Chanhassen Storm Thunders Past SLP Orioles

 The St. Louis Park played their final home game before Christmas but it was  Jake Risch who put a lump of coal in the Orioles stocking as he scored two goals to lead the Chanhassen Storm to a 7-0 win Thursday night at The Rec Center.  

The Storm stormed out of the starting gate when Ryan McPartland rebounded Jack Christ's shot that would cross the goal line :40 into the first period.  Chanhassen would scored two late goals.  The first came from Owen Buesgens with :33.1 left in the period and Nick Patka would put the Storm up by three with :21.9 to go.  

Caden Lee would account for Chanhassen's only second period goal.  The Storm weren't done in the third period as Risch would score two of the final three goals from the center slot.  With the game pretty much decided, St. Louis Park head coach Tyler Brodersen pulled goalie Bennett Anderson and replaced him with Brett Middleton.  The goalie change didn't do the Orioles good as Christ sent the game into running time.  

The Storm improved their record to 7-3 and will return to action Thursday, January 4 when they host the Delano Tigers at 7 PM at the Victoria Ice Arena.  The Orioles fell to 2-6 and will head to the Brooklyn Park Ice Arena on Saturday, December 23 at 4 PM to face the Totino-Grace Eagles.  

SLP Orioles Shut Out Bloomington Kennedy Eagles

 Thursday night, the St. Louis Park Orioles were in The Krone Zone as Griffin Krone scored two goals and assisted on three others to lead them to a 7-0 shutout of the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles in the annual outdoor game at The Rec Center.  

The Orioles cored the lone goal of the first period when Max Rider passed to Krone in the right corner boards and he put it into the net. 

St. Louis Park would strike twice in the second period when Krone picked up two straight assists.  The first came on a shot that was save by Kennedy goalie Rohr Brockman and Owen Anklam scored on a rebound that went top shelf.  The second assist would come on Sam Fuller's goal and the Orioles extended their lead to three.  

On to the third period where the Orioles offense exploded for four goals.  If you were in line at the concessions stand, you might have missed Krone's second goal, :18 into the period.  Marty Hirte would tally from the center slot to put them ahead by five and running time would commence Jack Betzer's liner from the right slot.  Dominick Russel replace Brockman in the Kennedy goal and he got tested :20 after the last goal on Jack Betzer's shot from the right slot.  

The Orioles improved their record to 2-4 and return to action on Saturday, December 16 against the Hopkins Royals at 5:30 PM at the Hopkins Pavilion.  The Eagles fell to 2-6 and will also be back in action on the 16th as they travel to Inver Grove Heights to face the Simley Spartans at 5 PM at the Veterans Memorial Community Center.  

Remembering Doug McLeod

 He was a familiar voice to Minnesota hockey fans, spending 16 years as the voice of Golden Gopher hockey, the TV voice for the North Stars and the state high school tournaments.  

Sunday, the man behind the voice Doug McLeod passed away.  HSGN checked various sources and found that he was 70 and suffered from heart issues.  

McLeod came to the Twin Cities in 1978 when he was hired by WWTC to be the first radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Minnesota men's hockey team.  He stayed in that role on other stations in the market for 16 years.  He would also be the TV voice of the North Stars for six seasons, until the team left for Dallas in 1992.  

After the North Stars departed, he also did some play-by-play stints for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes.  

McLeod would also be a familiar voice to state hockey tournament fans, serving as a back up voice on WCCO-TV.  When the rights switched over to KMSP in the early 1990s, the station utilized him on their coverage of the state hockey and basketball tournaments as well as the Prep Bowl.  In 2019, KSTC brought him back to handle their state hockey coverage in celebration of the event's 75th anniversary.  But in the first period of the White Bear Lake-Blaine game, he made a reference to lynching that got numerous complaints and he was pulled off the air following the conclusion of the period.  

Baseball was also on McLeod's resume.  He was a radio voice for Gopher Baseball and an early voice of the St. Paul Saints.  

McLeod also played a broadcaster in the movie Mystery, Alaska.  The movie that starred Russell Crowe, Mary McCormack and Hank Azaria featured cameos by Phil Esposito, Little Richard and Barry Melrose.  

One non play-by-play stint McLeod had in the 1990s was a Sunday night show on KBEM-FM in Minneapolis where he played music from the Big Band Era.

McLeod will be best remembered as a familiar voice to Minnesota hockey fans.  May he rest in peace.  

Crosby-Ironton Rangers Clobber Edina Hornets

 Twin Cities girls basketball fans who never had a chance to see super sophomore Tori Oehlwein in action had an opportunity to do so Saturday afternoon as she scored 39 points to lead the fifth ranked team in Class AA, the Crosby-Ironton Rangers to a 72-55 victory over the host Edina Hornets.  

It wasn't all Oehlwein for the Rangers since Sammie Hachey began the game with three straight points.  Abby Richter would begin the scoring for the Hornets with 15:32 left in the first half.  Saturday was the day for Oehlwein to shine as she would score seven straight points for C-I.  Defense would also factor into Oehlwein's stat line as she made a key steal that turned into a basket.  As for Edina, looking for their first win of the season, Richter, one of four seniors would be a bright spot as she tallied four straight points but the Rangers used outstanding passing and ball movement to lead at halftime 38-26.  

C-I added to their lead in the second half, going on a 4-0 run.  But foul trouble would hurt the Hornets as Richter, Ella Burke and Brenna Wulf picked up their third fouls.  Reserve Amanda Vessel also record three fouls.  Liz Vitt's basket would cut the Rangers lead to 10 but that is the closest Edina got as Oehrlein made a couple of outstanding passes that turned into scores.  

Also scoring in double figures for C-I were Hachey with 16 points and Margaret Silgen added 11.  Richter led Edina with 17 points.  The only other Edina player in double figures was Burke with 10 points.  

New University of Minnesota head women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit was in attendance at Saturday's game, sitting in the front row to the right side of where HSGN was stationed to cover the game.  

The Rangers improved their record to 4-0 and return to action on Tuesday, December 12 when they host the Wadena-Deer Creek Wolverines at 7:30 PM.  The Hornets fell to 0-6 and will also be back in action on the 12th, hosting the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers at 7 PM.  

Cheeseman's Hat Trick Leads AHA Stars

 Cole Cheeseman brought the cheddar back to Richfield as he scored a hat trick to lead the Holy Angels Stars to a 5-2 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles Wednesday night at The Rec Center.

The Stars would shine in the first period with two goals.  Cheeseman would score the first from the right side and Gabriel Perron put Holy Angels ahead by two on a power play goal.  

The Orioles would cut the lead to one in the second period on Griffin Krone's right side goal.  But Holy Angels would extend their lead with two straight goals from Cheeseman.  The first would come on the power play and the second after he got a pass from Logan Ciresi, dribbled toward the center slot and fired the puck past St. Louis Park goalie Bennett Anderson.  Krone would find a net for the second time for the Orioles and the Stars led 4-2 at the end of the second period.

Holy Angels would add one more to their ledger in the third period as Perron lined a shot from inside the right blue line and into the cage to wrap up the scoring.  

The Stars improved their record to 3-1 and will host the St. Paul Academy Spartans on Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 at the Richfield Ice Arena. 

The Orioles fell to 1-4 and will host the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles on Thursday, December 14 at 7 PM.  The game will be play at The Rec Center's outdoor rink.   

SLP Orioles Clip Armstrong/Cooper Wings

 Two teams with bird nicknames flew into The Rec Center Saturday night, the Armstrong/Cooper Wings and the St. Louis Park Orioles.  The Orioles took it to the max in the third period when Max Rider scored two goals to led the Orioles to a 5-3 win.  

