SLP Orioles-Mpls. Washburn Millers Football Preview

 It will be a Saturday matinee for the St. Louis Park Oriole football team as they head into Minneapolis to face the Washburn Millers in the second week of the high school football season.

Last Friday, the Orioles headed down Highway 169 to open the season against the Mankato East Cougars and couldn't handle Rafe Bowman as he ran for the touchdowns to lead the Cougars to a 20-7 victory.  

St. Louis Park began the scoring on a 45 yard touchdown pass from Javaris Ellis to Ben Bauer for the early lead but it was Bowman who reached the end zone three times in the first half to put the game away for Mankato East.  Bowman carried 17 times for 141 yards.  

The Orioles were led by Mason Helfmann, who took over at running back when AJ Foster was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.  Inexperience plagued St. Louis Park at quarterback as sophomore Josh Rickford completed eight of 21 passes for 37 yards.  On defense, Bjorn Anderson recorded eight tackles.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is for Rickford to avoid turnovers and establish a solid passing game.  

As for the Millers, they won their opening game against St. Paul Harding/Humboldt 30-13.  Washburn was led by Andrew Backhaus, who threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Declan Dosse.  The running game was almost non existent since the Millers had a game total of 24 rushing yards.  Jack Garcia-Grafting was the only Miller in double figure yardage, gaining 28.  Beckhaus ran for -7 yards.  Special teams also played a part for Washburn when Quintrell Robinson reached the end zone on a 94 yard kickoff return.  

The Millers key to the game is for Beckhaus to continue to find Dosse and to improve on the running game.  

If you plan on attending Saturday's game, you might want to pack an umbrella.  The weather picture calls for a 30% chance of showers.  Game time is 1 PM.  

Minneapolis Southwest Lakers End SLP Orioles Winning at Three

 The host St. Louis Park Orioles, who scored 26 goals in their first three games fell to earth Tuesday night as Anne Layon scored two goals to lead the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers to a 4-0 shutout.  

The Lakers would account for the lone first half goal 1:09 into the game when Layon's corner kick landed in the net.  Southwest's defense would keep St. Louis Park from equaling the score.  

Heading into the second half, the Lakers got a gift goal as an Oriole deflected the ball across the goal line.  Adeline Simon would get credited for the goal.  The lead would increase to three on Layon's header.  Southwest would put the game well out of reach on Elika Vihhaji's goal.  

The Lakers ended a two game losing streak and improved their record to 1-2.  They return to action on Thursday, September 7 at 5 PM against the Edina Hornets at Kuhlman Stadium in Edina.  The Orioles three game winning streak ended as they fell to 3-1.  They will also be in action on the 7th as they head down Highway 212 to Chanhassen for a 5 PM game against the Storm.  

HSGN Pays Tribute to Bob Barker

 On Saturday, August 26, the game show world lost an icon when Bob Barker passed away at the age of 99.  

Many sources have mentioned about aspects of his early life that included growing up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where his mother was a teacher so HSGN will focus primarily on his game show career as well as his animal rights activism that he took up after the passing of his wife Dorothy Jo.  

Barker, who got his start in radio in Springfield, MO and Palm Beach, FL, moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s and hosted his own audience participation show.  The show caught the attention of game show producer Ralph Edwards.  Edwards was in search of a host for the daytime version of the show that put him on the map in radio, Truth or Consequences.    This version would be seen Monday through Friday on NBC.  He was driving his daughters to an ice rink and heard Barker's show so he called Barker to set up a meeting with him about hosting the show.  On December 21, 1956, Barker was hired to become the new host of Truth or Consequences.  The show returned on New Year's Eve and Barker would preside over the long running stunt show until it was canceled on September 24, 1965 as part of NBC's revamping of their daytime lineup that had the ax falling on Wink Martindale's first game show What's This Song?, the Goodson-Todman game show Call My Bluff and I'll Bet, hosted by Jack Narz and revived in 1969 under the title It's Your Bet.  

But Barker was not unemployed for long.  In 1966, Edwards revived Truth or Consequences as the first game show to air in first run syndication.  He would bring back Barker as host.  The show was a hit and paved the way for more syndicated reboots such as What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth and Beat the Clock.  This incarnation ran until 1974.  

While Barker was presiding over the mayhem on Truth or Consequences, he hosted the ABC daytime game show The Family Game.  But The Newlywed Game lone was clobbered in the ratings by Dick Van Dyke Show reruns and a show that was becoming more popular and successful Hollywood Squares.  ABC canceled the show after 26 weeks.  

Other hosted jobs for Barker included the Pillsbury Bake-Off, the Tournament of Roses Parades and the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants.  He also produced a game show that gave Richard Dawson his first hosting job, a Los Angeles game show that aired locally on the CBS owned station Lucky Pair.

Barker's biggest success came in 1972 when Mark Goodson hired him to host a revival of The Price is Right.  Aired opposite NBC's long running game show Concentration, the show became a big hit and three years later it became television's first hour long game show.  He presided over the show with humor and the ability to make the contestants feel at home.  Barker won 14 Emmy Awards as host and five more when he became executive producer.  He also received a lifetime achievement award for his years in television.  

But in 1981, tragedy struck Barker when his wife Dorothy Jo passed away from lung cancer.  He considered leaving The Price is Right but instead, he channeled his grief into something else he would be best known for, an animal rights activist.  He quit hosting the two beauty pageants because the producers were still giving away fur coats.  Another success was The Price is Right stopped giving away furs.  To this day, under the reigns of current host Drew Carey, no fur coats are awarded as prizes.  

