"Who! What! Or Where! That's the name of the game!" It was the opening spiel to the first episode of The Who, What or Where game that debuted on December 29, 1969.
Also known as The 3Ws, the show was hosted by Art James, his first NBC game show since the short lived Fractured Phrases in 1965. He also served as the quizmaster for the New York version of the high school quiz show It's Academic. The announcer was Mike Darrow, who at that time hosted ABC's daytime game show Dream House until it was axed in April 1970 to make room for the long running soap opera All My Children. Darrow also filled in for James as host when he was ill.
The show would be the first for Ron Greenberg as an independent packager. He previously worked for Merv Griffin on shows such as Word For Word, Let's Play Post Office and Reach for the Stars. None of them were successful as Griffin's hit show Jeopardy. It would take three years for Greenberg to get The 3Ws on the air. The original pilot was shot in 1966 with Jack Narz as host. But when NBC picked up the show in 1969, Narz was hosting the syndicated version of Beat the Clock and James would become the host.
The game was similar to the show that it followed in NBC's daytime lineup, Jeopardy. Three contestants started out with $125 but if any player lost all their money, he/she was out of the game. A category was shown with odds ranging from even money to on some occasions, five to one. The higher the odds, the more difficult the question. Each contestant would bet up to $50 on a who, what or where question. If more than one player declared for the same question, the highest bidder would get to answer. But if two or three players bid the same amount on a question, an auction would be held, with the player bidding high got the question. Correct answers added points, incorrect answers deducted points.
Several rounds were played in this manner with one round usually "Pot Luck." The final round was called "Pot Limit" where a contestant could bet up to their earnings on the last question like Final Jeopardy. Same as the previous rounds, if more than one player declares the same question, the highest bidder gets to answer. The highest scoring contestant wins the game and returns on the next show. A five time winner would retire a champion.
The only change in the show's four year run was the addition of a 60 second speed round in the later episodes.
The Who, What or Where Game would be the perfect companion to Jeopardy, replacing a Heatter-Quigley game show Name Droppers, that got moved to 4 PM ET as a replacement for Letters to Laugh-In that flopped after 13 weeks. The 3Ws also solidified a solid game show lineup that included Concentration, Sale of the Century and Hollywood Squares.
But on January 4, 1974, NBC vice president of daytime programming Lin Bolen would cancel The 3Ws in a revamping of the network's game show lineup. Baffle, which changed to an all-celebrity format would take over the time period and Jeopardy would move from its noon slot to 10:30 AM in favor of a new game show titled Jackpot!
Greenberg would revive the Who, What or Where game in 1990 as a current events quiz under the title The Challengers, which he co-produced with the man who would also host the show Dick Clark. Don Morrow, who worked with Greenberg on Let's Play Post Office would be the show's first announcer. He was later replaced by Bob Hilton. Unfortunately, the show was not a success and it lost the challenge after one season in syndication.
Fifty years ago, Who, What or where was the name of the game that was the perfect companion to Jeopardy and home viewers could play along for an hour each day.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Previewing the Inaugural Herb Brooks Holiday Classic
A new era begins in high school holiday hockey tournaments Thursday with the first Herb Brooks Holiday Classic at the NSC Super Rink in Blaine with the first of three days of high school boys hockey action.
The Herb Brooks Holiday Classic is the successor to the Schwan's Cup. Here's a preview of the four varsity divisions that will culminate with championship games Saturday, December 28 with championship games at the TRIA Rink in downtown St. Paul.
Where have all the top teams gone? In the Gold Division, there's no Edina, Eden Prairie, Centennial or Hill-Murray. Usually, the top ranked teams get an invite but not so in 2019. There's still plenty of action that starts with the Holy Angels Stars facing the Rogers Royals, followed by Minneapolis taking on the Park of Cottage Grove Wolfpack. In the lower bracket, the Breck Mustangs, a perennial Class A power face the Hudson, WI Raiders and the University School of Milwaukee battles the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabers.
To the Silver Division where Redhawks fans who are en route to see Jalen Suggs and the highly ranked boys basketball team at East Ridge in Woodbury can head to Blaine to see their boys hockey team battle the Northfield Raiders. The only ranked team in the tournament, Gentry Academy, the 10th ranked team in Class A faces the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles. The lower bracket features the St. Paul Academy Spartans taking on the Eau Claire North Polars, followed by the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and the Marshall Tigers.
In the Bronze Division, the Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars open quarterfinal play against the Spring Lake Park Panthers. Next up, the Princeton Tigers faces the third team from the IMAC in the tournament the Providence Academy Lions. A pair of Metro East Conference teams with identical 2-6 records square off in the third quarterfinal game as the Simley Spartans face the Henry Sibley Warriors. The festivities wrap up on Rink 2 in the Bronze Division with the Pine City Dragons, who are on a seven game winning streak going up against the Brookfield, WI Stars. The Stars are 6-3 and are playing their first game against a Minnesota school. It should be a dandy.
Only four teams comprise the Open Division and will play a round robin schedule. Becker/Big Lake, who has not won since they beat Moose Lake Area on November goes up against the Luverne Cardinals. The other two teams are the Faribault Falcons and the Cambridge-Isanti Blue Jackets. The Falcons have won six of their last seven games with their only loss on December 17 to the Mankato West Scarlets 2-1.
Following three days of boys tournament play is the girls turn in the Holiday Classic spotlight starting on Monday, December 30 and continuing the 31st and ending the start of 2020 January 1.
The Gold Division begins with the top ranked team in Class AA, the Andover Huskies battling the Holy Family Catholic Fire. It could set up a semifinal showdown with another top team, the Blake Bears if they get past the Rogers Royals. Over in the lower bracket, perennial Class A power St. Paul United faces the Centennial Cougars and another Class A power, the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage goes up against the Hill-Murray Pioneers. The Pioneers are on a four game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 14-4 in that run.
Opening the Silver Division quarterfinals will be the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and Delano/Rockford. The Wildcats got off to a 5-0 start and have gone 1-2-2 in their last five games. Rounding out the upper bracket will be the Duluth Northern Stars and the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars. Going to the lower bracket, Minneapolis is on a five game unbeaten streak and they hope to extend it to six against the Buffalo Bison. The Mahtomedi Zephyrs wrap up quarterfinal play against Cambridge-Isanti-Mora-Pine City.
Only three Twin Cities area teams are in the Bronze Division field with the first the Waconia Wildcats facing the Marshall Tigers. The second, the Irondale Knights, playing in their home venue, take on River Lakes. It's an outstate battle in the third quarterfinal game with North Shore from Silver Bay up against the Western WI Stars. The last team from the metro area, the St. Francis Fighting Saints faces the returning team from the Iron Range, the Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears.
If there's one common thread about the Open Division, it's that all the teams are from outside the Twin Cities area. First up it's the Arrowhead Warhawks from Wisconsin facing the Detroit Lakes Lakers. It could be an All Wisconsin semifinal if the University School of Milwaukee gets past the International Falls Broncos. To the lower bracket where the Moose Lake Area Rebels battle the Luverne Cardinals and the Northern Lakes Lightning taking on the Albert Lea Tiger who ended a three game winning streak and currently on a three game winning streak.
There's plenty of hockey action coming up over six days in Blaine and St. Paul. Male or female it should be an outstanding start to a new holiday tournament tradition.
The Herb Brooks Holiday Classic is the successor to the Schwan's Cup. Here's a preview of the four varsity divisions that will culminate with championship games Saturday, December 28 with championship games at the TRIA Rink in downtown St. Paul.
Where have all the top teams gone? In the Gold Division, there's no Edina, Eden Prairie, Centennial or Hill-Murray. Usually, the top ranked teams get an invite but not so in 2019. There's still plenty of action that starts with the Holy Angels Stars facing the Rogers Royals, followed by Minneapolis taking on the Park of Cottage Grove Wolfpack. In the lower bracket, the Breck Mustangs, a perennial Class A power face the Hudson, WI Raiders and the University School of Milwaukee battles the Sartell-St. Stephen Sabers.
To the Silver Division where Redhawks fans who are en route to see Jalen Suggs and the highly ranked boys basketball team at East Ridge in Woodbury can head to Blaine to see their boys hockey team battle the Northfield Raiders. The only ranked team in the tournament, Gentry Academy, the 10th ranked team in Class A faces the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles. The lower bracket features the St. Paul Academy Spartans taking on the Eau Claire North Polars, followed by the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and the Marshall Tigers.
In the Bronze Division, the Southwest Christian/Richfield Stars open quarterfinal play against the Spring Lake Park Panthers. Next up, the Princeton Tigers faces the third team from the IMAC in the tournament the Providence Academy Lions. A pair of Metro East Conference teams with identical 2-6 records square off in the third quarterfinal game as the Simley Spartans face the Henry Sibley Warriors. The festivities wrap up on Rink 2 in the Bronze Division with the Pine City Dragons, who are on a seven game winning streak going up against the Brookfield, WI Stars. The Stars are 6-3 and are playing their first game against a Minnesota school. It should be a dandy.
Only four teams comprise the Open Division and will play a round robin schedule. Becker/Big Lake, who has not won since they beat Moose Lake Area on November goes up against the Luverne Cardinals. The other two teams are the Faribault Falcons and the Cambridge-Isanti Blue Jackets. The Falcons have won six of their last seven games with their only loss on December 17 to the Mankato West Scarlets 2-1.
Following three days of boys tournament play is the girls turn in the Holiday Classic spotlight starting on Monday, December 30 and continuing the 31st and ending the start of 2020 January 1.
The Gold Division begins with the top ranked team in Class AA, the Andover Huskies battling the Holy Family Catholic Fire. It could set up a semifinal showdown with another top team, the Blake Bears if they get past the Rogers Royals. Over in the lower bracket, perennial Class A power St. Paul United faces the Centennial Cougars and another Class A power, the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage goes up against the Hill-Murray Pioneers. The Pioneers are on a four game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 14-4 in that run.
Opening the Silver Division quarterfinals will be the Chisago Lakes Wildcats and Delano/Rockford. The Wildcats got off to a 5-0 start and have gone 1-2-2 in their last five games. Rounding out the upper bracket will be the Duluth Northern Stars and the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars. Going to the lower bracket, Minneapolis is on a five game unbeaten streak and they hope to extend it to six against the Buffalo Bison. The Mahtomedi Zephyrs wrap up quarterfinal play against Cambridge-Isanti-Mora-Pine City.
Only three Twin Cities area teams are in the Bronze Division field with the first the Waconia Wildcats facing the Marshall Tigers. The second, the Irondale Knights, playing in their home venue, take on River Lakes. It's an outstate battle in the third quarterfinal game with North Shore from Silver Bay up against the Western WI Stars. The last team from the metro area, the St. Francis Fighting Saints faces the returning team from the Iron Range, the Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears.
If there's one common thread about the Open Division, it's that all the teams are from outside the Twin Cities area. First up it's the Arrowhead Warhawks from Wisconsin facing the Detroit Lakes Lakers. It could be an All Wisconsin semifinal if the University School of Milwaukee gets past the International Falls Broncos. To the lower bracket where the Moose Lake Area Rebels battle the Luverne Cardinals and the Northern Lakes Lightning taking on the Albert Lea Tiger who ended a three game winning streak and currently on a three game winning streak.
There's plenty of hockey action coming up over six days in Blaine and St. Paul. Male or female it should be an outstanding start to a new holiday tournament tradition.
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Math and Science Academy Dragons Beat Groves Academy Griffins
Depth was a factor for the Math and Science Academy Dragons Tuesday night as Brady Sahr and Theo Kroells scored 10 points apiece and eight other players had at least a point to help the Dragons hold off the Groves Academy Griffins 64-54 in St. Louis Park.
Sahr broke out of the starting gate for the Dragons as he scored the first four points. Alfie Galle put the Griffins on the board though he would be the only offensive source for the first 14:30 of the first half, scoring Groves Academy's first eight points. Math and Science Academy would get five consecutive points from Dylan Goff and a three pointer from Charlie Eng as they forged ahead to a 31-9 lead with Emory Harden becoming the second Griffin to enter the scorebook as he made a free throw. The Dragons added six more points to lead by 28 and Gabe Gordon brought the crowd to life when he hit a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the Dragon halftime lead to 37-12.
Galle would begin the second half scoring for the Griffins :37 into the half. Eng would sink a three pointer for the Dragons and Kroells would score eight straight points to bring the game close to running time in the second half with a 30 point lead. But there would be no running time in the last nine minutes since Groves Academy would start a valiant comeback that including outstanding inside scoring from Galle and a three pointer from Gordon. The Griffins would get an additional two points due to Jaeger Hanson shooting at the wrong basket. No word on who got credited for the basket. Time unfortunately turned out to be the enemy for Groves Academy as Math and Science Academy head coach Jamey Strand used his bench effectively, substituting four or five players at a time,
No other player would score in double figures for the Dragons. Ten players would tally. Galle would be the only Griffin in double figures, scoring a game high 26 points.
Math and Science Academy improved their record to 2-3 and returns to action in the Eagle Ridge Academy Tournament against St. John's Prep on Friday, December 27 at 4 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-5 and will play their final game before the holiday break in Vadnais Heights on Thursday, December 19 against the Academy for Science and Agriculture at 6 PM.
Sahr broke out of the starting gate for the Dragons as he scored the first four points. Alfie Galle put the Griffins on the board though he would be the only offensive source for the first 14:30 of the first half, scoring Groves Academy's first eight points. Math and Science Academy would get five consecutive points from Dylan Goff and a three pointer from Charlie Eng as they forged ahead to a 31-9 lead with Emory Harden becoming the second Griffin to enter the scorebook as he made a free throw. The Dragons added six more points to lead by 28 and Gabe Gordon brought the crowd to life when he hit a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the Dragon halftime lead to 37-12.
Galle would begin the second half scoring for the Griffins :37 into the half. Eng would sink a three pointer for the Dragons and Kroells would score eight straight points to bring the game close to running time in the second half with a 30 point lead. But there would be no running time in the last nine minutes since Groves Academy would start a valiant comeback that including outstanding inside scoring from Galle and a three pointer from Gordon. The Griffins would get an additional two points due to Jaeger Hanson shooting at the wrong basket. No word on who got credited for the basket. Time unfortunately turned out to be the enemy for Groves Academy as Math and Science Academy head coach Jamey Strand used his bench effectively, substituting four or five players at a time,
No other player would score in double figures for the Dragons. Ten players would tally. Galle would be the only Griffin in double figures, scoring a game high 26 points.
Math and Science Academy improved their record to 2-3 and returns to action in the Eagle Ridge Academy Tournament against St. John's Prep on Friday, December 27 at 4 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-5 and will play their final game before the holiday break in Vadnais Heights on Thursday, December 19 against the Academy for Science and Agriculture at 6 PM.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Nova Classical Academy Knights Shine Against Groves Academy Griffins
The Nova Classical Academy Knights played by The Monroe Doctrine Friday night as Jack Monroe scored 27 points to lead them to a 60-49 win over the Groves Academy Griffins in their home opener in St. Louis Park.
The Griffins, looking for their first win in four games, got off to an outstanding start with an 8-0 run that included three pointers from Robert Hall and Gabe Gordon. Monroe hit a three pointer to put the Knights on the board and Liam Borell would go inside for a 5-0 run. Groves Academy got scoring balance in the early going with four players tallying and utilizing a 2-3 defense. But the Griffins defense would leak like a snow covered roof as they would give up 20 straight points to Nova Classical Academy, including five in a row from Monroe. Emory Harden's three pointer would end the run and Alfie Galle would score seven consecutive points to bring Groves Academy into halftime down 34-26.
Into the second half and the Knights would score early on Ben Parsonage's basket :23 into the half. The Griffins would make a valiant comeback on Harden and Gordon's shots from Highway 100 plus a basket from Galle that would trim the Nova Classical Academy lead to one. But they would not vault into the lead as the Knights pulled away on Monroe's fourth and fifth three pointers that would spark a 12-0 run and it would put the game away.
Nova Classical Academy improved their record to 1-3 and will return to action on Tuesday, December 17 as they host the Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabers at 7 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-4 and will head to Forest Lake on Monday, December 16 to face Lakes International Langauge Academy at 7:15 PM.
The Griffins, looking for their first win in four games, got off to an outstanding start with an 8-0 run that included three pointers from Robert Hall and Gabe Gordon. Monroe hit a three pointer to put the Knights on the board and Liam Borell would go inside for a 5-0 run. Groves Academy got scoring balance in the early going with four players tallying and utilizing a 2-3 defense. But the Griffins defense would leak like a snow covered roof as they would give up 20 straight points to Nova Classical Academy, including five in a row from Monroe. Emory Harden's three pointer would end the run and Alfie Galle would score seven consecutive points to bring Groves Academy into halftime down 34-26.
Into the second half and the Knights would score early on Ben Parsonage's basket :23 into the half. The Griffins would make a valiant comeback on Harden and Gordon's shots from Highway 100 plus a basket from Galle that would trim the Nova Classical Academy lead to one. But they would not vault into the lead as the Knights pulled away on Monroe's fourth and fifth three pointers that would spark a 12-0 run and it would put the game away.
Nova Classical Academy improved their record to 1-3 and will return to action on Tuesday, December 17 as they host the Shattuck-St. Mary's Sabers at 7 PM. Groves Academy fell to 0-4 and will head to Forest Lake on Monday, December 16 to face Lakes International Langauge Academy at 7:15 PM.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Farmington Tigers Spoil Jefferson Jaguars Home Opener
The 50th home season for the Bloomington Jefferson boys basketball team began Tuesday night and the Jaguars were hounded by Gabe Bassett's 12 points that led the Farmington Tigers to a 55-42 win.
Both teams were slow in scoring in the early going. The Jaguars took the early lead on Alex Schilling's three pointer 1:42 into the first half. Schilling was the bright spot for Jefferson, scoring their first five points but the Tigers used a balanced scoring attack as six orange and white clad players entered the scorebook. Farmington would forge ahead with a 9-0 run that was ended by Jefferson's Sam Wanzek. Then Bassett started to hit shots from France Ave. as he would sink three three pointers in the first half. But the Jaguars would make a late run at the Tigers near the end of the half as Ryan Schrank scored six consecutive points that included a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the halftime lead to 24-21.
