SLP Orioles-Orono Spartans Football Preview

 Heading into the second half of the 2021 Minnesota high school football season, the St. Louis Park Orioles are "Hot hot hot" as they will attempt to win their fourth consecutive game against the Orono Spartans Friday night. 

Last Friday, it was a happy Homecoming for the Orioles as they beat their city rival the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights 31-21.  Quarterback Will Dvorak threw two touchdown passes to Stefano Giovannelli and Deontez Ross Jr. reached the end zone twice.  He scored his first touchdown on a five yard run and ran a kickoff return 94 yards into the end zone.  

The Spartans got beat last week, falling 26-6 to the Chanhassen Storm.  Orono's lone touchdown came on a 28 yard completion from Charlie Kraus to Hunter Fox.  Aiden Mueller ran for 52 yards to lead the Spartan Rushing attack.  He ran for 242 yards and three touchdowns in Orono's lone win against the Holy Angels Stars September 10.  The Spartan defense got two sacks apiece from Nash Tichy and Charlie Brophy.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is for Ross to utilize his speed that has resulted in five touchdowns in three games and for the team of Dvorak and Giovannelli to continue their momentum.  They also have to solve the Orono defense.  

The key to the game for the Spartans is for the defense to put pressure on Dvorak and for the offense to get into a rhythm.  

Friday's weather picture looks like possible scattered thunderstorms so if you plan on going to the game, you might consider bringing an umbrella.  As usual, game time is 7 PM.  

Two One Goal Games for SLP Soccer Teams

 The St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams closed out September on a high note as they hosted the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles with the girls coming from behind to beat Kennedy 3-2 and the boys holding off the Eagles 4-3.  

First up was the girls game and Alma Beaton made her head coach mom Anne and the fans in attendance happy by scoring the game winning goal with :39.1 in regulation time to beat the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles 3-2.  

The Eagles would score the lone goal of the first half when Isabella Lone, daughter of head coach Mario Lone, lined a shot from the 35 yard line that landed in the net.  

Kennedy would increase the margin to two in the second half.  Alex Rosales made a centering pass from the far left corner to Ruthie Gyasi and she would connect to make the score 2-0.  But the Orioles were not out of this one yet.  A shot by Amelia Beach barely crossed the goal line to cut the lead to one.  Then Alma Beaton, wearing number six, would even the score after her free kick was block and she would score on a rebound.  Would there be overtime on this warm Thursday night?  Not according to Alma Beaton.  Following a restart due to a Kennedy yellow card, Beaton lined the ball toward the goal and it went passed Eagle goalkeeper Kaysawn Carlson for the win.  

The Orioles improved their record to 4-7 and host the Armstrong Falcons on Saturday, October 2 at noon.  The Eagles fell to 7-4 and will also be in action on the 2nd, hosting the Park Center Pirates at noon.  

Now to the boys game as the red hot Orioles got two goals from Claudy Zua to lead them to a 4-3 win over the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.  

It looked like the Eagles would cool off the Orioles in the first half with a pair of early goals.  Diego Perez would strike first followed by Geradito Ontiveros Castillo :55 later.  But the news would be good for St. Louis Park as Zua would score on a rebound and Zuca Guarin would tally :39 later to tie the game at two at halftime.  

Zua would record his second goal of the game, scoring from the center slot to put the Orioles ahead.  Shetaye would line a shot that deflected off of Eagle goalkeeper Brandon Cruz Rojas and enter the net to put St. Louis Park ahead by two.  Kennedy would get back into the game on a penalty kick goal from Santiago Singer Eman but that would be it as St. Louis Park would play strong defense.  

The Orioles won their ninth straight game to improve their record to 9-1.  They will return to action on Saturday, October 2 at 1 PM in Minneapolis against the DeLaSalle Islanders.  The Eagles fell to 5-7 and host the Cooper Hawks on Friday, October 1 at 5 PM.  

