ABOVE & BEYOND Dassel-Cokato’s Eli Gillman does it all

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN

Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

To understand how athletic and dominant Eli Gillman is on the football field, one has to look no further than Dassel-Cokato’s game against Holy Family on Oct. 1.

Gillman, a senior running back needed only five carries to rush for 149 yards and three touchdowns as the Chargers improved to 5-0.

This past Friday it took him just seven carries to gain 163 yards and two touchdown runs of 57 and 77 yards.

He is closing in on 1,000 yards and has 16 touchdowns in just six games. And there is still plenty of football yet to be played.

Gillman, a 5-11 200-pound force with the football, was rated the top athlete in Minnesota by Prep Red Zone. His athletic endeavors have earned him a scholarship to play FBS Division I football at Montana next season.

“Eli is a very smart and hard-nosed football player,” said Chargers head coach Ryan Weinandt. “He can run hard in short yardage, he can cut on a dime, has a great stiff arm, can run through tackles, and has breakaway speed. He really can do it all.”

Gillman was adopted as a baby in Florida by Brian and Dawn Gillman, who have always resided in Dassel. The Gillman’s have two older daughters of their own and three adopted children. Eli is the oldest adopted child — his brother Monte is a sophomore running back on the team, and they have a younger sister named Molly.

Brian and Dawn Gillman were both three-sport athletes in high school and passed down their love of sports to their kids.

Eli remembers when he fell in love with football.

“I think I was around nine years old when I started playing flag football,” he said. “I fell in love with it right away.”

Gillman loves everything about the sport.

“I just love the boys being together,” he said. “And I love the hitting. I’ve loved the contact ever since we were able to play tackle.”

Gillman dedicated himself to athletics from the start by spending a lot of time in the weight room. While a lot of athletes dread going to the weight room, Gillman looks forward to it.

“I have always enjoyed lifting,” he said. “It’s never something I don’t want to do. And now it’s pretty much a habit.”

Gillman can squat 475 pounds and bench press 300. But his strength and stature certainly do not slow him down. He runs a 4.48 40-yard dash. His strength, speed and skill have earned him a chance to play at the highest level in college football.

“He is a special athlete,” said Weinandt. “Not only is he great at running the football, he is also an outstanding wide receiver and played quarterback for us last year.”

Defensively, Gillman has played defensive tackle, outside linebacker, cornerback and safety. When you are as athletic as Gillman, it doesn’t matter where you put him...he is going to excel and will likely be the best player on the field at any position.

“We can literally play him at any position on offense and defense,” said Weinandt.

Gillman said playing different positions has helped him understand the game better because he knows what other positions are trying to do when he has the ball as a runner.

“You understand what the defense is doing from other perspectives,” he said. “Once you go back to your main position you understand what everyone on the field is doing.”

Of course, there is more to football than being big, strong and fast. Because football is the ultimate team sport, it is never about just one player, and nobody knows that better than Gillman.

“Eli doesn’t let his athletic accomplishments get to his head,” said Weinandt. “He is very humble. In the hallways you will see him interacting with students of all different backgrounds and interests. Whether you are a starter on the football team, an elementary student, or someone he has never met, he is always genuine with everyone. He treats everyone equally and with respect. He is very respected by his peers, coaches, school and community.”

Despite his athletic prowess, being from a small town in Minnesota didn’t exactly have Division I football coaches blowing up his cell phone. The recruiting process started slow.

“I had some buddies getting offers and I had nothing,” Gillman said. “I was confused. And then a few months later I got a call from Michigan. The next day I got another call. It took a while, but then it started to take off.”

He took a recruiting visit to Montana, where he has extended family. Although he had offers from other Division I schools, Montana “just felt right.”

“I just love the place in general,” he said. “The facilities, the stadium, the coaches...I liked other places too, but this just felt right to me.”

He plans to study architecture, and hopes to make an impact right away as a freshman. But if not, it won’t bother him. Just like experiencing the recruiting process, jumping from small town Minnesota football to Division I may require some patience.

Long term, Gillman said he would love to play in the NFL. If not, he wants to earn a degree and start a career.

