Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – Football has always been a way of life for the Carrier family. Three generations of Carrier men have suited up for the Detroit Lakes Football team. While the strength of a team is built on the field, it’s forged by what happens off of it.
Matt Carrier and his son, Mason, recently were guest coaches at the Heads Up Hearts Strong Cale Emmons Memorial Football camp in Broadus, Montana July 14-15. The Carrier connection with the Emmons family began in 2010 when the two families met at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital while Matt and his wife Kelly’s daughter Ashtyn was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. That’s where they met Brett and Kimber Emmons and their children Malachi, Cale, and Kenna. Kenna was also undergoing a bone marrow transplant as she battled Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome.
Unfortunately, eight-year-old Kenna passed away. While experiencing the highs and lows of watching their children fight for their lives, the Carrier and Emmons families became close.
“Our families went through that together and we stayed in touch and made some visits to go see each other,” said Carrier.
In 2015, the Emmons family grew again by adopting three children from Poland: twins Caty and Kensi and their younger sister Karlee.
“Then tragically, 12 years after they lost Kenna, four of their children were in a car accident on their way to school,” remembered Carrier. “They lost two more children in that accident. They’ve been through a lot. We’ve tried to be there for them through all of this. We have a pretty close connection.”
Cale, age 15, and Caty, age 13, were killed in that accident in March of 2022. Kensi and Karlee survived the crash. Cale was a leader of the Broadus Hawks football team and would have been a senior this year…just like Mason will be for the Lakers. Brett Emmons is a long-time coach in Broadus and began the Heads Up Hearts Strong Cale Emmons Memorial Football camp in memory and honor of his son.
“Brett asked Mason and I to be a part of the camp this year and we said absolutely,” said Carrier. “He knew that I had a background in coaching youth football and basketball, and of course, with Mason and his ability with football he thought it would be a great idea for both of us to come out there and inspire these kids, have them meet Mason and maybe learn some new ways to practice and train to become better football players.”
Entering his senior season for Detroit Lakes, Mason is currently the fourth-ranked high school football prospect in the state of Minnesota and, last summer became the first member of PJ Fleck’s 2024 recruiting class at the University of Minnesota. Mason’s older brother, Ethan, is a freshman defensive back for the Gophers this season.
Broadus is a small Montana town near the southeast corner of the state with a population of 427 people. They play eight-man football in Broadus, and between the varsity and middle school teams, had about 15 players show up to the camp.
” They only have about 15 kids on their team,” said Carrier. “I think the town graduates 15 to 20 kids per year. So they got about two-thirds of their team there for camp. And these kids worked hard. That’s something that really impressed me. Mason and I did the first day of the camp and the warm-ups for the second day. The first day of camp was eight hours of workouts and drills in 85-degree heat. The kids gave 100% all day long. Some of the kids were driving their ranch trucks to practice, showing up in their ranch clothes, changing out of their boots for football cleats, and jumping on the field,”
While the camps were focused on on-field activities, Broadus players were also able to network with Mason and get an inside look at the recruiting process.
“A couple of the kids are looking at playing college football somewhere,” said Carrier. “They were asking Mason questions about that. It’s pretty difficult to get recognized or noticed in a community as small as Broadus. There aren’t any nearby big camps like what we have around here to get noticed. That was very important to a couple of kids to be able to meet and talk to a Divison I Power Five recruit. Mason shared his social media contacts if anybody had any questions, shared about his recruiting process as well as some things that he does to get his body to the highest level.”
“For Mason and I to be asked to be a part of this and what the Emmons have been through and what the Hawks have been through in losing a teammate…to get involved with them was really special to be able to help them and inspire them. We really felt that when we left we made a difference.”
