Red Lake Warriors varsity football players line up for a portrait Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022 during the first week of practice in Red Lake, Minn.. The team averages fewer than 20 players, and coach Nolan Desjarlait encourages his team not to count players on the opposing sideline — too discouraging. "Coaching is having fun with kids and making them feel welcomed and wanting to be here," Desjarlait says. "My job is to keep them moving."
Red Lake senior quarterback Cade Beaulieu warms up his arm while practicing near the truck of his cousin and teammates Brayden Beaulieu, which contained the severed head of a whitetail buck harvested hunting the night before Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 in Red Lake, Minn.
Red Lake head football coach Nolan Desjarlait teaches 6th grader John Morris how to put on his helmet before the Warriors’ second practice of the season, Aug. 17, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. Morris has never played football, and joins a few relatives on the junior varsity team.
8th graders Elias Morris (21) and Austin Perkins (22), J.V. players who suit up for varsity, goofed around in the locker room before the first varsity game of the season Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. Injuries and low turnout force the team to rely on middle-school players, or sometimes forfeit games.
Red Lake players make their way from the locker room to the football field to practice the afternoon before their opening game of the season Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. Red Lake opened against New York Mills, a Class 1A power that advanced to the state semifinals last season. The temperature is near 90 degrees, and head coach Nolan Desjarlait worries about his players having to play both offense and defense. The Warriors dress 18 players, including three middle-schoolers and a senior playing in his first football game. New York Mills brings 35.
Red Lake and Cass Lake fans, including Renae Harrison and Eddie Vann, of Cass Lake, watch a junior football game from the stands as they’re visited by a pair of stray dogs Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. Football on the reservation has its quirks, and stray dogs frequently wander on the field during gameplay before being ushered towards fans where they seek food and attention.
Red Lake players warm up before a home game against Wadena - Deer Creek Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 at Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Minn.. The team often plays against opponents with twice as many players. Sometimes, coach Nolan Desjarlait wonders how he keeps doing it. The answer always comes: "I refuse to give up on them."
Red Lake quarterback Cade Beaulieu reaches for the pylon for a rushing touchdown against Bagley in the second half Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at Bagley High School in Bagley, Minn.
From left, Red Lake players Randy Sayers Jr., Steve Rainey, Justin Brown, Cade Beaulieu and Brayden Beaulieu are dejected in the second half on their way to a lopsided 54-20 loss to Bagley Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 at Bagley High School in Bagley, Minn..
Nolan Desjarlait, athletic director of Red Lake High School and head football coach, looks on while riding the bus to Bagley Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. The loss of a child can send parents down different paths, searching for new purposes. Desjarlait found his purpose in coaching. He deals with his pain privately while investing in kids in the most public way he knows. Head football coach, at the front of the room, in the center of the team huddle. "I'm being as strong as I can for my nation and my family," he says.
On a clearing overlooking two lakes on the Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota, Nolan Desjarlait visited the grave site of his son, Nolan Desjarlait Jr., who died in an ATV wreck at age 10. The high school seniors Desjarlait coaches this year were teammates and best friends of Nolan Jr., and they've dedicated their seasons to him. The grave house is part of traditional burials by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians. The loss of a child can send parents down different paths, searching for new purposes. Nicole Desjarlait ran for a seat on the school board and won. Nolan found his purpose in coaching. He deals with his pain privately while investing in kids in the most public way he knows. Head football coach, at the front of the room, in the center of the team huddle. Desjarlait visited the grave before senior night Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
Red Lake Quarterback Cade Beaulieu stands for a portrait while holding a photo of his childhood best friend, Nolan Desjarlait Jr., left, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. Desjarlait, the son of the head football coach, died in an ATV accident when he was 10 years old. Desjarlait Jr., was a standout athlete. "He was way beyond our skill level for our age," says Beaulieu. His friends and family believed Nolan Jr. was sure to be Red Lake's starting quarterback, starting point guard and starting shortstop, then a college athlete.
Red Lake head football coach Nolan Desjarlait talks things over on the sideline with senior Justin Brown during a game against Wadena-Deer Creek Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. "I don't know how many times throughout all these five years I wanted to quit," says Brown. "I just can't. These are my brothers."
Red Lake junior and varsity football player Douglas Feather is introduced as homecoming royalty alongside classmate Estrella Bravo during the coronation ceremony in the high school gymnasium Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn..
Red Lake senior and football players Justin Brown is elated after being introduced as homecoming king by social studies teacher Ian Carr Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn..
Red Lake quarterback Cade Beaulieu leans back while doing the limbo with classmates during a school dance held after the senior night football and volleyball games in the school cafeteria Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 in Red Lake, Minn..
Homecoming festivities start with good news. Brown is named homecoming king and just in case anyone needs a reminder, he wears his crown as he leaves the locker room in uniform before a game against Wadena-Deer Creek Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. But a 56-0 loss to Wadena-Deer Creek puts their season in peril. Three players suffer injuries that require hospital visits. Quarterback Cade Beaulieu's case is the most serious, a concussion that requires further examination at a Bemidji hospital nearly an hour away. A knee gash sidelines reciever Gerald Kingbird Jr. Head coach Nolan Desjarlait has no choice but to forfeit the next game. He is concerned the Warriors might not be able to finish the rest of the schedule. He worries about his players and exposing them to injury. But his team wants to keep playing and with 16 players available, they forge on. Losses continue. The Warriors keep vowing to show up on Monday. They keep trying to recruit friends to join them. "They don't understand everything about it," Brown says of classmates. "All they see is the score. But it's fun. Everyone on the team is my family." ]
Red Lake head coach Nolan Desjarlait hands flowers to his seniors, including Brayden Beaulieu (74), during halftime on senior night Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022 in Red Lake, Minn.. Desjarlait’s son, Nolan Jr., would have been a senior this year, but died at age ten in an ATV accident. The loss of a child can send parents down different paths, searching for new purposes. Desjarlait found his purpose in coaching. He deals with his pain privately while investing in kids in the most public way he knows. Head football coach, at the front of the room, in the center of the team huddle. "I'm being as strong as I can for my nation and my family," he says.
Newly installed lights illuminate Red Lake’s football game against Wadena-Deer Creek Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022 in Red Lake , Minn.. For decades, the Warriors were forced to play day games or travel for night games due to inadequate lighting, but the new installation offered the team and town a Friday Night Lights experience.
Red Lake senior Joshua "Noodle" Stillday leads his team in a jubilant post-game cheer, despite falling to New York-Mills 70-6 in the first game of the season Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 at Red Lake High School in Red Lake, Minn..
Coach Nolan Desjarlait closed the door, the last one out of the home locker room after a game Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Red Lake's 0-9 season won't be remembered for wins and losses. It was played for Nolan Desjarlait Jr., who would have been a senior this year.