When Bemidji State exited Minnesota State's home field after the Super Region 4 championship game, it marked the last time that much of the Beaver faithful will have football at the forefront of their minds until next fall.
For head coach Brent Bolte, his coaching staff and players, though, it marked the start of another long, busy offseason. It's a process that starts over each year -- the cycle begins anew.
The first step? Digesting a third-round playoff loss to the Mavericks in which BSU was just
four yards away from scoring a potential game-winning touchdown
and a subsequent final four berth.
"Every coach will sit here and yell at you, kind of got a 24-hour rule to move past it, but when it's the last game of the season, I think it sits in your gut a little bit more," Bolte said. "It stews a little bit more, because of the what-ifs. It stings, it hurts, and it should. These kids put a lot of time and effort into it."
Despite the season-ending defeat, Bolte stayed true to his usual debriefing process.
"As a coach, I made it through Sunday, I forced myself to watch the game, grade it out, all three levels, just like I normally do," Bolte continued. "And then for me, it's a little bit of therapy just being with the guys. ... You've got to put things behind you and you've got to learn from it. If you don't then you're just stuck in the past so we're moving forward."
But like any offseason, the Beavers are quickly turning the chapter and honing in on roster management for next year's squad.
A host of Beavers played their last collegiate football game in the loss to MSU. Many of those seniors will leave the program with four straight playoff appearances under their belt. All of those seniors can say they were part of a class that made program history, sending the Beavers to their first-ever tournament quarterfinal appearance.
"It's hard to put into words how proud I am of the entire team, particularly (the) seniors," Bolte said. "They put their heart and souls into it and put their lives on hold too. They came back to represent not just the football program but the university. Forever grateful for those guys to stick it out. (We feel) very appreciative of all those guys and their efforts of getting us to where we are today with this program."
Naturally, many of those seniors played pivotal roles this season.
Sam McGath is one standout in the class. BSU's quarterback had big shoes to fill this season, stepping up to replace program legend Brandon Alt as the Beavers' starting quarterback.
McGath stepped up to the plate and swung hard. Though Bemidji State's defense was certainly a driving force in the regular and postseason success, McGath was essential in guiding a BSU offense that excelled in clock management and grinding out drives in key spots, especially in the final months of the season.
"Sam's a special guy," Bolte said. "Not a lot of guys in college athletics would stick around knowing he was behind a guy of Alt's caliber and wait his turn. ... He's a very unique guy in that regard and definitely a leader of men, and he waited his turn to take it over."
Bolte believes that McGath played some of his best football later in the season and in the playoffs, 'when it really counted.'
"The guy's just a winner," Bolte continued. "The guys trusted him, certainly have a high level of confidence in him and just know what type of person he is. So really, really proud of what he was able to do and accomplish."
The Beavers' defensive line was chock-full of high-level seniors. Players like fifth-year senior Stephen Hoffman, fifth-year senior Marco Cavallaro and Cade Barrett all started along the line, providing high-level production all season long.
The fourth piece in the defensive trench, redshirt junior end Marcus Hansen, could also be on the move this offseason after entering the
transfer portal last week.
Those four combined for 225 total tackles, 48 tackles for loss and 27 sacks this season.
Beyond those starters, Elijah Brown, Darnell McCrea and fifth-year Theodus Ringgold were a trio of seniors that rotated into the defensive line and logged good minutes and production for the Beavers.
In short, Bemidji State's defensive line is going to look much different next season.
"We got a lot of different guys who are going to have to step up to larger roles, none bigger than who you already mentioned at the quarterback position and the defensive line," Bolte said. "We've been able to recruit, we are deep in those spots, it's just going to be different guys and different names that you're going to hear about, but the expectation is still the same."
A few younger defensive linemen illustrated potential this season, providing some potential plug-ins for next year's new-look unit.
Redshirt freshmen defensive ends Tyler Sapit and Eli Coenen each showed flashes of excellence this year, especially in the playoffs. Perhaps the best highlight of that postseason play came in the second round of the tournament when Coenen pitched in on the game-sealing sack against Western Colorado.
On the other side of the ball, there's bound to be turnover as well. Wide receiver Bubba Peters -- who tallied 1,144 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns -- fifth-year wide receiver Joey Baron and running back Jarrett Gronski are a trio of offensive weapons who wrapped up their senior seasons.
Along the offensive line, fifth-year center Jake Gannon and tackle Will LeMire -- both starters -- also finished out their collegiate careers in Mankato.
There are going to be plenty of important roles up for grabs next season on both sides of the ball. The Beavers have a collection of players already on the roster ready to take another step into starting roles, but the program isn't afraid of dipping into the transfer portal to fill out the roster with experience and more talent if need be.
The Beavers have added players from the portal in the past, like junior defensive back Gabe Ward and senior linebacker Jacob Drietz. This offseason, Bolte and his coaching staff won't shy away from adding players to bolster depth or to plug-and-play -- as long as they fit the program culture.
"Obviously, we talk about reloading here more than anything else, just the next guy up that's in the program," Bolte said. "Of course when you win at this level, there's a lot of interest of guys coming in from the outside. I think they know or hear from others what the program stands for, the type of experience our guys have.
Bolte considers the culture fit as a strong component for all recruits -- in the portal or as freshmen -- when adding to his roster.
"Be careful what you bring in and not have it deviate from the standard and the expectations, and really the way the locker room operates," Bolte continued. "So I'm particular on who we bring in and the type of guys and the families and people that will allow us to continue to rely on those values and beliefs."
Next year's team will be full of new players and returning faces in expanded roles. However, after four straight postseason berths, four straight first-round victories, and now, an appearance in the third round of the tournament, the internal expectations will remain high for Bolte and his program.
"The main carrot that we always want to shoot for and dangle out there is just to make the postseason, and that's always been the expectation," Bolte said. "When I took this thing over (in 2017), I felt like we could go play on a national level and be a top-25 team.
"I think we've pushed that envelope a little bit further where we feel like we can be a top-tier team in Division II and continue to do that, and that's the nature of college athletics. It's going to be a different cast of characters each and every year. Guys have to step up into their roles."