HSGN will wrap up this tribute with his familiar closing that's still used by Carey.  "Help control the pet population.  Have your pet spayed or neutered."  

Dennison's Hat Trick Leads SLP Orioles to Third Straight Win

 The key to the St. Louis Park Orioles hot start has been senior Vesna Dennison and for the third straight game she got the hat trick to lead the host Orioles to a 4-1 win over the Minneapolis South Tigers Thursday night.  

Depth would be a key for the Orioles in the first half as reserve player Jana Faust would score from the left side to put St. Louis Park ahead.  Dennison would score her first goal as she went top shelf with 2:35 left in the half.  

The Tigers would open the second half scoring on a goal from Ella Tennant to cut the lead to one.  But the Orioles would bounce back with two straight goals from Dennison to put the game away.  

In three games, Dennison has scored 11 goals and St. Louis Park has outscored the opposition 26-1.  

The Orioles improved their record to 3-0 and will wrap up their three game homestand on Tuesday, September 5 against the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers at 7 PM.  The Tigers will also return to action on the 5th as they head up to New Hope to take on the Cooper Hawks at 7 PM.  

Second Half Outburst Leads SLP Orioles to Rout of Kennedy Eagles

 Picking up where they left off after their season opening rout of Park Center, Vesna Dennison scored four second half goals to lead the host St. Louis Park Orioles to a 10-1 rout of the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles Tuesday night.  

The Orioles struck early as Hanna Wilsey scored on a rebound goal.  Ava Krueger would put St. Louis Park ahead by two with 15:03 left in the first half.  The score would have been higher but keeping the Eagles in the game was the spectacular goalkeeping of senior Stephanie Duran.  She made a couple of outstanding saves.  The first came from reserve player Stella Bentley and the second when Krueger headed downfield toward the net, sent the ball toward the net but it was Duran who prevented any further first half goals.  

Heading into the second half, the Orioles would get two straight goals from Dennison, followed by a liner from Anna Turcotte that landed in the net and increase the St. Louis Park lead to five.  Dennison would get the hat trick and Krueger would tally a second time, extending their unanswered goal streak to 19.  The streak would come to an end as Kennedy's Kelsey Cruz Rojas would end any hopes of a shutout.  The Orioles would respond :14 later on Wilsey's second goal.  Dennison would find the net a fourth time and Alicia Margalli would conclude the scoring with 1:32 to play.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 2-0 and will host the Minneapolis South Tigers on Thursday, August 31 at 7 PM.  The Orioles have outscored their opponents in two games 22-1.  Bloomington Kennedy fell to 1-1 and will host the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders on Tuesday, September 5 at 7 PM at Bloomington Stadium.  

Wayzata Trojans Shut Out SLP Orioles in Boys Home Opener

 The St. Louis Park boys soccer team opened their home season against the defending Class AAA champion Wayzata Trojans but for the second straight game they were held to zero goals as the Trojans scored a goal in each half to beat the Orioles 2-0 Saturday morning.

The Trojans got their lone first half goal when Aiden Judickas made a left side pass to Charlie Piller and he piled a shot past oriole goalkeeper Wes Smith that landed in the net to give Wayzata a 1-0 halftime lead.  

It didn't take long for the Trojans to increase their lead in the second half as Smith faced a flurry of shots.  The first bounced off the top post, the second, he made the save and on the third shot, Lassi Koivukangas sent the ball over the goal line, 2:41 into the half.  That was all Wayzata needed to clinch the victory.  

Wayzata began the season with a 1-0 record and will travel to Rosemount on Tuesday, August 29 to face the Irish at 7 PM.  The Orioles fell to 0-2 and embark on a four game road trip beginning Thursday, September 7 at 7 PM against the Chanhassen Storm.  In two games, St. Louis Park has been outscored 5-0.  

Fall Sports Practice Start August 14

 Though temperatures are still hovering past 80 degrees, it's a sign that mid August means the start of practice for the fall sports season in Minnesota on Monday, August 14.  

Football, soccer, volleyball, girls tennis and cross country players get their equipment out of storage and get ready for the 2023 season, even in St. Louis Park.  Here's when the Oriole athletic teams begin their regular season.  

Thursday, August 24, girls tennis and boys and girls soccer begin regular season competition.  The only team home is the girls tennis team as they open up against the Southwest Christian Stars at 4 PM.  The boys soccer team begins a brutal stretch to start 2023 as they travel to Eden Prairie to ace the Eagles at 5 PM and open the home season on Saturday, August 26 against the defending Class AAA champion Wayzata Trojans at 11 AM.  The girls soccer team heads up to Brooklyn Park to face the Park Center Pirates at 5 PM and their home opener is on the 29th against the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles at 7 PM.  

In addition to the girls soccer team's home opener on the 29th, it's also the season opener for the girls volleyball team as they host the Park Center Pirates in a 7 PM start.  

Oriole football fans might consider leaving work early September 1 since the team will head down Highway 169 for their season opener against the Mankato East Cougars at 7 PM.  They will also be on the road for a Saturday matinee September 9 as they head to south Minneapolis to take on the Washburn Millers at 1 PM.  

Also on September 1, the boys and girls cross country teams open their season in the Rosemount Invitational that begins at 8 AM.  

There's plenty of exciting season opening action for the St. Louis Park athletic teams in late August and early September.  If the weather is nice, head outside and see these fine young athletes begin their season.