2017 Football Season Opens for SLP Orioles

If you don't have a ticket to P.J. Fleck's first game as head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers or the Vikings final preseason game, head over to the St. Louis Park High School stadium Thursday night to see the Oriole football team open their 2017 campaign against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 7 PM.

This will be the first game between the two Metro West Conference schools since the 2014 section tournament which turned out to be a high scoring affair that Kennedy eliminated St. Louis Park 74-41.

Three years later, there is new personnel for both teams, including a new starting quarterback for the Orioles, Johnny Sorenson, who replaced Logan Romero who graduated and is now at St. Thomas.  Sorenson does have experience running the Oriole offense since he got some playing time last season when the game was decided.  Get used to see this name in various HSGN articles this school year since Sorenson also plays hockey and is a pitcher and outfielder on the Oriole baseball team.  As for who will also be in the St. Louis Park backfield, it will be a young backfield with juniors Aaron Sledge and AJ Datt.  The big question on offense is who will replace Mykel Howard at receiver since he graduated.  Take your pick.  There are senior Kai McGee and Kayron Robinson.  The Orioles are a young team, with 14 seniors on their roster.  The key will also be their defense and can they not give up an astronomical number of points to the Eagles.

Speaking of the Eagles, last time the two teams met, there was an outstanding running back for Kennedy named Max Simmons who plowed through the St. Louis Park defense like a tractor going through a grassy field.  This year, Simmons is a sophomore at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.  Taking his spot in the Eagle backfield is senior Terrell Williams.  But who will run the Kennedy offense?  Will it be senior Michael McGaffey or Isaac Coutier?  On defense, Williams plays linebacker and there is another Simmons on the roster who is also a linebacker, Theo, a sophomore.

Both teams struggled last season with Kennedy winless in nine games and St. Louis Park finishing 2-8.  The weather picture is a good one for Thursday night so get outside for some high school football action as the Orioles open the season against the Eagles.