A Five Set Thriller in Chaska

 The bleachers were packed with red and maroon clad volleyball fans Tuesday night to see the battle of top ranked teams the Mayer Lutheran Crusaders in Class A and the host Southwest Christian Stars in Class AA and it turned out to be a thriller as the Stars scored four straight points in the fifth set to beat the Crusaders three sets to two.  

There were several ties in the first set as the Stars used powerful attacks to go on a 5-0 run. Southwest Christian went on a 7-2 run that also included the 2000th career assist for senior setter Ella McIntosh that resulted in a 25-20 win.  Estelle Haugen, headed for Georgia next season got the set winning kill.  

To the second set where the lead changed hands throughout.  Mayer Lutheran would even the score at 18 and Southwest Christian would regain the lead.  They would score three straight points to clinch the win, including a kill from Annika Veurink.  

Down two sets to none, the unbeaten Crusaders would bounce back in the third set as the lead went back and forth like a pendulum on a grandfather clock.  Outstanding blocking by Mehlayna Straub and and Callie Coughlin kept the Stars shining in the set.  With the score tied at 24, Mayer Lutheran scored the last two points to win 26-24.  

The Crusaders, led by the all around play of Lily Wachholz, who will be heading down I-35 to Iowa State next season took the fourth set 25-22, thus forcing a fifth set.  

And what a fifth set it was as both teams displayed excellent volleyball and was the Stars who would prevail as they put the set away 15-11.  

Both head coaches Jessy Tow-Arnett of Southwest Christian and Joelle Grimsley were interviewed prior to the start of the match.  Tow-Arnett stated the key to the Stars success.  

"They understand high level volleyball has to be fought.  Every game shouldn't be an easy win."  

Grimsley gave her reaction to the expanded state tournament from three to four classes.  

"It's a great opportunity for people.  More people to experience the state tournament."  

The Stars improved their record to 16-2 and head to Delano to face the Tigers on Thursday, Spetember 30 at 7 PM.  The Crusaders fell to 17-1 and will also be in action on the 30th as they host the Belle Plaine Tigers at 7 PM.  

A Happy Homecoming for SLP Orioles

 The bleachers were packed with mostly orange and black clad fans Friday night for the St. Louis Park Orioles Homecoming football game and they would go home happy thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Will Dvorak to Stefano Giovannelli that led St. Louis Park to a 31-21 win over the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights.  

Things got a bit sloppy in the first quarter for the Red Knights as a bad snap on a fourth down punt led to an Oriole safety.  St. Louis Park would reach the end zone on their first drive on Dvorak's 48 yard completion to Giovannelli and they would lead 9-0.  BSM would erase the zero from their portion of the scoreboard on pass from Jamarrius Courtney to Max Benning and he broke through a couple of tackles and reached the end zone to cut the Oriole lead to two.  But the combination of Dvorak and Giovannelli would strike again.  This time on a 51 yard strike and St. Louis Park led 15-7.  

It would be Deontez Ross Jr. who would account for the Orioles lone second quarter touchdown.  After catching a screen pass from Dvorak, he would score on a five yard run.  The Red Knights on third down got a 46 yard pass from Courtney to Benning and Courtney, the junior quarterback put the finishing touch on the drive with a four yard keeper touchdown with :09.1 left in the first half.  St. Louis Park led 22-14 at halftime.  

BSM would come close in the third quarter as Courtney completed his second touchdown pass of the game, a six yard completion to Zane Slater.  It wouldn't take long for St. Louis Park to reach the end zone.  On the kickoff, Ross would run like he was heading down Highway 7 94 yards for a touchdown and the Orioles would lead 29-21.  

For the second time, a bad fourth down punt snap would land the ball in the end zone for another Oriole safety.  The Red Knights would have a chance to get closer to the Orioles.  Facing fourth down and goal at the St. Louis Park 10 yard line, Courtney was unable to get the ball in the end zone.  

