While the Clipper football season ended back on October 25, for assistant coach Dustin Bosshart, coaching duties for the 2025 season continued until last Saturday (December 13) as he was selected as a coach for one of the two teams playing in the Minnesota High School Football All-Star game.
The annual game, played in U.S. Bank Stadium, is sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA). The MFCA selected Bosshart along with five other coaches for the South team and six other coaches for the North team.
“I received the call last spring, allowing us to begin planning before the regular season began,” Bosshart said. “Initially, I was slated to coach the receivers and tight ends, but I ultimately switched to coaching the defensive backs to accommodate a fellow coach who was less comfortable with that position. It was a true honor to coach the South Team.”
The rosters of the two teams featured outstanding senior players from the 2025 season and representing all classes, from 9-man to 6A, 81 schools and 38 sub districts. Each team had 44 healthy players, but the administrative process was complex, Bosshart said.
“We initially selected 44 players, but three required replacements due to injury, briefly bringing the roster to 48. After another player was initially replaced due to a report of injury, but then confirmed his ability to play, our roster was placed at 45. During practice, it was determined that a player could not safely compete due to an injury in the state championship, resulting in our final roster of 44 healthy athletes. The North also fielded 44 players with three injured.”
In preparation for the All-Star game, the coaches dedicated about 30 hours to setting offensive and defensive schemes before the final player rosters were known in November. After, the coaches spent another 6-8 hours to finalize the plans collaboratively.
All-Star game week started on Tuesday
Coaches arrived on the Tuesday before the game for an 8:00 p.m. meeting to finalize the schedule. The players checked in on Wednesday morning at 8:00 p.m. to receive their rooms and equipment. They were provided with game pants, practice jerseys and game jerseys, which they were allowed to keep, along with various items from the Vikings, such as shorts and shirts. For everything else, including shoes, helmet and pads, they used their personal, in-season equipment.
The following Wednesday, the coaches met the players at 9:00 a.m. for introductions and immediately began scheme installs. They boarded a charter bus to practice at Minnetonka High School's indoor bubble, a positive air-pressure dome that is put over their turfed game field during the winter. Practice lasted from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. After, the teams broke for lunch before resuming practice from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Back at the hotel, the coaches held a team meeting to review practice film and address any questions. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. featured guest speaker Zack Zenner, a former All-Star and NFL player for the Detroit Lions, who spoke to the team about overcoming adversity and, given the rise of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals, the importance of having an agent.
After a 7:30 a.m. breakfast and a 9:00 a.m. team meeting on Thursday, the teams had the same practice and lunch schedule as the day before. In the afternoon, players were interviewed by NSPN and exchanged helmet decals. Former Viking Anthony Harris was the guest speaker at the 5:30 p.m. dinner. Harris talked about what players can expect at the next level, the harsher realities of college football—including how his scholarship offers diminished after a high school injury— and the critical importance of surrounding oneself with positive influences. The coaches spent the evening reviewing film and planning for the next day.
Friday morning’s shorter practice finalized special teams and offensive, and defensive schemes. The afternoon practice was brief as well and highlighted by the players, having a little fun after three days of hard work, developing various in-game celebrations.
“My favorite was their attempt at playing "Ring Around the Rosie" around the sacked quarterback. Unfortunately, the players assumed the quarterback would be a part of it.”
Later on Friday, all players were introduced during a banquet. Also during the banquet, the history of the game was discussed, and the teams received their final game-day instructions.
On gameday, the teams held a final meeting before checking out of the hotel and boarding the 10:30 a.m. bus to U.S. Bank Stadium. After time on the field, the players were ushered back under the stadium for the formal team introductions, which were done as they were emerging from the Vikings tunnel.
The South team lost 17-6.
“The primary difference-maker was field position,” Bosshart said. “The North team had an outstanding kicker/punter whose kickoffs were consistently touchbacks and who made a 57-yard field goal and narrowly missed two 60-yard attempts. Unfortunately, the South struggled significantly in the kicking game and never started a drive past our own 20-yard line.
The coaches were able to use a device that tracked player metrics, including max speed and collision force: “truck stick.” The top speed recorded was 21.6 mph. The highest "truck stick" score, achieved by a 6-4, 280-pound player running 19.8 MPH, was 118. Anything over 800-900 is excellent, Bosshart said.
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Although a few coaches have been selected to coach in the All-Star game, twice, coaching in the All-Star game is generally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Overall, it was an amazing, fun, and memorable experience,” Bosshart said. “However, the best part was simply watching these young men, who were opponents just weeks ago, connect at the hotel and bond as if they had known each other forever.”
The 2025 All-Star game was the 52nd annual and was played for the ninth time at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was the 63rd overall All-Star game in Minnesota high school football history, dating back to 1945.
Bosshart is not the first Clipper to participate in the All-Star game. In 2008, outside linebacker Jason Hankins was a player while the late Dave Krenik was an assistant coach.
Coach Dustin Bosshart, front row, right, and the rest of the South coaches. (Photos courtesy of Dustin Bosshart)