Farmington would begin the second half on a 4-0 run as Max Darrington and Jake Cochnauer would tally. They would also get a three point play from Jackson Todd. Defense would be beneficial for the Jaguars as Evan Lind blocked two shots. They would also get four straight points from Aiden Atkins but they couldn't catch up to Farmington.
The Tigers improved their record to 2-1 and host the Minnetonka Skippers on Friday, December 13 at 7 PM. The Jaguars fell to 0-3 and will head down Highway 13 to New Prague on the 13th to take on the Trojans at 7 PM.
Both teams were slow in scoring in the early going. The Jaguars took the early lead on Alex Schilling's three pointer 1:42 into the first half. Schilling was the bright spot for Jefferson, scoring their first five points but the Tigers used a balanced scoring attack as six orange and white clad players entered the scorebook. Farmington would forge ahead with a 9-0 run that was ended by Jefferson's Sam Wanzek. Then Bassett started to hit shots from France Ave. as he would sink three three pointers in the first half. But the Jaguars would make a late run at the Tigers near the end of the half as Ryan Schrank scored six consecutive points that included a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the halftime lead to 24-21.
Farmington would begin the second half on a 4-0 run as Max Darrington and Jake Cochnauer would tally. They would also get a three point play from Jackson Todd. Defense would be beneficial for the Jaguars as Evan Lind blocked two shots. They would also get four straight points from Aiden Atkins but they couldn't catch up to Farmington.
The Tigers improved their record to 2-1 and host the Minnetonka Skippers on Friday, December 13 at 7 PM. The Jaguars fell to 0-3 and will head down Highway 13 to New Prague on the 13th to take on the Trojans at 7 PM.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Chaska Hawks Come back to Win Class AAAAA State Title
Stevo Klotz was no klutz Saturday afternoon, scoring the game winning touchdown with :42 left in regulation time to lead the Chaska Hawks to a 10-7 win over the St. Thomas Academy Cadets in the Class AAAAA championship game at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
It was the first state championship for Chaska, in their first appearance in a championship game since 1974 when they were defeated by the Alexandria Cardinals 26-7 in the Class A final.
The Hawks pulled out in front in the first quarter on Nic Snuggerud's 42 yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead, The Cadets would vault ahead late in the second quarter highlighted by ove Adebayo's 19 yard run and an encroachment penalty on Chaska. Baker Reding, in relief of starting quarterback Joe Deyak kept the ball and scored on a one yard touchdown run to give St. Thomas Academy a 7-3 halftime lead.
Neither team would change the score in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Hawks on fourth down and nine yards to go had one more chance to get a first down or the Cadets would win their first state title since 1975. But there would be no joy for the uniformed fans in attendance as St. Thomas Academy was called for pass interference, awarding Chaska a first down. The Cadets would get flagged again as Hawks quarterback Grif Wurtz threw a 25 yards to Colton Dodds and his next pass was incomplete but a five yard personal foul penalty was called on St. Thomas Academy, moving the ball to the Cadet five yard line. Three straight runs by Klotz, ending with a one yard run put Chaska ahead with :42 to go. Could St. Thomas Academy make a comeback? The answer would be no as the Cadets were called for intentional grounding, losing a down and Reding was unable to connect on fourth down and 17, thus returning the ball to Chaska. A couple of snaps later, the Hawks celebrated their first state title.
The two teams played each other October 16 with Chaska shutting out St. Thomas Academy 20-0.
The Hawks ended their season with a record of 12-1 and St. Thomas Academy concluded their campaign 11-2.
Pierz Pioneers Pattern of Odd Number Class AAA Titles Continues
A pattern of state Class AAA championships in odd number years continued for the Pierz Pioneers Saturday afternoon when Mathias Algarin scored the game winning touchdown with :38 left in regulation time to lead them to a 28-27 win over the Dassel-Cokato Chargers Saturday afternoon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The Pioneers won state Class AAA titles in 2015, the last season the Prep Bowl was held at TCF Bank Stadium and 2017. It was also the first state title for new head coach Dan Saehr, who replaced Leo Pohlkamp after he retired at the end of last season.
The Chargers came charging out of the starting gate on sophomore Eli Gillman's 71 yard run and Algarin would tie the game, scoring on a two yard run. Dassel Cokato would take the lead as they faced a fourth down and 17 situation and they would convert on Sanders Asplin's 37 yard pass to Gillman to put them ahead 14-7.
Both teams would reach the end zone in the second quarter. Pierz would tie the game on Algarin's two yard run and Dassel-Cokato went ahead on Josh DeBoer's three yard run with 1:19 left to take a 21-14 halftime lead.
Pierz would plow ahead in the third quarter on a couple of outstanding runs from Michael Leidernfrost. The junior, who scored the game winning touchdown against Jackson County Central in the semifinals had a 32 yard gain and went left from four yards to put the Pioneers in front 22-21. Dassel-Cokato would vault back in front as Asplin kept the ball, broke through four Pierz tacklers and scored from 32 yards to put the Chargers ahead 27-22.
It would be Algarin who would earn Pierz another Class AAA title trophy in the fourth quarter. First, he caught a 22 yard pass from quarterback Peter Schommer that spotted the ball at the Dassel-Cokato three yard line. He would get the hand off from Schommer and score on the next play with :38 to go. The two point conversion was a success. Now the Chargers had the ball and a chance to head home happy down Highway 12. But Preston Veith pressed a sack on Asplin and it would preserve the Pierz win.
Pierz ended the regular season 14-0 and Dassel-Cokato concluded the season with a record of 10-4.
The Pioneers won state Class AAA titles in 2015, the last season the Prep Bowl was held at TCF Bank Stadium and 2017. It was also the first state title for new head coach Dan Saehr, who replaced Leo Pohlkamp after he retired at the end of last season.
The Chargers came charging out of the starting gate on sophomore Eli Gillman's 71 yard run and Algarin would tie the game, scoring on a two yard run. Dassel Cokato would take the lead as they faced a fourth down and 17 situation and they would convert on Sanders Asplin's 37 yard pass to Gillman to put them ahead 14-7.
Both teams would reach the end zone in the second quarter. Pierz would tie the game on Algarin's two yard run and Dassel-Cokato went ahead on Josh DeBoer's three yard run with 1:19 left to take a 21-14 halftime lead.
Pierz would plow ahead in the third quarter on a couple of outstanding runs from Michael Leidernfrost. The junior, who scored the game winning touchdown against Jackson County Central in the semifinals had a 32 yard gain and went left from four yards to put the Pioneers in front 22-21. Dassel-Cokato would vault back in front as Asplin kept the ball, broke through four Pierz tacklers and scored from 32 yards to put the Chargers ahead 27-22.
It would be Algarin who would earn Pierz another Class AAA title trophy in the fourth quarter. First, he caught a 22 yard pass from quarterback Peter Schommer that spotted the ball at the Dassel-Cokato three yard line. He would get the hand off from Schommer and score on the next play with :38 to go. The two point conversion was a success. Now the Chargers had the ball and a chance to head home happy down Highway 12. But Preston Veith pressed a sack on Asplin and it would preserve the Pierz win.
Pierz ended the regular season 14-0 and Dassel-Cokato concluded the season with a record of 10-4.
Mountain Lake Area Wolverines Reach Nine Man Football Summit
The final day of the 2019 Prep Bowl began with the Mountain Lake Area Wolverines returning to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for the Nine Man Football final and they avenged last year's loss to Spring Grove with a five yard run by Abe Stoesz with :42 left in the third quarter that led them to a 22-14 win over the Hancock Owls Saturday morning.
Neither team would erase the zeros from the gigantic stadium scoreboard but the Wolverines had a great shot on their opening drive. But it would go for naught when Stoesz's pass to the end zone was intercepted by Daniel Milander, ending a 6:45 drive.
Milander would go on offense in the second quarter and caught a five yard pass from Preston Rohloff to put the Owls ahead 7-0 Defense would be a big factor for Hancock as they forced three Mountain Lake Area turnovers in the first half. One would result in a touchdown when Matt Thompson scored on a 33 yard interception return to boost the Owl lead to 14-0. Would the Wolverines, who never trailed at any juncture this season fall farther behind? The answer would be no as they came back to tie the game with two touchdowns. The first was sparked by Stoesz rushing for 62 yards on the drive and Mace Herrig putting the finishing touch with a three yard run. Stoesz would conclude the first half scoring on a 11 yard pass to tight end Adam Karschnik and the same combination connected on the two point conversion with :02 left in the first half.
To the second half and the Wolverine defense would prevail with Herrig spraying through the Owl defense to sack Rohloff twice. On offense, it was Stoesz, who would finish the game with with 140 rushing yards on 22 carries enter the end zone with :42 in the quarter and it would be the eventual game winner.
Mountain Lake Area ended their season 14-0 and Hancock finished with a record of 13-1.
Neither team would erase the zeros from the gigantic stadium scoreboard but the Wolverines had a great shot on their opening drive. But it would go for naught when Stoesz's pass to the end zone was intercepted by Daniel Milander, ending a 6:45 drive.
Milander would go on offense in the second quarter and caught a five yard pass from Preston Rohloff to put the Owls ahead 7-0 Defense would be a big factor for Hancock as they forced three Mountain Lake Area turnovers in the first half. One would result in a touchdown when Matt Thompson scored on a 33 yard interception return to boost the Owl lead to 14-0. Would the Wolverines, who never trailed at any juncture this season fall farther behind? The answer would be no as they came back to tie the game with two touchdowns. The first was sparked by Stoesz rushing for 62 yards on the drive and Mace Herrig putting the finishing touch with a three yard run. Stoesz would conclude the first half scoring on a 11 yard pass to tight end Adam Karschnik and the same combination connected on the two point conversion with :02 left in the first half.
To the second half and the Wolverine defense would prevail with Herrig spraying through the Owl defense to sack Rohloff twice. On offense, it was Stoesz, who would finish the game with with 140 rushing yards on 22 carries enter the end zone with :42 in the quarter and it would be the eventual game winner.
Mountain Lake Area ended their season 14-0 and Hancock finished with a record of 13-1.
Saturday, November 30, 2019
2019 Prep Bowl Day One Wrapup
The Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms lived up to their name; History was made for Caledonia; Rocori wrapped up an overtime win and the Wayzata Trojans got an outstanding game from Christian Vasser in the first day of the 2019 Prep Bowl Friday, November 29 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Here's a recap of Friday's four games.
BLOOMING PRAIRIE 41, BOLD 15.
Friday's festivities opened with the Class A title game that showed why the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms lived up to their name as Gabe Hagen caught two touchdown passes and opened the scoring with a pick six to lead them to a 41-15 win over the BOLD Warriors.
Hagen, a wide receiver who also plays defense put the Awesome Blossoms on the board when he stepped in front of Warrior quarterback Jordan Sagedahl and intercepted his pass that led to the opening touchdown. BOLD ties the game with a touchdown described by public address announcer Mark Graves "Sagedahl to Sagedahl" when Jordan threw a 15 yard pass to his brother Drew to put BOLD ahead 8-7. Blooming Prairie would regain the lead on a nine yard touchdown pass from Kaden Thomas to Matthew Pryor. Both teams would tally in the second quarter as Hagen reached the end zone a second time on a 25 yard pass from Thomas for the Awesome Blossoms. The Warriors touchdown came on a 14 yard shovel pass to Blake Plass as Blooming Prairie led at the half 21-15.
To the third quarter and there would be some bad news for BOLD when Jordan Sagedahl left the game due to an injury. But the good news for the red and white clad Warrior fans was that he would return after Drew Sagedahl finished the last drive. Unfortunately, BOLD wouldn't be bold since Blooming Prairie scored 20 unanswered points and Thomas finished the game with four touchdown passes, the other two to Hagand and Karson Vigland.
CALEDONIA 26, MINNEAPOLIS NORTH 0
The Caledonia Warriors made Minnesota football history Friday afternoon when Elijah King caught two touchdown passes and scored on a 58 yard punt return en route to a 26-0 victory over the Minneapolis North Polars to win their fifth consecutive Class AA championship.
Caledonia became the first school since Stephen-Argyle from 2003-07 to win five straight state titles. It was also the 10th state title overall for the southeastern Minnesota school.
The Warriors opened the scoring when Elijah King caught a 48 yard pass from his brother Noah to give them a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, Elijah King bobbled a Polar punt, recovered it and took the ball 58 yards it to the end zone. Noah King threw his second touchdown pass, a 15 yard strike to Cole Kronebusch with 3:00 left to give the Warriors a 20-0 halftime lead.
Elijah King would wrap up the scoring in the third quarter as he hauled in a 10 yard touchdown pass.
ROCORI 22, SMB WOLFPACK 14 (OT0
Jack Steil would drive the SMB Wolfpack defense wild as he rushed for two touchdowns and threw the game winning two point conversion to Andrew Anderson in overtime to lead the Rocori Spartans to a 22-21 win in the Class AAAA championship game.
It was the second state title for Rocori, comprising the communities of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond and their first since 2011.
The Wolfpack took the early lead after Jalen Suggs threw a 34 yards pass to Terry Lockett that spotted the ball at the Spartan one yard line and the senior quarterback kept the ball and scored on a one yard run. The Spartans would even the scored, aided by an SMB five yard encroachment penalty that moved the ball to the Wolfpack three yard line and Steil ran the ball to the end zone on the next play.
Rocori would take the lead in the third quarter as Steil scored his second touchdown on a five yard keeper run. The spartan defense would pressure Suggs throughout the game, recording five sacks. But SMB would tie the game on a three yard run from Sanjay Redd and it was on to overtime.
The Wolfpack had the first possession and got the ball to the one yard line. But SMB was called for a false start penalty that backed them up to the six yard line. And they cashed in when Suggs threw a six yard pass to Terry Lockett to put the Wolfpack ahead. Then it was Rocori's turn and it looked pretty grim when Steil fumbled and the ball was on the 15 yard line. But on fourth and goal, Steil threw a right side pass to Jayden Phillipi to cut the deficit to one. The Spartans decided to go for the two point conversion and Steil fired the ball to Anderson on the right side of the end zone and he made the catch to clinch the Class AAAA championship trophy.
WAYZATA 35, CHAMPLIN PARK 20
What a night for Christian Vassar. He ran for 285 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Wayzata Trojans to a 35-21 win over the Champlin Park Rebels in the Class AAAAAA title game.
The Rebels took the early lead in the first quarter on a 40 yard field goal from Noah Vogelpohl. Both teams would tally twice in the second quarter as Vassar scored twice for the Trojans and Shawn Shipman shipped two balls across the goal line for the Rebels.
Wayzata would wrap up their first state title since 2010 on touchdown runs from Vassar of four, three and two yards. The best Champlin Park could do was Vogelpohl's second field goal from 26 yards.
BLOOMING PRAIRIE 41, BOLD 15.
Friday's festivities opened with the Class A title game that showed why the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms lived up to their name as Gabe Hagen caught two touchdown passes and opened the scoring with a pick six to lead them to a 41-15 win over the BOLD Warriors.
Hagen, a wide receiver who also plays defense put the Awesome Blossoms on the board when he stepped in front of Warrior quarterback Jordan Sagedahl and intercepted his pass that led to the opening touchdown. BOLD ties the game with a touchdown described by public address announcer Mark Graves "Sagedahl to Sagedahl" when Jordan threw a 15 yard pass to his brother Drew to put BOLD ahead 8-7. Blooming Prairie would regain the lead on a nine yard touchdown pass from Kaden Thomas to Matthew Pryor. Both teams would tally in the second quarter as Hagen reached the end zone a second time on a 25 yard pass from Thomas for the Awesome Blossoms. The Warriors touchdown came on a 14 yard shovel pass to Blake Plass as Blooming Prairie led at the half 21-15.
To the third quarter and there would be some bad news for BOLD when Jordan Sagedahl left the game due to an injury. But the good news for the red and white clad Warrior fans was that he would return after Drew Sagedahl finished the last drive. Unfortunately, BOLD wouldn't be bold since Blooming Prairie scored 20 unanswered points and Thomas finished the game with four touchdown passes, the other two to Hagand and Karson Vigland.
CALEDONIA 26, MINNEAPOLIS NORTH 0
The Caledonia Warriors made Minnesota football history Friday afternoon when Elijah King caught two touchdown passes and scored on a 58 yard punt return en route to a 26-0 victory over the Minneapolis North Polars to win their fifth consecutive Class AA championship.
Caledonia became the first school since Stephen-Argyle from 2003-07 to win five straight state titles. It was also the 10th state title overall for the southeastern Minnesota school.
The Warriors opened the scoring when Elijah King caught a 48 yard pass from his brother Noah to give them a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter, Elijah King bobbled a Polar punt, recovered it and took the ball 58 yards it to the end zone. Noah King threw his second touchdown pass, a 15 yard strike to Cole Kronebusch with 3:00 left to give the Warriors a 20-0 halftime lead.
Elijah King would wrap up the scoring in the third quarter as he hauled in a 10 yard touchdown pass.
ROCORI 22, SMB WOLFPACK 14 (OT0
Jack Steil would drive the SMB Wolfpack defense wild as he rushed for two touchdowns and threw the game winning two point conversion to Andrew Anderson in overtime to lead the Rocori Spartans to a 22-21 win in the Class AAAA championship game.
It was the second state title for Rocori, comprising the communities of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond and their first since 2011.
The Wolfpack took the early lead after Jalen Suggs threw a 34 yards pass to Terry Lockett that spotted the ball at the Spartan one yard line and the senior quarterback kept the ball and scored on a one yard run. The Spartans would even the scored, aided by an SMB five yard encroachment penalty that moved the ball to the Wolfpack three yard line and Steil ran the ball to the end zone on the next play.
Rocori would take the lead in the third quarter as Steil scored his second touchdown on a five yard keeper run. The spartan defense would pressure Suggs throughout the game, recording five sacks. But SMB would tie the game on a three yard run from Sanjay Redd and it was on to overtime.