Ezra Hudson and Victoria Schmelzele were crowned Homecoming King and Queen at halftime.  

Looking at the stat sheet, Dvorak completed 7 of 11 passes for 170 yards and Ross had 22 carries for 84 yards for St. Louis Park.  For BSM, Courtney was 14 of 27 for 248 yards and rushed for 60 more.  Benning caught six passes for 196 yards.  

The Orioles improved their record to 3-1 and will host the Orono Spartans on Friday, October 1 at 7 PM.  The Red Knights fell to 0-4 and will host the Holy Angels Stars, also on October 1 at 7 PM.  

Previewing SLP Orioles Homecoming Football Battle of St. Louis Park

 It's The Battle of St. Louis Park to highlight Homecoming 2021 as the Oriole football team takes on the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights Friday night.  

Last Friday, the Orioles won their second straight game as they head down Highway 62 to Mendota Heights and beat the Two Rivers Warriors 31-7.  Deontez Ross Jr. continued his hot offensive run for St. Louis Park running 18 times for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns, giving him four in two games.  Quarterback Will Dvorak completed 10 of 17 passes for 133 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Brady Walsh.  The Oriole signal caller also led their rushing attack with 109 yards and a touchdown.  On the defensive side, Henry Bendickson had eight tackles.  

This season has been transitional for the Red Knights under first year head coach Sean McMenomy.  The former Mpls. Southwest head coach took over BSM after Jon Hanks retired.  They go into Week Four with a record of 0-3 that also includes defeats to the Spring Lake Park Panthers and last week, the Chaska Hawks 41-14.  The Red Knight offense was led by quarterback Jamarrius Courtney as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 154 yards and ran into the end zone twice.  Brady Wine led BSM with 12 tackles and Ryan Sever added 10.  

The key to the game for St. Louis Park is for the running game, bolstered by the return of Zeke Oppegaard from an injury to wear down the BSM defense.  The defense has to put pressure on Courtney and force turnovers.  

The key to the game for the Red Knights is establish an offense beyond Courtney.  They have to get other people involved that will put the ball in the end zone.  Where has Max Benning been in the Red Knight offense?  He scored two touchdowns in the season opener against Irondale and hasn't been heard from since.  The defense has to come up with a big play.  

The weather picture looks a bit cooler this coming Friday night with temperatures in the 60s.  Bring a jacket and get there early since it will be a large crowd for Homecoming.  Game time, as usual is 7 PM.  

SLP Orioles Sweep New Prague Trojans

 On a wet Monday night, the St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams took the field with the girls winning their second straight game with a 1-0 win over the New Prague Trojans and the boys blasting the Trojans 5-2.  

It came early but Vesma Dennison's goal 1:38 into the game turned out to be the only goal of the game that led the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 1-0 win over the New Prague Trojans.

Dennison, one of three Oriole sophomores, lined a shot from the right side 1:38 into the first half.  The Trojans suffered a blow in the half when goalkeeper Alexis Mattern left the game due to an injury that she suffered in a collision with a St. Louis Park player.  Evie Wegner replaced Mattern in goal.  She did keep New Prague in the game with solid defense.  

The Orioles improved their record to 2-6 and return to action against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Wednesday, September 22 at 7 PM at Bloomington Stadium.  The Trojans fell to 2-5 and will also be in action on the 22nd as they host the Chaska Hawks at 7 PM.  

Last Saturday, St. Louis Park won their first game under first year head coach Anne Beaton with a 3-1 victory over the Richfield Spartans.  Prior to the start of the game, she gave her reaction to the team's inaugural win in her leadership.  

"I'm excited for the girls to get their first win and we're hoping to build on it moving forward."  

Now to the boys game as it was Senior Night, honoring 10 players in their final season in the Oriole soccer program.  Four seniors tallied a goal en route to a 5-2 win over the New Prague Trojans.  

