BEMIDJI – What do Celine Dion and GloRilla have in common?
Aside from being wildly popular artists, the two can now say they were the subject of Isaac Stone scoring celebrations.
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In the 14th minute of the Section 8-3A quarterfinal match against No. 7 Brainerd, the Bemidji High School boys soccer senior beat a Warriors’ defender with a quick shimmy before streaking to the goal. He beat keeper Owen Sjoberg to his left to give the second-seeded Lumberjacks a 2-0 lead.
For his first act, Stone raised his arms out to his side, playing the role of Rose from the 1997 hit movie “Titanic.” Fellow senior Sam Byrne was cast to play Jack, placing his hands under Rose’s arms to the silent tune of Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
Ten minutes later, Stone scored again. This time, he took to the sideline for his second act.
Stone fast-forwarded 27 years to perform a dance from the song “BOP.” It’s a sequence that was popularized on TikTok this fall to the beat of hip-hop musician GloRilla.
“All week during practice, we were planning celebrations as a team for when we score,” Stone said. “But for the second one, I just saw a TikTok and thought, ‘Why not?’
It was Stone’s world on Thursday, and everybody else was living in it.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“I was never a big goal scorer, so I didn’t get a ton of celebrations,” head coach Rick Toward said with a laugh. “My dad taught me to do the Walter Payton – get in the end zone and flip the ball to the refs, act like you’ve been there before. I wasn’t a big celly guy, but the kid’s always got his creative side showing.”
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With a pair of goals and two assists, Stone moved into third all-time in points over his career in program history (75). He’s scored 56 goals in total – 16 this season – while adding 19 assists.
Stone got on the scoresheet for a third time in the 40th minute, assisting on Riewer’s fourth goal this season. He also assisted Al Toward’s first goal of the year to open the second half in the 42nd minute.
The Jacks (12-3-2) got their first goal off the foot of Gabe Morin in the eighth minute. The junior took 23 shots toward opposing keepers this season, but none of them led to goals.
That streak ended on Thursday night.
Reed Johnson heaved a 15-yard throw-in to Lincoln Schmitt, who dished a first-touch pass to Austin Riewer just outside the 18-yard box. Reiwer moved the ball backward to Morin, who belted a seeing-eye shot past Sjoberg’s outstretched arms.
It was Morin’s first career goal.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“Way too many,” Morin said when asked if he knew how many shots he took before getting his first goal. “There were quite a few, and it took long enough to get one. It felt insane to get it. All of the guys have been teasing me, so I had to prove them wrong.”
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It was a goal that settled Bemidji’s nerves, who entered the Section 8-3A Tournament on a sour note with a 3-1 road loss against St. Cloud Cathedral last Saturday.
“I think it deflated Brainerd,” Toward said. “You know you’re the underdog, but can you steal one? Can you get a 1-0 or 2-1 game? That first goal going in, in the manner it went in from a kid who’s never scored, it calmed everybody down. I felt like Isaac would get one tonight, maybe two, which he did. He’s a hard guy to deny. But the first one goes in from someone who’s not your goal scorer, you feel pretty good.”
The Lumberjacks clicked on each third of the field. They hammered 14 shots on target for Sjoberg without surrendering any to Brainerd (4-9-3). It was a welcomed sight for Toward, who entered Thursday night with trepidations.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“Playing to your potential is every coach’s goal,” Toward said. “If you’d asked me two days ago what we were going to do tonight after what we looked like in practice, I would’ve told you I was kind of nervous. But when they stepped on the field and started going, when they got that first goal from Gabe, it was just a ride from there.”
Since the beginning of the summer, Bemidji’s objective has been clear: rewrite the wrong that occurred in the 8-3A semifinal a year ago. The Jacks suffered a 2-1 loss on the road against Sartell, leaving more to be desired after a promising season.
However, in a game that left Bemidji with an empty feeling, it’s since turned into fuel. The Lumberjacks are back where it all ended last season as they will host No. 6 Moorhead on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Chet Anderson Stadium. The Spuds upset third-seeded St. Michael-Albertville, the two-time defending 8-3A champions, 5-3.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
“We know what we have to do to get the next win,” Stone said. “It definitely hurt last year. We’re going to try to clean up those mistakes and get better. Any team in our section is decent. No one is going to come here, roll over and give us the win. We need to lock in during these next few days of practice and get it done.”
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As for Stone’s third act, he left his audience with a cliffhanger.
“We did have a third one,” Stone said. “I guess we’ll show you next game.”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
No. 2 Bemidji 5, No. 7 Brainerd 0
BRD 0 0 – 0
BEM 4 1 – 5
Bemidji – Morin 8’ (Riewer); Stone 14’ (Johnson), 24’ (Bryne); Riewer 40’ (Stone); Toward 42’ (Stone).
Brainerd – No scoring.
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Saves – Heuer (BEM) 0; Sjoberg (BRD) 9.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