The Wolfpack had the first possession and got the ball to the one yard line. But SMB was called for a false start penalty that backed them up to the six yard line. And they cashed in when Suggs threw a six yard pass to Terry Lockett to put the Wolfpack ahead. Then it was Rocori's turn and it looked pretty grim when Steil fumbled and the ball was on the 15 yard line. But on fourth and goal, Steil threw a right side pass to Jayden Phillipi to cut the deficit to one. The Spartans decided to go for the two point conversion and Steil fired the ball to Anderson on the right side of the end zone and he made the catch to clinch the Class AAAA championship trophy.
WAYZATA 35, CHAMPLIN PARK 20
What a night for Christian Vassar. He ran for 285 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Wayzata Trojans to a 35-21 win over the Champlin Park Rebels in the Class AAAAAA title game.
The Rebels took the early lead in the first quarter on a 40 yard field goal from Noah Vogelpohl. Both teams would tally twice in the second quarter as Vassar scored twice for the Trojans and Shawn Shipman shipped two balls across the goal line for the Rebels.
Wayzata would wrap up their first state title since 2010 on touchdown runs from Vassar of four, three and two yards. The best Champlin Park could do was Vogelpohl's second field goal from 26 yards.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
2019 Prep Bowl Preview Part 2
Saturday, November 30 is a big day of football in Minnesota as the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the Wisconsin Badgers and the 2019 Prep Bowl wraps up at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Here's a preview of the three championship games.
10:00: Nine Man-Hancock vs. Mountain Lake Area. The Hancock Owls make their first trip to the Prep Bowl and fifth state tournament appearance. It will be the Owls second straight game against a team with Mountain in its name. In the semifinals, Hancock routed the Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers 65-36 as Tyler Timmerman ran for 240 yards and scored three touchdowns. The senior running back has scored eight touchdowns in two state tournament games, including five in the quarterfinals against Renville County West. Can he aim for 10? However, the Owls will have to go up against the top ranked team in Nine Man football almost the entire season, the Mountain Lake Area Wolverines. The Wolverines have scored more than 40 points in all but one game this season, when they beat Hills-Beaver Creek 28-6 in the Section 3 finals. MLA is led by senior quarterback Abraham Stoesz, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more in a 45-6 rout of the Win-E-Mac Patriots. The Wolverines also have an outstanding junior running back in Mace Herrig, who reached the end zone three times against the Patriots. It has potential to be a high scoring game between two teams who have an great future ahead with many players returning next season.
1:00: Class AAA-Dassel-Cokato vs. Pierz. The Chargers head down Highway 12 for their first trip to the Prep Bowl and they beat a couple of good teams to clinch a championship berth. They beat the Cannon Falls Bombers in the quarterfinals and the Annandale Cardinals in the semifinals. But it isn't the first time Dassel-Cokato has played for a state title in football. They played in the Class B finals in the inaugural state tournament season of 1972 and lost to Mountain Iron 54-6. The Pioneers began a new era in 2019 after long time head coach Leo Pohlkamp retired. Dan Saehr took over the coaching reigns and Pierz has had a memorable season for the first year mentor, going undefeated. They almost got eliminated in the semifinals, trailing 14-0 against Jackson County Central. But lo and behold, the Pioneers came back with 20 unanswered points, including Michael Leidenfrost's game winning touchdown with 1:19 left in regulation time. Pierz has won the Class AAA title in 2015 and 2017. Can the even numbered year progression continue?
4:00: Class AAAAA-Chaska vs. St. Thomas Academy. The 2019 Prep Bowl concludes with the Chaska Hawks playing in their first state title game since 1974, when they lost to the Alexandria Cardinals in the Class A final 26-7. The Hawks were four points away from an unbeaten regular season, losing to the Rogers Royals 40-36. Chaska is led by quarterback Grif Wurtz and wide receiver Nic Snuggerud. In the backfield, there's Stevo Klotz, who ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns against Coon Rapids in the semifinals. As for the Cadets, it's their second straight trip to the AAAAA finals and they beat the team they lost to last year in the quarterfinals the Owatonna Huskies. St. Thomas Academy used solid defense and got three touchdowns from Danny McFadden to beat the Elk River Elks in the semifinals. Last time the Mendota Heights based school took home a championship trophy was when they won the Class B title by beating the St. Peter Saints 21-14. Since then, the Cadets have gone 0-4 in title games and have a shot to end that drought.
There you have it. Two outstanding days of Minnesota high school football. It could be a Super Football Saturday with a Gopher win and three exciting state final games to wrap up the 2019 Prep Bowl.
10:00: Nine Man-Hancock vs. Mountain Lake Area. The Hancock Owls make their first trip to the Prep Bowl and fifth state tournament appearance. It will be the Owls second straight game against a team with Mountain in its name. In the semifinals, Hancock routed the Mountain Iron-Buhl Rangers 65-36 as Tyler Timmerman ran for 240 yards and scored three touchdowns. The senior running back has scored eight touchdowns in two state tournament games, including five in the quarterfinals against Renville County West. Can he aim for 10? However, the Owls will have to go up against the top ranked team in Nine Man football almost the entire season, the Mountain Lake Area Wolverines. The Wolverines have scored more than 40 points in all but one game this season, when they beat Hills-Beaver Creek 28-6 in the Section 3 finals. MLA is led by senior quarterback Abraham Stoesz, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more in a 45-6 rout of the Win-E-Mac Patriots. The Wolverines also have an outstanding junior running back in Mace Herrig, who reached the end zone three times against the Patriots. It has potential to be a high scoring game between two teams who have an great future ahead with many players returning next season.
1:00: Class AAA-Dassel-Cokato vs. Pierz. The Chargers head down Highway 12 for their first trip to the Prep Bowl and they beat a couple of good teams to clinch a championship berth. They beat the Cannon Falls Bombers in the quarterfinals and the Annandale Cardinals in the semifinals. But it isn't the first time Dassel-Cokato has played for a state title in football. They played in the Class B finals in the inaugural state tournament season of 1972 and lost to Mountain Iron 54-6. The Pioneers began a new era in 2019 after long time head coach Leo Pohlkamp retired. Dan Saehr took over the coaching reigns and Pierz has had a memorable season for the first year mentor, going undefeated. They almost got eliminated in the semifinals, trailing 14-0 against Jackson County Central. But lo and behold, the Pioneers came back with 20 unanswered points, including Michael Leidenfrost's game winning touchdown with 1:19 left in regulation time. Pierz has won the Class AAA title in 2015 and 2017. Can the even numbered year progression continue?
4:00: Class AAAAA-Chaska vs. St. Thomas Academy. The 2019 Prep Bowl concludes with the Chaska Hawks playing in their first state title game since 1974, when they lost to the Alexandria Cardinals in the Class A final 26-7. The Hawks were four points away from an unbeaten regular season, losing to the Rogers Royals 40-36. Chaska is led by quarterback Grif Wurtz and wide receiver Nic Snuggerud. In the backfield, there's Stevo Klotz, who ran for 103 yards and three touchdowns against Coon Rapids in the semifinals. As for the Cadets, it's their second straight trip to the AAAAA finals and they beat the team they lost to last year in the quarterfinals the Owatonna Huskies. St. Thomas Academy used solid defense and got three touchdowns from Danny McFadden to beat the Elk River Elks in the semifinals. Last time the Mendota Heights based school took home a championship trophy was when they won the Class B title by beating the St. Peter Saints 21-14. Since then, the Cadets have gone 0-4 in title games and have a shot to end that drought.
There you have it. Two outstanding days of Minnesota high school football. It could be a Super Football Saturday with a Gopher win and three exciting state final games to wrap up the 2019 Prep Bowl.
Sunday, November 24, 2019
2019 Prep Bowl Preview Part 1
After devouring turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other tasty treats on Thanksgiving, high school football fans throughout Minnesota will descend on US Bank Stadium for the 2019 Prep Bowl November 29 and 30. Here's the first of a two part preview starting with the four games on Friday the 29th.
10:00: Class A- BOLD vs. Blooming Prairie. The 2019 Prep Bowl kicks off with a battle of unbeaten teams as the BOLD Warriors take on the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms. The Warriors return to Minneapolis for the second straight year and make their 12th trip to the state tournament. The Olivia based school came up one point short in last year's championship game, losing to Mahnomen/Waubun 22-21. Quarterback Jordan Sagedahl threw four touchdown passes to Gavin Vosika to help blow out the Browerville/Eagle Valley Tigers 56-7. Let's not overlook the Warrior defense. This season, they have been a key to five shutouts this season.
Blooming Prairie is in their ninth state tournament but in their first trip to the Prep Bowl. The Awesome Blossoms have lived up to their name, scoring more than 40 points in all but one game this season. It was a 27-6 win over the Goodhue Wildcats September 20. Thanks to running back Mathhew Pryor's 183 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Blooming Prairie earned their championship berth with a 41-0 shutout against the Ada-Borup Cougars. Will it be a high scoring game or will both team's defenses keep the score low? It should be a great start to the day's festivities.
1:00: Class AA- Minneapolis North vs. Caledonia. Friday's second title game features two more undefeated teams as the Minneapolis North Polars battle one of the most dominant teams in recent history the Caledonia Warriors. The Polars are in their sixth straight trip to state and are back at US Bank Stadium for the first time since they won the 2016 Class A championship. The good news for Mpls. North is that Terrance Kamara ran for 205 yards and reached the end zone three times to lead them into the finals. The bad news is they have to face Caledonia, winner of four consecutive state championships and nine overall. The Warriors have a chance to be the first team to win five straight state titles since Stephen-Argyle won in 2003-07. Caledonia broke open a 6-6 tie in the semifinals against with three touchdowns from sophomore Elijah King. His brother Noah, a senior quarterback, reached the end zone twice. Can Caledonia enter the history books with their 10th state title?
4:00: Class AAAA- SMB Wolfpack vs. Rocori. The defending Class AAAA champion SMB Wolfpack, a co-op between St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake returned to the title game on Jalen Suggs touchdown pass to Savion Robinson with :50 left in regulation time to beat the Hutchinson Tigers in the semifinals. Suggs did it all against the black and gold bunch from Highway 7. He threw three touchdown passes, rushed for 88 yards and intercepted two passes, including a key fourth down pass from Russell Corrigan to stop a potential scoring drive.
The Spartans are in their 10th state tournament and playing in their first championship game since they won the Class AAAA title in 2011. Rocori (which stands for the towns of Rockville, Cold spring and Richmond), clinched a championship berth by doubling up the Winona Winhawks in the semifinals 48-24. It was a stellar day for running back Jack Stell who rushed for 168 yards and made five trips to the the end zone. Stell will need to gel to end the Wolfpack's title reign.
7:00: Class AAAAA-Champlin Park vs. Wayzata. There was no joy in Lakeville the weekend of November 14 when defending champion Lakeville North was beaten by the Champlin Park Rebels and Lakeville South fell to the Wayzata Trojans. In five state tournament trips, the Rebels played in two Class AAAA championship games in 1998 and 2002, losing to Woodbury and Eden Prairie. In those two games, they scored a total of seven points. The number could go even higher depending on how good of a game quarterback Jaice Miller has. In the semifinals, he passed for 277 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
Looking at the Trojans, their in their 14th trip to state and sixth appearance in a title game. Wayzata took home the championship hardware in 2005, 08 and 10 and came up short in 2004 and 11. Can they hit the .500 mark in title games? It could happen if running back Christian Vassar has another great game. The senior ran for 269 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Champlin Park defense will need to slow down Vassar to win their first state title.
Next: A preview of Saturday's title games.
10:00: Class A- BOLD vs. Blooming Prairie. The 2019 Prep Bowl kicks off with a battle of unbeaten teams as the BOLD Warriors take on the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms. The Warriors return to Minneapolis for the second straight year and make their 12th trip to the state tournament. The Olivia based school came up one point short in last year's championship game, losing to Mahnomen/Waubun 22-21. Quarterback Jordan Sagedahl threw four touchdown passes to Gavin Vosika to help blow out the Browerville/Eagle Valley Tigers 56-7. Let's not overlook the Warrior defense. This season, they have been a key to five shutouts this season.
Blooming Prairie is in their ninth state tournament but in their first trip to the Prep Bowl. The Awesome Blossoms have lived up to their name, scoring more than 40 points in all but one game this season. It was a 27-6 win over the Goodhue Wildcats September 20. Thanks to running back Mathhew Pryor's 183 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Blooming Prairie earned their championship berth with a 41-0 shutout against the Ada-Borup Cougars. Will it be a high scoring game or will both team's defenses keep the score low? It should be a great start to the day's festivities.
1:00: Class AA- Minneapolis North vs. Caledonia. Friday's second title game features two more undefeated teams as the Minneapolis North Polars battle one of the most dominant teams in recent history the Caledonia Warriors. The Polars are in their sixth straight trip to state and are back at US Bank Stadium for the first time since they won the 2016 Class A championship. The good news for Mpls. North is that Terrance Kamara ran for 205 yards and reached the end zone three times to lead them into the finals. The bad news is they have to face Caledonia, winner of four consecutive state championships and nine overall. The Warriors have a chance to be the first team to win five straight state titles since Stephen-Argyle won in 2003-07. Caledonia broke open a 6-6 tie in the semifinals against with three touchdowns from sophomore Elijah King. His brother Noah, a senior quarterback, reached the end zone twice. Can Caledonia enter the history books with their 10th state title?
4:00: Class AAAA- SMB Wolfpack vs. Rocori. The defending Class AAAA champion SMB Wolfpack, a co-op between St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake returned to the title game on Jalen Suggs touchdown pass to Savion Robinson with :50 left in regulation time to beat the Hutchinson Tigers in the semifinals. Suggs did it all against the black and gold bunch from Highway 7. He threw three touchdown passes, rushed for 88 yards and intercepted two passes, including a key fourth down pass from Russell Corrigan to stop a potential scoring drive.
The Spartans are in their 10th state tournament and playing in their first championship game since they won the Class AAAA title in 2011. Rocori (which stands for the towns of Rockville, Cold spring and Richmond), clinched a championship berth by doubling up the Winona Winhawks in the semifinals 48-24. It was a stellar day for running back Jack Stell who rushed for 168 yards and made five trips to the the end zone. Stell will need to gel to end the Wolfpack's title reign.
7:00: Class AAAAA-Champlin Park vs. Wayzata. There was no joy in Lakeville the weekend of November 14 when defending champion Lakeville North was beaten by the Champlin Park Rebels and Lakeville South fell to the Wayzata Trojans. In five state tournament trips, the Rebels played in two Class AAAA championship games in 1998 and 2002, losing to Woodbury and Eden Prairie. In those two games, they scored a total of seven points. The number could go even higher depending on how good of a game quarterback Jaice Miller has. In the semifinals, he passed for 277 yards and ran for two touchdowns.
Looking at the Trojans, their in their 14th trip to state and sixth appearance in a title game. Wayzata took home the championship hardware in 2005, 08 and 10 and came up short in 2004 and 11. Can they hit the .500 mark in title games? It could happen if running back Christian Vassar has another great game. The senior ran for 269 yards and scored three touchdowns. The Champlin Park defense will need to slow down Vassar to win their first state title.
Next: A preview of Saturday's title games.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
SMB Wolfpack Returns to Class AAAA Finals
Savion Robinson was the savior for the SMB Wolfpack when he caught a touchdown pass from Jalen Suggs with :50 left in regulation time to lead the combined team from St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake to a 22-16 victory in the Class AAAA semifinals Thursday night at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Neither team erased the zeros from the giant US Bank Stadium scoreboard but the Tigers came close to crossing the goal line but quarterback Russell Corrigan's fourth down pass was intercepted by Suggs, ending a 4:58 drive.
Hutchinson would take the lead in the second quarter on Tyler Schiller's three yard run up the middle to take an 8-0 lead. SMB would reach the end zone following a 24 yard keeper from Suggs and the cause was aided by a personal foul and encroachment penalty on the Tigers. Suggs would fire a seven yard pass to Kaden Johnson to tie the game at eight and that would be the halftime score.
The score remained the same in the third quarter. To the fourth quarter where the Wolfpack began a drive following Suggs' second interception that spotted the ball at the Tiger 35 yard line. Suggs would throw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Devonta Thomas to put SMB ahead 16-8. Corrigan would tie the game, scoring on a 15 yard keeper and it was a 16-16 game. The Wolfpack had a third and goal situation and had a chance to head back to the Prep Bowl and they did when Suggs threw his third touchdown pass of the game to Robinson with :50 left to play. Would there be overtime or would Hutchinson fans get a chance to head down Highway 7 on Black Friday? The answer would be no as Corrigan was hit for an eight yard loss and Johnson forced a fumble. After a lengthy replay review, it was ruled that Johnson did recover the ball and it left the black and gold clad fans disappointed as the Wolfpack got possession and ran out the clock.
Suggs led SMB completing 16 of 27 passes for 206 yards and rushed for 88 yards. Schiller led Hutchinson with 25 carries for 128 yards.
The Wolfpack improved their record to 12-0 and will face the winner of the Winona-Rocori game on Friday, November 29 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Winona and Rocori will play on Friday, November 15 at 4:30 PM. Hutchinson ended their season with a record of 11-1.
Neither team erased the zeros from the giant US Bank Stadium scoreboard but the Tigers came close to crossing the goal line but quarterback Russell Corrigan's fourth down pass was intercepted by Suggs, ending a 4:58 drive.
Hutchinson would take the lead in the second quarter on Tyler Schiller's three yard run up the middle to take an 8-0 lead. SMB would reach the end zone following a 24 yard keeper from Suggs and the cause was aided by a personal foul and encroachment penalty on the Tigers. Suggs would fire a seven yard pass to Kaden Johnson to tie the game at eight and that would be the halftime score.
The score remained the same in the third quarter. To the fourth quarter where the Wolfpack began a drive following Suggs' second interception that spotted the ball at the Tiger 35 yard line. Suggs would throw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Devonta Thomas to put SMB ahead 16-8. Corrigan would tie the game, scoring on a 15 yard keeper and it was a 16-16 game. The Wolfpack had a third and goal situation and had a chance to head back to the Prep Bowl and they did when Suggs threw his third touchdown pass of the game to Robinson with :50 left to play. Would there be overtime or would Hutchinson fans get a chance to head down Highway 7 on Black Friday? The answer would be no as Corrigan was hit for an eight yard loss and Johnson forced a fumble. After a lengthy replay review, it was ruled that Johnson did recover the ball and it left the black and gold clad fans disappointed as the Wolfpack got possession and ran out the clock.
