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CLOQUET — When Lee Brooks and Joseph Saice walked into gym class Wednesday morning at Duluth Denfeld, they kept getting asked about the big football game that evening.
Yes, Denfeld was on the road against Cloquet in a game that had legitimate seeding implications for the upcoming Section 7AAAA tournament, but that wasn’t the game they were talking about.
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“We’re in a unified class with kids who have disabilities,” Saice said. “They’ve been looking forward to playing a game (at halftime) of our game since the beginning of the year. We want them to feel welcome and like they are a part of something, too.”
When the buzzer sounded midway through Duluth Denfeld’s eventual 25-7 win over Cloquet on Wednesday, Saice and Brooks jogged to the opposing end zone to get set up for the unified football game while the rest of the Hunters gathered near their sideline.
Saice and Brooks, two of Denfeld’s senior leaders, fastened the flags around their waists and began playing their second game under the lights that evening.
They shared laughs and smiles while helping kids with disabilities from Denfeld and Cloquet experience what high school football is all about, including a roaring crowd that celebrated every play both unified teams made.
“To be part of their big night, that big milestone, it feels great,” Brooks said. “To see them in front of a big crowd having fun under the lights, that was special.”
Brooks said that his entire perspective changed when a death in the family resulted in two relatives with disabilities moving into his family’s home. He suddenly had a close, personal relationship with people who have disabilities, and that opened his eyes.
“My auntie passed away, and she had two special needs kids,” Brooks said. “Ever since they started living with us, it has opened my eyes to people with disabilities.”
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Mike Doyle, an adaptive physical education teacher at Cloquet, helped organize the halftime game between the two schools. He contacted Denfeld about bringing their unified team to Cloquet, and together, the two programs made it happen.
“It means a lot because a lot of these kids don’t get sports opportunities,” Doyle said. “They get it here. We’re trying to get these kids as many opportunities as we can in as many sports as possible, so we’re really happy we made this happen.”
On an evening when Denfeld had everything to play for in the final regular-season game of the year, Brooks and Saice still donated a few minutes of their time to do something that is worth significantly more than a few points on a scoreboard.
Denfeld’s duo has been seeing those same kids who played in the unified game every day at school because they’re in the same adaptive gym class. They were chosen as leaders to help with the class, and it’s something they both love doing.
“Lee and I are in a unified gym class, so we help out there every day,” Saice said. “There were people lined up to watch them play, so it feels great to be able to help those kids have fun and experience what we get to do every week.”
Brooks and Saice helped guide Denfeld to a multi-score victory, which sends the Hunters into the Section 7AAAA playoffs with momentum. Denfeld is finally healthy, according to head coach Erik Lofald, and that gives his program confidence.
Cloquet, on the other hand, is looking to regroup after a tough loss that snapped a three-game winning streak. Lumberjacks head coach Mike Klyve said it was a tough defeat, but he too was happy to see the success of the unified game at halftime.
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“The unified program here in Cloquet is really strong, and it’s something the whole district is really proud of,” Klyve said. “We love having them out here. Denfeld brought their team, too, and that was great. That was a really big deal tonight, and it was great.”
Lofald echoed Klyve’s sentiments about the success of the unified game. He said that Denfeld occasionally gets a bad rap, but that what Brooks and Saice demonstrated on Wednesday evening represents the very best of Denfeld football.
“For leaders in the school to do that, it says a lot about the character of our guys,” Lofald said. “I think sometimes Denfeld gets a little bit of a bad rap, but that right there, that’s what Denfeld kids are all about.”
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