St. Louis Park would take the early lead with two goals.  The first came when Louis Piper rebounded Rider's shot and Sam Fuller would score from the top of the right faceoff circle.  A/C would tie the game on goals from Charlie Goergen and Lewis Majkozak.  

Neither team would break the tie in the second period.  Rider would put the Orioles ahead as he scored from the baseline.  Hobey Skulstad would tie the game for the Wings. St. Louis Park would forge ahead on Griffin Krone's center slot goal.  With 1:08 remaining in regulation time, A/C head coach Dan Charleston called time out and pulled goalie Ryan Melsha for a sixth attacker.  The Orioles would capitalize on the empty net when the puck went off Rider's stick. crawled down the ice and barely crossed the goal line to end a three game losing streak.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 1-3 and will host the Holy Angels Stars on Wednesday, December 6 at 7 PM at The Rec Center.  A/C fell to an identical 1-3 record and will be back in action Tuesday, December 5 as they take on the Providence Academy Lions at 7 PM at the Plymouth Ice Center.  

Three Goal Third Period Pays Off for Delano/Rockford

 Alaina Pettit scored two goals as the Delano/Rockford Tigers broke open a scoreless game in the third period to beat the Hopkins/Park Royals 3-1 Thursday night at The Rec Center.  

Neither team would send the puck over the goal line in the first two periods.  The Tigers would have a  five on three advantage in the third period and it would pay dividends as Pettit would fire a power play goal with 11:00 to go.  D/R would go up by two as Kaelyn Wittwer would go top shelf.  Pettit would account for the Tigers third goal as she dribbled the puck through the center slot and send it to the net.  A shutout would be averted for H/P, thanks to Adrienne DeGiulio's goal with 1:20 to play.  

The Tigers improved their record to 5-3 and will travel to Inver Grove Heights on Tuesday, December 5 to face the Simley Spartans at 7 PM at the Veteran's Memorial Community Center.  The Royals fell to 3-4 and will also return to action on the 5th as they host North Wright County at 7 PM at the Minnetonka Ice Arena.  

Edina Hornets Spoil SLP Orioles Home Opener

 The St. Louis Park Orioles boys hockey team opened its home season Monday night with a tough opponent, the second ranked team in Class AA the Edina Hornets.  The Hornets got goals from four different players as they beat the Orioles 4-1 at The Rec Center.  

Edina scored the lone first period goal as Quintin Schafer found an opening on the right side of St. Louis Park goalie Bennett Anderson and sent it over the goal line.  Anderson got the start in place of the injured Josh Middleton.  

The Hornets would strike twice in the second period.  The first came while Sam Peckham was serving a slashing penalty and John Halvorson would score from the right side.  The second came when Casey Vandertop fired a shot from the right wall and it entered the cage to put Edina up by three.  

Edina would go up by four in the third period on Ryan Flaherty's liner goal.  There would be no shutout on this chilly Monday night as St. Louis Park's Sam Fuller fed Owen Anklam and he sent the puck from the right faceoff circle past Hornet goalie Joe Bertram.  

The Hornets improved their record to 3-0 and will host the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights on Saturday, December 2 at 7 PM at Braemar Arena.  The Orioles fell to 0-3 and will also return to action on the 2nd as they host the Armstrong/Cooper Wings at 7 PM at The Rec Center.  

2023 Day Two Prep Bowl Roundup

 To quote the late British poet William Blake, it was "Tiger tiger burning bright" Saturday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as two teams nicknamed the Tigers took home championship trophies and a memorable game to wrap up the 2023 Prep Bowl.  Here's a recap of Day Two.  

                                             NEVIS 14, KINGSLAND 12

There's an age old question in a classic children's book "Do Tigers Ever Bite Kings?"  For the Nevis Tigers, the answer was yes as their defense took a bite out of the Kingsland Knights offense with two first half touchdowns to win their first state title 14-12 in the Class Nine Player Championship.  

The Knights defense got off to a good start with two straight sacks of Tiger quarterback Eli Lewis.  The offense took one play to get the early lead on a 52 yard touchdown pass from Kaaleem Reiland to Ayden Howard.  Nevis would vault ahead as Lewis completed a 48 yard pass to Joe Houchin and Lewis would keep the ball and head into the end zone on a one yard run.  Ayomedi Ogundeji would break two tackles and score on a 32 yard run and the Tigers led 14-6 at the half.  

It looked like Kingsland would come close to Nevis in the third quarter but Ayden Howard's second touchdown was called backed due to an aiding the runner penalty.  But the Knights would shine on a five yard keeper run to the right side that cut the Tiger lead to two but the would lose the ball on downs after a 31 yard pass from Reiland to Howard.  

Beau Wiersma, who led Kingsland with 297 yards in the semifinals against Fertile-Beltrami, ran for 162 yards.  

 Nevis ended their season with a record of 13-0.  Kingsland concluded their season at 12-1.  

                                                 STEWARTVILLE 43 ANNANDALE 13

The Stewartville Tigers made the most of their trip up Highway 52 as Carter Miller reached the end zone three times to lead them to a 43-13 rout of the Annandale Cardinals in the Class AAA championship game.  

Both teams tallied in the first quarter.  The Tigers struck first as Mr. Football candidate Ayden Helder fired a 17 yard pass to Miller.  The Cardinals tied the game as Connor Lampi score on a one yard run.  Stewartville regained the lead on a four yard left side touchdown run from Miller giving them a 14-7 halftime lead.  

Miller would reach the end zone for the third time in the third quarter on  a six yard run up the middle.  The Tigers would put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter as Helder scored on a one yard keeper run and threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to Tegan Malone.  Defense would also be the key for Stewartville as Jayce Klug recorded two interceptions.  With the outcome decided, both teams emptied their benches and they would also factor into the equation.  Tarin Conlin would score on a one yard run following a run of 37 yards for Stewartville and Gabe Westman hauled in a 17 yard pass from Michael Kovall for Annandale.  

Miller led the Tigers with 150 rushing yards.  

Stewartville finished the season with a 13-0 record and Annandale ended their season at 12-1.

                                        CHANHASSEN 34, ST. THOMAS ACADEMY 31 (OT)

If you got tired of the Minnesota Gophers making one blockhead mistake after another against Wisconsin, you could have changed the channel to one of the best games in Prep Bowl history that had Kaden Bush catch the winning touchdown pass in overtime to lead the Chanhassen Storm to a 34-31 win over the St. Thomas Academy Cadets in the Class AAAAA championship game.  

It was the first championship game to go into overtime since 2019 when Rocori beat the SMB Wolfpack to win the Class AAAA title.  

Following a missed field goal by the Cadets Declan Wilson, the Storm had their first drive and it would take one play as Maxwell Woods ran like he was headed to the light rail station 76 yards to put Chanhassen ahead.  Both teams reached the end zone in the second quarter as Savion Hart scored on a 12 yard run and Brayden Windschitl scored on a one yard keeper run following a 58 yard gain from the North Dakota State bound Woods.  The Storm led at halftime 14-7.  

It was Woods who made his second visit to the end one in the third quarter, scoring on a 10 yard run.  Luke Dobbs caught a seven yard touchdown pass for St. Thomas Academy and the Storm led 21-14 at the end of the third quarter.  

Hart would cause Cadets fan's hearts to beat faster in the fourth quarter when he ran the ball into the end zone from six yards to tie the game at 21.  The Storm went back in front as Daxton Bush received the pitch from Windschitl, broke through two tackles and scored on a 62 yard run.  St. Thomas Academy was not out of it as they would tie the game on Maximus Sims' eight yard pass to Chase Young to even the score at 28.  Chanhassen rwould run out the clock and send the game into overtime.  