Suggs led SMB completing 16 of 27 passes for 206 yards and rushed for 88 yards. Schiller led Hutchinson with 25 carries for 128 yards.
The Wolfpack improved their record to 12-0 and will face the winner of the Winona-Rocori game on Friday, November 29 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Winona and Rocori will play on Friday, November 15 at 4:30 PM. Hutchinson ended their season with a record of 11-1.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Breck Mustangs Blast Centennial Cougars
Saturday afternoon was festive for the Breck girls hockey team beginning with a pregame ceremony that raised the Class A championship banner to the right of the scoreboard at Anderson Arena in Golden Valley. The festivities continued with hat tricks from Olivia Mobley and Shae Messner that led the Mustangs to a 10-1 rout of the Centennial Cougars.
The Mustangs got on the board 1:45 into the first period as Ashley Halvorson passed to Mobley and the senior dribbled the puck a few times, cit to the center slot and went top shelf. The Cougars had a five on three for 1:19 but they were unable to even the score. But Breck would go up by two as Ava Lindsay fed Messner at the right of Centennial goalie Kaitlin Gruess and she sent it to the net.
The second period was a big one for Breck as they found the net eight times. Ava Lindsay skated through the center slot and scored a short handed goal :26 into the period. Mobley would score her second goal on a shot just barely inside the right face off circle. The Lindsay Sisters, Ava and Sadie would score assists on Messner's second goal, scoring on a rebound. Eighth grader Josie Lang helped set up the Mustangs sixth goal as she fed Emily Zumwinkle on the right side and she lined it into the goal. Mobley would get the hat trick on a short handed goal and Ava Lindsay would follow :54 later. Messner would also score a hat trick, scoring off a pass from Sophie Fagley. Breck would go up by ten when Zumwinkle fed Sadie Lindsay and she would go top shelf with :02 left in the period.
There would good news for the red and black clad Centennial fans who came down I-35W from Circle Pines in the third period. Ella O'Hearn found Megan Goodreau on the left side and Goodreau would end any hopes of a Breck shutout.
The Mustangs begin the season 1-0 and return to action on Tuesday, November 12 as they host the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 7 PM at Anderson Arena. The Cougars fell to 0-1 and will also be in action on the 12th hosting Osseo/Park Center at 7:30 at the Super Rink in Blaine. Centennial will play their first four home games at the eight ice sheet facility due to renovations at the Centennial Sports Arena.
The Mustangs got on the board 1:45 into the first period as Ashley Halvorson passed to Mobley and the senior dribbled the puck a few times, cit to the center slot and went top shelf. The Cougars had a five on three for 1:19 but they were unable to even the score. But Breck would go up by two as Ava Lindsay fed Messner at the right of Centennial goalie Kaitlin Gruess and she sent it to the net.
The second period was a big one for Breck as they found the net eight times. Ava Lindsay skated through the center slot and scored a short handed goal :26 into the period. Mobley would score her second goal on a shot just barely inside the right face off circle. The Lindsay Sisters, Ava and Sadie would score assists on Messner's second goal, scoring on a rebound. Eighth grader Josie Lang helped set up the Mustangs sixth goal as she fed Emily Zumwinkle on the right side and she lined it into the goal. Mobley would get the hat trick on a short handed goal and Ava Lindsay would follow :54 later. Messner would also score a hat trick, scoring off a pass from Sophie Fagley. Breck would go up by ten when Zumwinkle fed Sadie Lindsay and she would go top shelf with :02 left in the period.
There would good news for the red and black clad Centennial fans who came down I-35W from Circle Pines in the third period. Ella O'Hearn found Megan Goodreau on the left side and Goodreau would end any hopes of a Breck shutout.
The Mustangs begin the season 1-0 and return to action on Tuesday, November 12 as they host the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 7 PM at Anderson Arena. The Cougars fell to 0-1 and will also be in action on the 12th hosting Osseo/Park Center at 7:30 at the Super Rink in Blaine. Centennial will play their first four home games at the eight ice sheet facility due to renovations at the Centennial Sports Arena.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
SLP Orioles Volleyball Team In First State Tournament
For the first time in school history, the St. Louis Park Orioles girls volleyball team advanced to the state tournament as they beat the top seeded Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars in five sets to bring home the Section 6AAA championship trophy.
Unfortunately, the Orioles got a difficult draw as they will open the Class AAA quarterfinals on Thursday, November 7 against the top seeded and unbeaten Eagan Wildcats at 9 AM at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The Wildcats head into the tournament with a record of 29-0 and have won their last 11 matches in straight sets. Eagan, under the veteran leadership of Kathy Gillen has won seven state titles and has appeared in the last six Class AAA championship games, losing last year in five sets to the Champlin Park Rebels.
As for the Orioles, head coach Whitney Meierotto-Simon is in her fifth season and the program has shown considerable improvement. In 2016, St. Louis Park finished 13-15 and reversed those numbers the following season. Last season, the Orioles finished 20-11 lost to the Edina Hornets in the Section 6AAA semifinals. They will head to St. Paul with a record of 24-6 and on a four match winning streak. St. Louis Park began the season 8-0 before losing to the Chaska Hawks September 17.
St. Louis Park's road to St. Paul has been a total team effort, anchored by setter Makaila Winward. On the outside are Hannah Howell, Faith Johnson and Elsa Bergland, who scored a service ace in the section semifinals against the Benilde-St. Margaret's and a couple of basketball players who made some outstanding blocks in sections, Kendall Coley and Raegan Alexander.
Can the Orioles end the Eagan Domination with an upset. Find out Thursday morning. For those unable to head to the X, the quarterfinals will be streamed live on prepspotlight.tv.
Unfortunately, the Orioles got a difficult draw as they will open the Class AAA quarterfinals on Thursday, November 7 against the top seeded and unbeaten Eagan Wildcats at 9 AM at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
The Wildcats head into the tournament with a record of 29-0 and have won their last 11 matches in straight sets. Eagan, under the veteran leadership of Kathy Gillen has won seven state titles and has appeared in the last six Class AAA championship games, losing last year in five sets to the Champlin Park Rebels.
As for the Orioles, head coach Whitney Meierotto-Simon is in her fifth season and the program has shown considerable improvement. In 2016, St. Louis Park finished 13-15 and reversed those numbers the following season. Last season, the Orioles finished 20-11 lost to the Edina Hornets in the Section 6AAA semifinals. They will head to St. Paul with a record of 24-6 and on a four match winning streak. St. Louis Park began the season 8-0 before losing to the Chaska Hawks September 17.
St. Louis Park's road to St. Paul has been a total team effort, anchored by setter Makaila Winward. On the outside are Hannah Howell, Faith Johnson and Elsa Bergland, who scored a service ace in the section semifinals against the Benilde-St. Margaret's and a couple of basketball players who made some outstanding blocks in sections, Kendall Coley and Raegan Alexander.
Can the Orioles end the Eagan Domination with an upset. Find out Thursday morning. For those unable to head to the X, the quarterfinals will be streamed live on prepspotlight.tv.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
The First Bloomington Jefferson Football Season
September 1970. The Bloomington Ice Garden opened with one rink before its later expansion to three, the Valley West Shopping Center was a month away from opening on the corner of France Ave. S. and Old Shakopee Rd. and just up France Ave. was the opening of the city's third high school, Jefferson.
This season marked the 50th year of the West Bloomington school's football program. The first head coach was Bruno Waldner. Like many teachers and coaches, he came from Kennedy. Among his assistants were Stan Skjei and Dick Coombs.
School colors, still to this day are Columbia blue and silver and the nickname for all athletic teams would be the Jaguars.
In 1970, the Lake Conference was divided into two divisions, the Red and the Blue. The Jaguars were in the Blue Division with their city rival the Lincoln Bears. Lincoln shut down in 1982. Another school that would later be defunct would be Robbinsdale, nicknamed the Robins. Two new high schools would also be in the Blue Division, Hopkins Lindbergh (now Hopkins High School) and Robbinsdale Armstrong. St. Louis Park and Mound rounded out the Lake Blue.
Who would be the first quarterback in Jaguar history? It would be John Anderson. Jerry Yoneji and Bruce Ahlers would comprise the backfield. At wide receiver would be Dan Hoffman, who would later become one of the first top players on the boys basketball team.
As for the Jefferson tri-captains, they were Tom Ruud, Don Finley and Bill Fiola.
The season opened for Jefferson September 11 as they faced their crosstown rival the Kennedy Eagles at Bloomington Stadium. Back in 1970, all three high school teams and even Normandale Community College played their home games at the corner of 88th St. & Queen Ave. S. In some instances, there would be doubleheaders, with the first game starting at 3 PM.
No expansion blues for the Jaguars as they got two touchdowns from Ruud and beat the Eagles 14-6. The following week, many people across the state tuned into WTCN-TV (now KARE 11) to see Jefferson face Minnesota and they went to 2-0 with a 9-0 win over the Skippers. A 47 yard pass from Ahlers on a fake punt to Ruud turned out to be the clincher.
"I was really surprised we came as far as we did since the opening of practice. We had an entirely new system to team these kids and I have to credit offensive coach Stan Skjei and defensive coach Dick Coombs for the excellent jobs they did," Waldner to the Bloomington Sun for the September 19 edition.
Jefferson continue to dominate the opposition in their maiden voyage season. They would beat Lindbergh 33-8, Mound 27-12 and improve their record to 5-0 with a 12-7 win over Alexander Ramsey from Roseville.
But the Jaguars wouldn't go undefeated since they lost their first game to Armstrong 15-8 and thyeir second straight St. Louis Park 28-8. They would get back on the winning track with a win over Lincoln and wrapped up the season on November 2 with a Friday matinee at Bloomington Stadium against the Robbinsdale Robins and lost 26-14 to conclude their first season with a record of 6-3. There was no playoff system or state tournament until 1972 so that was the end of the season.
The first football season would set the stage for the program's future. In 1974, they advanced to their first state tournament and made it to the Class AA finals before falling to the Rochester John Marshall Rockets. Today, the Jaguars are led by one of Waldner's former players Tim Carlson and though they had a losing record in 2019, his legacy lives on as the man who built the football program when the school opened in 1970.
This season marked the 50th year of the West Bloomington school's football program. The first head coach was Bruno Waldner. Like many teachers and coaches, he came from Kennedy. Among his assistants were Stan Skjei and Dick Coombs.
School colors, still to this day are Columbia blue and silver and the nickname for all athletic teams would be the Jaguars.
In 1970, the Lake Conference was divided into two divisions, the Red and the Blue. The Jaguars were in the Blue Division with their city rival the Lincoln Bears. Lincoln shut down in 1982. Another school that would later be defunct would be Robbinsdale, nicknamed the Robins. Two new high schools would also be in the Blue Division, Hopkins Lindbergh (now Hopkins High School) and Robbinsdale Armstrong. St. Louis Park and Mound rounded out the Lake Blue.
Who would be the first quarterback in Jaguar history? It would be John Anderson. Jerry Yoneji and Bruce Ahlers would comprise the backfield. At wide receiver would be Dan Hoffman, who would later become one of the first top players on the boys basketball team.
As for the Jefferson tri-captains, they were Tom Ruud, Don Finley and Bill Fiola.
The season opened for Jefferson September 11 as they faced their crosstown rival the Kennedy Eagles at Bloomington Stadium. Back in 1970, all three high school teams and even Normandale Community College played their home games at the corner of 88th St. & Queen Ave. S. In some instances, there would be doubleheaders, with the first game starting at 3 PM.
No expansion blues for the Jaguars as they got two touchdowns from Ruud and beat the Eagles 14-6. The following week, many people across the state tuned into WTCN-TV (now KARE 11) to see Jefferson face Minnesota and they went to 2-0 with a 9-0 win over the Skippers. A 47 yard pass from Ahlers on a fake punt to Ruud turned out to be the clincher.
"I was really surprised we came as far as we did since the opening of practice. We had an entirely new system to team these kids and I have to credit offensive coach Stan Skjei and defensive coach Dick Coombs for the excellent jobs they did," Waldner to the Bloomington Sun for the September 19 edition.
Jefferson continue to dominate the opposition in their maiden voyage season. They would beat Lindbergh 33-8, Mound 27-12 and improve their record to 5-0 with a 12-7 win over Alexander Ramsey from Roseville.
But the Jaguars wouldn't go undefeated since they lost their first game to Armstrong 15-8 and thyeir second straight St. Louis Park 28-8. They would get back on the winning track with a win over Lincoln and wrapped up the season on November 2 with a Friday matinee at Bloomington Stadium against the Robbinsdale Robins and lost 26-14 to conclude their first season with a record of 6-3. There was no playoff system or state tournament until 1972 so that was the end of the season.
The first football season would set the stage for the program's future. In 1974, they advanced to their first state tournament and made it to the Class AA finals before falling to the Rochester John Marshall Rockets. Today, the Jaguars are led by one of Waldner's former players Tim Carlson and though they had a losing record in 2019, his legacy lives on as the man who built the football program when the school opened in 1970.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Opening Day of Practice for Girls Hockey
As the road to the state tournament continues in football and volleyball and state champions are close to being crowned in soccer, Monday marks the start of practice in Minnesota girls high hockey. Here's a look at the opening games for last year's state title teams and others worth mentioning.
The Class A champion Breck Mustangs open their season like last year with their home opener against the Centennial Cougars at Anderson Ice Arena at 3 PM. As for the Class AA champion Edina Hornets, head coach Sami Reber's bunch begins their quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive state title hosting the Andover Huskies at 7 PM. They will get a chance to face Breck at Braemar Arena Tuesday, December 3 at 7 PM. Get there early. There could be a large crowd for this nonconference tilt.
Over in St. Louis Park, the combined Hopkins/St. Louis Park team opens with five of their first six games on the road. They will open the season in the Twin Ports starting on Friday, November 8 against Duluth at the Heritage Center and on the 9th they will face the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage at 2 PM at the Hermantown Hockey Arena. Their home opener takes place Saturday, November 16 against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 3 PM at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.
The Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights open their season against Breck on Tuesday, November 12 at 7 PM at the Anderson Ice Arena. Friday, November 15 will be their home opener against the Andover Huskies, 7:15 at The Rec Center.
As these fine young athletes bring out their sticks and pucks and lace up their skates to start a new season, one goal for each of the teams in the state is a trip to St. Paul in February for the state tournament. Let the season begin in November.
The Class A champion Breck Mustangs open their season like last year with their home opener against the Centennial Cougars at Anderson Ice Arena at 3 PM. As for the Class AA champion Edina Hornets, head coach Sami Reber's bunch begins their quest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive state title hosting the Andover Huskies at 7 PM. They will get a chance to face Breck at Braemar Arena Tuesday, December 3 at 7 PM. Get there early. There could be a large crowd for this nonconference tilt.
Over in St. Louis Park, the combined Hopkins/St. Louis Park team opens with five of their first six games on the road. They will open the season in the Twin Ports starting on Friday, November 8 against Duluth at the Heritage Center and on the 9th they will face the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage at 2 PM at the Hermantown Hockey Arena. Their home opener takes place Saturday, November 16 against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 3 PM at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.
The Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights open their season against Breck on Tuesday, November 12 at 7 PM at the Anderson Ice Arena. Friday, November 15 will be their home opener against the Andover Huskies, 7:15 at The Rec Center.
As these fine young athletes bring out their sticks and pucks and lace up their skates to start a new season, one goal for each of the teams in the state is a trip to St. Paul in February for the state tournament. Let the season begin in November.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Irondale Knights End SLP Orioles Season
The rust came off the Irondale Knights armor Tuesday night in the Section 5AAAAA football quarterfinals as Griffin Bourassa scored two touchdowns and Noah Kiani kicked three field goals to eliminate the host St. Louis Park Orioles 30-28.
Irondale ended a five game losing streak and the win came after they were cremated last Wednesday by the Hopkins Royals 54-13.
The Orioles took the early lead when quarterback Aaron Ellingson scored the first of his four touchdowns on a 49 yard keeper run down the left side of the field sand St. Louis Park led 6-0. The Knights would tie the game on Bourassa's 13 yard keeper run but it was called back due to an illegal motion penalty.
There would be good news for the Irondale fans who came from New Brighton as Kiani put the Knights on the board with a 37 yard field goal to cut the Oriole lead to three. Ellingson would head to the end zone a second time when he muscled his way through the Knights defense to the one yard line and scored on a one yard run to increase the lead to 12-3. But Irondale would counter a Bourassa threw a 38 yard touchdown pass to Iggy Ejiofor with 2:16 left in the half and St. Louis Park led 12-10 at halftime.
The Knights would strike twice in the third quarter. The first touchdown was aided by a couple of pass interference penalties against the Orioles and Irondale would capitalize as Reuben King scored on a four yard run. Bourassa would score his second touchdown on a five yard keeper run with :45.2 to go and the Knights built a 24-12 lead.
Both teams would tally twice in the fourth quarter. Irondale would account for two booted field goals from Kiani, the first from 41 yards and the second from 30 yards. St. Louis Park would get a third touchdown from Ellingson as he kept the ball and scored on a 61 yard right side run. he would score his fourth touchdown on a one yard run with :32.3 left to play to cut the lead to two. Could St. Louis Park make a comeback? The answer would be no as the onside kick went to the Knights and they would run out the clock to end the game.
Irondale improved their record to 3-6 and head to Spring Lake Park on Saturday, October 26 at 3 PM for their semifinal game with the Panthers. St. Louis Park ended their season with a record of 4-5.
Irondale ended a five game losing streak and the win came after they were cremated last Wednesday by the Hopkins Royals 54-13.
The Orioles took the early lead when quarterback Aaron Ellingson scored the first of his four touchdowns on a 49 yard keeper run down the left side of the field sand St. Louis Park led 6-0. The Knights would tie the game on Bourassa's 13 yard keeper run but it was called back due to an illegal motion penalty.
