CROSBY — It was a season to remember for Evan Rydberg.

The Crosby-Ironton senior finished the season with 1,513 rushing yards, marking a new school record for the Rangers. He scored 14 touchdowns and averaged 6.91 yards per rush.

He rushed for 235 yards on 27 carries in the Section 7-2A quarterfinal loss to International Falls. He finished the regular season by rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in a 22-14 win over Hinckley-Finlayson.

“Evan has been consistent for us all season running the ball and playing middle linebacker,” CI head coach Bryan Syrstad said. “He’s probably one of our more consistent players that we’ve had over the last few years. You always know what you’re going to get from him. He broke the school single-season record. He was in double figures in touchdowns and I don’t think he dropped one fumbling all season.”

Coming into the season, Rydberg did not expect to break the single-season record.

“Later in the season it started to look like I was going to beat it,” Rydberg said. “That’s when it kind of became a goal for me and it also became a goal for my team as well. So my team also wanted me to get that achievement. I’m proud of myself and my team for getting that record. “

Rydberg showed consistency, racking up 100 rushing yards in all nine games. His biggest tally was against International Falls on September 27th.

Rydberg ran for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries in a 39-36 loss to the Broncos.

“When someone averages 6.9 yards a carry that gets us into good first downs,” Syrstad said. “We can run play-action stuff, take some snaps with our receivers and he’s good at picking up the pass-block assignment. He opens up a lot of other guys by being solid in the run game.”

As a middle linebacker, Rydberg was the team’s third leading tackler with 62. He recorded two sacks.

“He’s played center back for us for years,” Syrstad said. “He’s always around the ball and doesn’t make too many mistakes. Just like on offense, he’s solid in the middle for us on defense. I think in our district he’s one of the better tacklers and better ball carriers.

Rydberg learned to conserve energy when he played most of the snaps in offense and defense.

“I took a break every now and then and I trusted my second stringer to fill my spot,” Rydberg said. “I was able to go back there and play to the best of my ability.”

Rydberg preferred to play running back to linebacker.

“I just like to look at the shutters and look around my neighborhood, too,” he said. “I knew what they were going to do and I just followed them and trusted them. I became more confident.”

Rydberg opened the season with 141 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Deer River. In week two, he ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries against Mesabi East.

“As a leader, he’s not the most vocal guy, but you always know what you’re going to get from him every week in practice,” Syrstad said. “Whether he’s pitched from the game before, he’s a guy that comes ready to practice every day and he works really hard. He’s helped the younger guys a lot in practice. If they have a question, he’s a guy that they goes to not just football, but academics. He’s a smart kid, so it’s not just football. He works hard in the classroom.”

After an 0-6 start, the Rangers picked up their first win against Greenway with Rydberg rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

“I expected us to be a decent team this year,” Rydberg said. “We unfortunately had a losing record, but every single one of those games we lost, if one or two things had gone differently, we would have won. It could have been a winning record, but you could see the potential we had.”

Last season, Rydberg was named All-District Northeast Blue. He rushed for 396 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished with 63 tackles.

“He’s a pretty quiet guy, but sometimes you can get a smile or a smile out of him,” Syrstad said. “He has a dry sense of humor and it’s fun to coach him because you know you can always count on Evan.”

Other notable achievements:
Football: Gavin Anderson, Little Falls, threw for three touchdowns against Thief River Falls.
Bobby Toure, Little Falls, caught two touchdowns against Thief River Falls.
John Paul Elsenpeter, Pequot Lakes, rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns against Grand Rapids.
Bryar Nordby, Pequot Lakes, scored four total touchdowns against Grand Rapids.
Derek Hoglin, Pillager, rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries against New York Mills.
Aiden Jones, Pierz, rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns against Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted.
Football: Sören Benson, Lake Region, had a hat trick against Rosemount.

Year: Senior
School: Crosby-Ironton
Sports: Soccer
Position: Running back/middle linebacker
Highlights: He rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries against Hinckley-Finlayson. He finished with the most rushing yards in a season in school history.