publicly for the opportunity opens the final scene. Cast Sean Astin as Kent Stock, Norway coach in team's final season Rachael Leigh Cook as Polly Hudson, budget analyst hired to provide support for the consolidation plan Michael Angarano as Mitch Akers, troubled transfer student and new player Powers Boothe as legendary Norway coach Jim Van Scoyoc Tom Arnold as Burt Akers, father of Mitch and former Norway player Brett Claywell as Patrick Iverson, all-state player Marshall Bell as Harvey Makepeace, school board supervisor Danielle Savre as Cindy Iverson James Gammon as Jared (Grandpa) Akers Jesse Henecke as Principal Halberstorm Larry Miller as Roger Dempsey Roscoe Myrick as Sammy Wilson, player Chris Olsen as Eddie Fitz, player Angela Paton as Ann (Grandma) Akers Nick Livingston as Kevin Stewart, player Jason Callie as Mr Stewart, bus driver & school janitor Kim Grimaldi as Mrs. Stewart Ryan Flood as Baseball Player #4 Nick Schmitt as Baseball player #5 Norway team Nathan Pyan as Baseball Player #10 Norway team Josh Merino as Reed Ellis, star opposing team pitcher in final game Chris Jay Becker as Extra (Uncredited) Ryan Birkicht as Baseball Player #34 Norway Team Tommy Driscoll (Uncredited) Reception The film grossed $1,159,691 in the USA. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 25% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The critics consensus reads, "The Final Season recycles clichés we've seen in countless other sports movies, making for an unoriginal and uninspiring addition to the genre." On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 43 out of 100, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". John Anderson of Variety wrote: "There's not quite as much corn in The Final Season as there is in the Iowa farm fields that run through it, but it's close." Heather Boerner of Common Sense Media rated it 3 out of 5 and called it a "Heartwarming-but-trite drama for baseball fans." Production notes Sports action was by Rob Miller of ReelSports. Amy Acker and Eliza Dushku were at one point cast in the role of Polly, but both dropped out because of scheduling conflicts. Cameraman Roland Schlotzhauer was killed during a helicopter crash while filming a scene in the movie. His Bell 206 helicopter hit a powerline and crashed in a field, killing him and injuring the pilot and a producer. Scenes depicting the town of Norway were