There would be good news for the Irondale fans who came from New Brighton as Kiani put the Knights on the board with a 37 yard field goal to cut the Oriole lead to three. Ellingson would head to the end zone a second time when he muscled his way through the Knights defense to the one yard line and scored on a one yard run to increase the lead to 12-3. But Irondale would counter a Bourassa threw a 38 yard touchdown pass to Iggy Ejiofor with 2:16 left in the half and St. Louis Park led 12-10 at halftime.
The Knights would strike twice in the third quarter. The first touchdown was aided by a couple of pass interference penalties against the Orioles and Irondale would capitalize as Reuben King scored on a four yard run. Bourassa would score his second touchdown on a five yard keeper run with :45.2 to go and the Knights built a 24-12 lead.
Both teams would tally twice in the fourth quarter. Irondale would account for two booted field goals from Kiani, the first from 41 yards and the second from 30 yards. St. Louis Park would get a third touchdown from Ellingson as he kept the ball and scored on a 61 yard right side run. he would score his fourth touchdown on a one yard run with :32.3 left to play to cut the lead to two. Could St. Louis Park make a comeback? The answer would be no as the onside kick went to the Knights and they would run out the clock to end the game.
Irondale improved their record to 3-6 and head to Spring Lake Park on Saturday, October 26 at 3 PM for their semifinal game with the Panthers. St. Louis Park ended their season with a record of 4-5.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
2019 Section 5AAAAA Football Tournament Preview
The Road to the Prep Bowl gets underway Tuesday, October 22 as high school football teams, including the St. Louis Park Orioles begin their quest for a state tournament berth. Here's a preview the Section 5AAAAA bracket.
Quarterfinal play begins as the St. Louis Park Orioles host the Irondale Knights. The Knights armor hasn't been shining bright as they head into section play with a 2-6 record and have lost their last five games, including a 54-13 drubbing by the Hopkins Royals. Irondale is led by quarterback Griffin Bourassa who also gained 321 rushing yards this season. The Orioles are on a roll, ending the regular season with a two game winning streak to even their record at 4-4. They have been successful with Alexander Hager getting most of the snaps in the backfield with Sajid Nathim and Tobyous Davenport out due to injuries. Hager has made the most of the opportunity, rushing for five touchdowns in the final two games. He could add more against the Knights.
Now comes the bad news. The winning team will have to face the top seeded Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Panthers enter section play with a 6-2 record and have won five consecutive games, including a 49-14 win against St. Louis Park September 20. Spring Lake Park is a team that likes to run run run. Quarterback Zach Dunbar has 674 rushing yards and running back Henry Dennis added 642. Add this up and that's 1,316 yards combined. They're one of the favorites for the section title.
Over in the lower bracket, it's been a sunk ship for the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates since they finished the regular season 0-8. Their opponent will be the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers, one of two schools from the Minneapolis City Conference that's never been to the state tournament since the advent of the state tournament era in 1972. The other school, Minneapolis South. The Lakers, who lost their final regular season game to the unbeaten Fridley Tigers 34-7 are led by running back TK Marshall, who will wear green and gold next season at North Dakota State. Marshall is having a stellar season with 1,464 rushing yards and entered the end zone 20 times. Can the Lakers Marshall Plan lead Southwest to a potential state tournament berth?
But wait. There's the second seeded Cooper Hawks, the third section team with a 6-2 record and coming off a 57-6 rout of the DeLaSalle Islanders. The Hawks are led by The Brothers Russell, Joe is the quarterback and Sherrod is the running back. Like Spring Lake Park, Cooper is a run oriented team with Terrence Matthews also contributing in the backfield. When Joe Russell sends the ball through the air, his top target is Cornelius Wooten who led the Hawks with nine touchdowns. Mix in a strong defense and there's another section favorite.
Could a Hawks-Panthers rematch be possible or will Southwest head north for the section final November 1? Keep your eye on this section. It could be a three team race.
Quarterfinal play begins as the St. Louis Park Orioles host the Irondale Knights. The Knights armor hasn't been shining bright as they head into section play with a 2-6 record and have lost their last five games, including a 54-13 drubbing by the Hopkins Royals. Irondale is led by quarterback Griffin Bourassa who also gained 321 rushing yards this season. The Orioles are on a roll, ending the regular season with a two game winning streak to even their record at 4-4. They have been successful with Alexander Hager getting most of the snaps in the backfield with Sajid Nathim and Tobyous Davenport out due to injuries. Hager has made the most of the opportunity, rushing for five touchdowns in the final two games. He could add more against the Knights.
Now comes the bad news. The winning team will have to face the top seeded Spring Lake Park Panthers. The Panthers enter section play with a 6-2 record and have won five consecutive games, including a 49-14 win against St. Louis Park September 20. Spring Lake Park is a team that likes to run run run. Quarterback Zach Dunbar has 674 rushing yards and running back Henry Dennis added 642. Add this up and that's 1,316 yards combined. They're one of the favorites for the section title.
Over in the lower bracket, it's been a sunk ship for the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates since they finished the regular season 0-8. Their opponent will be the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers, one of two schools from the Minneapolis City Conference that's never been to the state tournament since the advent of the state tournament era in 1972. The other school, Minneapolis South. The Lakers, who lost their final regular season game to the unbeaten Fridley Tigers 34-7 are led by running back TK Marshall, who will wear green and gold next season at North Dakota State. Marshall is having a stellar season with 1,464 rushing yards and entered the end zone 20 times. Can the Lakers Marshall Plan lead Southwest to a potential state tournament berth?
But wait. There's the second seeded Cooper Hawks, the third section team with a 6-2 record and coming off a 57-6 rout of the DeLaSalle Islanders. The Hawks are led by The Brothers Russell, Joe is the quarterback and Sherrod is the running back. Like Spring Lake Park, Cooper is a run oriented team with Terrence Matthews also contributing in the backfield. When Joe Russell sends the ball through the air, his top target is Cornelius Wooten who led the Hawks with nine touchdowns. Mix in a strong defense and there's another section favorite.
Could a Hawks-Panthers rematch be possible or will Southwest head north for the section final November 1? Keep your eye on this section. It could be a three team race.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
SLP Orioles End Regular Season With Senior Night Win
Wednesday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Orioles football team and it was a tale of two seniors Aaron Ellingson, who passed for two touchdowns and Alex Hager ran for two more to lead the Orioles to a 28-7 win over the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
After their first three drives went 0-3 on fourth down, the fourth time would turn out to be the charm for St. Louis Park as Hager ran 21 yards up the middle to put the Orioles ahead 7-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
St. Louis Park would score the second quarter's lone touchdown came after Deontez Ross recovered a fumbled Jefferson punt returned. The Orioles regained possession and Ellingson fired a 29 yard pass to Cole Ewald and he put the Orioles ahead 14-0. The Jaguars would lose quarterback Carter Hanson after he got injured following a Tony Stadler sack. But the good news for fans who made the trip from Bloomington, Hanson would return in the second half.
The Orioles would extend the lead to 20 when Jefferson turned the ball over on downs at their own 17 yard line and Ellingson struck quickly with a 17 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak. There would be no shutout on this chilly Wednesday night as the Jaguars, deep in their own territory most of the game used a little trickery. Hanson pitched the ball to Manny Montgomery and he threw a beautiful pass to Hunter Burgess and he hauled it into the end zone for an 81 yard touchdown. St. Louis Park concluded the scoring on Hager's second touchdown of the game a 19 yard run with no time remaining.
St. Louis Park ended the regular season at 4-4 and Bloomington Jefferson finished with a record of 2-6. Section play begins Tuesday, October 22.
After their first three drives went 0-3 on fourth down, the fourth time would turn out to be the charm for St. Louis Park as Hager ran 21 yards up the middle to put the Orioles ahead 7-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
St. Louis Park would score the second quarter's lone touchdown came after Deontez Ross recovered a fumbled Jefferson punt returned. The Orioles regained possession and Ellingson fired a 29 yard pass to Cole Ewald and he put the Orioles ahead 14-0. The Jaguars would lose quarterback Carter Hanson after he got injured following a Tony Stadler sack. But the good news for fans who made the trip from Bloomington, Hanson would return in the second half.
The Orioles would extend the lead to 20 when Jefferson turned the ball over on downs at their own 17 yard line and Ellingson struck quickly with a 17 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak. There would be no shutout on this chilly Wednesday night as the Jaguars, deep in their own territory most of the game used a little trickery. Hanson pitched the ball to Manny Montgomery and he threw a beautiful pass to Hunter Burgess and he hauled it into the end zone for an 81 yard touchdown. St. Louis Park concluded the scoring on Hager's second touchdown of the game a 19 yard run with no time remaining.
St. Louis Park ended the regular season at 4-4 and Bloomington Jefferson finished with a record of 2-6. Section play begins Tuesday, October 22.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
SLP Orioles Sweep BSM Red Knights
The St. Louis Park Orioles volleyball team's regular season wrapped up Tuesday night with a three set sweep of their city rival the Benilde-St. Margarets Red Knights at Haben Center on the BSM campus.
In the first set, the Red Knights scored the first two points and the Orioles vaulted into the lead with three straight points. They would go on an 8-0 run that was keyed by outstanding front line play from Raegan Alexander and a Kendall Coley kill which would lead them to a 25-13 win.
To the second set as BSM and St. Louis Park played pretty close throughout the set as neither team would go on a big run with ties at 19, 20, 21 and 22 before the Orioles scored the last three points to win 25-22.
The third set would be a complete team set for St. Louis Park. It was a combination of a Coley kill , service aces from Elsa Bergland and Makaila Winward and Alexander's outstanding front line play that held off a Red Knight rally to led them to a 25-20 win. There were seven ties and the Red Knights did take the lead by the Orioles would clinch the set on a Faith Johnson kill.
St. Louis Park head coach Whitney Meierotto-Simon was interviewed prior to the start of the match about the team's most successful regular season in years. "The girls work really hard in practice," she said.
One of the keys to the Orioles success is Winward, the senior setter. According to Meierotto-Simon "She's done a good job spreading the offense."
Another top player the Oriole head coach mentioned was outside hitter Hannah Howell. "She's done a real good job of carrying our offense this season."
St. Louis Park ended their season with a record of 21-6 and enters Section 6AAA tournament play next week. Section play begins Tuesday, October 22. If the Orioles get a first round bye, they will host a quarterfinal game on Thursday, October 24. Meierotto-Simon said the Orioles could be one of the top contenders along with Bloomington Jefferson.
BSM lost their third straight match and finished their regular season at 18-10. The Red Knights also begin section play on October 22.
In the first set, the Red Knights scored the first two points and the Orioles vaulted into the lead with three straight points. They would go on an 8-0 run that was keyed by outstanding front line play from Raegan Alexander and a Kendall Coley kill which would lead them to a 25-13 win.
To the second set as BSM and St. Louis Park played pretty close throughout the set as neither team would go on a big run with ties at 19, 20, 21 and 22 before the Orioles scored the last three points to win 25-22.
The third set would be a complete team set for St. Louis Park. It was a combination of a Coley kill , service aces from Elsa Bergland and Makaila Winward and Alexander's outstanding front line play that held off a Red Knight rally to led them to a 25-20 win. There were seven ties and the Red Knights did take the lead by the Orioles would clinch the set on a Faith Johnson kill.
St. Louis Park head coach Whitney Meierotto-Simon was interviewed prior to the start of the match about the team's most successful regular season in years. "The girls work really hard in practice," she said.
One of the keys to the Orioles success is Winward, the senior setter. According to Meierotto-Simon "She's done a good job spreading the offense."
Another top player the Oriole head coach mentioned was outside hitter Hannah Howell. "She's done a real good job of carrying our offense this season."
St. Louis Park ended their season with a record of 21-6 and enters Section 6AAA tournament play next week. Section play begins Tuesday, October 22. If the Orioles get a first round bye, they will host a quarterfinal game on Thursday, October 24. Meierotto-Simon said the Orioles could be one of the top contenders along with Bloomington Jefferson.
BSM lost their third straight match and finished their regular season at 18-10. The Red Knights also begin section play on October 22.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars-SLP Orioles Football Preview
Two former Lake Blue Conference rivals battle Wednesday night to wrap up the Minnesota high school football regular season as the St. Louis Park Orioles host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
This season marks the 50th year for Jefferson football. The Jaguars inaugural season was 1970 with Bruno Waldner as the team's first head coach. Jefferson and St. Louis Park met on October 21 and the Orioles, under the leadership of head coach Rob Roy, beat the Jaguars 28-8. St. Louis Park's quarterback Brian Glover scored two touchdowns and Blair Wachutka also crossed the goal line. Defense also factored as Dave Carlson intercepted a pass from Jefferson quarterback John Anderson and ran for a touchdown. The Jaguars finished 6-3 in 1970 and there was no section play or state tournament until 1972.
Now back to the present. Last Friday, the Orioles routed the DeLaSalle Islanders 41-0 as snowflakes were flying above the turf field. Though St. Louis Park had a depleted backfield with Sajid Nathim out with a torn ACL and Tobyous Davenport departing the game in the first quarter due to an injury, the running game would get a huge boost from senior Alex Hager as he ran 13 times for 121 yards and made three trips to the end zone. Quarterback Aaron Ellingson threw two touchdown passes to McCabe Dvorak and McCabe's brother Will relieved Ellingson with the game decided in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring. Freshman Tyree Shorter also got playing time with six carries for 18 yards.
On defense, Christian Artega and Darrell Kemp had nine tackles apiece. The Orioles also recorded three sacks.
Jefferson ended a three game losing streak last Friday with a 12-7 win over the Henry Sibley Warriors. They were down 7-6 in the fourth quarter until Manny Montgomery scored on a two run run with :29 in regulation time. The Jaguars season hasn't been mighty, heading into the regular season's final week with a 2-5 record. Three of their five losses were to powerhouses Benilde-St. Margaret's. Cooper and Chaska.
The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are for the running game to continue its momentum and for the defense to put pressure on Jefferson quarterback Carter Hanson. Jefferson's keys to the game are for the offensive line to create opportunities to run the ball and for Hanson to get into a good passing rhythm.
The good news is that the weather will be warmer than last Friday with Wednesday's high around 50. But bundle up if it gets chilly late in the game. Game time is 7 PM.
This season marks the 50th year for Jefferson football. The Jaguars inaugural season was 1970 with Bruno Waldner as the team's first head coach. Jefferson and St. Louis Park met on October 21 and the Orioles, under the leadership of head coach Rob Roy, beat the Jaguars 28-8. St. Louis Park's quarterback Brian Glover scored two touchdowns and Blair Wachutka also crossed the goal line. Defense also factored as Dave Carlson intercepted a pass from Jefferson quarterback John Anderson and ran for a touchdown. The Jaguars finished 6-3 in 1970 and there was no section play or state tournament until 1972.
Now back to the present. Last Friday, the Orioles routed the DeLaSalle Islanders 41-0 as snowflakes were flying above the turf field. Though St. Louis Park had a depleted backfield with Sajid Nathim out with a torn ACL and Tobyous Davenport departing the game in the first quarter due to an injury, the running game would get a huge boost from senior Alex Hager as he ran 13 times for 121 yards and made three trips to the end zone. Quarterback Aaron Ellingson threw two touchdown passes to McCabe Dvorak and McCabe's brother Will relieved Ellingson with the game decided in the fourth quarter to conclude the scoring. Freshman Tyree Shorter also got playing time with six carries for 18 yards.
On defense, Christian Artega and Darrell Kemp had nine tackles apiece. The Orioles also recorded three sacks.
Jefferson ended a three game losing streak last Friday with a 12-7 win over the Henry Sibley Warriors. They were down 7-6 in the fourth quarter until Manny Montgomery scored on a two run run with :29 in regulation time. The Jaguars season hasn't been mighty, heading into the regular season's final week with a 2-5 record. Three of their five losses were to powerhouses Benilde-St. Margaret's. Cooper and Chaska.
The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are for the running game to continue its momentum and for the defense to put pressure on Jefferson quarterback Carter Hanson. Jefferson's keys to the game are for the offensive line to create opportunities to run the ball and for Hanson to get into a good passing rhythm.
The good news is that the weather will be warmer than last Friday with Wednesday's high around 50. But bundle up if it gets chilly late in the game. Game time is 7 PM.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
A Royal Shocker in St. Louis Park
On a cold and windy Saturday afternoon, the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals continued their momentum from their quarterfinal win last Thursday with two goals from Evan Komschlies that led them to a 2-1 upset of the host St. Louis Park Orioles in the semifinals of the Section 6AA Boys Soccer Tournament,
The Royals, with three wins entering semifinal play, would take the lead on Komschlies' header following a corner kick and they would lead 1-0 at halftime.
Hopkins would go up by two in the second half as Komschlies would score his second goal in a flurry of action near St. Louis Park goalkeeper Beau Finley, who replaced starting netminder Luis Benitez Matias. The Orioles would strike back :20 later as Nick Riley fed Alex Ruiz-Shimada and he sent the ball injto the net to cut the lead to one. No matter how many opportunities St. Louis Park had to send the game into overtime, the Hopkins defense would play very strong to prevent scoring chances.
The Royals improved their record to 4-11-3 and will face either Wayzata or Minneapolis Washburn for the Section 6AA title on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 PM. The Orioles ended their season with a record of 12-2-1.
The Royals, with three wins entering semifinal play, would take the lead on Komschlies' header following a corner kick and they would lead 1-0 at halftime.
Hopkins would go up by two in the second half as Komschlies would score his second goal in a flurry of action near St. Louis Park goalkeeper Beau Finley, who replaced starting netminder Luis Benitez Matias. The Orioles would strike back :20 later as Nick Riley fed Alex Ruiz-Shimada and he sent the ball injto the net to cut the lead to one. No matter how many opportunities St. Louis Park had to send the game into overtime, the Hopkins defense would play very strong to prevent scoring chances.
The Royals improved their record to 4-11-3 and will face either Wayzata or Minneapolis Washburn for the Section 6AA title on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 PM. The Orioles ended their season with a record of 12-2-1.
Friday, October 11, 2019
DeLaSalle Demolition
Friday night was cold, windy and snowy but it didn't stop a small throng of fans from seeing Alexander Hager score three touchdowns to lead the host St. Louis Park Orioles to a 41-0 demolishing of the DeLaSalle Islanders.
