Vikings enter 2026 season with sights set beyond return to state
It’s a sunny afternoon on Lyle Anderson Field in late August. The drums and guitar of German heavy metal band Rammstein are interrupted by noisy construction at the school.
“I don’t want anyone sitting around,” assistant coach Mike Theismann calls out while taping players’ wrists, fingers and cleats. “You should be stretching or playing catch.”
The Cook County Vikings football team is a week away from its first test of the 2026 season, one marked by the highest expectations for the team in nearly two decades. It’s been a long wait for the players since losing in the quarterfinals of the state tournament last November, but it’s almost over.
“I’ve been looking forward to it since last year,” lineman Roland King told WTIP. “I am always looking forward to the next game, the next season. Always wanting to get better, always trying to get ready for that next time.”
A year ago, few in the community expected a state tournament appearance from the Vikings. The previous season, they finished with a respectable 6-4 record but lost early in the playoffs by more than 40 points. The Vikings then went undefeated during the 2025 regular season and earned a trip to the state tournament with a 29-12 victory over Littlefork-Big Falls.
Their state tournament run ended in the quarterfinals with a 49-0 loss. It was an eye-opening experience for quarterback Graham Oberholtzer.
“We didn’t really know going into the quarterfinals that it would be that tough of a game,” Oberholtzer told WTIP. “We kind of thought, like, maybe our coaches have been hyping them up too much. Maybe we’ll have a really good game and win. I mean, we have injured guys, but I think we can still do it. And then it was like, you know, after the first quarter, I was just like, ‘Wow this is real football. We gotta work for it next year.'”
The Vikings aren’t looking to replicate last year’s success. They want to go further and play at U.S. Bank Stadium for a chance at a state championship.
“Our mentality is not just to make it to state, but to win state,” MaCoy Fairbanks told WTIP.
The season starts Thursday, but the work goes back long before last year’s surprising state run. Building a program with championship aspirations takes years. Athletes spend hours in the weight room throughout the school year and into the summer. Theismann hosts summer weightlifting sessions open to all students, and the coaches have encouraged their players to be multisport athletes.
Oberholtzer skis in the winter and believes it has helped his coordination. He also placed fourth at state in the discus. Running back Talon DeBoer and Fairbanks were part of a relay team that competed at state.
“I think I’ve gotten quite a bit faster just from track,” DeBoer said. “Track is a great tool to use, especially if you’re focusing more on football. ”
Unique to this year’s team is a group of players who have competed together for years and built close friendships along the way.
“Half these kids I’ve grown up with since elementary school, and we’ve all been really good buddies,” Fairbanks said. “We’ve played every sport together, and it just kind of makes us have like a stronger bond. Feels like if one guy is going to go for my buddy of mine, I’m not just going to let him handle that, and we’re going to all take care of it. We’re not just going to let each other get bullied around.”
Part of building a program is developing leaders who pass what they have learned to underclassmen, helping build success for the future. Oberholtzer feels that responsibility.
“I definitely want them to succeed too once we’re gone,” Oberholtzer said. “But I mean, part of that is just preparing them for our tough games. It’s like you can kind of do both at once: get them ready for our games and then their games in the future.”
That leadership translates onto the field. With only three coaches, the players also have to coach each other. Team leaders recap defensive schemes, teach blocking techniques and explain passing concepts to younger players.
“I think we all just do a good job at, you know, coaching up the younger guys and then just coaching each other up,” DeBoer said. “There’s quiet kids, for sure. I think they need some of the most support and coaching up, and just like raising their confidence. Because I think I was also one of those guys who was a little more quiet.”
DeBoer sees himself in those players and believes that one reason he was named a team captain was his ability to connect with them.
While the goal is a state championship, the Vikings are trying to take the season one game at a time.
“We still got to put in the work, got to put in the effort, and if we come out slow, if we come out like too confident ourselves, I think things could go south really quickly,” Oberholtzer said. “So you know, I’ve been working just as hard as last year or harder, and making sure my team knows this isn’t going to be an easy season.”
The Cook County Vikings were scheduled to start the season on Thursday, Sept. 3. That game against Carlton-Wrenshall has been cancelled. The Vikings will now open their season at home on Friday, Sept. 11, against the Silver Bay Mariners at Lyle Anderson Field. WTIP will broadcast the game.
WTIP spoke with the football team captains and Anderson about the upcoming season. The audio feature is available below.
Josh Hinke September 3, 2026
