Father and son coaches face off under Friday night lights in Wisconsin

NEW RICHMOND, Wis. (KMSP) - At the homecoming game for the New Richmond Tigers, it was perhaps fitting the head coaches on the opposing sidelines happen to live under the same roof.

"We're treating it like any other game,” said Reggie Larson. “It’s been OK. It’s been hard. He is my dad so it’s not like I'm ignoring him, but there are some things we don't say."

This is Reggie’s first year as the Tigers head coach and at 23 years old, he's also the youngest varsity football coach in Wisconsin.

Last week, the game was more personal than most. He faced off against his father, Bruce Larson, who has led the Somerset Spartans to three state championships and been named a national high school football coach of the year.

"I've been doing this for 31 years,” said Bruce. “You go compete. You do the best you can and that's what it is. I would expect them to do the same thing."

Reggie says his dad taught him everything he knows about football, so it’s no surprise he chose to follow in his father's legendary footsteps.

"I got to see the impact he had on kids he coached, changing their lives for the better, not only in athletics, but for their entire futures,” said Reggie. “So, I saw him do that for kids and figured that's something I wanted to do."

But both Larsons know what a rare opportunity it is for father and son coaches to go head-to-head.

"The whole thing has been fun,” said Bruce. “We've been talking about it a lot. We've been able to look at a lot of things together. It’s been fun."

In the end, Reggie’s Tigers managed to come out on top. But since football runs in the family, both Larsons were able to walk away winners.

"I don't know how much longer I'll be doing this,” said Bruce. “He'll be doing this for years. When I'm done I would think I'll still have my ideas and thoughts and stay with it and give him as much support as I can."