eral WFCA all-star games, both ….

eral WFCA all-star games, both as an assistant and head coach.

“In 2017 I got asked to assist, and then the next year I was brought back in. Then in ’19, I was the head coach. In ’19, the game got called at halftime because of weather. Then in ’20, one of those assistants got the head coach job, and he brought me back, and we called it ‘unfinished business.’” Karsten says this year’s team put in an excellent effort, and he was proud of the way they held their own against what should have been a one-sided contest.

“On paper they had six all-state players and we had none. We lost a kid due to injury, my starting linebacker . . . and we kinda got in scramble mode. But it was a very competitive game, 35-16.”

Ryan said the end result wasn’t the important thing — it was the experience. Above all, Karsten says he was happy to make an impact that went beyond just the game of football — a lesson he learned during his time at Abbotsford.

“That was something that was always taught to us,” Ryan says. “And that’s what this is all about, getting the kids together, raising money for the Wisconsin’s Children Hospital. That’s the ultimate goal for the week, and I think we accomplished that.”