The Trojans looked like they were on their way to an upset when Luke Fortner scored 1:07 into the game.  But the first Oriole senior to put the ball in the net was Evan Rosvold to tie the game at one.  St. Louis Park would vault ahead on Bennett Kouame's liner that landed in the net and the Orioles led 2-1 at halftime.  

Two more seniors would enter the scoring column for St. Louis Park in the second half.  First was Jovan Dennison followed by a left side shot from Nick Kent.  The only non senior to send the ball to the net was Sam Wolden.  The junior made his varsity debut and scored on a rebound.  Jacob Lee would end St. Louis Park's five goal run for the Trojans and that was all that they could manage.  

The Orioles improved their record to 5-1 and return to action on Wednesday, September 22 when they head to Bloomington Jefferson to face the Jaguars at 4:45 PM.  The Trojans fell to 1-7 and will also be in action on the 22nd, hosting the Chaska Hawks at 5 PM.   

SLP Orioles Split With Hopkins Royals

 Friday night is the usual night that high school football is in the spotlight but in St. Louis Park it was soccer that took center stage as the Orioles hosted the Hopkins Royals with the boys on top 5-2 and the girls routed 7-1.  

In the boys game, Claudy Zua's two consecutive second half goals led the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-2 win over the Hopkins Royals.  

The Orioles struck first on Nick Kent's shot from the far post that landed in the net.  Zua would pick up an assist on St. Louis Park's second goal as he fed Bennett Kouame and the Orioles led by two.  An Oriole own goal would put Hopkins on the board that was credited to Elijah Peterson and St. Louis Park led 2-1 at halftime.  

Zua would score his first goal of the second half after Elijah Proost's shot was blocked and Zua picked up the lost ball and sent it toward the open net.  His second goal came on a centering pass from Kouame and the Orioles lead increased to three.  Ty Perkins would end the St. Louis Park run with a right side goal.  The Oriole bench also contributed when eighth grader Tyler Puentes lined a shot from the left side and into the goal to wrap up the scoring.  

St. Louis Park won their fourth straight game to improve their record to 4-1 and hosts the New Prague Warriors on Monday, September 20 at 7 PM.  It will also be Senior Night.  Hopkins fell to 1-6 and will host the Edina Hornets on Saturday, September 18 at 3 PM.

Now to the girls game as Bryn Etzell scored two goals to help spark a five goal first half to lead the Hopkins Royals to a 7-2 rout of the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

Avery Shaw would score first to give the Royals the early lead.  The Orioles would tie the game on Alma Beaton's lined shot but Hopkins would put the game away with four unanswered goals.  Etzell would strike twice in a :35 second span.Kate Nielsen's shot would deflect off of Oriole goalkeeper Sophia Romero and into the net and Lizzie Norman would line a shot off Romero that gave Hopkins a 5-1 halftime lead.  

The Royals would add two goals to their ledger in the second half, coming from Avery Petty and Abby Hoiska.  Beaton would score her second goal of the game with 11:22 left to conclude the scoring.  

Both teams return to action on Saturday, September 18.  Hopkins improved their record to 3-1-1 and hosts the Edina Hornets at 1 PM.  St. Louis Park, looking for their first win under first year head coach Anne Beaton fell to 0-6 and heads to Richfield for a 1 PM battle with the Spartans.  

SLP Orioles-Two Rivers Warriors Football Preview

 While the St. Louis Park soccer teams host a rare Friday night home doubleheader, the Oriole football team goes over the river and down Highway 62 to Mendota Heights they go to face the Two Rivers (nee Henry Sibley)Warriors.  

The Orioles improved their record to 1-1 with a win in their home opener as they beat the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars 26-20 in overtime.  Deontez Ross, Jr. scored the game winning touchdown on St. Louis Park's second overtime possession to give returning fans a chance to celebrate the home opener.  Ross rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns.  

