A coach on the field

CHARLO — “Where are my dogs at?” Jacen Petersen yells across Charlo’s football field as the opposing team takes the field on third-and-short.

The Viking defenders bark ferociously.

The center snaps the ball, the quarterback hands it off, and the ball-carrier runs into a wall of purple jerseys and the sound of pads cracking.

This seems to be a recurring storyline in the realm of Charlo’s dominant run through Western C 8-man football this season, and the vocal leader of the Vikings team is much of the reason why.

Charlo has a large senior class with lots of experience, but not many voices. Star running back Tyler Delaney is quiet and unassuming without the ball in his hands. Stud receiver Tristan Santee is stone constant; he didn’t even crack a smile when he was named homecoming king. But Petersen isn’t afraid to speak up.

“The [senior] class as a whole is just not vocal,” Charlo coach Mike Krahn said. “... [Jacen is] somebody that the kids are looking to and you do need a spokesman for the group.”

Krahn said the four-year varsity player is basically a coach on the field.

“He’s physical. He’s strong. He has those tools, but his strongest asset is his mind,” Krahn said. “I can go an entire game without changing a single thing or calling a play [because Petersen takes care of it].”

Petersen himself said that the mental aspect is an asset the whole team possesses. It’s what allows them to be successful, he said.

“Our kids are so intelligent that they can figure things out much quicker than other teams,” Petersen said.

The youngest of six siblings, Petersen had to be astute to keep up in his youth. Now those smarts are helping him on both sides of the ball for Charlo’s gridiron gaggle.

Krahn handles the Vikings defense, but Petersen’s father Jim is the offensive coordinator for Charlo. Jim Petersen has enjoyed the opportunity to coach his youngest son.

“It’s almost like having part of your mind out there,” Jim Petersen said. “… I can go through and kind of pick his brain. I know a lot of people try not to talk about [sports] when they get home, but he’s stuck with me and I talk with him about it.”

All those mental workouts have nurtured a football mind for Jacen. Even in the heat of battle, the youngest Petersen has shown poise beyond his years.

“We got burned on a pass play and I was chewing on our cornerback,” Krahn recalled. “[Jacen] turned to me and said, ‘Coach, what’s the most important play in football?’” citing the Vikings’ mantra that the next play is the most important.

“… He even keeps us in line, I guess,” Krahn said.

Petersen is a team player off the field, as well, Krahn said. Without prodding, Petersen began organizing team weightlifting sessions before school.

During summer workouts, Krahn noticed that the sideline benches were in disrepair, but he kept putting off fixing them and never said anything to the team. In two-a-days, Krahn got a surprise from the senior.

“I came back for the afternoon practice and he’s out there with [senior lineman] Ryan Fullerton fixing the benches,” Krahn said.

Petersen was also instrumental in the senior class’ gift to the school, a stencil to paint the Viking logo on the football field for games.

“He’s just doing stuff that you don’t have to do,” Krahn said. “Those are the things that you’re most proud of because they’re actually thinking outside of themselves.”

Despite his unselfishness, the returning all-state player has managed to put up big numbers of his own this season.

He’s found the end zone 15 times this season and will almost certainly top 1,000 total yards in Saturday’s playoff matchup with Twin Bridges. The 5-9, 175-pound team captain is averaging nearly 7 yards per carry this season. He’s also Charlo’s leading tackler.

Amazingly, football might not even be Petersen’s best sport. He may well be the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the state in any classification.

Petersen isn’t sure which sport he’ll pursue in college yet. His father doesn’t plan on pushing him, either.

“I’m honestly trying to let him do everything on his own, and I’ll support anything he wants to do,” Jim Petersen said. “More than anything, we want him to get his education in what he wants to do [rather than pick based on athletics].”

As for now, Jacen is just concerned with Charlo’s pending playoff run.

“We had a really good season without a lot of injury,” he said. “…We’ve definitely gotten a lot better each week.”

The Vikings have lost in the state quarterfinals the past three seasons. Petersen said he would love to finally break through to the semifinals, where the Vikings could potentially meet up with Ennis or Drummond, the only two teams with wins over Charlo in the past calendar year.

It starts with the Vikings taking care of business against Twin Bridges on Saturday.