Now to overtime and the Cadets would go first from the Storm 10 yard line.  They would get a 26 yard field goal from Wilson to take a 31-28 lead.  Could Chanhassen take home their first state title in their overtime drive?  The answer would be yes.  It would come down to fourth and goal at the St. Thomas Academy six yard line as Windschitl fired a high, short pass to Kaden Bush and he caught it to send the fans home to Carver County jubilant.  

Woods would lead the Storm with 215 yards on 20 carries and Hart led the Cadets with 226 yards on 37 rushes.  

Chanhassen ended their season at 13-0 and St. Thomas Academy finished with a record on 10-3.  

2023 Prep Bowl Day One Roundup

 HSGN was present Friday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis to cover a pair of games in the 2023 Prep Bowl that saw a perennial power take home another title and a North Metro school win their first championship.  

                                         HUTCHINSON 14, ROCORI 6

Charles Renner would run to glory in the Class AAAA title game as he scored two touchdowns,  including the game winner with 5:24 left in regulation time to lead the Hutchinson Tigers to a 14-6 win over the Rocori Spartans.  

Neither team tallied in the first quarter.  The Tigers would score the only first half points when Renner caught a 17 yard pass from Logan Butler and the he scored on a three yard run to give Hutchinson a 6-0 halftime lead.  

The Spartans would even the score as Will Steil fired  A 67 yard touchdown pass to Caleb Maddox.  The Tigers regained the lead on Renner's second touchdown, a two yard run with 5:24 to go.  Could Rocori possibly send the game into overtime?  The answer would be no when Nathan Thode intercepted Steil's pass.  

It was the eighth state title for Hutchinson, who finished the season with a record of 11-2.  Rocori ended their season at 10-3.  

                                     CENTENNIAL 28, EDINA 27

It was no little white lie that Marcus Whiting scored two touchdowns to lead the Centennial Cougars to a 28-27 win over the Edina Hornets in the Class AAAAAA title game.  

Just like the AAAA final, there was no first quarter scoring.  In the second quarter Whiting put the Cougars ahead on a one yard run.  They would go up by 14 after Josh Lee intercepted Edina quarterback Mason West and Daylen Cummings kept the ball and scored from 15 yards. The Hornets almost got on the board as West fired a pass to Mason Swinney but the replay review indicated that he was short of the goal line.  Not to worry Edina fans because John Warpinski ran the ball in on the next play. Lee would also shine on offense for Centennial as he hauled in an 8 yard touchdown pass from Cummings to give Centennial a 21-7 halftime lead.  

Warpinski would score his second one yard touchdown of the game in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14.  In the fourth quarter Whiting scored his second touchdown of the game.  The Hornets would come within 7 on West's six yard left side keeper touchdown.  West also went through the air late in the game as he threw a 21 yard strike to Sonny Villegas with :16 to go, cutting the Cougar lead to one.  Could Edina wrap up their first title since 1978 with a successful two point conversion?  The answer would be no as Warpinski came up short.  

Centennial concluded their regular season with a record of 12-1 and Edina ended their season at 9-4.  

2023 Prep Bowl Preview Part Two

 After four games on the 24th, there's more exciting action in day two of the 2023 Prep Bowl with three more games to be previewed. 

                                            SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25

10:00:  Nine Player:  Kingsland vs. Nevis.  Saturday's first game featured two unbeaten teams, the Kingsland Knights and the Nevis Tigers.  The Knights, based in Spring Valley, have ascended toward the top of the Nine Player throne thanks to running back Beau Wiersma, who rushed for 297 yards and four touchdowns in the semifinals against the Fertile-Beltrami Falcons.  Kingsland is 2-1 in state title games and is a game away from their first championship since 2002.  They take on the Nevis Tigers, playing in their first title game since 2017 when they were shut out by the spring Grove Lions 32-0. The Tigers ended the championship reign of Mountain Iron-Buhl in the quarterfinals and routed the Otter Tail Central Bulldogs in the semifinals 35-0.  Eli Lewis threw four touchdown passes to lead Nevis.  Can Kingsland end their title drought or will Nevis take their first state title trophy back to Hubbard County?  

1:00:  Class AAA:  Stewartville vs. Annandale:  It's The Battle of the Unbeatens:  Part Deux as the Stewartville Trojans head up Highway 52 to Minneapolis for it's third trip to the Prep Bowl.  It's the trojans first title game since 1986 when they were shutout by the Cambridge Bluejackets 24-0.  They did appear once in the pre-Prep Bowl Era in 1977 as they were thrashed by the Granite Falls Kilowatts.  Stewartville advance to the Class AAA title game with a 28-7 victory over Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.  Annandale is making its Prep Bowl debut and sixth state tournament trip.  They beat the Dassel-Cokato Chargers in the semifinals 24-14, led by the dual threat quarterback Nick Walter, who passed for 185 yards and ran for 109 yards.  Who will take home the gold medals and championship trophy.  

4:00:  Class AAAAA:  St. Thomas Academy vs. Chanhassen:  Here's a great way to end the 2023 Prep Bowl as two outstanding teams, the St. Thomas Academy Cadets and the unbeaten and top ranked Chanhassen Storm.  The Cadets, the only team in Saturday's field that isn't unbeaten, trailed by 23 points in the semifinals against the Alexandria Cardinals.  But there would be good news for the blue and clad fans as well as the uniformed students as St. Thomas Academy scored 42 straight points to defeat Alexandria 42-30.  Running back Savion Hart scored three touchdowns and ran for 227 yards.  The Storm would win a stormy battle against the Andover Huskies 54-46 in overtime on Brayden Windschitl's touchdown pass to Sam Macy.  It will be your final opportunity to see the StarTribune Metro Player of the Year Maxwell Woods before he heads to North Dakota State next season.  Woods reached the end zone twice and ran for 214 yards against Andover.  This should be a memorable conclusion to this year's Prep Bowl.  

2023 Prep Bowl Preview Part One

 This year there is no conflict with the Vikings playing on Thanksgiving night as the 2023 Prep Bowl returns to its regular dates after the holiday of Friday and Saturday, the 24th and 25th.  Here's Part One of the Prep Bowl Preview, with all seven games taking place at US Bank Stadium.  

                                           FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24

10:00: Class A:  Springfield vs. Minneota.  The 2023 Prep Bowl opens with a Southern Minnesota Shootout as the Springfield Tigers battle the Minneota Vikings. It's a rematch of last year's Class A final that was won by the Vikings 28-21.  Defense would be a key for Springfield as they capitalized on five Mahnomen/Waubun turnovers to beat the Thunderbirds 36-12.  Minneota, playing in their 16th state tournament and 11tWill the Tigers battle back from last year's title loss or will Chad Johnston lead the Vikings to another state championship trophy? 

1:00:  Class AA:  Barnesville vs/ Eden Valley-Watkins:  Last year, the fourth time turned out to be a charm for the Trojans as they took home the Class AA title trophy with a 35-20 win over the Chatfield Gophers.  This year, Barnesville earned it's fifth trip down I-94 with a 35-20 victory over the Jackson County Central Huskies.  Cameron Halvorson and Major Ness scored two touchdowns apiece.  The Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles are back to the Prep Bowl for the first time since 2016 and in the hunt for their first state title since 2005 when they beat the perennial power the Caledonia Warriors.  Wyatt Moehrle was they key to the Eagles success, catching three touchdown passes and running for one more.  It should be an outstanding Class AA final.  

