Barnesville’s Zenzen brothers reunite on the gridiron at North Dakota St.

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Two brothers from Barnesville back together on the football field. Hunter and Kaden Zenzen don the Bison green and gold, trying to make an impact in 2024 after their on-field reunion was pushed back a year.

It was second week of fall camp last summer when, just after transferring to North Dakota St. from Iowa St., Hunter suffered a season-ending lisfranc injury in his right foot.

He said that injury has given him new perspective a year later.

“I think I’ve learned more from not playing than playing, and being injured was really difficult,” Hunter Zenzen said. “I learned a lot about myself and a lot about the potential that I do have to be a player, so I’m not taking any day for granted.”

Hunter said his teammates were reaching out to him every day for months.

“That’s truly what Bison pride is, and it’s a brotherhood,” Hunter Zenzen said.

A brotherhood that includes his own brother.

“Seeing him through the offseason getting better, getting healthy, working hard, it makes me happy to see that,” Kaden Zenzen said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to be on the field together.”

Even with one brother playing defense (Hunter) and another brother on offense (Kaden), a dream scenario is now becoming reality for the brothers Zenzen.

“That’s one of the things we talked about when we were younger,” Hunter Zenzen said. “It was like, ‘could you imagine if.’

“There was an opportunity that came, I pulled the trigger on it, and now, we’re battling off in practice, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

“It means the world to me,” Kaden Zenzen said. “Playing in high school, we were always so close. He went off and did his separate thing, but we still both had our same goal. To see him come back here and play with me, it means the most to me.”

Hunter, Kaden, and the North Dakota St. Bison open their season Aug. 29 at Colorado.

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