Short term, he has other goals. After a 6-0 start, he is focused on getting back to the Prep Bowl, where two years ago the Chargers lost in the finals in heart- continued on page 11

FRIDAY NIGHT SPOTLIGHT continued from page 8

Rankings

Class 5A

1. Mankato West (6-0)

2. Andover (6-0)

3. St. Thomas Academy (6-0)

4. Chaska (6-0)

5. Sauk Rapids-Rice (6-0)

6. Rogers (5-1)

7. Moorhead (5-1)

8. Rochester Mayo (5-1)

9. Elk River (4-2)

10. Robbinsdale Armstrong (5-1)

Class 5a

Elk River and Moorhead have epic battle

There were some doozies in Week 6, but perhaps none more doozier than the Elk River/Moorhead game.

Elk River came out on top 50-46, but not after a late charge from the Spuds, who scored twice in the final five minutes to make a game of it.

A total of 33 points were scored in the fourth quarter alone.

The teams were deadlocked 14-14 after the first quarter as both offenses were clicking and both defenses struggled to make a stand.

It was 21-21 at the half when Elk River began to pull away in the second half.

They had two 63-yard runs, one by senior Dylan Rogers, who ended up with 222 yards and four touchdowns on the night. And another by junior Cade Osterman, who notched his fifth TD on the season and ran for 152 yards.

Moorhead QB Gavin Quade tried to keep them in the game late when he connected on a pair of scores in the waning minutes to make it 50-46, but the Spuds simply ran out of time to suffer their first loss of the 2021 campaign.

The Spuds dropped to No. 7 in the rankings, where Mankato West securely holds the top spot followed by Andover, STA, Chaska and Sauk Rapids-Rice, all who remain undefeated through the first six weeks of play.

Rogers and Rochester Mayo both put up convincing wins and Robbinsdale Armstrong sneaks in at No. 10 with a 5-1 mark after beating No. 8 Spring Lake Park 35-7.

Scores No. 1 Mankato West 76, Austin 0

No. 2 Andover 49, Coon Rapids 13

No. 3 St. Thomas Academy 18, Mahtomedi 13

No. 10 Elk River 50, No. 4 Moorhead 46

No. 5 Chaska 24, Orono 3

No. 6 Sauk Rapids-Rice 35, St. Francis 7

No. 7 Rogers 31,Brainerd 7

Robbinsdale Armstrong 35, No. 8 Spring lake Park 7

No. 9 Rochester Mayo 45, New Prague 0

Rankings

Class 6A

1. Lakeville South (6-0)

2. Eden Prairie (5-1)

3. Stillwater (6-0)

4. Centennial (4-2)

5. Maple Grove (5-1)

6. Minnetonka (5-1)

7. Shakopee (5-1)

Class 6a

Eden Prairie shuts out Shakopee

The Eagles soared past No. 2 Shakopee Friday 23-0, jumping to No. 2 in the rankings behind Lakeville South, their only loss of the season.

South, meanwhile, de- feated Prior Lake 25-13 to remain one of just two teams in 6A to be undefeated.

The other squad is Stillwater, who made easy work of Forest Lake 37-6 to improve to 6-0.

Centennial continues to prove themselves with a 26-14 win over Blaine and Minnetonka and Woodbury also stayed the course with victories. The big match up was between No. 7 Maple Grove and No. 3 Wayzata, but it was the Crimson who came out on top with a 21-3 win.

GILLMAN continued from page 10_________________________________________________ breaking fashion 28-27 to Pierz. In that game Gillman rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 37-yard touchdown pass.

“Our goal is to get back to that state championship,” he said. “We’re not trying to get second place again.”

That loss still stings, and Gillman’s competitive nature hasn’t allowed him to forget about it.

“Last year I wanted it bad since we had lost the season before, but the state tournament got taken away from us,” he said. “This is the final chance I have on winning that championship and making history for the Chargers and the whole Dassel-Cokato community. Everyone wants it bad, so we are going to make it happen this year.”

In the meantime, Gillman is going to ride out his senior season, enjoying the limited number of Friday nights under the lights he has left.

“High school football is amazing,” he said. “I just love the atmosphere. On Friday nights the whole town shows up. The student section is screaming, all the fans are going crazy. I just love the feeling of the whole community cheering us on.”

This year they have plenty to cheer about, and Eli Gillman is a big reason why.