The Orioles entered the game without their leading rusher Sajid Nathim, who tore his ACL last week against Chanhassen, leaving them shorthanded in the backfield. Nathim's replacement, Tobyous Davenport would leave the game near the end of a scoreless first quarter due to an injury as well as Khalid Powell, who was taken to Children's hospital in an ambulance.
With Nathim and Davenport sidelined, who would St. Louis Park use to run the ball? The answer would be Hager as he would help put the game away in the second quarter with two touchdowns. The first would come on a 30 yard run up the middle and the second would come after Henry Bendickson sacked Islander quarterback Brandon Hoban on fourth down, setting up first and goal at the DeLaSalle seven yard line. On the first play of the drive, Hager headed into the end zone to put the Orioles ahead 14-0. They would go up by 22 on quarterback Aaron Ellingson's 10 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak with :27.9 left in the first half and it would be the halftime margin.
St. Louis Park would score two more touchdowns in the third quarter as the Ellingson to McCabe Dvorak combination prevailed again, scoring on a five yard pass completion. Hager would reach the end zone for his third touchdown but it was called back due to a penalty. He would later score on a 10 yard run to increase the lead to 35.
As the game headed into running time in the fourth quarter, the Oriole reserves got into the game. William Dvorak replaced Ellingson at quarterback and he scored the game's final touchdown on a one yard keeper run bolstered by several runs from freshman Tyree Shorter.
The Orioles improved their record to 3-4 and end their regular season on Wednesday, October 16 as they host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 7 PM. The Islanders, with 30 players on their roster, also conclude their season on the 15th hosting the Cooper Hawks at 7 PM.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Six Goals and All Well for SLP Orioles
It was a wet Thursday night in St. Louis Park as the host Orioles opened quarterfinal play in the Section 6AA Boys Soccer Tournament with four goals from Randy Mayele that led them to a 6-1 win over the Cooper Hawks.
St. Louis Park would set the table 5:00 into the game as Thomas Salanzadeh faced a three player Cooper wall for a free kick and he lined it into the net. The Orioles would go up by two as Daniel Lainsbury headed in a rebound from a missed Nick Riley shot. Then it would be Mayele's turn in the St. Louis Park spotlight as he would score the next two goals. The last one would come with :05.2 remaining in the first half following a collision with Hawks goalkeeper Matthew Wood that sent the ball to the net. Wood would leave the game and be replaced by Jayden Hove. St. Louis Park led 4-0 at halftime.
With an insurmountable lead going into the second half, Oriole head coach Chato changed goalkeepers, replacing Beau Finley with Luis Benitez Matias. But it was Mayele who displayed speed and outstanding footwork as he would get the hat trick with his third goal coming from the center slot. The St. Louis Park senior would pick up his fourth goal following a pass from Thomas Salamzadeh. There would be no shutout for the second seeded Orioles when James Sondo would score from the right side of the net with 7:59 to conclude the scoring.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 12-1-1 and will host the Section 6AA semifinal game against the Hopkins Royals on Saturday, October 12 at 3 PM. The sixth seeded Royals upset the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 1-0 in overtime.
Cooper concluded their season with a 3-12 record.
St. Louis Park would set the table 5:00 into the game as Thomas Salanzadeh faced a three player Cooper wall for a free kick and he lined it into the net. The Orioles would go up by two as Daniel Lainsbury headed in a rebound from a missed Nick Riley shot. Then it would be Mayele's turn in the St. Louis Park spotlight as he would score the next two goals. The last one would come with :05.2 remaining in the first half following a collision with Hawks goalkeeper Matthew Wood that sent the ball to the net. Wood would leave the game and be replaced by Jayden Hove. St. Louis Park led 4-0 at halftime.
With an insurmountable lead going into the second half, Oriole head coach Chato changed goalkeepers, replacing Beau Finley with Luis Benitez Matias. But it was Mayele who displayed speed and outstanding footwork as he would get the hat trick with his third goal coming from the center slot. The St. Louis Park senior would pick up his fourth goal following a pass from Thomas Salamzadeh. There would be no shutout for the second seeded Orioles when James Sondo would score from the right side of the net with 7:59 to conclude the scoring.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 12-1-1 and will host the Section 6AA semifinal game against the Hopkins Royals on Saturday, October 12 at 3 PM. The sixth seeded Royals upset the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 1-0 in overtime.
Cooper concluded their season with a 3-12 record.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
SLP Orioles-DeLaSalle islanders Football Preview
The team bus has landed! The St. Louis Park Orioles football team returns home for their final two regular season games, starting with the DeLaSalle Islanders Friday night.
Last week, the Orioles concluded their road portion of the regular season as they headed down Highway 212 to Chanhassen to face the Storm and it was a cloudy result for St. Louis Park as they got beat by Chanhassen 40-22.
There was a bright spot for the Orioles that night in quarterback Aaron Ellingson, completing 11 of 22 passes for 313 yards and throwing three touchdown passes. Two of them were to McCabe Dvorak with the first for 62 yards and the second hauled in for 80 yards. The junior receiver caught five passes for 198 yards. Ellingson, who is 18 passing yards away from 1000 also had a stellar night on defense, recording 10 tackles. Jack Townsend also had an outstanding night on defense, recording nine tackles and the Orioles lone interception.
What's happened to the DeLaSalle Islanders? Two years ago, they lost in double overtime to Fridley in the section final and last season they finished 4-6. This season, the Minneapolis school near the Mississippi River hasn't been mighty in 2019, heading into Friday's game with a record of 1-5. Their lone win came on September 28 with a 21-0 shutout of the North St. Paul Polars. Last week, the Islanders were overwhelmed by the Orono Spartans 45-7. It doesn't get easier for DeLaSalle in next Wednesday's final regular season game as they host the Cooper Hawks.
The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are for Ellingson to continue what he did well against Chanhassen and create opportunities for McCabe Dvorak and his receivers to put the ball in the end zone. The running game has to be reestablished since the Orioles had only 42 yards on the ground, including 15 from Sajid Nathim.
The keys to the game for DeLaSalle is to get into an offensive groove and to tighten the defense that fell apart last week against Orono.
\A heads up to fans attending Friday's game. It will be a wintry weather picture with a possible rain and snow mix so bring an umbrella and dress warm. Game time is 7 PM.
Last week, the Orioles concluded their road portion of the regular season as they headed down Highway 212 to Chanhassen to face the Storm and it was a cloudy result for St. Louis Park as they got beat by Chanhassen 40-22.
There was a bright spot for the Orioles that night in quarterback Aaron Ellingson, completing 11 of 22 passes for 313 yards and throwing three touchdown passes. Two of them were to McCabe Dvorak with the first for 62 yards and the second hauled in for 80 yards. The junior receiver caught five passes for 198 yards. Ellingson, who is 18 passing yards away from 1000 also had a stellar night on defense, recording 10 tackles. Jack Townsend also had an outstanding night on defense, recording nine tackles and the Orioles lone interception.
What's happened to the DeLaSalle Islanders? Two years ago, they lost in double overtime to Fridley in the section final and last season they finished 4-6. This season, the Minneapolis school near the Mississippi River hasn't been mighty in 2019, heading into Friday's game with a record of 1-5. Their lone win came on September 28 with a 21-0 shutout of the North St. Paul Polars. Last week, the Islanders were overwhelmed by the Orono Spartans 45-7. It doesn't get easier for DeLaSalle in next Wednesday's final regular season game as they host the Cooper Hawks.
The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are for Ellingson to continue what he did well against Chanhassen and create opportunities for McCabe Dvorak and his receivers to put the ball in the end zone. The running game has to be reestablished since the Orioles had only 42 yards on the ground, including 15 from Sajid Nathim.
The keys to the game for DeLaSalle is to get into an offensive groove and to tighten the defense that fell apart last week against Orono.
\A heads up to fans attending Friday's game. It will be a wintry weather picture with a possible rain and snow mix so bring an umbrella and dress warm. Game time is 7 PM.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
2019 Section 6AA Soccer Tournament Preview
The road to the state soccer tournament gets underway this week for both St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams as they head into the Section 6AA quarterfinals this Thursday. Here's a preview of both the boys and girls pairings.
First up is the boys quarterfinal matchups as two Minneapolis schools square off for the second time this season. The eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers take on the top seeded Minneapolis Washbuen Millers. The Millers, ranked fourth in Class AA, captured the number one seed with a big 2-1 win over St. Louis Park October 5. Washburn dominated South in their regular season meeting September 12 4-0. Seven of the Millers 12 wins have been by shutout. They are one of the favorites in Section 6.
It's the "Battle of Plymouth" in the second upper bracket game with the fifth seeded Armstrong Falcons facing the fourth seeded Wayzata Trojans. The two Plymouth schools did not face each other in the regular season but their records are nearly identical with the Falcons 8-6-2 and the Trojans 8-5-3. Armstrong finished the regular season winning three of their last four games, losing their regular season finale to the Centennial Cougars. Wayzata is the defending section champion and has lost only one game since they were beaten bay the top ranked Edina Hornets 3-0 September 19. Don't count out the Trojans for a potential battle with the top seeded Millers.
To the lower bracket and a rematch of a September 12 game between the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks and the second seeded St. Louis Park Orioles. The Orioles came out on top 6-2 against the Hawks. Cooper has scored only one goal in its final two regular season games and it will be a tough task against a St. Louis Park team that came close to ending the regular season unbeaten but they were defeated by Washburn. The Orioles play outstanding defense and move the ball around well to set up scoring plays. Keep an eye on St. Louis Park. It could be their first trip to state since 2009 if they can get by the Millers in the section final.
Concluding the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It hasn't been a royal season for Hopkins, who did not win a game until they defeated the Eden Prairie Eagles 2-1 September 28. They did face Southwest in the regular season and tied the Lakers 1-1 August 29. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games and look to head to state for the first time since they finished second in 2010.
Looking at the girls tournament bracket, there is a new top seed for the first time in many years, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The Raiders ended the regular season on a five game winning streak and on a quest to advance to their first state tournament since 2004. First, they have to defeat the eighth seeded Armstrong Falcons who they opened their season against and demolished them 9-0 August 22. Armstrong has won only one game this season, the win coming against Park Center. Can CDH end Wayzata's Section 6 domination?
A season ending victory over the Minneapolis Washburn Millers earned the St. Louis Park Orioles the fifth seed. They will take on the fourth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It's been an up and down year for the Orioles, who had a four game winning streak before losing three in a row. Southwest has won seven of their last eight games, including a 1-0 win over St. Louis Park September 26. It should be a great quarterfinal game.
Over in the lower bracket, it's an All Minneapolis Showdown as the seventh seeded South Tigers battle the second seeded Washburn Millers. Washburn beat South in their regular season meeting 1-0 on September 12. The Millers are a tough team to score against and it showed late in the season with five straight shut outs, outscoring the opposition 24-0. They will need to continue their strong defense in order to play for a state tournament berth.
Wrapping up the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded and defending section champion Wayzata Trojans. No, it's not a typo. The Trojans are seeded third since they had a down regular season with two losing streaks of three games. Wayzata tied Washburn 1-1 August 27 and a rematch is very likely as the Trojans begin their journey to their 28th state tournament.
There are the pairings. Be sure and dress warm since it will be chilly, rainy and possibly snowy for Semifinal Saturday.
First up is the boys quarterfinal matchups as two Minneapolis schools square off for the second time this season. The eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers take on the top seeded Minneapolis Washbuen Millers. The Millers, ranked fourth in Class AA, captured the number one seed with a big 2-1 win over St. Louis Park October 5. Washburn dominated South in their regular season meeting September 12 4-0. Seven of the Millers 12 wins have been by shutout. They are one of the favorites in Section 6.
It's the "Battle of Plymouth" in the second upper bracket game with the fifth seeded Armstrong Falcons facing the fourth seeded Wayzata Trojans. The two Plymouth schools did not face each other in the regular season but their records are nearly identical with the Falcons 8-6-2 and the Trojans 8-5-3. Armstrong finished the regular season winning three of their last four games, losing their regular season finale to the Centennial Cougars. Wayzata is the defending section champion and has lost only one game since they were beaten bay the top ranked Edina Hornets 3-0 September 19. Don't count out the Trojans for a potential battle with the top seeded Millers.
To the lower bracket and a rematch of a September 12 game between the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks and the second seeded St. Louis Park Orioles. The Orioles came out on top 6-2 against the Hawks. Cooper has scored only one goal in its final two regular season games and it will be a tough task against a St. Louis Park team that came close to ending the regular season unbeaten but they were defeated by Washburn. The Orioles play outstanding defense and move the ball around well to set up scoring plays. Keep an eye on St. Louis Park. It could be their first trip to state since 2009 if they can get by the Millers in the section final.
Concluding the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It hasn't been a royal season for Hopkins, who did not win a game until they defeated the Eden Prairie Eagles 2-1 September 28. They did face Southwest in the regular season and tied the Lakers 1-1 August 29. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games and look to head to state for the first time since they finished second in 2010.
Looking at the girls tournament bracket, there is a new top seed for the first time in many years, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The Raiders ended the regular season on a five game winning streak and on a quest to advance to their first state tournament since 2004. First, they have to defeat the eighth seeded Armstrong Falcons who they opened their season against and demolished them 9-0 August 22. Armstrong has won only one game this season, the win coming against Park Center. Can CDH end Wayzata's Section 6 domination?
A season ending victory over the Minneapolis Washburn Millers earned the St. Louis Park Orioles the fifth seed. They will take on the fourth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It's been an up and down year for the Orioles, who had a four game winning streak before losing three in a row. Southwest has won seven of their last eight games, including a 1-0 win over St. Louis Park September 26. It should be a great quarterfinal game.
Over in the lower bracket, it's an All Minneapolis Showdown as the seventh seeded South Tigers battle the second seeded Washburn Millers. Washburn beat South in their regular season meeting 1-0 on September 12. The Millers are a tough team to score against and it showed late in the season with five straight shut outs, outscoring the opposition 24-0. They will need to continue their strong defense in order to play for a state tournament berth.
Wrapping up the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded and defending section champion Wayzata Trojans. No, it's not a typo. The Trojans are seeded third since they had a down regular season with two losing streaks of three games. Wayzata tied Washburn 1-1 August 27 and a rematch is very likely as the Trojans begin their journey to their 28th state tournament.
There are the pairings. Be sure and dress warm since it will be chilly, rainy and possibly snowy for Semifinal Saturday.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
SLP Orioles Split Home Season Finale With Chanhassen Storm
It was a chilly Thursday night in St. Louis Park as the Oriole soccer teams concluded the home portion of their regular season schedule against the Chanhassen Storm with the girls defeated 1-0 and the boys shutting out Chanhassen 5-0.
First up was the girls game where the Storm, who entered the final week of the regular season with two wins, got a first half goal from Riley Lyons to lead them to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
Lyons would roar down the field, dribbling the ball and sent it into the net for the only first half goal that would turn out to be the game's only goal. The Orioles had a number of chances to send the game into overtime but Chanhassen goalkeeper Jess Maus made a number of outstanding saves to preserve the shutout. Dare Kroeten would get a free kick as she went up against a three player Chanhassen wall but Maus would come out of the net to make the save. Maus' counterpart in goal for St. Louis Park, Sophia Romero would also prevent the ball from entering the net as she saved Kennedy Beld's shot.
The Storm conclude their regular season with a record of 3-8-2. They will open Section 2AA tournament play on Tuesday, October 8. The Orioles fell to 6-5-2 and end their regular season on Saturday, October 5 at 3 PM in Minneapolis against the Washburn Millers.
To the boys game where Claudy Zua scored two goals to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 clouding of the Chanhassen Storm.
St. Louis Park would put the game away with four first half goals. The first came with a flurry of action on the right side of the net as the ball deflected off a Storm player and entered the net. Zua would get credited for the goal. Their next two goals would come from penalty kicks as the Chanhassen defense played aggressive to prevent St. Louis Park from scoring but it would cost them not once but twice. Randy Mayele would score the first one and Thomas Salamzadeh score the other to put the Orioles up by three. They would score their fourth goal when the ball deflected off Alex Ruiz-Shimada and ended up inside the net with :09 left in the first half to lead 4-0 at halftime.
The Orioles would add another goal to their total in the second half as Zua would position himself on the right side of the net to rebound Mayele's shot and he would extend the lead to five.
Following the game, Oriole head coach Chato was honored for his 20 years of service to the boys soccer program.
St. Louis Park improves their record to 11-0-1 and ends the regular season on Saturday, October 5 with a 5 PM against the Millers at Minneapolis Washburn. Chanhassen also closes the regular season on the fifth as they head down I-494 to Woodbury to face the East Ridge Raptors at 1 PM.
First up was the girls game where the Storm, who entered the final week of the regular season with two wins, got a first half goal from Riley Lyons to lead them to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.
Lyons would roar down the field, dribbling the ball and sent it into the net for the only first half goal that would turn out to be the game's only goal. The Orioles had a number of chances to send the game into overtime but Chanhassen goalkeeper Jess Maus made a number of outstanding saves to preserve the shutout. Dare Kroeten would get a free kick as she went up against a three player Chanhassen wall but Maus would come out of the net to make the save. Maus' counterpart in goal for St. Louis Park, Sophia Romero would also prevent the ball from entering the net as she saved Kennedy Beld's shot.
The Storm conclude their regular season with a record of 3-8-2. They will open Section 2AA tournament play on Tuesday, October 8. The Orioles fell to 6-5-2 and end their regular season on Saturday, October 5 at 3 PM in Minneapolis against the Washburn Millers.
To the boys game where Claudy Zua scored two goals to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 clouding of the Chanhassen Storm.
St. Louis Park would put the game away with four first half goals. The first came with a flurry of action on the right side of the net as the ball deflected off a Storm player and entered the net. Zua would get credited for the goal. Their next two goals would come from penalty kicks as the Chanhassen defense played aggressive to prevent St. Louis Park from scoring but it would cost them not once but twice. Randy Mayele would score the first one and Thomas Salamzadeh score the other to put the Orioles up by three. They would score their fourth goal when the ball deflected off Alex Ruiz-Shimada and ended up inside the net with :09 left in the first half to lead 4-0 at halftime.