As for the Warriors, they head into the game with an 0-2 record following a 55-0 drubbing by their city rival, the perennial Class AAAAA power the St. Thomas Academy Cadets.  The Cadets would score 30 second quarter points and take a 38-0 halftime lead.  Sophomore Savion Lopez scored four touchdowns for St. Thomas Academy and now has six on the young season.  According to mnfootballhub.com, a frequent source for material in game previews, there were no statistics for Two Rivers first two games. 

The key to the game for the Orioles is for Ross to have another outstanding running game and the defense to shut down Two Rivers and come up with the big play like Darryl Kemp III did in overtime against Jefferson as he stopped the Jaguars drive with an interception that would give St. Louis Park the win when they went on offense.  

The key to the game for the Warriors is to establish an offensive rhythm and not get behind early like they did last week against St. Thomas Academy.  They also need to have a strong second half.  In their opening game against the Tartan Titans, the lost 29-22 with all their points coming in the first half.  

It's going to be a cooler weather picture with the temperature around 65 degrees at game time, which is 7 PM.  If you plan on making the trip to Mendota Heights, you might consider bringing a jacket.  

HSGN'S Take on Why The New Price is Right Flopped in 1994

 "Get set, America it's time to come on down!"  Intoned the voice of announcer Burton Richardson as he opened each episode of The New Price is Right, the version with a run much shorter than the hour long daytime show that just began it's 50th season on September 13.  

So why did this half hour syndicated version of the long running Price is Right turn out to be a flop?  HSGN gets to the bottom of this matter.  

First, when Jonathan Goodson took over the company that produced the show after his father, creator Mark Goodson passed away in 1992, he felt that The Price is Right needed to be overhauled to attract a younger audience.  So he made a number of changes that didn't go well with fans of the Bob Barker show.  

And speaking of Barker, his decision not to host this version led Goodson to hire a new host.  Doug Davidson, best known for his role as Paul Williams on the soap opera The Young and the Restless would be the new host.  Also, with Rod Roddy and his flamboyant jackets also not part of the festivities, it would be Richardson, coming from The Arsenio Hall Show uttering the famous phrase "Come on down!"  None of Barker's Beauties would also be involved with the show.  Instead, younger models Julie Lynn Cialini, Ferrari Farris and Lisa Stahl would assist Davidson. 

Also, there was no Contestants Row.  This also eliminated the play along factor when an item went up for bids and home viewers would shout at the screen.  Instead, it went right to the pricing game.  Some games were also modified.  The Clock Game didn't have the familiar clock that was on the turntable.  The time was displayed in graphic form.  

There was also a new feature that took place after the third game called The Price Was Right.  A vintage commercial was shown and the three contestants placed their bids on what the price was back in the year the spot aired.  Whoever came close to the actual retail price without going over would advance to the showcase.  Worth noting, there were some episodes where contestants spun The Big Wheel due to a shortage of vintage ads.  

The showcase was also changed.  One player would bid, using a larger version of the rangefinder from the familiar Range Game.  If the price came within the range, the contestant won the showcase.  

But the main reason why The New Price is Right flopped was a large number of stations preempted the show as well as Richard Dawson's return to Family Feud to air the O. J. Simpson trial.  Some stations aired the show when many viewers were in bed and other didn't carry it.  After 16 weeks, The New Price is Right was canceled.  

On the brighter side of things, Davidson turned out to be a competent host and would later get an opportunity to replace Barker on the daytime version.  Unfortunately, he was one of many candidates who lost to Drew Carey.  He has not hosted another game show since then.  Richardson did go on to announce other shows, including the current version of Family Feud early in its run.  He also was a candidate to replace Roddy on the daytime show but Rich Fields became the show's third announcer.  He did fill in for Fields in one episode when he had laryngitis.  

In addition, there were more expensive prizes on the show and great shots from an aerial crane camera.  

So that's HSGN'S take on why The New Price is Right had a short run.  You'll find a number of episodes on youtube.com.  

Will the Third Time Be the Charm for a You Bet Your Life Revival?

