Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall defensive end JR Vierstraete (3) walks off the field after snagging an interception during a prep football game against Willmar at Mattke Field in Marshall on Sept. 6, 2024 in Marshall. Vierstraete was named the Independent’s Player of the Year on Thursday after being named District Defensive Lineman of the Year for the third consecutive season and setting the Minnesota career tackles for loss record.

MARSHALL — Over the last four years, JR Vierstraete has been one of the most dominant defensive ends in Minnesota prep football. As a four-year starter for Marshall High School, Vierstraete was a three-time Skyway Copper District Defensive Lineman of the Year and set the Minnesota record for career tackles for loss, earning our 2025 nod for Independent Player of the Year.

“[Achieving accolades like that] means a lot to me, but I also think it means a lot to the program because it shows that what we’re doing here is working,” Vierstraete said. “[It shows] how much work everyone’s putting in and how much of a community it is, and it all just goes back to everyone being family.”

During his senior year, Vierstraete finished the regular season with a sack and 12 tackles for loss. He only continued to make a larger impact in the postseason, finishing the Tigers’ state semifinal matchup against Orono with 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Marshall’s run to US Bank Stadium marked its second consecutive season reaching the state semifinals. Prior to that, Marshall hadn’t qualified for the state tournament since 2017 and hadn’t reached the semifinals since 2016.

The Tigers had been competitive in the years leading through their breakthrough 2024 season, falling in the section championship to Hutchinson in back-to-back seasons before claiming the Section 2AAA championship against the team that had bested them the years before.

Vierstraete cited those back-to-back section championship wins as one of the high points of his prep career, saying that it felt great to get over the hump after the first pair of losses.

“Coach Bahlmann always says to trust the process and just keep putting in the work. That’s what we did, and it paid off and we got to where we wanted to go,” Vierstraete said.

Marshall graduated a large number of contributing seniors heading into Vierstraete’s senior season. Among those key graduating pieces were District Most Valuable Player Gavin Schaefer, Jack Meier and Josh Kraft. Schaefer led the team in sacks with seven, just ahead of Vierstraete’s six, and his 16 tackles for loss during the regular season trailed only Vierstraete’s 20. Kraft and Meier also combined for another six sacks during the regular season. As such, Vierstraete and other Tigers had some large shoes to fill.

“This year we had a lot of new guys on the roster for defense. As someone playing my fourth year, it was kind of my responsibility to teach [the younger players] the plays, what our effort is on defense, and just how we play together to keep our defense as strong as it’s been the last four years,” Vierstraete said.

Vierstraete is a role model for the younger players with his effort on the field, Marshall head coach Terry Bahlmann said, adding that seeing a player who’s already the best on the field put in the work he does sets a standard and makes those underclassmen want to be like him.

To finish with gaudy defensive stats, a team’s defense typically has to be on the field a lot, Bahlmann said, noting that the Tigers’ ability to force 3-and-outs and turnovers means Marshall’s has not been. The difficulty of amassing big-time numbers increases for a player like Vierstraete, who other teams need to scheme for specifically, but Marshall has been proud of the way Vierstraete has continued to break through for those numbers anyway.

As a team, Marshall has been one of the top defensive units in the state during Vierstraete’s time with the team. The Tigers were the top scoring defense in the state two of the last three years, and second the other, and Vierstraete’s play has been a big part of that, Bahlmann said.

“We want to build our defense first. There are a lot of great offensive stats out there, but if the other teams don’t score, we win the games, and we built it around JR,” Bahlmann said, noting Vierstraete’s state-record 118 career tackles for loss and 29 sacks. “I think sometimes, defense gets overlooked a little bit, but it’s big at Marshall High School and he’s contributed to some great seasons.”

Standing at 6-foot-flat, 230 pounds, Vierstraete is by no stretch of the imagination a small player. Yet, his Division I-caliber numbers have been overlooked at points due to his height. He did, however, garner some strong Division II offers from schools such as two-time national champion and 2025 NCAA tournament-qualifier Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State University-Moorhead before committing to Southwest Minnesota State University for football.