The Orioles would add another goal to their total in the second half as Zua would position himself on the right side of the net to rebound Mayele's shot and he would extend the lead to five.
Following the game, Oriole head coach Chato was honored for his 20 years of service to the boys soccer program.
St. Louis Park improves their record to 11-0-1 and ends the regular season on Saturday, October 5 with a 5 PM against the Millers at Minneapolis Washburn. Chanhassen also closes the regular season on the fifth as they head down I-494 to Woodbury to face the East Ridge Raptors at 1 PM.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
SLP Orioles-Chanhassen Storm Football Preview
The final road test of the regular season for the St. Louis Park Orioles football team takes place down Highway 212 in Chanhassen Friday night as the Orioles battle the Storm.
Both teams head into the sixth week of the regular season with identical 2-3 records.
St. Louis Park headed to Orono last week to face the Spartans as Aaron Ellingson threw two touchdown passes to McCabe Dvorak to lead them to a 28-14 win. Ellingson was effective under center, completing 11 of 15 passes for 156 yards and carrying the ball 13 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. Sajid Nathim led the Oriole rushing attack with 111 yards on 20 carries.
Defense was also a factor for St. Louis Park as Tobyous Davenport was credited with 10 tackles and Alex Hager had the Orioles lone sack.
Chanhassen ended a three game losing streak last Friday with a 19-13 overtime win over the Waconia Wildcats. Jack Schaefer's two touchdown passes in the first quarter put the Storm ahead 13-0 but the Wildcats would tie the game on Mac McEnelly's one yard touchdown run to send the game into overtime. Chanhassen would get the game winner on a four yard touchdown run from Jason Collins. He led the Storm in rushing with 73 yards on 18 carries.
On defense, Eli Mau led Chanhassen with 12 tackles. Chris Ewing had the lone Storm sack.
The keys to the Orioles beating the Storm is for Ellingson to have another outstanding game and throw to his receivers McCabe Dvorak, Davenport and Cole Ewald. The offensive line has to create opportunities for Nathim to pick up yardage as they head for the .500 mark going into their final two home games against DeLaSalle and Bloomington Jefferson.
The keys to the Storm beating the Orioles is for Collins to test the Oriole defense on the ground and for the defense to get to Ellingson.
The weather picture for Friday doesn't call for rain but bring a blanket since it might get chilly as well as a radio or a smartphone since the Twins open their playoff series against the Yankees that night. Game time is 7 PM.
Both teams head into the sixth week of the regular season with identical 2-3 records.
St. Louis Park headed to Orono last week to face the Spartans as Aaron Ellingson threw two touchdown passes to McCabe Dvorak to lead them to a 28-14 win. Ellingson was effective under center, completing 11 of 15 passes for 156 yards and carrying the ball 13 times for 48 yards and a touchdown. Sajid Nathim led the Oriole rushing attack with 111 yards on 20 carries.
Defense was also a factor for St. Louis Park as Tobyous Davenport was credited with 10 tackles and Alex Hager had the Orioles lone sack.
Chanhassen ended a three game losing streak last Friday with a 19-13 overtime win over the Waconia Wildcats. Jack Schaefer's two touchdown passes in the first quarter put the Storm ahead 13-0 but the Wildcats would tie the game on Mac McEnelly's one yard touchdown run to send the game into overtime. Chanhassen would get the game winner on a four yard touchdown run from Jason Collins. He led the Storm in rushing with 73 yards on 18 carries.
On defense, Eli Mau led Chanhassen with 12 tackles. Chris Ewing had the lone Storm sack.
The keys to the Orioles beating the Storm is for Ellingson to have another outstanding game and throw to his receivers McCabe Dvorak, Davenport and Cole Ewald. The offensive line has to create opportunities for Nathim to pick up yardage as they head for the .500 mark going into their final two home games against DeLaSalle and Bloomington Jefferson.
The keys to the Storm beating the Orioles is for Collins to test the Oriole defense on the ground and for the defense to get to Ellingson.
The weather picture for Friday doesn't call for rain but bring a blanket since it might get chilly as well as a radio or a smartphone since the Twins open their playoff series against the Yankees that night. Game time is 7 PM.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Mayer Lutheran Crusaders Sweep Bethlehem Academy Cardinals
Two Class A volleyball powers clad in red and black met Tuesday night in Mayer as the top ranked Mayer Lutheran Crusaders swept the Bethlehem Academy of Faribault Cardinals three sets to none.
The Crusaders took home the first set 25-14 behind a couple of key kills from Liv Tjernagel and outstanding center line play from sophomore Lilly Wachholz, one of three Wachholz sisters to play for Mayer Lutheran. The other two are Gabby, a freshman and Anna, a senior.
To the second set as Bethlehem Academy started the set with a 2-0 lead and Mayer Lutheran went on a 4-0 run to forge ahead. Mayer Lutheran fell behind 7-4 and would bounce back to take the lead on a left side kill from Claudia Stahlke. The Crusaders would go on a 10-2 run and emerge with a 25-19 win.
Mayer Lutheran opened the third set on a 3-0 run and Bethlehem Academy would come back to take a 7-6 lead. But it was the only time they would lead as the Crusaders displayed outstanding hitting as well as defense to wrap up the match 25-11.
Cardinal head coach Chris Bothum is in her first season leading the Faribault based team replacing long-time head coach Franz Boelter. Bothum, who played for the veteran head coach mentioned how very influential he was to her as a coach. "His record and many trips to the state tournament have helped."
Bothum mentioned about one thing about Boelter that she applied when she took over the program was the determination to win and have a winning attitude.
The first year head coach, who heads a program that has taken home six Class A championship trophies described what it would take to return to the Xcel Energy Center, site of the state tournament in St. Paul. "Continued hard work. Always moving. Knowing we can go out and beat good teams. "
Also interviewed was veteran Crusader head coach Joelle Grimsley, who is in her 25th season at Mayer Lutheran. She spent seven years coaching in Missouri. She mentioned the difference between high school volleyball in Missouri and Minnesota. "Minnesota was at a high level of play."
Grimsley said the keys to the Crusaders success are being positive and highly motivated. She also said that setting high expectations and meeting those expectations were also keys to the program's success.
The Crusaders improved their record to 17-1 and will travel to Arlington on Thursday, October 3 to take on the Sibley East Wolverines at 7 PM.
The Cardinals fell to 7-11 and will also be in action on the 3rd as they host the Medford Tigers at 7:15 PM.
The Crusaders took home the first set 25-14 behind a couple of key kills from Liv Tjernagel and outstanding center line play from sophomore Lilly Wachholz, one of three Wachholz sisters to play for Mayer Lutheran. The other two are Gabby, a freshman and Anna, a senior.
To the second set as Bethlehem Academy started the set with a 2-0 lead and Mayer Lutheran went on a 4-0 run to forge ahead. Mayer Lutheran fell behind 7-4 and would bounce back to take the lead on a left side kill from Claudia Stahlke. The Crusaders would go on a 10-2 run and emerge with a 25-19 win.
Mayer Lutheran opened the third set on a 3-0 run and Bethlehem Academy would come back to take a 7-6 lead. But it was the only time they would lead as the Crusaders displayed outstanding hitting as well as defense to wrap up the match 25-11.
Cardinal head coach Chris Bothum is in her first season leading the Faribault based team replacing long-time head coach Franz Boelter. Bothum, who played for the veteran head coach mentioned how very influential he was to her as a coach. "His record and many trips to the state tournament have helped."
Bothum mentioned about one thing about Boelter that she applied when she took over the program was the determination to win and have a winning attitude.
The first year head coach, who heads a program that has taken home six Class A championship trophies described what it would take to return to the Xcel Energy Center, site of the state tournament in St. Paul. "Continued hard work. Always moving. Knowing we can go out and beat good teams. "
Also interviewed was veteran Crusader head coach Joelle Grimsley, who is in her 25th season at Mayer Lutheran. She spent seven years coaching in Missouri. She mentioned the difference between high school volleyball in Missouri and Minnesota. "Minnesota was at a high level of play."
Grimsley said the keys to the Crusaders success are being positive and highly motivated. She also said that setting high expectations and meeting those expectations were also keys to the program's success.
The Crusaders improved their record to 17-1 and will travel to Arlington on Thursday, October 3 to take on the Sibley East Wolverines at 7 PM.
The Cardinals fell to 7-11 and will also be in action on the 3rd as they host the Medford Tigers at 7:15 PM.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Fifty Years Ago, Four Game Shows Get Cancelled
September 26, 1969. A sad day for game show fans as NBC cancelled four long running game shows in a major daytime schedule overhaul. Here's a look back at what was axed and the shows that replaced them.
The first was Tom Kennedy's breakout hit as host, You Don't Say. It began as a local game show on KTLA in Los Angeles with Jack Barry, in exile due to the quiz show scandals as host. But when NBC picked up the show to debut in April, 1963, Barry was still damaged goods so Kennedy, the brother of Jack Narz would become host. The game of famous names and places became one of two afternoon games popular with kids coming home from school. Though its ratings were still high, NBC cancelled the show and replaced it with the soap opera Bright Promise that would run two and a half seasons.
The other show that was popular with kids was the original version of Match Game, hosted by Gene Rayburn. The game was a lot different that what viewers would see when CBS revived the show in 1973. There were two teams consisting of two contestants and a celebrity and the questions were a lot tamer back then such as ""Name a kind of muffin." The show survived cancellation in 1963 and would run for seven years. It would be replaced by the comedy game show Letters to Laugh-In, a spinoff of the groundbreaking sketch comedy show. Hosted by announcer Gary Owens. It was no laughing matter in the ratings and it was let go after 13 weeks.
Two other shows also departed that day, both produced by Bob Stewart. The first would be his inaugural show as an independent packager after he left Goodson-Todman Eye Guess. Hosted by Bill Cullen, the show began in a morning time period before it was moved to the post Jeopardy time period of 12:30 PM and it thrived for over three and a half years. It would be replaced by the Heatter-Quigley game show Name Droppers, hosted by the Los Angeles radio duo of Al Lohman and Roger Barkley. A panel of three celebrities had a connection to a "name dropper" and two contestants, comprising a group of 20 would determine the celebrity connection. After 13 weeks, it was moved to 4 PM ET to replace Letters to Laugh-In and it also tanked in the ratings. Thirteen weeks later, it would be replaced by a soap opera, the Another World spinoff Somerset.
The other Stewart game show that got cancelled was a show that was Stewart's favorite creation Personality. Debuting in July, 1967 with Larry Blyden as host, a panel of three celebrities who played for home viewers would guess how celebrities would respond to a question. In Adam Nedeff's book, TV Game Shows FAQ, Stewart brainstormed about 2000 questions and conducted the interviews himself. It would have the shortest run of the four departed shows, running a little over two years.
On the brighter side of things, the show would replace Personality would have the most success for the replacements. Monday, September 29 would mark the debut of the original Sale of the Century. Taped in New York, the show was hosted by former Maverick star Jack Kelly but he would leave in 1971 and would be replaced by former major league catcher turned sportscaster Joe Garagiola. The game of questions, answers and instant bargains would run until July, 1973 where it was one of several long running shows axed by then daytime head Lin Bolen to make room for more flashier shows. It's replacement. The Wizard of Odds, the first game show hosted by current Jeopardy host Alex Trebek.
Also on the 29th, Sale of the Century's lead in, the long running Concentration would bring back Bob Clayton as host following a ratings decline that resulted from NBC hiring Ed McMahon as host.
It was all part of a mass change in NBC's daytime game show lineup that occurred 50 years ago.
The first was Tom Kennedy's breakout hit as host, You Don't Say. It began as a local game show on KTLA in Los Angeles with Jack Barry, in exile due to the quiz show scandals as host. But when NBC picked up the show to debut in April, 1963, Barry was still damaged goods so Kennedy, the brother of Jack Narz would become host. The game of famous names and places became one of two afternoon games popular with kids coming home from school. Though its ratings were still high, NBC cancelled the show and replaced it with the soap opera Bright Promise that would run two and a half seasons.
The other show that was popular with kids was the original version of Match Game, hosted by Gene Rayburn. The game was a lot different that what viewers would see when CBS revived the show in 1973. There were two teams consisting of two contestants and a celebrity and the questions were a lot tamer back then such as ""Name a kind of muffin." The show survived cancellation in 1963 and would run for seven years. It would be replaced by the comedy game show Letters to Laugh-In, a spinoff of the groundbreaking sketch comedy show. Hosted by announcer Gary Owens. It was no laughing matter in the ratings and it was let go after 13 weeks.
Two other shows also departed that day, both produced by Bob Stewart. The first would be his inaugural show as an independent packager after he left Goodson-Todman Eye Guess. Hosted by Bill Cullen, the show began in a morning time period before it was moved to the post Jeopardy time period of 12:30 PM and it thrived for over three and a half years. It would be replaced by the Heatter-Quigley game show Name Droppers, hosted by the Los Angeles radio duo of Al Lohman and Roger Barkley. A panel of three celebrities had a connection to a "name dropper" and two contestants, comprising a group of 20 would determine the celebrity connection. After 13 weeks, it was moved to 4 PM ET to replace Letters to Laugh-In and it also tanked in the ratings. Thirteen weeks later, it would be replaced by a soap opera, the Another World spinoff Somerset.
The other Stewart game show that got cancelled was a show that was Stewart's favorite creation Personality. Debuting in July, 1967 with Larry Blyden as host, a panel of three celebrities who played for home viewers would guess how celebrities would respond to a question. In Adam Nedeff's book, TV Game Shows FAQ, Stewart brainstormed about 2000 questions and conducted the interviews himself. It would have the shortest run of the four departed shows, running a little over two years.
On the brighter side of things, the show would replace Personality would have the most success for the replacements. Monday, September 29 would mark the debut of the original Sale of the Century. Taped in New York, the show was hosted by former Maverick star Jack Kelly but he would leave in 1971 and would be replaced by former major league catcher turned sportscaster Joe Garagiola. The game of questions, answers and instant bargains would run until July, 1973 where it was one of several long running shows axed by then daytime head Lin Bolen to make room for more flashier shows. It's replacement. The Wizard of Odds, the first game show hosted by current Jeopardy host Alex Trebek.
Also on the 29th, Sale of the Century's lead in, the long running Concentration would bring back Bob Clayton as host following a ratings decline that resulted from NBC hiring Ed McMahon as host.
It was all part of a mass change in NBC's daytime game show lineup that occurred 50 years ago.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
SLP Orioles-Orono Spartans Football Preview
The second half of the Minnesota high school football season begins this week as the St. Louis Park Orioles head to Pesonen stadium in Long Lake to face the Orono Spartans.
Both the Orioles and Spartans enter the game with identical 1-3 records. St. Louis Park had a Homecoming train wreck as the Spring Lake Park Panthers routed the Orioles 49-14. Orono got their first win of the season with a 14-7 win over the Waconia Wildcats.
In checking the box score and statistics from last week's game on mnfootballhub.com, there were no stats mentioned for the Orioles. But the rush defense sprung a leak as the Panthers ran for a total of 438 yards to only 36 passing yards. Henry Dennis ran 10 times for 189 yards and quarterback Zach Dunbar had 15 carries for 132 yards. Both Dennis and Dubar had two touchdowns apiece. The good news from the game was Sajid Nathim scored a touchdown on a 95 yard kickoff return.
The Spartans scored all their 14 points in the first half to hold off the Wildcats. Danny Striggow, who has committed to Minnesota next season scored on a 36 yard touchdown run to help snap a three game losing streak where they scored only seven points in the first three games. They have played a tough schedule that started with Benilde-St. Margaret's, continued with Cooper and face a state tournament team from last year in Chaska.
What St. Louis Park needs to do to beat Orono is to tighten the run defense and quarterback aaron Ellingson has to take care of the ball and not cause a lot of turnovers.
Orono's keys to the game include finding a way get the offense going and create more scoring opportunities.
The weather picture on Friday calls for temperatures in the 60s. Bring a jacket if you plan to attend the game that starts at 7 PM.
Both the Orioles and Spartans enter the game with identical 1-3 records. St. Louis Park had a Homecoming train wreck as the Spring Lake Park Panthers routed the Orioles 49-14. Orono got their first win of the season with a 14-7 win over the Waconia Wildcats.
In checking the box score and statistics from last week's game on mnfootballhub.com, there were no stats mentioned for the Orioles. But the rush defense sprung a leak as the Panthers ran for a total of 438 yards to only 36 passing yards. Henry Dennis ran 10 times for 189 yards and quarterback Zach Dunbar had 15 carries for 132 yards. Both Dennis and Dubar had two touchdowns apiece. The good news from the game was Sajid Nathim scored a touchdown on a 95 yard kickoff return.
The Spartans scored all their 14 points in the first half to hold off the Wildcats. Danny Striggow, who has committed to Minnesota next season scored on a 36 yard touchdown run to help snap a three game losing streak where they scored only seven points in the first three games. They have played a tough schedule that started with Benilde-St. Margaret's, continued with Cooper and face a state tournament team from last year in Chaska.
What St. Louis Park needs to do to beat Orono is to tighten the run defense and quarterback aaron Ellingson has to take care of the ball and not cause a lot of turnovers.
Orono's keys to the game include finding a way get the offense going and create more scoring opportunities.
The weather picture on Friday calls for temperatures in the 60s. Bring a jacket if you plan to attend the game that starts at 7 PM.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Spring Lake Park Panthers Spoil SLP Orioles Homecoming
Zach Dunbar and Henry Dennis were a menace to the massive throng in attendance for the St. Louis Park Orioles Homecoming football game as they scored two touchdowns apiece to lead the Spring Lake Panthers to a 49-14 rout Friday night.
The Panthers scored the first quarter's only touchdown on Dennis' 37 yard run down the left side to take a 7-0 lead. On the Orioles first drive, quarterback Aaron Ellingson was intercepted by Jesse sills, returning the ball to Spring Lake Park.