Starting September 13, You Bet Your Life will be returning to TV in syndication for the third revival of the classic comedy quiz show that was hosted by Groucho Marx and featured George Fenneman as his announcer and sidekick.  

This time, it will be former Tonight Show host Jay Leno taking over the hosting duties and his former bandleader Kevin Eubanks will be the show's announcer/sidekick.  

Since the original You Bet Your Life was canceled in 1961, there have been two other attempts to revive the show.  The first was in the fall of 1980 with Buddy Hackett as the host and Ron Hussman taking the same role Fenneman had on the original.  Bob Eubanks and his production partner Michael Hill were behind this version but it didn't survive in a crowded syndicated game show market, lasting only one season.  

In 1992, the show returned to syndication with Bill Cosby hosting and Robbi (Renfield) Chong as his sidekick.  There were some differences from the previous incarnations.  Instead of a duck showing the secret word, a black goose would come down, wearing a Temple University shirt.  Temple was Cosby's alma mater.  Also, it would be the first incarnation taped outside of Hollywood.  The show was produced in Philadelphia at the studios of PBS station WHYY.  Unfortunately, Cosby's popularity didn't help this version and it was also gone after one season.  

Before Cosby's version went into production, NBC, which aired the original from 1950 to 1961, shot a pilot for its daytime lineup in 1988 with Richard Dawson hosting.  But it wasn't picked up by the network.  The pilot can be found on youtube,com.  

So what will the new You Bet Your Life be like?  Will it be just like the original with couples with unusual names or occupations trying to win money or will it include features from Leno's stint on The Tonight Show such as Headlines.  

In the Twin Cities, the show airs on Fox owned KMSP weekdays at 3 & 3:30 PM.  Can the third time be the charm for a show that was a classic comedy quiz that was hosted by the one, the only Groucho?  

An Overtime Win for SLP Orioles

 For the first time since the pandemic, a large throng of football fans descended on the St. Louis Park stadium and they saw an outstanding finish with Deontez Ross Jr.'s second touchdown in overtime to lead the Orioles to a 26-20 win over the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars Friday night.  

Ross set the table in first quarter with a 32 yard run and Nick Kent connected on a 28 yard field goal to put the Orioles ahead 3-0.  

Both teams would tally in the second quarter.  The Jaguars took the lead on a one yard touchdown pass from Robert Traylor to Isak Sevig.  But the Orioles would regain the lead on a six yard touchdown run from Ross to give them a 10-7 halftime edge.  

Defense would prevail for the Jaguars in the third quarter as Frank Arth intercepted Will Dvorak's pass and scampered down the left sideline into the end zone.  

Jefferson would widen their lead to 10 in the forth quarter on Traylor's second touchdown pass of the game, a 23 yard strike to Nathan Habermas.  But St. Louis Park wasn't done yet.  Kent, who is also a member of the Oriole boys soccer team, booted his second field goal this time from 26 yards and the Orioles came within seven.  They would tie the game on Dvorak's one yard keeper run.  Could the Jaguars get into field goal range for the win?  The answer would be no as they ended up punting on fourth and two, sending the game into overtime.  

In the overtime period, the Jaguars were backed up 10 yards due to a holding penalty and Traylor's pass was intercepted by Darryl Kemp III.  Two plays later, Ross got the handoff from Dvorak, ran right and scored from five yards to send the Orioles fans home happy.  

Both teams return to action on Friday, September 17 at 7 PM.  The Orioles improved their record to 1-1 and will head to Mendota Heights to face the Two Rivers Warriors.  The Jaguars fell to 0-2 and host Apple Valley. 

SLP Orioles Split With Waconia Wildcats

 Welcome Waconia Wildcats.  

