TMB FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS: FOOTBALL
8 seniors will lead this year’s squad
The Panther football team’s season ended disappointingly and abruptly in 2025, but with eight seniors returning, they hope to quickly get rid of the bad taste in their mouths.
The Panthers were a four-win team last year and lost 28-12 to Sleepy Eye United at home in the first round of the Section 3A Tournament. TMB had beaten SEU by 16 a month earlier, so it was a tough way to end the season for sure.
But this is a new year, and with a new year comes fresh optimism.
“As far as I can remember, this is a true football group,” Kruse said. “As a basketball coach it’s not great — I think everyone on my basketball team would want to play football before basketball. The ones that are in both are football guys, so they were excited to start.”
Kruse will deal with that this winter, but for the time being, the focus is all on the pigskin.
“They love to practice, and they actually enjoy it,” Kruse said. “That’s obviously a good thing for us.”
TMB lost just five seniors from last year’s team, but there are some pretty big shoes to fill, as all five were twoway starters: Griffin Zick, Sy Sanders, Lawton Verlinde, David Schuh and Connor Lanoue.
“You lose five, you think that’s not bad, but that’s a real good five,” Kruse said.
Filling those holes will be seniors — linemen Brody Hauger (who is coming off a torn ACL), Jack Willhite, Trenton Johnson, and Talon Brinkley; and skill position players Emery Xiong, Nolan Verlinde Ty Yackley and Aiden Sanow, who rotated with Jackson Kruse behind center last year.
“All eight of them I think are going to be starting both ways,” Kruse said. “It’s huge having eight seniors.”
Kruse said Sanow has impressed in the tight end spot, so it appears the fleet-footed Jackson will be taking most of the snaps this year. While that quarterback shuffle had its moments last year as both players were able to display their unique strengths, it wasn’t the perfect scenario.
“In my opinion, playing two quarterbacks is hard to do, because you get half the reps at practice,” coach Kruse said. “It just never worked out that we felt comfortable with just one guy.”
TMB will open the 2026 season tonight (Sept. 3) at MACCRAY before hosting United South Central on Sept. 11. Three of the first four games will be on the road, but the flip side of that is that the Panthers will close with two straight home games as they enter the postseason — the first on a Wednesday (Oct. 14), the latter just six days later (Oct. 20).
“I like the home games — obviously you have so many more fans that are able to attend,” coach Kruse said. “The thing about that is it will be a Wednesday night and then a Tuesday night; we only have two Friday night homes games — to me, that’s a little disappointing.”
This year’s homecoming game will be against RTR on Oct. 2, and the Panthers will be looking to get back at the Knights, who beat them 7-0 in Tyler a year ago in a game that will be remembered for TMB’s inability to score from the goal line in the second half.
“It was 4th-and-goal and we got tackled at the 1 — just couldn’t get the ball in,” coach Kruse said. “They graduated a lot of seniors, but I think they’re going to be a pretty good team.”
The game after homecoming will be a big one against rival MCC in the Helmet Game.
“They have a lot to replace, but I think they have as good a program as you can,” coach Kruse said. “They have to replace a lot, so they might start out a little slow, but by the end of the year, they’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Despite the quickly schedule to end the regular season, coach Kruse is looking forward to playing under the new lights at the football field. They might not look like traditional lights compared to the old ones, but the Panthers are looking forward to the new experience.
“They don’t really look like football field lights; I’ve seen them from a distance, but haven’t been on the field with them on,” coach Kruse said. “The last practice before our first home game we do under the lights … so they get a chance to get under the lights and try to get some of the nerves out before the first (home) game.”
Seniors: Talon Brinkley, Brody Hauger, 2026 TMB FOOTBALL ROSTERS
Trenton Johnson, Aiden Sanow, Nolan Verlinde, Jack Willhite, Emery Xiong, Ty Yackley Juniors: Braeden Connor, Ryker Freeburg, Carson Lanoue, Sam Lightfoot, Graden Morgan Sophomores: Oakley Bornitz, Nolan Carlson, Levi Duscher, Christian Fransen, Dalton Gilbert, Jackson Kruse, Myhlez Moua Freshmen: Adam Boice, Gage Caron, Gavin Fischer, Lane Hoffman, Cayden Lakings, Brayden Marron, Cameron Marten, Joxyn Odom, Lane Peterson, Ethan Schreier, Chanse Swenhaugen, Cassius Vang, Sam Willhite, CHarles Xiong Eighth-graders: Devon Ankrum, Bennett Bangasser, Troy Beier, Kelton Brinkley, Liam Dieter, Max Hall, Cal Lanoue, Kurtis Nyquist, Jared Swenhaugen Seventh-graders: Lennox Brinkley, Soren Carlson, TJ Dolan, Rylen Ellingson, Mason Gervais, Charley Johnson, Ryker Lustfield, Cooper Millman, Gunner Moore, Morgan Mulder, Brian Paczkowski, Braxton Petersen, Soren Peterson, Noah Schreier, Collin Vang, Sion Vang, Auron Watson