Spring Lake Park would put the game away in the second quarter. Their first touchdown came following a St. Louis Park encroachment penalty and Dunbar, the Panthers quarterback kept the ball and ran 37 yards to increase the lead to 14-0. Spring Lake Park would go up by 21 on Dennis' second touchdown of the game, a 48 yard run. Good news for the fans on the St. Louis Park side of the stadium. There would be no shutout. Sajid Nathim received the kickoff and ran like traffic heading down Minnetonka Blvd. to score a 95 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-6. The Panthers would wrap up the first half scoring on Dunbar's second touchdown, a three yard keeper run that gave them a 28-6 halftime lead.
Heading to the third quarter, there would be a bright spot for the Oriole offense as Nathim would convert on fourth down and two. But it would be for naught as the Panthers got the ball back and Dunbar would run for 25 yards to the St. Louis Park one yard line and Brian Orellana would score with 2:23 left to increase the margin to 35-6.
The fourth quarter began as a bad snap on an Oriole punt entered the end zone and it was recovered by the Panthers Jacob Fritz to build their lead to 42-6. As the game entered running time due to the large margin, St. Louis Park would get the offense in sync when Ellingson threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak and caught a two point conversion to trim the lead to 42-14. Ellingson would be finished for the evening as he would be replaced under center by William Dvorak. Spring Lake Park would conclude the scoring when Aaron Payne would be a pain for the Oriole defense, scoring on a 33 yard touchdown run.
The St. Louis Park Homecoming royalty was presented at halftime as wide receiver Tobyous Davenport was crowned king and the queen was Hattie Kugler.
The Panthers improved their record to 2-2 and will head to Hopkins on Friday, September 27 for a 7 PM game against the Royals. The Orioles fell to 1-3 and will also be in action on the 27th, heading down I-394 to Orono to face the Spartans at 7 PM.
The Panthers scored the first quarter's only touchdown on Dennis' 37 yard run down the left side to take a 7-0 lead. On the Orioles first drive, quarterback Aaron Ellingson was intercepted by Jesse sills, returning the ball to Spring Lake Park.
Spring Lake Park would put the game away in the second quarter. Their first touchdown came following a St. Louis Park encroachment penalty and Dunbar, the Panthers quarterback kept the ball and ran 37 yards to increase the lead to 14-0. Spring Lake Park would go up by 21 on Dennis' second touchdown of the game, a 48 yard run. Good news for the fans on the St. Louis Park side of the stadium. There would be no shutout. Sajid Nathim received the kickoff and ran like traffic heading down Minnetonka Blvd. to score a 95 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 21-6. The Panthers would wrap up the first half scoring on Dunbar's second touchdown, a three yard keeper run that gave them a 28-6 halftime lead.
Heading to the third quarter, there would be a bright spot for the Oriole offense as Nathim would convert on fourth down and two. But it would be for naught as the Panthers got the ball back and Dunbar would run for 25 yards to the St. Louis Park one yard line and Brian Orellana would score with 2:23 left to increase the margin to 35-6.
The fourth quarter began as a bad snap on an Oriole punt entered the end zone and it was recovered by the Panthers Jacob Fritz to build their lead to 42-6. As the game entered running time due to the large margin, St. Louis Park would get the offense in sync when Ellingson threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak and caught a two point conversion to trim the lead to 42-14. Ellingson would be finished for the evening as he would be replaced under center by William Dvorak. Spring Lake Park would conclude the scoring when Aaron Payne would be a pain for the Oriole defense, scoring on a 33 yard touchdown run.
The St. Louis Park Homecoming royalty was presented at halftime as wide receiver Tobyous Davenport was crowned king and the queen was Hattie Kugler.
The Panthers improved their record to 2-2 and will head to Hopkins on Friday, September 27 for a 7 PM game against the Royals. The Orioles fell to 1-3 and will also be in action on the 27th, heading down I-394 to Orono to face the Spartans at 7 PM.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
SLP Oriole Boys Win in Overtime-Girls Shutout Jefferson
The sun was shining bright at St. Louis Park Thursday as the host Orioles faced the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars with the boys needing overtime to beat the Jaguars 3-2 and the girls recorded their fourth consecutive shutout with a 3-0 win over Jefferson.
First up was the boys as Thomas Salamzadeh got a goal and assisted on Claudy Zua's game winner with 2:02 left in the second overtime to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
Neither team would send a ball into the net in the first half. The Jaguars would vault into the lead in the second half on a high kick from Jack Simonet that landed in the net. Could Jefferson pull the upset over second ranked St. Louis Park? It wouldn't happen as the Jaguars got an own goal that was credited to the Orioles Randy Mayele to tie the game at one and send it into overtime.
Both teams would tally in the first overtime. Jefferson would regain the lead as St. Louis Park would be a victim of an own goal, thus crediting the Jaguar goal to Christopher Ceurvorst. The Orioles would even the score on Salamzadeh's line drive goal with :26.7 left in the first overtime to tie the game at two. It would be Salamzadeh who would set up the clincher in the second overtime as his shot was saved by Jefferson goalkeeper Jonas Hinds and Zua would score on a rebound with 2:02 to go and it would wrap up the victory.
Oriole head coach Chato missed the game due to tending to his ailing father in Costa Rica, leaving the team once again in the hands of assistants Pat Hartman and Bob Decker.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 10-0 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 24 as they head to Benilde-St. Margaret's to face the Red Knights at 7 PM. Jefferson lost their third straight game and fell to 3-8. They will head down I-35 on Saturday, September 21 to battle the Lakeville North Panthers at 1 PM.
Over to the girls game as the St. Louis Park Orioles got scoring balance from three players en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
It didn't take long for the Orioles to take the lead as Aliviah McClinton's shot bounced into the net :41 into the game to put the Orioles ahead. It would be the only goal of the first half and St. Louis Park led 1-0.
The Orioles would go up by two in the second half on Olivia Brown's center slot goal. The Jaguars fell victim to an own goal when the ball deflected off Lexi Evans and entered the net. Dare Kroeten would get credited with the goal as St. Louis Park would play outstanding defense to preserve their fourth consecutive shutout.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 6-2-2. In their six wins this season, the Orioles have outscored their opponents 21-0 and have scored 13 unanswered goals since the 4-0 loss to Champlin Park September 7. They will have a tough test on Tuesday, September 24 when they head to Benilde-St. Margaret's to take on the Red Knights at 5 PM. BSM has not lost a game since they were beaten by Blake 2-1 August 29. Bloomington Jefferson returns to action on Saturday, September 21 as they head to Golden Valley to face the Breck Mustangs at 3 PM.
First up was the boys as Thomas Salamzadeh got a goal and assisted on Claudy Zua's game winner with 2:02 left in the second overtime to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 3-2 win over the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
Neither team would send a ball into the net in the first half. The Jaguars would vault into the lead in the second half on a high kick from Jack Simonet that landed in the net. Could Jefferson pull the upset over second ranked St. Louis Park? It wouldn't happen as the Jaguars got an own goal that was credited to the Orioles Randy Mayele to tie the game at one and send it into overtime.
Both teams would tally in the first overtime. Jefferson would regain the lead as St. Louis Park would be a victim of an own goal, thus crediting the Jaguar goal to Christopher Ceurvorst. The Orioles would even the score on Salamzadeh's line drive goal with :26.7 left in the first overtime to tie the game at two. It would be Salamzadeh who would set up the clincher in the second overtime as his shot was saved by Jefferson goalkeeper Jonas Hinds and Zua would score on a rebound with 2:02 to go and it would wrap up the victory.
Oriole head coach Chato missed the game due to tending to his ailing father in Costa Rica, leaving the team once again in the hands of assistants Pat Hartman and Bob Decker.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 10-0 and returns to action on Tuesday, September 24 as they head to Benilde-St. Margaret's to face the Red Knights at 7 PM. Jefferson lost their third straight game and fell to 3-8. They will head down I-35 on Saturday, September 21 to battle the Lakeville North Panthers at 1 PM.
Over to the girls game as the St. Louis Park Orioles got scoring balance from three players en route to a 3-0 shutout of the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars.
It didn't take long for the Orioles to take the lead as Aliviah McClinton's shot bounced into the net :41 into the game to put the Orioles ahead. It would be the only goal of the first half and St. Louis Park led 1-0.
The Orioles would go up by two in the second half on Olivia Brown's center slot goal. The Jaguars fell victim to an own goal when the ball deflected off Lexi Evans and entered the net. Dare Kroeten would get credited with the goal as St. Louis Park would play outstanding defense to preserve their fourth consecutive shutout.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 6-2-2. In their six wins this season, the Orioles have outscored their opponents 21-0 and have scored 13 unanswered goals since the 4-0 loss to Champlin Park September 7. They will have a tough test on Tuesday, September 24 when they head to Benilde-St. Margaret's to take on the Red Knights at 5 PM. BSM has not lost a game since they were beaten by Blake 2-1 August 29. Bloomington Jefferson returns to action on Saturday, September 21 as they head to Golden Valley to face the Breck Mustangs at 3 PM.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Spring Lake Park Panthers-SLP Orioles Football Preview
Get ready for Homecoming football 2019 as the Battle of the SLPs comes to St. Louis Park as the Orioles face the Spring Lake Park Panthers Friday, September 20.
Both the Panthers and the Orioles head into the midpoint of the regular season with identical 1-2 records. They're also coming off defeats last Friday with the Orioles getting clobbered by the cooper Hawks 49-25 and the Panthers falling to the Coon Rapids Cardinals 23-14.
There was a bright spot for St. Louis Park last week in New Hope when running back Sajid Nathim had 26 carries for 171 yards and reached the end zone three times. The Orioles trailed 21-13 at halftime but cooper would put the game away in the second half as quarterback Joseph Russell threw for 228 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for 98 yards.
On the defensive side for St. Louis Park, Tony Sadler sacked Joseph Russel and had 10 total tavkles. He will need to be a factor along with the remainder of the Oriole defense.
As for the Panthers, in their second season under head coach John Stewart, they still employ a high powered running game. Quarterback Zach Dunbar completed seven of 12 passes for 84 yards, including a touchdown pass to Kaleb Skelly. Dunbar also ran 24 times for 85 yards. The Panther defense was anchored by Blaine Cooper who had 12 total tackles and Joey Sorenson added 11.
The key to the Orioles having a happy Homecoming is for Nathim to continue where he left off last week against Cooper and the defense has to slow down the Panther rushing attack.
The key to the Panthers beating the Orioles is for the offensive line to create opportunities for Dunbar and for the defense to slow down St. Louis Park quarterback Aaron Ellingson.
If you're going to the game, get there early. A large Homecoming crowd is anticipated. You also might want to bring an umbrella. Game time is 7 PM.
Both the Panthers and the Orioles head into the midpoint of the regular season with identical 1-2 records. They're also coming off defeats last Friday with the Orioles getting clobbered by the cooper Hawks 49-25 and the Panthers falling to the Coon Rapids Cardinals 23-14.
There was a bright spot for St. Louis Park last week in New Hope when running back Sajid Nathim had 26 carries for 171 yards and reached the end zone three times. The Orioles trailed 21-13 at halftime but cooper would put the game away in the second half as quarterback Joseph Russell threw for 228 yards and three touchdown passes and ran for 98 yards.
On the defensive side for St. Louis Park, Tony Sadler sacked Joseph Russel and had 10 total tavkles. He will need to be a factor along with the remainder of the Oriole defense.
As for the Panthers, in their second season under head coach John Stewart, they still employ a high powered running game. Quarterback Zach Dunbar completed seven of 12 passes for 84 yards, including a touchdown pass to Kaleb Skelly. Dunbar also ran 24 times for 85 yards. The Panther defense was anchored by Blaine Cooper who had 12 total tackles and Joey Sorenson added 11.
The key to the Orioles having a happy Homecoming is for Nathim to continue where he left off last week against Cooper and the defense has to slow down the Panther rushing attack.
The key to the Panthers beating the Orioles is for the offensive line to create opportunities for Dunbar and for the defense to slow down St. Louis Park quarterback Aaron Ellingson.
If you're going to the game, get there early. A large Homecoming crowd is anticipated. You also might want to bring an umbrella. Game time is 7 PM.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
It Takes One Goal For SLP Orioles to Beat Blake Bears
Two highly rated boys soccer powerhouses battled in St. Louis Park Tuesday night as Dan Lainsbury scored the game's only goal with 11:10 left in regulation time to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 1-0 win over the defending Class A champion Blake Bears.
Neither team would tally in the first half. However, the Orioles got a crushing blow when Niko Pantazides was issued a red card and he was ejected from the game. St. Louis Park would have to play shorthanded the remainder of the game. What kept the Orioles, ranked second in Class AA behind the Edina Hornets was defense. They put pressure on a Bears offense that has scored 40 unanswered goals.
The streak would come to an end when Nick Riley made a centering pass to Lainsbury and he would send the ball into the net. Blake was unable to tally, though a shot went off the crossbar and the St. Louis Park defense would hold on for the win.
Tuesday night was also Senior night. At halftime, nine Oriole seniors and their parents were honored for their years of service to the boys soccer program.
Pat Hartman, who coached the team along with Bob Decker in head coach Chato's absence game his thoughts on how the Orioles managed to beat the Bears.
"I'm really proud of the boys tonight. They played their hearts out. They executed their game plan and they played well.
Hartman also stated that following Pantazides' disqualification, they responded well and played hard.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 9-0 and hosts the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Thursday, September 19 at 5 PM. Blake fell to 9-1 and travels to Golden Valley on Wednesday, September 18 against the Breck Mustangs at 7:30 PM.
Neither team would tally in the first half. However, the Orioles got a crushing blow when Niko Pantazides was issued a red card and he was ejected from the game. St. Louis Park would have to play shorthanded the remainder of the game. What kept the Orioles, ranked second in Class AA behind the Edina Hornets was defense. They put pressure on a Bears offense that has scored 40 unanswered goals.
The streak would come to an end when Nick Riley made a centering pass to Lainsbury and he would send the ball into the net. Blake was unable to tally, though a shot went off the crossbar and the St. Louis Park defense would hold on for the win.
Tuesday night was also Senior night. At halftime, nine Oriole seniors and their parents were honored for their years of service to the boys soccer program.
Pat Hartman, who coached the team along with Bob Decker in head coach Chato's absence game his thoughts on how the Orioles managed to beat the Bears.
"I'm really proud of the boys tonight. They played their hearts out. They executed their game plan and they played well.
Hartman also stated that following Pantazides' disqualification, they responded well and played hard.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 9-0 and hosts the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Thursday, September 19 at 5 PM. Blake fell to 9-1 and travels to Golden Valley on Wednesday, September 18 against the Breck Mustangs at 7:30 PM.
Friday, September 13, 2019
STMA Knights Storm Past Shakopee Sabers
Though the weather was a bit chilly Friday night, it didn't stop a multitude of blue and gold clad fans from packing the main seating area to see Kolby Gartner throw three touchdown passes to lead the host St. Michael-Albertville Knights to a 35-7 win over the Shakopee Sabers.
After preventing the Sabers from crossing the goal line on fourth and goal, the Knights got the ball and Gartner threw a beautiful spiral down the center of the field that Brandon Langdok docked in his mitts to haul in a 71 touchdown pass to put STMA ahead 7-0.
The STMA backfield was bolstered by junior David Collins who gained 21 yards as he broke two Shakopee tackles and was brought down first and goal at the Saber four yard line. But Collins was not done yet as he scored on a four yard run to put the Knights ahead 14-0. There would be no shutout for the Knights as Shakopee quarterback kept the ball for a third down conversion of 20 yards and Donovan Monroe ran down the right side of the field for a 22 yard touchdown to cut the margin to 14-7. STMA, one of the top teams in Class AAAAA football would close out the first half scoring on Gartner's 14 yard touchdown pass to Samuel Caron with :02 left in the half giving the Knights a 21-7 halftime lead.
Neither team would tally in the third quarter though the Knight defense would sack Bigaouette twice. The first was by Luke Johnson and the second came from Boston Merila.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights would put the game away with a pair of touchdowns. The first touchdown came following a 24 yard run by Collins that would spot the ball first and goal at the Shakopee four yard line and Ty Songstad hit the high note for STMA with a four yard touchdown run to increase the margin to 28-7. Songstad would reach the end zone again when he caught an eight yard pass from Gartner with 4:03 to play.
Collins would lead the Knights offensive attack with 19 carries for 165 yards. The Sabers had 218 in total offense.
STMA improved their record to 3-0 and will head to Plymouth next Friday, September 20 to face the Wayzata Trojans at 7 PM. Shakopee fell to 1-2 and will also be in action on the 20th as the take on the Eden Prairie Eagles at 7 PM at TCO Stadium in Eagan.
After preventing the Sabers from crossing the goal line on fourth and goal, the Knights got the ball and Gartner threw a beautiful spiral down the center of the field that Brandon Langdok docked in his mitts to haul in a 71 touchdown pass to put STMA ahead 7-0.
The STMA backfield was bolstered by junior David Collins who gained 21 yards as he broke two Shakopee tackles and was brought down first and goal at the Saber four yard line. But Collins was not done yet as he scored on a four yard run to put the Knights ahead 14-0. There would be no shutout for the Knights as Shakopee quarterback kept the ball for a third down conversion of 20 yards and Donovan Monroe ran down the right side of the field for a 22 yard touchdown to cut the margin to 14-7. STMA, one of the top teams in Class AAAAA football would close out the first half scoring on Gartner's 14 yard touchdown pass to Samuel Caron with :02 left in the half giving the Knights a 21-7 halftime lead.
Neither team would tally in the third quarter though the Knight defense would sack Bigaouette twice. The first was by Luke Johnson and the second came from Boston Merila.
In the fourth quarter, the Knights would put the game away with a pair of touchdowns. The first touchdown came following a 24 yard run by Collins that would spot the ball first and goal at the Shakopee four yard line and Ty Songstad hit the high note for STMA with a four yard touchdown run to increase the margin to 28-7. Songstad would reach the end zone again when he caught an eight yard pass from Gartner with 4:03 to play.
Collins would lead the Knights offensive attack with 19 carries for 165 yards. The Sabers had 218 in total offense.
STMA improved their record to 3-0 and will head to Plymouth next Friday, September 20 to face the Wayzata Trojans at 7 PM. Shakopee fell to 1-2 and will also be in action on the 20th as the take on the Eden Prairie Eagles at 7 PM at TCO Stadium in Eagan.
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