Oct. 20—LANESBORO — Fifty-six year old James Semmen knows all about the ups and downs of coaching small-school high school football.
Semmen has done it for 26 years at Lanesboro. He owns a cumulative 135-99 record and three times has directed teams to the state tournament.
But yes, the ups and downs. Semmen entered this season with his teams having gone 1-8, 0-9 and 1-8 the last three years. The three seasons before that they went 9-2, 10-1 and 7-1.
Coaching can be a yo-yo.
"Small schools are going to have their ups and downs," Semmen said. "A long time ago we were in a downward spiral. And then things went up. We have had the good fortunes and the misfortunes of that. Coaching is interesting. You can see those things coming."
Semmen could see this year coming, too. Despite winning just one game last year, he was betting on a decidedly improved team this season.
He nailed it. Lanesboro is 6-1, its lone loss a 28-22 setback to 7-0 and No. 7-ranked Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons in Week 2 of the season.
The Burros have cracked the top 10 in the state rankings for the first time this week after beating 5-2 Spring Grove 36-25 last Wednesday.
Semmen appreciates winning. But he refuses to live and die with it. It's not why he got into coaching in the first place.
"Losing is hard, but in coaching, you're trying to mold young boys into good, positive adults," said Semmen, who is in his 24th year as the principal at Lanesboro Elementary School. "There are bigger things than football. I still enjoy going to practice whether we are winning or losing. I still enjoy talking to the kids. They keep me young. It feels good to have a breakout year, but you never enjoy it as much as you would think. You're constantly battling to try to keep winning and not go back to losing. It is a lot of work."
It happens to be the kind of work the Peterson, Minn., native is quite good at.
The Burros have a sophomore starting quarterback, Teague Tessum, who can attest to his coach's skills.
Tessum, who took over the starting role midway through last season, has helped direct this 2026 winning show. The speedy 6-foot-1, 155-pounder has completed 18 of 40 passes for 388 yards and six touchdowns and has rushed for 463 yards on 62 carries, with 10 touchdowns.
Tessum, who along with a pack of Lanesboro teammates got in the Burros' weight room almost as soon as last season ended, determined to have a better season in 2026, is passing and running behind a big and senior-dominated offensive line. He also has some excellent running backs to hand the ball to, including 6-2, 235-pound junior Henry Semmen (James' son), sophomore Charles Guma and sophomore running back/receiver Quaeyn Kettner.
"All of our skill positions, we're pretty excited about them," James Semmen said. "Teagan Reinhardt is a sophomore receiver and starts at defensive back. We are trying to figure out different ways to get the ball to him."
Tessum says that football is a big deal in Lanesboro and that it always has been. Fans flock to the games.
"Our fans, they are always loud and competitive," Tessum said. "And we've got guys on this team who will always fight until the end. They never stop playing."
Tessum insists that the Burros have the ideal man in place to be directing this team. His respect and appreciation for Semmen runs deep.
Semmen has an ideal blend of intensity and cool.
"I really like his leadership; he's really good," Tessum said. "I like how he gets after us after we make a mistake. I'm always learning from him. He can get us through games because he is smart and he's always heads-up when he needs to switch things on defense. There is no doubt that he really knows the game."
Semmen is getting some help this season from Cody Hungerholt, who until this season was the head coach at Houston. The two are familiar with each other. Hungerholt was Semmen's quarterback some 22 years ago in Lanesboro.
It's been quite a reunion, Hungerholt now the Burros' offensive coordinator.
"Cody has been a great offensive coordinator," said Semmen, whose team is averaging 38 points per game. "It's fun and awesome to have him back. He's pretty quiet but a good studier. We have fairly similar minds when it comes to football. He's a really calming influence."