Photo by Jenny Kirk Westin Kirk (left) signs an autograph for an RTR fan during their “welcome home” ceremony on Sunday.

TYLER – The Russell-Tyler-Ruthton boys basketball team made quite an impression as they worked their way toward becoming the Class A state champions recently. And while their teamwork, effort and skills won’t soon be forgotten, neither will some of the off-court memories.

Sophomore Myles Williams became the unofficial MVP in the Knights’ semifinal win, and he did so without even stepping onto the floor.

“Cooper (Hansen) got blood on his jersey and shorts – it was his – and he said, ‘Myles, give me your shorts,’ and I said, ‘Alright,'” Williams said. “I didn’t even hesitate. I just whipped off my shorts right there. Everyone is giving me crap about it, but you just gotta do what you gotta do somedays.”

Since Hansen’s jersey had a lot of blood on it, Williams also quickly gave up his jersey.

“The plan actually backfired,” Hansen said. “I was trying to get an opposing player off the court because I saw that he had blood on him. And it turned out that I was bleeding as well. Their coach pointed that out.”

Hansen said he made contact with Williams and they both knew what had to happen.

“Before I said anything, he had his shorts down around his ankles and there we were, at the Target Center, changing clothes and having a great time,” Hansen said. “I mean, we’re just a bunch of southwest Minnesota farm boys. We did get talked to afterward, that it might not be OK to do that again. We’re supposed to go into the tunnel.”

Since momentum was on their side, Hansen said he didn’t want the blood issue to cause an interruption.

“I think we were ahead a little bit, so we wanted to keep the flow going,” he said. “It was just a fun time.”

As the fourth-seeded Knights continued to outplay top-seeded Mayer-Lutheran, Williams had to sit on the bench without all of his uniform on. Though he’d only recently been moved up to varsity, William’s team-player move was basically a guarantee that he wouldn’t be allowed on the court for the remainder of the game.

“I put the shorts on right away because I wasn’t going to sit there with no shorts on,” Williams said. “And I had an undershirt on, so I was fine sitting there without a shirt, waiting for them to get the blood off (of Hansen’s jersey). (Stripping down and switching uniforms) was about the last thing I ever expected I’d have to do.”

Fans watching the semifinal game on television also got a chuckle when Hansen’s twin brother, Carter Hansen, was interviewed after RTR’s victory. Jeff Hansen, dad of the junior standouts, also joked about the situation after a welcome home celebration on Sunday in Tyler.

“I know my kids are good, but one of them of them is taking his clothes off on the sidelines and one of them says, ‘It was a hell of a game,’ on TV, so I might be getting subjected to parenting classes in the near future,” Jeff Hansen said.

In reality, the RTR student athletes, coaches and fans received remarkable praise from a variety of sources.

“As many of you know, I go around the whole state of Minnesota, and this past weekend, I got so many texts and so many emails, and had conversations with greater Minnesota people at William’s Arena and the Target Center, that complimented me on our fans,” said Dan Bettin, RTR principal and athletic director. “That says a lot about the three communities we represent. You boys made us proud and you fans also made us proud. Thank you very much.”

Jeff Hansen, who serves on RTR’s school board, said he also received a lot of feedback about good sportsmanship.

“A lot of people contacted me, as well as the administration, letting us know that our fans were respectful and our kids were respectful,” Hansen said. “They demonstrated great sportsmanship. A lot of people who watched other classes were impressed with the community support and the community spirit.”

Chris and Kari Kidman were among the many supporters who were able to attend the state tournament games in the Twin Cities.

“The team worked so hard,” Kari Kidman said. “It was fun to watch. We had a blast.”

Michelle Williams, RTR board member and mom to Myles, said it was “awesome up there.”

“I don’t know if there were many people left in Russell, Tyler or Ruthton,” she said. “Everybody was up there. We had a great fan section. In fact, one of the security guards up there said RTR was one of the best.”

The one disappointment was that a snowstorm kept the band and several fans from being in attendance at the championship game against North Woods. But that didn’t stop people from cheering. Word has it that Cooper Hansen prompted the student section to start singing the school song.

“They kept singing the school song because the band wasn’t there,” Michelle Williams said. “The kids did that. It was awesome. They did it before, at halftime and after we won.”

At the welcome home ceremony on Sunday, people had the opportunity to reflect on the team and season – the winningest season in school history -but especially the state tournament run.

“I never missed a game,” said Jina Baartman, mom of senior Jared Baartman. “They were so fun to watch. They’re spunky, they’re athletic and they’re just so calm, cool and collected. You couldn’t tell if we were 20 points ahead or 20 points behind.”

A number of people, including Baartman, have said the championship team has a lot of heart.

“I was standing by one of the moms during the championship game and we were down by 11,”Jina Baartman said. “She said, ‘Just start chipping away, boys. Just start chipping away.’ And that’s what they did. They never quit. They really worked as a team.”

Baartman added that she thought it was neat to think about how far the players have come and how many people have supported them since they were young.

“My son Jared has been out for basketball ever since fourth-grade with Junior Hoopsters,” she said. “My husband, Brian, was their coach when they were young. Then Westin Kirk’s dad (Jeff Kirk) helped coach them, too. We’re good friends with Jeff Hansen, too, and he coached the junior class all the way through Junior Hoopsters. It’s been fun following the boys since they were young.”

There were others coaches, including Steve Hauswedell, as well. While supportive parents and others is oftentimes a key ingredient for successful programs, most would argue that it’s the team members themselves who deserve nearly all the credit.

“We were just undersized, rag-tag, tough farm kids,” Jeff Hansen said of the RTR team up at state. “You talk about tough kids – Cooper sprained his ankle on Thursday. It was purple and about the size of a softball. Jonah Johnson dislocates his thumb and it pops back in. Westin (Kirk) plays most of the second half with only one contact – and they just battle. They just play and compete.”

At the welcome home celebration, Johnson summed up the team’s experience with one word: “Wow!” Head coach Ted Kern took his turn with the microphone to state that the only thing bigger than the crowd at the state tournament was the team’s heart.

“These small-town southwest Minnesota boys made quite an impression in the cities this weekend,” Kern said. “And it wasn’t just because of Myles dropping his shorts or Carter accidentally saying a cuss word on television.”

When asked to sum up how he felt about everything, Cooper Hansen said it was hard to find the words to really describe those feelings. He was quick to acknowledge, though, that the team made memories that will last a lifetime.

“It’s hard to find the words to describe how this group of guys came together, basically as a brotherhood where we look out for each other, and became a family,” he said. “All I can say is that it’s amazing. It’s awesome.”