever the team may need me,” added Jourdain.
Author Rick Trickett in his book Complete Offensive Line (Human Kinetics, 2012) talks about football’s most demanding position. The characteristics of offensive linemen are intelligence, toughness, work ethic, good character, and athletic ability. He said a team with five players who have all five of these characteristics will be difficult to beat.
“Elias is the ultimate ‘program kid’ as he has worked himself from a player that didn’t get a ton of playing time last year, but committed himself to self-improvement over the off-season,” said Bryan Stoffel, Bemidji HS head football coach. “He committed himself to being in our strength program and turned himself into a starter his senior year.”
“Along the way, Elias has been a fantastic teammate and takes a lot of pride in being a part of our Oxen Tradition (offensive linemen at Bemidji High are nicknamed the Oxen). He’s an integral part of an offense that averages over 300 yards rushing a game,” added Coach Stoffel.
Indigenous core values pave the way for student athletes to be at their peak performance on game day by striving on the days before and after the game.
“My family has taught me the value in teamwork and trust, which football relies on heavily,” said Jourdain. “When I prepare for games I don’t look at myself only, I look at the core values of everyone else that I’m playing with and how we’ll work together.”
“Another thing that I value is respect, this promotes good sportsmanship to all. I respect my team and my coaches, the fans and our opponents as a whole,” added Jourdain.
“Life is full of challenges and I believe that my culture has helped me to be determined and learn how to fight through adversity and learn something from each challenge in life,” said Jourdain.
“To be a valuable member of the team is above all else what I consider to be my greatest athletic achievement,” said Jourdain.
