Sports

Braves’ coach Bedlion resigns

By Matthew Semisch

11/11/2014

Citing a desire for consistency at all age groups of Bottineau’s youth football program, Rob Bedlion has chosen to resign from his role as Bottineau High’s head coach.

Bedlion announced his intentions to Braves football players and their family members during the team’s end-of-season banquet on Nov. 2. Loose ends related to the resignation process were later resolved.

Bedlion steps down after having spent the past seven seasons as the Braves’ varsity head coach. He finished that span with a 25-38 record.

BHS finished each of the past three seasons with 2-6 overall records. Both of the Braves’ wins this past season came against Class A Region 3 rivals Surrey and Williams County.

The Braves’ biggest success under Bedlion came in 2011. BHS finished that season with an 8-2 record and earned a share of the Class AA West Region championship.

BHS has not yet named Bedlion’s successor. His three assistant coaches - Chris Bedlion, David Duttenhefer and Zach Keller - are likely candidates to take the reins.

Rob Bedlion is now set to take over Bottineau Middle School’s  (BMS) seventh and eighth grade team. BMS won’t always have separate teams for the two grade levels due to the number of players, but Bedlion will oversee both groups regardless.

Bedlion is also one of the coaches of Bottineau’s youth teams that play in Minot’s YMCA tackle football league.

He has worked to make Bottineau’s young football players’ expereince in the sport consistent from third grade through to 12th. Taking over Bottineau Middle School’s teams will help him make sure that continues.

“We as (BHS’s) coaches have been talking about the younger kids, and how we want to be consistent with third through 12th grade in terms of how we play and how we practice,” Bedlion said. “We want the kids to have fun throughout but also be competitive.

“We want a successful team at the high school level, but in order for us to do that, we have to have a successful program across all ages from third to 12th grade.

“One group can’t be more important than the other,” Bedlion continued, “And nor can one coach be more important than any other, nor one player, nor one group of players.”

Bedlion hopes that, in directly overseeing the younger levels of Bottineau’s football program, the whole system will benefit.

“High school is four years out of the 10 that these kids get to play football in grade school,” he said. “So looking at it as a 10-year program is important.

“You want the kids to be competitive once they get to the varsity level, and a lot of that is instilled in them when they’re playing at the younger levels and have success there, and then after that it may not always be about wins and losses, but they’ll be competitive against whoever they play.”

Bedlion also hopes that, next year, he will be able to see his son play football more often. Cody Bedlion is a freshman at Crown College in Minnesota.

Now, Rob Bedlion feels, is the right time for him to step down.
“The biggest thing for me is that I think it’s a positive for the whole program,” he said. “I want to make sure that people know that coaching high school is fantastic and I love it, but I just think it’s the best thing for the program that I do this, and hopefully people see that.”