Sure it was raining and not snowing and the temperatures were in the mid-60s and not in the single digits, but the start of the high school football season brings the same amount of joy to a football coach and his players as a child waking up to see gifts under the tree.

For the first time since their season ended roughly nine months ago in the Class AAA state semifinal, the Magicians were back on the field for their first practice of the 2025 season at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7, with helmets and shoulder pads on ready to battle for a roster spot.

“Every year we get to start the football season, it’s awesome,” Hendershot said. “We have a lot of guys who are working over the summer through camps, through the weight room. We’ve had guys getting after it. We have other members who are rolling in from other sports who have been competing in other stuff, so it’s good to collectively get together and compete and get 2025 rolling.”

The Magicians open their season at Fargo Davies on Friday, Aug. 29, in a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, but their focus isn’t on the Eagles just yet. Right now, they are focused on themselves and seeing who will step up and fill the void left by a combination of 20+ graduated seniors as well as the loss of several others due to the roster split with Minot North that began this season. Minot has had two consecutive senior-heavy classes, leading to the loss of more than 40 players to graduation over the last two years.

Minot High takes part in tackling drills during its first practice of the 2025 season at Duane Carlson Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 7.

“The goal is really just to get a feel for our overall team depth chart,” Hendershot said. “We’re going to have smaller numbers this year with the split. This was the first senior class that was split, so overall program numbers are going to be a little bit lighter than we’re used to here. We’re probably going to be in a two-year hiccup with those numbers, so it’s getting organized. There’s going to be a definite youth movement in our program and we’re really excited about that.”

Hendershot said he has just two or three returning starters from last year’s squad, meaning plenty of opportunities for some of the younger, less experienced players to step up. The coaching staff will have plenty of material to make an informed decision, as they will hold 20 on-field practices leading up to game week, where they will practice four more times. They will also participate in five team-lifting sessions and scrimmage against Minot North on Thursday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m.

It may be the first team practice, but players have been together throughout the offseason, participating in camps, lifting sessions and team bonding exercises. The Minot strength and conditioning coaches also establish a year-round conditioning program called Magi Muscle to keep athletes in shape during the offseason.

While both their numbers and their experience is down this season, the Magicians don’t believe it will be a hindrance to their season. If anything, it could serve as a good motivator.

“The guys we have here really know how to be brothers and know how to build that brotherhood together,” Minot senior running back/linebacker Blake Anderson said. “We’ll mold to be a good team. It’s different with every group, but here I don’t think it will take too long. Within a few weeks, we should be a brotherhood, not a neighborhood.”

With so many fresh faces looking to fill open positions, there is no timetable for when the Magicians are looking to finalize their depth chart. But Hendershot said it will go to those that have merited the role through their play in camp.

“There’s some opportunities now for some of the younger athletes and this fall camp is all about putting them in those situations and finding out who will fill those roles,” Hendershot said. It’s ongoing. We have ideas with the young group that we have. It’s going to be fluid throughout. We’re an Ameritocracy, so production is going to ultimately make those decisions. With how our schedule is designed and early on with a lot of new faces and young players, we plan on rolling a lot of guys and putting them in situations.”

There won’t be a lot of seniors for the younger players to turn to, which is why Anderson believes it’s important for all of the upperclassmen to take the leadership role seriously.

“Our seniors have to step up a little bit because with graduating a bunch of guys we have to be the leaders,” Anderson said. “The seniors above us definitely had that leadership role. We just have to take that.” They showed us how to be tough, how to compete and what a real team leader should be.”

Minot has been one of the top programs in the state the past two seasons, winning back-to-back West Region titles as well as a state title in 2023 – its first since 1980. And while names on the roster will look dramatically different this year, the identity of the team will continue to remain the same.

“For us, we want to play our Magicians style of football and hold the standard that we’ve established the last couple of years: fast, physical and just with a tremendous amount of energy and joy for the team,” Hendershot said.

The Magicians know that with their recent string of success, there is firmly a target on their back, and other teams aren’t going to feel sorry for any growing pains they may experience throughout the upcoming season.

“We have a good culture here,” Anderson said. “We’ve had good teams over the years. I think everybody is out to beat the Magicians. Nobody likes us.”