4:00:  Class AAAA:  Rocori vs. Hutchinson.  The Class AAAA final is a regular season rematch between the Spartans and the Tigers on September 29 that was won by the Rocori 11-0.  But this is the state tournament and the stakes are even higher for both teams.  Rocori, whose touchdown by Will Steil was enough to beat the Byron Bears 7-0 in the semifinals.  Hutchinson's road to their seventh state title was no contest for the North Branch Vikings as they got four touchdowns from Nathan Thode that led them to a 56-28 semifinal win.  Who will win the rematch?  

7:00:  Class AAAAAA:  Centennial vs. Eden Prairie:  Two first time title teams head to US Bank Stadium to wrap up the Prep Bowl's first day.  The Centennial Cougars return to the Prep Bowl for the first time since 1984 when the lost to the Hutchinson Tigers in the Class A final.  The Cougars advanced to the finals with a 20-13 win over the Lakeville South Cougars.  As for the Edina Hornets, they pulled the biggest upset of the tournament with a 28-7 rout of the Eden Prairie Eagles.  Last time an Edina team played for a state football title was 1978 as the Edina West Cougars, under the veteran leadership of Stav Canakes shutout the Fridley Tigers 21-0.   Keep an eye on sophomore quarterback Mason West, who threw three touchdown passes against the Eagles and senior running back John Warpinski who ran for 194 yards and a trip to the end zone.   Can the Hornets end their long title drought or will the Cougars finally bring a title trophy back to Circle Pines.  

Next:  Saturday title games in Part Two.          

Hutchinson Tigers Trounce North Branch Vikings

 Friday night was a big night for Nathan Thode as he ran for four touchdowns, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble to lead the Hutchinson Tigers to a 56-28 win over the North Branch Vikings in the Class AAAA semifinals at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  

The Tigers would tally on their first drive that bolstered by Carter Verhasselt's 45 yard run to the Viking one yard line and Thode would finish it off with a one yard touchdown run.  Hutchinson almost got the ball back on Manny Pearce's interception but it was nullified due to a pass interference penalty.  It would enable North Branch to tie the game on Jacob Robillard's 33 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Minke.  The Tigers would strike back quickly on Logan Butler's 64 yard touchdown pass down the middle to Charles Renner giving Hutchinson a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Thode would account for both of Hutchinson's second quarter touchdowns.  The first would come as he ran right for 10 yards and the second would come following an interception that would also be a 10 yard run.  North Branch would wrap up the first half scoring as Austin Anderson ran left and scampered 17 yards into the end zone.  The Tigers led at the half 32-16.  

In the third quarter, Hutchinson would capitalize on two North Branch fumbles.  The first was recovered Gunnar Fick and Verhasselt would score from two yards.  Thode would also play defense and his fumble recovery would set up Renner's second touchdown, this one from five yards.  Minke would reach the end zone a second time as he caught a 14 yard pass from Robillard.  The Tigers led 48-20 at the end of the third quarter.

There would be running time in the fourth quarter as Thode on fourth down and five would score his fourth touchdown of the game, an 11 yard run.  But the Vikings would end running time late in the game on Brody Beaver's three yard run with :58 to play.  The Tigers would take a couple of kneels to end the game.  

Thode would lead Hutchinson as he ran for 171 yards on 24 carries.  Verhasselt ran 13 times for 120 yards.  North Branch was led by Robillard as he carried 15 times for 112 yards.  

The Tigers improved their record to 10-2 and advanced to the Class AAAA final against the Rocori Spartans on Friday, November 24 at 4 PM at US Bank Stadium.  It will be a rematch of the September 22 game where Hutchinson was shutout by Rocori 11-0.  The Vikings concluded their season with a record of 9-2.  

Hopkins/Park Hammers Hutchinson Tigers

 Not only was Saturday Veteran's Day, it was the start of the winter sports season in St. Louis Park with the traditional outdoor girls hockey game involving Hopkins/Park.  The got the season off to a solid start as Lucy Johnson and Hazel Schenkelberg scored two goals apiece to lead H/P to an 8-4 win over the Hutchinson Tigers at The Rec Center.  

Kavci Helstrom would begin the scoring for H/P as she scored on a rebound.  The Tigers would even the score when Addison Longie found an opening on the left side of the net and she sent it past the goal line.  H/P would wrap up the first period with two more goals, the first coming from Ella Koethe and the second :32 later on Schenkelberg's center slot goal.  

Schenkelberg would account for H/P's only second period goal as she got  centering pass from Johnson and she fired it into the net.  

If you liked plenty of scoring, you came just in time for the third period.  Hutchinson began the scoring on Longie's unassisted goal 1:14 into the period. Lucy Johnson would tally twice for H/P to extend the margin to four.  The Tigers would roar back :33 later on Kohle Fitterer's goal.  There would be a flurry of goals in the final two minutes.  Elle Schweim would cut the lead to two.  Any comeback attempts for the Tigers were aborted when Audrey Hanson was sent to the penalty box for body checking.  H/P would capitalize on the power play when Adrienne DeGiulio would send the puck past Kaiden Fitterer and LindsaySchuchard would score an unassisted goal :24 later.  

H/P improved their record to 2-0 and will host the Pine City Dragons on Tuesday, November 14 at 7 PM at the Minnetonka Ice Arena.  Hutchinson fell to 1-1 and will also return to action on the 14th as they host the Willmar Cardinals at 7 PM at Burich Arena.  

Bloomington Stadium Era Comes to an End

 When the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars defeated the Apple Valley Eagles 17-13 in the Section 3AAAAA semifinals on a chilly Saturday afternoon, it also marked the end of an era as Bloomington Stadium hosted its final high school football game.  

Next season Jefferson and Kennedy will play in on campus facilities.  

Due to the cold weather, HSGN did not cover the entire game.  The blogger came at halftime and asked several people about the demise of a popular Bloomington sports venue that's been around since the late 1950s on the site of what was then Lincoln High School.  Lincoln shut down in 1982.  

Former Jefferson principal and current football public address announcer Kevin Groebner played high high school football at Lincoln and graduated in 1971.  "i grew up with this stadium.  You hate to see it go away."  He also mentioned that the Vikings and Washington Redskins (now Commanders) used the field to practice when the teams play at Met Stadium.  

Groebner's sidekick in the pressbox, timer Joe Meuwissen recalled the great games for Jefferson and Kennedy as well as the atmosphere on game nights.  

Jeff Evens, whose father Jack was an assistant football coach and the first boys basketball coach in Jefferson history has been attending home games since 1970 recalls the Friday Night Lights in Bloomington.  "That's what you do on Friday nights.  You go to football games."  

The last person interviewed was a fellow adjacent to the blogger in the bleachers Mike Biever.  He praised Bloomington Stadium for it's good location, lighting and parking.  "It's a grass field, not a turf field," he said.  

More than 60 years of high school football, soccer and Normandale football have been played on the grass field at the corner of 88th St. and Queen Ave. S.  What will happen to Bloomington Stadium?  We don't known but the memories will live on.  

Can the SLP Orioles Pull the Upset in Plymouth?

 No folks.  This is not a rerun.  For the third straight year the St. Louis Park Orioles will battle the Armstrong Falcons in the Section 5AAAAA Football semifinals Saturday in Plymouth.  

Following a 58-0 thrashing by the Chanhassen Storm in their regular season finale, the fifth seeded Orioles battled the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in the play-in game on October 24, a day that was cold and rainy.  Both teams were scoreless until the fourth quarter when St. Louis Park came back from a 3-0 deficit on Mason Helfmann's touchdown with 1:08 left to play.  Helfmann was the bright spot in the Orioles offense, carrying 34 times for 160 yards.  Defense prevailed a St. Louis Park had three interceptions and Henry Schrader forced two fumbles.  

