PEQUOT LAKES — Pequot Lakes senior Tristen Hoffard was surrounded by teammates, coaches and family on Wednesday, Feb. 1, as he signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of Jamestown beginning in the fall of 2023.
The 6-foot-4-inch offensive lineman credits Jimmies head coach Brian Mistro as his primary reason for moving to North Dakota in the fall.
“He immediately shook my hand when I walked through the door, and the feeling I got from it right away told me this is where I want to go,” Hoffard said.
He also has visited campus several times, saying it “feels like home.”
“He is a model Patriot football player,” Patriot coach Bill Magnuson said. “He does everything right – from his decisions in the hallway to the classroom to on the field to the weight room. He put in a ton of time.”
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Hoffard’s senior season did not go as hoped, as bone spurs kept him sidelined for much of the season.
“He had the surgery, but he came to practice every day and was elected captain – that tells you something about him by his team,” Magnuson said. “But he came to practice every day to cheer on his brothers.”
When he was finally cleared to play, the team was flowing offensively, making it difficult to make changes on the offensive line as the Patriots went 8-3 and were section runners-up.
“As a true captain, he accepted that … but he got to play a little bit his senior year, and he never wavered in his support for his teammates and the program,” Magnuson said.
As he prepares to join the Jimmies this summer, Hoffard knows exactly what he has to do to ensure has a leg up as he begins his college football career.
“I'm going to have to work on my footwork. I'm going to have to study a lot of film on the opponents and just have to find the little flaws,” Hoffard said. “ A lot of the starting guys are really good, and I don't want to look too bad when I get there.”
Additionally Hoffard said he is looking forward to all of the changes coming to him off the football field as well.
“(I’m excited) just for the future in general,” Hoffard said. “I’m excited to play football, and I’m excited to go to college and study what I want to study.”
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“He is a class act,” Magnuson said. “Jamestown is getting a kid that will represent them very well.”
Dan Determan, sports writer/staff writer, may be reached at 218-855-5879 or dan.determan@pineandlakes.com . Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Dan .
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