Defending State Champions | Video

Lee Timmerman | 12/17/2012

When you return four of your top players from a state championship team, the expectations are high. Beulah knows this and if that`s the burdon of winning a title, then every Class-B team in North Dakota wants that burdon.

"Amazing! Wonderful! One of the greatest memories of my life!" said senior Cody Nelson.

How couldn`t it be for Nelson and the Beulah Miners? The first boys championship in school history.

"Last year was pretty tough to do it and this year will be even tougher with all the expectations and the target on our backs so it will be pretty tough," said senior Jesse Hettich.

Hettich and Nelson, plus Trevor Zacher and Noah Iverson all return after playing a major role in the title run.

"So we got those four kids back and then Karson Hintz is another senior that got a little varsity time last year so we do have some experience back and that`s something for us to look forward to," said coach Jeremy Brandt.

"You go to church or down to the grocery store you always have someone who says, `Congrats` or `Good job. I can`t wait to watch you guys this season.` You`re always getting asked," Iverson said.

When you watch the Miners this year, you`ll see some similarities especially when Beulah does not have the ball.

"Our defense leads to a lot of our offensive points. We get turnovers a lot and I know a lot of guards when we`re up on them all of the time they get the ball and oh no not this because we play full-court press the whole game," Nelson said.

"Especially defensively, that just kind of carries over what we do from one year to the next. We haven`t changed anything there really. Offensively we`ll tweak things a little bit to the different personal that we have," Brandt said.

"We`re going to play the same style. We`re going to press and try to get into people`s grill and we`re going to try and play fast just like last year I guess," Zacher said.

The Miners also like to use the three point line, but they have to be carefull not to forget about getting it to the rim.

"Sometimes it`s easy to settle for the three point shot especially when teams zone you and that`s one thing I think we have to get better at is when we see zone attacking the middle and being more content and more of an emphasis of getting the ball in the land and attacking from there and working inside and out," Brandt said.

The Miners have two tough games before Christmas, North Star on Friday and Four Winds-Minnewauken on Saturday.

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