The key to the game for St. Louis Park is for the offensive line to give Helfmann running room and for Rickord to get back into a passing rhythm .  

Looking at the Falcons, they come into semifinal play with a 6-2 record as they ended their regular season with a 42-7 defeat by the Andover Huskies.  Armstrong has a high powered offense that has scored 42 points in three of their six wins.  Dawson Franke runs the Armstrong offense and has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season.  The big question for the Falcons is will running back Kevon Johnson back in the lineup?  He missed the Andover game due to an injury.  Johnson has rushed for more than 100 yards in all but one game this season and reached the end zone 11 times.  He was held to 74 yards in a 44-13 loss to the St. Thomas Academy Cadets.  

The key to the game for Armstrong is a healthy Johnson and for the defense to shut down the Oriole attack.  

It will be a chilly weather picture Saturday, so if yo plan on attending the game, dress in layers.  Game time is 2 PM.  

SLP Orioles-Mpls. Southwest Lakers Football Preview

 Section play gets underway in high school football Tuesday night throughout Minnesota and the St. Louis Park Orioles open the Section 5AAAAA tournament against the fourth seeded host, the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers.  

The Orioles closed out the 2023 regular season with a record of 1-7, including a 58-0 drubbing from the top ranked Chanhassen Storm.  The Storm got five touchdowns from Josiah Cox, starting with a 64 yard run on the first play from scrimmage.  Cox finished with 195 yards on 16 carries.  St. Louis Park had a rough going on offense, gaining only 71 total yards.  Nobody had positive rushing yardage.  On the brighter side, cooper Schultz caught four passes for 72 yards and Bryson Huntley recorded six tackles.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is for the offense to get back on track after a tough game against a team that could play in US Bank Stadium in November.  

Looking at the Lakers, they enter section play with a record of 3-5.  Three of their losses came against Two Rivers, Cooper and Minneapolis North.  Southwest ended their regular season with a 27-0 shutout of St. Paul Harding/Humboldt.  The Lakers were led by quarterback Kyler Thom who completed 10 of 17 passes for 218 yards and threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to Jassir Conway in the first quarter. Andres Ramos ran 10 times for 101 yards.  Defense was also a factor when Liam Farniock scored on an interception.  

The key to the game for Southwest is to continue to play solid defense and for Thom to test the St. Louis Park defense with some downfield passes.  

The winner faces the top seeded Armstrong Falcons on Saturday, October 28 at 2 PM in Plymouth.  It might be a wet weather picture around game time so bring an umbrella if you plan to head to the game.  Game time is 6 PM.  

Chanhassen Storm-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 Another storm cloud will enter St. Louis Park Wednesday night as the Oriole football team concludes their regular season against the top ranked team in Class 5A, the unbeaten Chanhassen Storm.  

St. Louis Park's Homecoming game was played in steady rain last Friday as the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders beat the Orioles 20-6.  Mason Helfmann scored the only touchdown for the Orioles, who enter the final week of the regular season with a record of 1-6.  No individual statistics were provided according to mnfootballhub.com.  

The key to the game for St. Louis Park is to try to solve a tough Chanhassen defense and minimize turnovers.  

This season, the Chanhassen Storm has been into the woods as their top running back Maxwell woods has led them to a 7-0 record and a team that could be playing in the Prep Bowl Thanksgiving weekend.  Woods, who has committed to North Dakota State, is 12 yards shy of 1000 was not a factor in the Storm's 21-0 shutout of district rival Chaska last Friday.  The Chanhassen defense was led by Tyler Burton, who recorded seven tackles.  

The key to the game for the Storm is for Woods and his backfield mate Daxton Bush to wear down the oriole defense.  

The weather picture for Wednesday has better news. The high temperature will be in the mid 50s and no rain in the forecast.  Game time is 7 PM.  

Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders Reign on SLP Orioles Homecoming

 The bleachers were packed on a cold, wet and rainy Friday night for the St. Louis Park Orioles Homecoming game but the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders got two field goals from Aidan Macke and two touchdowns from Jaylen Gayles to lead them to a 20-6 victory.

In the first quarter, the Raiders would get a pair of field goals from Gayles.  The first came from 28 yards, the second from 41 and CDH built a 6-0 lead.  

It looked like there would be a scoreless second quarter.  Not so as Miles Bollinger threw a right side pass to Gayles for a nine yard touchdown with :28.8 left in the first half and the Raiders led 13-0 at halftime. 

There would be some joy for the multitudes of orange and black clad fans who braved the cold and driving rain as the Orioles capped a three play drive in the third quarter that started with quarterback Josh Rickord completed passes to Cooper Schultz and Jeremy Eichten.  Mason Helfmann would reach the end zone on a 10 yard run.  

CDH would put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter when Bollinger made a right side pitch to Gayles and he went eight yards for a touchdown to end their five game losing streak.  

The Raiders improved their record to 2-5 and conclude their regular season on Wednesday, October 18 against the Irondale Knights at 7:30 at O'Shaughnessy Stadium of the University of St. Thomas campus.  The Orioles fell to 1-6 and will also be in action on the 18th as they wrap up the regular season hosting the Chanhassen Storm at 7 PM.  

An Era Ending for Jefferson Football

 Thursday night, when the Apple Valley Eagles battle the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars, it will mark the end of an era since it will be the final regular season home game for the Jaguars at Bloomington Stadium.  

But it might not be the last game yet for Jefferson because they could host one and possibly two section games.  

The stadium, on the site of the former Lincoln High School, which shut down in 1982 is also home to the Bloomington Kennedy Eagles.  Home soccer games are also played at the stadium.  

Both Jefferson and Kennedy will play their home games next season at their respective campuses.  In a conversation with a representative from Kennedy, there are plans for two sides of bleachers at Jefferson and one at Kennedy.  

The main reason why both schools will be playing on campus next season is that Bloomington Stadium is too costly too repair.  It's also one of the few remaining football and soccer stadiums that utilizes natural grass.  Many schools, including St. Louis Park have gone to turf fields.  

Since Jefferson opened in 1970, Bloomington Stadium has been the hub of high school football and soccer as all three schools played their home games.  It wasn't common to have doubleheaders on a Friday.  Back then, the first game was played at 3 PM.  Then the second game began around 7:30 PM.  Later in the decade, there were evening twin bills, with the first game starting at 6 PM and the nightcap at 8:30 PM.  

Bloomington Stadium wasn't just home to high school football and soccer.  When Normandale Community College had athletic teams, the football team, under the leadership of Fred Moyer, played their home games across from the Penn Lake Library.  For years, the Bloomington Athletic Association had their version of the Prep Bowl as the division championship games were played at the stadium.  Bloomington Stadium was also home to the largest single day track and field meet Track-O-Rama.  

As the curtain rings down on Bloomington Stadium,  we can look back at packed houses the nights of Homecoming and the rivalry games between the Bloomington schools.  The sounds of fans and marching bands.  The era will end for the venue on the corner of 88th St. and Queen Ave. S., but the memories of fans who have gone through the gates in its lifespan will live on.  

