Sioux Falls Lutheran School Launches 9-Man Football Program
Over the course of eight weeks this fall, 14 athletes and two coaches made history by kicking off the first ever Sioux Falls Lutheran School football season.
The team, comprised primarily of young men who had never played a formal game of tackle football before, approached the JV season as a developmental year. Under the leadership of head coach/offensive coordinator Holden Daum and assistant coach/defensive coordinator James Stubkjaer, they anticipated much hard work in hopes of playing one game this fall. To the entire school’s delight they ended up playing three.
“After the first game, we were all asking when the next one would be,” football parent Kristi Prouty said.
Her son, Grant, is a sophomore, and prior to August his only experience with the sport was through flag football.
“I was very nervous at first since most of the boys had never played tackle football before,” Kristi shared. “But they have the best coaches, who taught them so much in a very short time.”
A 2021 graduate of Augustana University, Coach Daum played both football and baseball at Augustana. Coach Stubkjaer, who is also the new middle and high school principal at SFLS, played football at South Dakota State University in the early 90s. Mr. Stubkjaer has extensive High School coaching experience, coaching HS football at Parker-Hurley (2000-2004), Sioux Falls Lincoln and Sioux Falls Roosevelt while teaching in the Sioux Falls School District from 2004-2015. He was at Avon HS from 2016-17.
According to Coach Daum, the players deserve as much credit as the coaches for their progress this fall.
“What our players have learned over the course of the season is quite remarkable,” Daum said. “To go from never playing football before to playing JV full contact football games in a matter of weeks showcases the time commitment, attitude, and effort that my players put in over the course of the season, and I am unbelievably proud of them!”
Coach Stubkjaer stated, “It was enjoyable coaching/watching the young men mature in many ways. As football players, teammates, brothers in Christ, they learned to play selflessly and together. They learned about attitude, effort, hard work, blood, sweat and tears. They learned to play for the One True King, and I was blessed to be a part of that. Lastly, not many coaches in their lifetime have ever experienced starting up a “grassroots” football program, with players who have little or no experience. It was AWESOME!!!”
While the Eagles are certainly blessed with their coaches' combined experience and passion for the game, it’s clear that their approach to coaching also places intentional focus on helping athletes grow as Christian individuals.
Coach Daum shared that building relationships with players and watching the team learn skills that apply to both football and life—like hard work, commitment, teamwork, and perseverance—were his favorite parts of the season.
“With all the ‘football knowledge’ that our players gained over the course of the season, the thing I’m most proud of is that they learned what it takes and what it means to be Sioux Falls Lutheran School football players,” Daum said.
Although the Eagles didn’t come out with any wins this season, they had some incredible experiences along the way, including touchdowns in each game they played.
“My favorite moment of the season was definitely the first touchdown in school history,” Kristi said. “Watching Coach Daum run down the sideline along with the team was the best! His enthusiasm is contagious, and he was just as excited, if not more so, than the boys.”
It just so happens that Kristi’s son, Grant, scored that touchdown.
“It all happened so fast I didn't really have a lot of emotions at that moment,” Grant shared. “But thinking back, it's pretty cool we were able to score a touchdown in our first game. However, I really can't take any of the credit, because I couldn't have done it without the rest of the team.”
Coach Daum agrees.
“People don’t realize the many things that must go right in order for a play to score,” Daum said. “When Grant broke for that long run down the sideline, I was so excited for him and everybody on the field. Without the hard work and the duties of every player, that play wouldn’t have gone the way that it did.”
At the end of the season, Coach Daum shared that support from parents, students, and fans throughout the SFLS community served as a huge encouragement to the team this year. As a parent, Kristi couldn’t agree more.
“It's been great seeing so many families with students of all ages and SFLS community members attend the football games,” Kristi said. “The dedication is awesome since they have all been away games so far. People just want to come out and support our Eagles!”
For Grant, it is being part of the inaugural SFLS football season that he’s enjoyed most.
“I think it is pretty cool knowing that in a few years, when everyone from this team has graduated, the next generation of our football team will be even better than us because we will have more kids and a better program,” Grant said. “It will be an honor to be remembered as the first ever SFLS football team as the program continues to grow.”
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, our mission is to develop capable, Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, we are committed to partnering with parents and the church to raise lifelong learners who use their gifts and the fruits of the Spirit, in faith, to touch a troubled world with God’s grace.