On the field, he has more than enough talent from his speed and quickness to get the job done. The importance of height is often overrated, Bahlmann said, adding that Vierstraete’s intensity, work ethic, speed and ability to pursue the ball more than make up for the height, and the proof has been in the pudding.

“I’m definitely shorter than the average D-lineman, but I think I make up for it easily with how fast I am off the line, what I do in the weight room… and just overall my mindset that height is not going to stop me from doing something,” Vierstraete said.

Marshall took advantage of Vierstraete’s athleticism on the offensive side of the ball this season. While he was always listed as a tight end and defensive end, this was the first year Marshall took advantage of his skillset as a pass-catcher. He found the end zone on the offensive end of the field twice this year, and set up another touchdown with a 58-yard catch in a regular-season win over Hutchinson earlier in the season.

During his first three seasons with the team, Vierstraete said that the team would work on defense first and offense second with him, but that this year he had to step up and go the extra mile as a senior. He credited the team’s depth for allowing him to stay fresh while taking significant snaps on both sides of the ball.

JR’s family has been full of football talent. He’s set to play in the Minnesota Prep All-Star Game on Saturday, an accolade that his father Dustin and his older brother Jonah each also played in. His oldest sibling, Jackson Vierstraete, also serves as an assistant coach for the Marshall football game.

“They impacted me a lot. Freshman year, I played with my brother Jonah on Varsity, and then JV [Jackson] was my d-line coach, so all three of us were together every practice and there to teach me everything. And then my dad… kind of set the path and taught us all we need to know,” JR said.

As such, football has always been a part of JR’s life, but it wasn’t until coach Bahlmann talked to him about having the opportunity to play varsity football when he was at a summer baseball tournament as an eighth grader that he started taking it seriously. He was originally an outside linebacker, but made the shift to defensive end shortly thereafter.

“We wanted our defensive ends to be very athletic, and he fit that mold as a freshman and we had an opportunity to play him there,” Bahlmann said, adding that the team already had depth at linebacker but needed some more talent on the line. “With his dominance there, we decided to keep him there … He’s a career record-holder in sacks for us, and leads the state in tackles for loss, so he’s had a great career there. We just thought he adapted well and made our defense very aggressive and dominant.”

When the time came to make the shift, the biggest focuses for Vierstraete were adding to his bag of pass-rush moves and putting on weight. He entered his freshman year at 170 pounds, but has since put on another 60 and developed a wide arsenal of ways to beat offensive tackles to the quarterback or stop the run. While he watched JJ Watt and Aaron Donald growing up, he credited his brother Jackson for teaching him most of his moves.

He also credited Marshall defensive coordinator Brad Bahlmann for his consistent success, noting that Brad does a great job of scheming the defense based on players’ strength and designs different stunts and plays that allow the players to maximize their potential on the field.

Vierstraete still has two more seasons left in his prep career before he graduates in the spring, being a key contributor for the Marshall boys basketball and baseball teams. While he’s already committed to college, he’s not ready to take his foot off the gas for Marshall yet.

“I just like competing and being a part of a team. It really just builds character, and I think that part ties all three [sports] together,” Vierstraete said.

Going forward, Vierstraete has the potential to make an instant impact for a Southwest Minnesota State football team that lost some key pieces on the defensive side of the ball to graduation and the transfer portal. He’ll also be reunited with some former teammates as Schaefer and Meier head into their sophomore year with the Mustangs.

“I’ve talked to [Schaefer and Meier] a little bit, and they say they like it a lot, so I’m pretty excited to be able to play with them again,” Vierstraete said. “[SMSU] gave me a great opportunity to go play football. I’ve got good coaches there, they’re bringing in some good crews, so I thought it was just the best decision for me.”

JR will also have the opportunity to compete against his brother Jonah, who will be entering his junior season at Minnesota State University-Moorhead after redshirting his 2023 freshman season.

At the time of print, Vierstraete’s sacks/tackle for loss record is yet to be officially approved by the Minnesota State High School League. At the time of print, the MSHSL recognizes Mountain-Iron Buhl’s Dillon Drake as the leader with 103.5, with no other players above 62.