Cretin-Derham Hall-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 Get ready for Homecoming football as the St. Louis Park Orioles try to get back on the winning track hosting the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders Friday night.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.  The Raiders, who have played in 23 state tournaments have struggled this season under head coach, a CDH alum, Steve Walsh.  The Raiders have lost five straight games since opening the 2023 campaign with a 35-0 shutout of the Tartan Titans.  Last Friday, CDH fell to the Mahtomedi Zephyrs 34-18.  It was another outstanding game for Mahtomedi running back Alec Mahoney who roughed up the Raider defense with 241 rushing yards and five trips to the end zone.  CDH runs a pass oriented offense gaining 157 yards but their rushing game was MIA with only 17 total yards.  

The key to the game for the Raiders is to establish a running game and play solid defense.  

The Orioles enter their Homecoming game with an identical 1-5 record, coming off a 31-28 defeat against the Tartan Titans last Saturday.  A couple of bright spots from the game were quarterback Josh Rickord completing 15 of 32 passes for 220 yards, including two touchdown passes.  However, he threw three interceptions.  Mason Helfmann ran 16 times for 83 yards and got a touchdown.  He also caught three passes for 50 yards.  On defense, Henry Schrader record eight tackles.  

The key to the game for St. Louis Park is for Rickord to continue to spread the ball among his receiving corps.  He threw completions to eight players last week.  

The weather picture looks pretty gloomy the next three days with rain in the forecast so bring an umbrella if you plan to attend.  Be sure to get there early since it may be a packed house unless the rain keeps the fans away.  Game time is 7 PM.  

SLP Orioles-Tartan Titans Football Preview

 If you're looking for something to do Saturday afternoon before the Twins face the Astros in Game One of the American League Divisional Series and the Minnesota Gophers hosting the Michigan Wolverines in Big Ten Football, head over to Oakdale to see the St. Louis Park Orioles battle the Tartan Titans.  

Both teams enter the sixth week of the regular season with identical 1-4 records.  

It took two nights due to a heavy thunderstorm that pelted the St. Louis Park area and it resulted in the Orioles falling to the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars 17-7.  Jefferson was led by running back Jonathan Weber who had 18 carries for 82 yards and reached the end zone twice.  On defense, Jefferson was led by Evan Feller with 12 tackles and Cormac Radford intercepted Oriole quarterback Josh Rickord and helped the Jaguars get good field position for their second touchdown.  And speaking of Rickord, his nights were dismal as the falling rain, completing nine of 21 passes for 48 yards.  Mason Helfmann was the bright spot on offense with 21 carries for 55 yards.  he needs 39 yards to gain 500 for the season.  The St. Louis Park defense was led by Henry Schrasder with 13 tackles.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is for Rickord to get good line protection that would enable him to throw more balls downfield.  

Looking at the Titans, last week they were trounced by the Mahtomedi Zephyrs 55-7.  The game was decided in the first quarter when the Zephyrs scored 28 points, including three touchdowns from Alec Mahoney.  He finished the game with 133 yards on eight carries and his backfield mate Jacob Reubish ran 15 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns as Mahtomedi racked up 453 rushing yards.  Tartan's only win was on September 8, a 6-0 victory over St. Paul Highland Park.  Tartan has been outscored in their four defeats 182-22.  

The key to the game for the Titans is to get focused and to shut down the Oriole running game.

Saturday's weather picture is going to be chilly with the high temperature in the upper 40s.  Budle up if you plan to head to Oakdale.  Game time is 2 PM.  

One Goal is All St. Paul Central Needs to Beat SLP Orioles

 The rain was coming down rapidly Tuesday night but it didn't stop Tommy Voshell to score the game winning goal with 24:13 left to play as the St. Paul Central Minutemen beat the St. Louis Park Orioles in their regular season home finale 1-0.

Neither team would tally in the first half though Wesley smith made an outstanding save for the Orioles to keep the first half scoreless.  The lone goal of the game came for the Minutemen in the second half when Eli Moseman sent the ball upfield and Voshell, positioned near the crease sent the ball past Smith.  

Central improved their record to 8-5-1 and will conclude their regular season on Friday, October 6 against the St. Paul Highland Park Scots at 7:30 PM at Allianz Field.  The Orioles fell to 3-7-1 and will head to long Lake on Thursday, October 5 to face the Orono Spartans at 7 PM at Pesonen Stadium.  

It Takes Two Days For Jefferson Jaguars to Beat SLP Orioles

 Friday night, the weather picture turned out stormy with heavy rain and lightning but on Saturday, Jonathan Weber's two touchdowns held up to lead the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars to a 17-7 win over the host St. Louis Park Orioles.  

Neither team would score in the first quarter though both teams had opportunities to put the ball in the end zone.  The Orioles got a fourth down conversion on Josh Rickford's completion to Ben Bauer but on the next series, Nate Benishek missed a 35 yard field goal.  

The Jaguars would score twice in the second quarter thanks to the legs of Jonathan Weber.  The first came following a block St. Louis Park punt that gave Jefferson outstanding field position that spotted the ball at the Oriole 35 yard line.  Weber would score his first touchdown on a three yard run left and his second came on a 14 yard run up the middle to give the Jaguars a 14-0 halftime lead.  

Unfortunately, Mother Nature weighed her iron fist on St. Louis Park just as the halftime warmup period was ending.  There was lightning to the northwest of the pressbox so the game had to be delayed for at least 30 minutes according to MSHSL rules.  To make matters worse, the rain got heavier so the game had to be suspended until 7 PM Saturday night.  

Picking up where the game left off, both teams went scoreless in the third quarter.  In the fourth, Jefferson added a 38 yard field goal from Marcus Honold to increase their lead to 17.  There would be no shutout for St. Louis Park as Rickord would reach the end zone on a 14 yard keeper run.  

The Jaguars improved their record to 4-1 and will host the Cooper Hawks on Friday, October 6 at 7 PM at Bloomington Stadium.  The Orioles fell to 1-4 and will head to Oakdale on Saturday, October 7 for a 2 PM game with the Tartan Titans.  

This season is the final one for Bloomington Stadium.  Next season, both Jefferson and Kennedy will play their games in on campus facilities.  Jefferson head coach Tim Carlson, a Lincoln graduate was interviews before the game on the demise of Bloomington Stadium.  

"I will be sad to see it go.  It's time to grow and time to move on."  

Jefferson Jaguars-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 After getting blown out by the Cooper Hawks last Thursday, the St. Louis Park Oriole football team returns home to begin the second half of the season against the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars Friday night.  

Yes, St. Louis Park did fall to Cooper last Thursday night to enter the second half of the season with a 1-3 record.  They trailed the Hawks 6-3 before Cooper scored 35 unanswered points en route to a 41-3 drubbing.  Emmanuel Karmo gave the Hawks karma with two touchdowns.  As for the Orioles sophomore sensation, running back Mason Helfmann, he was a nonfactor, held to only 24 rushing yards.  St. Louis Park was outgained 322-101.  The one bright spot was on defense where tony Kruse had St. Louis Park's lone interception.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is to get their momentum back on offense and for Helfmann to find running room.  

The Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars are off to one of their best starts in years as they picked up their third straight win 22-15 over the Hastings Raiders.  The Jaguars rebounded from a season opening shutout by New Prague to also defeat St. Cloud Tech and Tartan.  Tyson Schultz threw two touchdown passes and Cormac Radford intercepted three Raider passes.  Jonathan Weber rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown.  

The key to the game for Jefferson is for Schultz to have a potent passing game and for Radford to anchor the defense.  

It's going to feel like summer Friday night.  The weather picture has temperatures in the mid to high 70s but you might need an umbrella late in the game because thunderstorms are possible after 9 PM. Game time is 7 PM.  

Split Shutout Between SLP Orioles and New Prague Trojans

 Thursday night was the final home Metro West Conference soccer doubleheader of the season with the St. Louis Park Orioles hosting the New Prague Trojans.