One of three new Metro West Conference schools along with Orono and New Prague, the Wildcats made their first trip down Highway 7 to St. Louis Park for a soccer doubleheader with the host Orioles.  In the boys game, a four goal second half outburst led St. Louis Park to a 4-1 win over Waconia and in the girls game,  Brynley Theis scored two goals to led the Wildcats to a 4-0 shutout over the Orioles.  

First up was the boys game.  Facing a 1-0 halftime deficit, Elijah Proost scored two second half goals to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Waconia Wildcats.  

The Wildcats took the early lead with the only first half goal when Travis Reigard scored from the left side.  Goaltending was the key to the half with Waconia goalkeeper making a couple of outstanding saves of St. Louis Park shots by Claudy Zua and Proost.  The Orioles goalkeeper Luis Benitez Matias made an excellent one handed save of Isaac Meehan's shot.  

Heading into the second half, St. Louis Park would put the game away with four unanswered goals.  Zua would strike first from the center slot.  Proost would score the next two goals.  The first would come on a corner kick that bounced off a Wildcat and into the net so he would get credit for the goal.  Bennett Kouame would line a shot toward the net to wrap up the scoring.  

The Orioles improved their record to 2-1 and return to action on Tuesday, September 14 at 7 PM when the head to Benilde-St. Margaret's to face their city rival, the Red Knights.  The Wildcats fell to 1-2 and host the Watertown-Mayer Royals on Saturday, September 11 at 11 AM.  

Next was the girls game where Brynley Theis scored two goals to lead the Waconia Wildcats to a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles.  

It didn't take long for the Wildcats to score the first half's only goal when Theis scored on a rebound :20 into the first half.  Waconia would increase the margin by three more goals.  The first would come from Grace Seim, the second from Theis and the third from Adrienne Linehan with 6:37 to go.  

The Wildcats would win their fourth straight game and improve their record to 4-0.  They will travel to Richfield for a showdown with the Holy Angels Stars on Saturday, September 11 at 1 PM.  In their first four games, Holy Angels has outscored their opponent 15-0.  The Orioles fell to 0-3 and will also be in action on the 11th as they head to Minneapolis Southwest for a 5 PM battle with the Lakers.  

SLP Orioles-Jefferson Jaguars Football Preview

 If there's one guarantee about the St. Louis Park Orioles football team's home opener against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars Friday night, it's that both teams will be looking for their first win.  

Last week, the Orioles traveled to Inver Grove Heights and lost to the Simley Spartans 32-12 and the Jaguars also scored a dozen points in a 33-12 defeat by the Chaska Hawks.  

There was a bright spot for St. Louis Park in last week's season opener against the Spartans.  Quarterback Will Dvorak completed 14 of 32 passes for 223 yards, including two touchdown passes to Stefano Giovannelli.  Unfortunately, the running game was not very productive with Henry Bendickson carrying the ball nine times or 33 yards.  But that was offset by Dvorak's -15 rushing yards.  On the defensive side, Darryl Kemp III had 11 tackles and an interception.  

As for Jefferson, their 12 points last week came from a pair of completions from quarterback Robbie Traylor to Daniel Freitag that resulted in touchdowns.  Maximo San Roman was to the max on defense as he recorded 12 tackles.  

The key to the Orioles going for their first win is for the combination of Dvorak and Giovannelli to have an outstanding game and establish a rushing attack.  The key for the Jaguars is for running back Aedan Bertrand to run the ball past the Oriole defense and for San Roman and his cohorts to put pressure on Dvorak.  

The weather picture looks pretty good for Friday night with a high temperature that day around 80.  Make sure you wear a mask if you're not vaccinated and hopefully there will be a big crowd on hand for St. Louis Park's home opener.  Game time is 7 PM.  

Fans Still Come On Down to Price is Right As 50th Season Approaches

September 4, 1972 was a historic day in game show history when The Price is Right returned to daytime television after a seven year absence.   On September 13, the show begins its 50th season on CBS and since 1987 it is television's longest running game show.  

