Aug. 20—BRIDGEWATER, S.D. — After more than a decade competing with 11 players on the field, the Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan Seahawks are returning to familiar territory in 2026.
BEE is moving back to the nine-man ranks at the Class 9AA level, bringing with it a proud history in the smaller classification and a renewed sense of excitement surrounding the program.
The Seahawks made the jump from Class 9AA to Class 11B in 2015. The move proved to be a successful one, as Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan reached five consecutive state championship games and captured the 11B state title in 2019. But after finishing 2-6 a season ago, the Seahawks are making another transition, back to where the program's success first started.
"We're just excited about the speed of the game, obviously, and you can score a few more points when you have two less players on the field," BEE head coach Jeff VanLeur said. "We are also excited to have those rivalries again in the Cornbelt Conference with those other close nine-man programs, because it is a great conference to compete in with a lot of great, local teams in it."
For longtime coach Jeff VanLeur, the move represents a return to the level where he has spent much of his career. VanLeur has coached 35 years at the nine-man level, all within the Seahawk program and its various cooperatives.
The 2026 season will mark VanLeur's 47th year coaching the program. His career record currently stands at 307-148, giving him the most wins among active South Dakota high school football coaches.
Before the 2015 move to Class 11B, Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan had spent years competing in 9-man football. Emery/Ethan, the precursor to the current BEE program, finished its history with a 154-57 record and championships in 2001, 2003 and 2007. After the addition of Bridgewater to the football co-op in 2010, the program won three Class 9AA state championships in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
Now, a new group of Seahawks gets a chance to add to that history. BEE returns 20 lettermen from last year's squad, including five seniors and eight juniors. The Seahawks will enter the season with a roster of 31 players, a significant increase from the 23 players who suited up a year ago.
That depth could be particularly valuable as the Seahawks adjust to the spacing and responsibilities of nine-man football again.
"Taking those two guys off the field, basically four less people because you play two less on offense and defense, some of our kids are still adjusting to that at times during these early practices," VanLeur said. "We are still getting used to that little smaller line of scrimmage, but our kids are making that adjustment and nine-man kids have to be great tacklers. We are really enforcing that in practice."
VanLeur believes the strength of this year's team could begin up front. He sees a strong core of returning linemen who can anchor the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, an especially important piece in nine-man football. With fewer players on the field, each individual assignment carries more importance, and the ability to control the line of scrimmage can determine how much space is available for playmakers.
The biggest adjustment, VanLeur said, could come on the edges.
"The biggest change is that you don't have much help on the outside and setting the edge, so you need some tough players out there on the edge on defense," VanLeur said. "Somebody with a lot of speed can do a lot of damage to a team. So, you really got to look out and keep things bottled up. And on offense, we just need to utilize that extra space to create run lanes and hit the passes when they are there."
BEE will begin its return to 9AA against Viborg-Hurley on Friday, Aug. 21 in Viborg. The Seahawks will then settle into a familiar Cornbelt Conference schedule that includes home games against Howard on Sept. 18, Freeman on Oct. 2 and Hanson in the regular-season finale on Oct. 19.
For VanLeur, the return is about more than enrollment numbers. It is a chance for the program to reconnect with a style of football that has been part of its identity for decades, and for a new generation of players to experience the game that some of their fathers and older brothers once played.
"The kids are excited about it," VanLeur said. "They have really shown some excitement about going back down to 9-man, which some of their brothers and their dads have played back in the day. It will be a fun two years here for us, and we will see how things go and whatever happens after that happens, whether we go back to 11-man or stay in 9-man. Either way, we are going to make the most of it."
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