Opening up the day was the girls game and good things came in twos for the Orioles as Vesna Dennison and Hanna Wilsey scored two goals apiece to lead the Orioles to a 4-0 shutout of the Trojans in their final regular season home game.  

St. Louis Park vaulted ahead on Dennison's header.  Then it was Dennison, who will head to Michigan next season to play at Grand Valley State who received a pass from Wilsey and she lined it into the net.  Wilsey would factor in the Orioles third goal when she was fouled in the left side of the penalty area so she was awarded a penalty kick.  She put it past Trojan goalkeeper Hanna Langeberg and St. Louis Park led at the half 3-0.  

The tandem of Wilsey and Dennison would account for St. Louis Park's lone second half goal when Dennison fed Wilsey and Wilsey set it across the goal line.  

The Orioles improved their record to 7-3-2 and will head to Long Lake on Thursday, October 5 to face the Orono Spartans at 5 PM.  The Trojans fell to 1-6-4 and return to action on Saturday, September 30 as they head to Chanhassen for a 1 PM game against the Storm.  

Now to the boys game and one goal would be enough for Satchel Johnson when he scored the game's lone goal to lead the Trojans to a 1-0 win over the Orioles.  

Johnson would account for the only New Prague goal, scoring from the right side.  St. Louis Park had some scoring chances but Gael Miteo's goal was disallowed due to an offside call.  There would be an identical call in the second half. 

The Trojans improved their record to 8-3-1 and will make a record trip to St. Louis Park but to Benilde-St. Margaret's to face the Red nights on Monday, October 2 at 7 PM.  The Orioles fell to 3-6-1 and wrap up their home schedule on Tuesday, October 3 as the host the St. Paul Central Minutemen at 7 PM.  

Wayzata Trojans Remain Unbeaten

 Two of the top volleyball teams in Class AAAA battled in Plymouth Tuesday night and it was the top ranked Wayzata Trojans, unbeaten in 17 matches who came away with a three sets to one win over the third ranked Champlin Park Rebels. 

It was the second meeting of the season for the two powerhouses.  They met September 9 in the Southwest Minnesota Challenge in Marshall with the Trojans winning two sets to one.  Both teams played in the prestigious Apple Valley Tournament last weekend and Wayzata took home the championship trophy.  

Now to the match.  The Rebels scored the first two points and they got kills from Reese Axness and Carly Gilk, who committed to Minnesota as they took advantage of numerous Trojans balls hit into the net to win the first set 25-21.  

Wayzata would bounce back in the second set as they bounced back from a four point deficit that was bolster by a couple of left side kills from Avery Jesewitz. She also helped win the set for the Trojans 25-21.  

In the third set, Wayzata would get the early lead and go on a 4-0 run.  Defense would factor with a center block.  Olivia Swenson would aid Wayzata with a couple of service aces that would spark a 7-0 run that followed an 18-18 tie to beat Champlin Park 25-18.  

The fourth set would be a back and forth affair as there would be a total of ten ties as the Rebels tried to force a fifth set.  The Trojans got a sidearm hit from Stella Swenson, who along with her sister Olivia will wear maroon and gold next season at Minnesota.  Another Swenson would get into the act, sophomore sister Evan, who had a right side kill.  Champlin Park would get an ace from Ava Boelter to come close but Lily Riese's serve went off the net and the set and match would end.  

The Trojans improved their record to 18-0 and will host the Eden Prairie Eagles on Thursday, September 28 at 7 PM.  The Rebels fell to 13-3 and also return to action on the 28th when they head to coon Rapids for a 7 PM match against the Cardinals.  

Last Minute Royal Heroics

 The bleachers were packed for the Rogers Royals Homecoming football game Friday night and the close to 3000 fans in attendance who stayed until the final minute got to see Wyatt Gilmore catch a 50 yard touchdown pass with :46 left to lead the host Royals to a 26-13 victory over the Spring Lake Park Panthers.  

It was the Panthers who took the early lead in the first quarter as Matthew Buren ran 31 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone.  The Royals sliced the lead in half on Peyton Honnell's 23 yard field goal and at the end of the first quarter it was 6-3 in favor of Spring Lake Park.  

Rogers would vault into the lead in the second quarter when Reece Dawson threw a high pass over center to Tanner Carlson and went 28 yards for a touchdown.  The Spring Lake Park running game would pay off when Buren gained 22 yards but was short of the goal line and on the next play, Lamari Brown scored from one yard to put the Panthers ahead 13-10.  The Royals would tie the score at 13 on Honnell's second field goal, this one from 41 yards.  

The second half looked like the game would be headed for overtime since both teams had missed opportunities in fourth down with Spring Lake Park going 0-2 and Rogers 0-1.  There would be good news for the many blue and white clad fans heading into the final minute when Wyatt Gilmore caught a Dawson pass, broke a couple of tackles and and scored a 50 yard touchdown to put the Royals ahead.  The Panthers would get the ball, looking to send the game into overtime or win with a touchdown and a two point conversion.  Tyler Wilkinson went back to pass, sent the ball downfield and Calvin Kolleh came up with the interception for a touchdown.  

Following the game, fans were allowed on the field and HSGN found Gilmore and got his view on the game inning touchdown.  

"I just felt like a Mack truck and I knew nothing was going to stop me."  

He also mention about running back Kalvin Eull, who came into the game with 708 yards this season and carried 18 times for 107 yards.    According to Gilmore, he worked hard in the offseason and it paid off.  

Rogers improved their record to 4-0 and will head up I-94 to Monticello next Friday, September 29 to face the Magic at 7 PM.  The Panthers fell to 2-2 and will also return to action on the 29th as they head to Andover to take on the Huskies at 7 PM.  

SLP Oriole Girls tie-Boys Beat Waconia Wildcats

 Mid-week soccer action took place Wednesday night as the St. Louis Park Orioles hosted the Waconia Wildcats with the girls recorded their second 3-3 tie against a Carver County school (the first was Chanhassen on September 7) and the boys broke a 2-2 tie with two second half goals to beat the Wildcats 4-2.  

First up was the girls where Vesna Dennison matched her uniform number with her 20th goal of the season to tie the Waconia Wildcats 3-3.  

Audrey Falkman began the first half scoring for the Wildcats, followed by a liner from Addison Bryfczynski to put Waconia ahead by two.  The Orioles erased the shutout on Hanna Wilsey's right side goal.  But Bethany Langer scored from the right side with 1:07 left in the first half to give the Wildcats a 3-1 halftime lead.  

St. Louis Park would bounce back with two second half goals.  The first came when Sophia Dvorak fed Lucia Versailles and she sent it top shelf to tie the game at two.  Then came Dennison, who scored the game winner Monday night against Chaska.  she line the ball over the goal line to even the score at three and that's how the game ended.  

The Orioles improved their record to 5-2-2 and begin a two game road trip Saturday, September 23 at Hopkins at 11 AM.  The Wildcats improved to 3-8-1 and will also return to action on the 23rd, hosting the Eagan Wildcats at 1 PM.  

On to the boys game that saw Elijah Proost score two second half goals to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 4-2 win over the Waconia Wildcats.  

Both teams tallied twice in the first half.  The Orioles would pull out to a two goal lead as Marco Cucci would strike first, then Lucas Tangelson was fouled in the penalty area and awarded a penalty kick.  His shot went through the net and the officials ruled that the goal counted.  The Wildcats would counter with two goals.  The first came from Tyler Sjodin and the second by Elijah Lund with :18.9 in the first half.