When The Price is Right debuted in 1972, it was like any other game show on the air.  It was a half hour show.  Sandwiched between newcomers The Joker's Wild and Gambit, The Price is Right did something that a bunch of sitcom reruns couldn't do against NBC's long running game show Concentration, it beat it in the ratings.  When you compare the two shows, The Price is Right was vibrant, flashy and featured a synthesized soundtrack in a studio that would be later named for its host of 35 years, Bob Barker.  On the other hand, Concentration, taped in New York, looked old, dated and tired.  It was one of the last game shows to utilize an organist.  Six months after its debut, it was the end of the line for Concentration.  

Backtracking a little, it was the summer of 1972 and CBS named Bud Grant as the new daytime vice president who decided to cancel the sitcom reruns and replace them with game shows.  He called Mark Goodson about reviving The Price is Right but Goodson felt the old format was outdated so he and his staff revamped the show that included an element that would be central to the show, pricing games.  Contestants would be chosen from the audience and the late announcer Johnny Olson would originate one of the most famous game show catchphrases "Come on down!"  It's still used by the men who succeeded him, Rod Roddy, Rich Fields and the show's current announcer who always says hi to his Mama Mae, George Gray.  

Early in the show's run, there were only five pricing games.  The first which is still played today was Any Number.  Over the show's long run, there are currently 77 games in the rotation, including the most popular pricing game Plinko.  Unfortunately, there were 33 games that have been retired for reasons such as mechanical problems or taking too much air time.  

The Price is Right really took off in November in 1975 when CBS expanded the show to an hour.  It also game birth to the Showcase Showdown.  CBS did the right thing in making The Price is Right an hour long show.  It flows better and more contestants get a chance to Come on Down.  

So why has The Price is Right lasted longer than any other daytime game show?  First, viewers can relate to the show's main focus, shopping.  Second, it's a show that involves the home audience, as an item goes up for bids, and viewers can shout at the screen the price of the item.  

Third and perhaps a big reason why the show has endured is that when you tune in several shows a week, you're not watching the same show.  There are different contestants and different games.  Stan Blits in his book on the show summed it up best "No two shows are alike."  

It has survived the deaths of Goodson, Olson and Roddy and lawsuits over the years.  It made the transition from four digit cars to five, altering the rules for pricing games and the transition of hosts from Barker to current host Drew Carey.  

The best of luck to everyone connected with The Price is Right as the show enters Season 50.  It would be fitting to close this text the way Barker did from every show since the early 1980s.  "Control the pet population.  Have your pet spayed or neutered"  

SLP Orioles-Simley Spartans Football Preview

 Yes sir, Minnesota high school fans.  The 2021 season will begin on time after a late start last season due to the pandemic.  It will also be the season opener for the St. Louis Park Orioles as they head to Inver Grove Heights to face the Simley Spartans Friday, September 3.  

Last season was the maiden voyage for Oriole head coach Jason Foster as St. Louis Park finished with a dismal 1-5 record.  The Orioles have an experienced quarterback returning in Will Dvorak, who passed for 1,076 yards last season.  Zeke Oppegaard is the top returning running back for the Orioles.  Though McCabe Dvorak graduated, St. Louis Park has an experienced receiver corps that includes Deontez Ross, Jr., Austin Amelse and Brady Walsh.  The top returning defensive players are Darryl Kemp and Christian Arteaga.  Can St. Louis Park's experience be the key to their season's success.  

The Spartans come off a 5-2 season in 2020, falling to the South St. Paul Packers in the Section 3AAAA semifinals 42-26.  The big question for Simley is who will be under center since Justin Warrick graduated?  On the brighter side of things, Landon Duval returns at running back.  They also have a dual threat in Tay'vion McCoy.  Simley is a young team with a number of sophomores and juniors.  Can they build on the momentum from last season's section run?  

Game time is 7 PM.  It won't be boiling hot Friday night so if you missed out on high school football last season, here's an opportunity to recapture the spirit of the Friday Night Lights.