It’s a boy! Bureau Valley gets a kick out of coach’s gender reveal

MANLIUS - Mat Pistole is always thinking football.

When it came time for a gender reveal for his and wife Lindsey’s first baby, he knew exactly how he wanted to do it.

The Bureau Valley coach incorporated the help of his Storm football team for the big reveal during a practice last week at Bourquin Field. The team ran a reverse, handing the “ball” to senior lineman Blake Erickson.

Erickson stopped and kicked the ball, which exploded in a cloud of blue dust, much to the delight of the team.

“It was incredible to have our boys be a part of such a special moment in our family. Football plays such a large role in our family that it was fitting, and I loved being able to incorporate our players ...”

—  Mat Pistole, Bureau Valley football coach

“I saw the idea back in August when the OLB Coach Charlie Bullen at Illinois did it with this players. I sent it to Lindsey, and she thought it was awesome, so we found the football on Amazon and ordered it,” Pistole said.

“Once we found out the gender, we made the plan with close family and friends to be at practice to see it. It was incredible to have our boys be a part of such a special moment in our family. Football plays such a large role in our family that it was fitting, and I loved being able to incorporate our players, who I treat as my kids also.

“It was just so special.”

The Storm coach posted a video of the big reveal on his X (formerly Twitter) account introducing a “future Storm QB coming March of 2024.” The coach is a 2003 BV graduate and former Storm quarterback.

Pistole joked that he picked Erickson, who is a lineman, “because he always wants to be the punter, so I thought I’d give him an opportunity in a big moment.”

“I was extremely honored to be chosen, and it was an awesome experience,” Erickson said. “It all started with a joke me and Elijah Endress started that I was a better punter, and then Coach Pistole broke the news to us one night at practice that he was having a baby and that I would be the one to do the gender reveal.

“I was extremely nervous because of the fact there were so many of his family members there, but being the great kicker I am, I knew that I wouldn’t mess up.”

The only other person who knew the baby’s gender other than the coach and his wife beforehand was Storm assistant Philip Pryzbyla.

“I let it slip one day,” Pistole said.