River Falls' Joe Stoffel was suited up Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. He was wearing his #82 green, white, and gold North Dakota State football uniform. The fifth-year senior tight end was minutes away from playing the biggest game of his life. Stoffel and his fellow Bison heard the public address announcer's voice echoing through the air as they lined up for the pre-game national anthem: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome," as the announcer gave a dramatic pause. "To the FCS National Championship Game... between the Montana State Bobcats and the North Dakota State Bison."

The crowd erupted. Stoffel was taking mental snapshots absorbing every ounce of electrical buzz his last college football game had to offer.

"Please rise for the singing of our national anthem," said the announcer.

Joe Stoffel usually closes his eyes and bows his head for the national anthem. It's about respect he says, but it's also a time to take a deep breath and calm his nerves. This night was different.

"The anthem means a lot to Joe," said his former River Falls High School Baseball Coach Ryan Bishop. "I know it does because I know the back story with Joe."

Stoffel was a standout three-sport athlete for the Wildcats playing football, hockey, and baseball.

"I remember talking to Bishop after football season my senior year (2020) about what my route would be," said Stoffel. "Because I loved both (football and baseball) but I loved baseball. I mean, I really loved it. I was 100% committed to NDSU for football, but I thought if something good happens with baseball, I might take it."

Stoffel had the frame to grow, a 90 mph fastball, and all kinds of raw talent on the diamond, but this diamond in the rough would stay buried.

Covid cancelled his senior baseball season in 2020. Stoffel's last on-field memory of baseball was standing for the national anthem on a make-shift senior night at First National Bank of River Falls Field with Coach Bishop and his fellow senior teammates Tyler Penny, Austin Mueller, and James Westhoff. There was no baseball game. Just the anthem and a somber suppressed exit. The four Wildcat seniors never knew they had played their last high school baseball game the previous year.  

"Who knows what would've happened," said Bishop. "Joe had everything from a baseball standpoint, but it doesn't matter now. Joe has always had that glass-is-half-full attitude and those kinds of people always come out on top. Joe is always ready to take life's next at-bat."

That next at-bat happened to be on a football field for the 6'4" 245-pound locomotive-fast tight end from River Falls.  

Bishop and Stoffel exchanged text messages the day before the FCS National Championship Game.

"I told him the game is the easy part," said Bishop. "You've done all the hard work. Get a good night sleep because tomorrow is the fun part. This time, you know this will be your last game with NDSU so have fun and enjoy it."

"Getting that message from him (Bishop) was just what I needed," said Stoffel.

As Bishop placed his hand over his heart and stood for the national anthem in his living room watching the ESPN broadcast, Joe Stoffel was still looking down as he usually does. He knew it would be his last college football game and he was ready. This night, his eyes were wide open, though. 

"I was looking at the grass. We play on turf most of the time now, but there's grass in Frisco (Toyota Stadium)," said Stoffel. "Grass is kind of nostalgic to me. It's the smell of it, the dirt. It's beat up; it's hard to explain but looking at the grass just made me remember playing football with my buddies growing up in the backyard and how much fun that was and then I thought of Bishop telling me to have fun and I really was. It was amazing. The anthem usually calms me down but that night, it fired me up."

The game is the easy part for Stoffel. The hard part was securing free tickets for an army of friends and family every weekend for the past five years.

"One game this year, Joe had to get 28 tickets," said his mom, Gretchen. "Other players would always transfer some of their tickets to him. It always worked out. I always emailed Joe a list of the names and phone numbers because they went digital a couple years ago and then he'd want the list texted like an hour before the deadline."

"My mom got a little annoying about it," said a smiling Joe shaking his head. "But if anyone wanted free tickets, I'm doing it 100% of the time. That's the least I can do. They're driving four hours up to Fargo. I want people to come up, have fun, and enjoy the NDSU football experience. This is a special place. It's been crazy, crazy support the last five years. I'm so blessed to have so many friends."

"The reason Joe has so much support is he's genuinely appreciative of the people around him," said his River Falls Head Football Coach Ryan Scherz. "Joe's kept great contact with people that were a part of his journey. Coach Haskins and I text him before every game and we talk about stuff and it's been that way for five years."

Scherz watches every Bison game and has incorporated many aspects of NDSU's pro-style offense into his own Wildcat scheme. Early in the fourth quarter in the national title game, the Bison were on the one-yard-line up 21-18. Scherz was on high-alert because he knows NDSU targets the tight end inside the 15-yard-line.

"You get a pulling guard going left off that counter fake. That brings the linebackers over and Joe drags across the middle. That's the Joe zone."

Scherz called it. Stoffel's touchdown catch put the Bison up 28-18. NDSU went on to win their 10th FCS National Title since 2011.

"It was surreal," said mom Gretchen Stoffel. "We were all enjoying each other's company before the game. It was a close game. Joe caught a touchdown and we won the game. We couldn't have scripted it any better. It was so perfect."

"In the world of college football," said Stoffel, "the way it is now at our level, guys on our team could've went someplace else and got a ton of money, but all 26 seniors stayed. This place is so special and the way it finished is amazing."

To go along with their 10 FCS National Titles in 15 years, the Bison also boast 14 NFL draft picks since 2004.

"NFL guys know when they get NDSU guys they're going to be well-coached," said Scherz.

Between now and late March, Stoffel is focused on NDSU's NFL Pro-Day.

"I'm only young once, so I'm going to do my best. I'm focused on one day and after that, I don't really know what's going to happen."

Whatever it is, those who know Joe Stoffel, know he’ll figure out life’s next curve ball. That’s the easy part.