St. Louis Park would clinch the win in the second half as Proost put the ball in the net twice.  His first goal 1:33 into the second half gve the Orioles the lead and the second came when John Ryan passed to Proost at the near post and he fired a shot into the net.  

The Orioles extended their unbeaten streak to four games and improved their record to 3-4-1.  They will travel to Hopkins on Saturday, September 23 to face the Royals at 9 AM.  The Wildcats fell to 3-5-2 and will also return to action on the 23rd as they host the Eagan Wildcats at 3 PM.  

SLP Orioles-Cooper Hawks Football Preview

For the second consecutive week, it will be the "Thursday Night Lights" as the St. Louis Park Orioles head up to New Hope to face the Cooper Hawks.  

Last Thursday, the Orioles home opener wasn't happy since they were routed by the Apple Valley Eagles 31-7.  

The one bright spot for St. Louis Park was sophomore running back Mason Helfmann.  He scored the Orioles lone touchdown and ran for 140 yards.  It was the second straight game that he broke the 100 yard threshold.  The news then turned bad for St. Louis Park when Apple Valley scored 31 straight points to clinch the victory.  Jackson Thornburgh threw two touchdown passes for the Eagles.  On defense, Bjorn Anderson recorded nine tackles.  

The key to the game for the Orioles is to minimize turnovers and for Helfmann to continue to anchor the running game.  

The Hawks were also in action last Thursday as they faced their Robbinsdale district rival the Armstrong Falcons in Plymouth.  It turned out to be an outstanding game as Armstrong handed cooper their first loss of the season 20-14 in double overtime.  Kevon Johnson, who carried the ball 41 times for 157 yards, scored the game winning touchdown in the second overtime. Cooper was led by quarterback Kameron Fox, as he completed 203 of 39 passes for 207 yards.  Defense played a role in the Hawks first touchdown  when Emmanuel Karmo recovered an Armstrong fumble and ran 22 yards to the end zone.  Anthony Kollie had 16 tackles and Ray Helland 13.  

The key to the game for the Hawks is for Fox to keep the Oriole defense from going "Fox hunting."  He has to go deep and utilize his receivers to solve St. Louis Park.  

It will be a favorable weather picture with temperatures above 80 degrees and no rain in the forecast.  Game time is 7 PM.  

 

A Senior Night Tie and Split

 Monday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams as they hosted the Chaska Hawks.  Gael Miteo scored two second half goals to tie the Hawks at three and girls got a game winner from Vesna Dennison with 2:09 left in regulation to beat Chaska.  

First up was the boys and they would bounce back from a two goal deficit on a pair of goals from Miteo to tie the Chaska Hawks at three.  

The Hawks would score the lone first half goal as Jacob Steffes drove down the field like the team bus heading down Highway 212 and lined the ball into the net.  

Chaska would increase their lead to two in the second half when Cristopher Corrales-Castro got a pass from Aiden Dualan and sent it to the net.  There would be no shutout for the Hawks that night when Raul Sanchez Sandoval put the ball past Chaska goalkeeper to cut the lead to one.  But Edgard Robles goal pushed the Hawk lead back to two.  St. Louis Park wasn't done yet.  Miteo would score two consecutive goals.  The first came on a rebound and the second came after receiving a pass from Saul Zis.  There would be no overtime in the regular season as a new rule was enacted by the Minnesota State High School League this season.  

The Hawks improved their record to 5-2-1 and will travel to New Prague on Wednesday, September 20 for a 7 PM game against the Trojans.  St. Louis Park improved to 2-4-1 and will host the Waconia Wildcats, also on the 20th at 7 PM.  

Now to the girls game where senior Vesna Dennison put the finishing touch on senior night on her game winning goal with 2:09 left in regulation time to beat the Chaska Hawks 2-1.  

The Orioles would strike first when Dennison sent the ball to Hanna Wilsey and fired it to the net.  Kaydence Landree would go on a breakaway  and scored a right side goal.  

It looked like there would be the second deadlock of the evening as both teams played solid defense.  Hold everything.  Dennison, positioned on the right side of the net put the ball over the goal line with 2:09 left to clinch the victory.  

Chaska improved their record to 3-5-1  and will head to New Prague on Wednesday, September 20 to take on the Trojans at 5 PM.  St. Louis Park improved to 5-2-1 and will host the Waconia Wildcats, also on the 20th at 5 PM.                                                

Apple Valley Eagles Soar Past SLP Orioles

 It was a "Battle of the Birds" Thursday night in the St. Louis Park Orioles home opener but it was Jackson Thornburgh who passed for two touchdowns to lead the Apple Valley Eagles to a 31-7 defeat over the host Orioles.  

The Orioles would break a scoreless tie in the first quarter on Mason Helfmann's five yard run that came following an offside penalty on the Eagles.  

It would be the only good news for St. Louis Park as Apple Valley would put the game away with three second quarter touchdowns, two on passes from Thornburgh.  The first came on a 15 yard high right side pass to Quieris Bamslater. The second came on a 50 yard strike to Noah Mergerson and the Eagles led 14-7.  Defense would be a factor in Apple valley's third touchdown when Alex Mock recovered a St. Louis Park fumble and ran 33 yards into the end zone.  The Eagles led 21-7 at halftime.  

Heading into the second half, the Orioles had the ball for the first 6:12 of the third quarter but they lost the ball to the Eagles on downs.  Apple Valley would extend their unanswered point streak to 28 as Will Washington ran right for a 14 yard touchdown.  

The Eagles would close the scoring in the fourth quarter on Nolan Mickelson's 21 yard touchdown.  

Apple Valley improved their record to 2-1 and return home on Friday, September 22 to face the Tartan Titans at 7 PM.  St. Louis Park fell to 1-2 and heads up Highway 169 to New Hope on Thursday, September 21 to take on the Cooper Hawks at 7 PM.  

Apple Valley Eagles-SLP Orioles Football Preview

 Two weeks on the road and the St. Louis Park Oriole football team is gonna make it home Thursday night to host the Apple Valley Eagles. 

Both teams are 1-1 and have faced the Mankato East Cougars who have accounted for their lone defeat in the early season.  

Last Saturday, the Orioles picked up their first win when sophomore running back Mason Helfmann made four trips to the end zone to lead St. Louis Park to a 33-21 win over the Minneapolis Washburn Millers.  Helfmann had 22 carries for 182 yards and Josh Rickford completed 11 of 14 passes for 105 yards, including a touchdown pass to Ben Bauer.  The Oriole defense also prevailed, sacking Millers quarterback Andrew Backhaus five times.  

The key to the game for St. Louis Park is for Helfmann to continue his momentum and shred the Apple Valley defense.  

The Eagles, following a 29-7 win over the Rochester John Marshall Rockets in the season opener, hosted the same team the Orioles faced that week in the Mankato East Cougars and got blown out by Mankato East 42-21.  The Cougars defense couldn't do what the Orioles tried to do the previous week is stop Rafe Bowman who scored two touchdowns and ran for 192 yards.  Apple Valley has a dual threat quarterback in junior Jackson Thornburgh.  In the season opener he passed for 1172 yards and ran for 84 yards and two touchdowns.  

The key to the game for Apple Valley is for Thornburgh to have another big game and for the defense to shut down Helfmann.  

There's good news in Thursday's weather picture.  It will be warmer than Wednesday with the high temperature around 80 degrees.  Game time is 7 PM.  

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.  

HSGN Turns Seven August 1

 Tuesday marks the beginning of August and HSGN's seventh year on the blogosphere.  

Even though HSGN has been inactive since the end of the high school sports season, there has been a number of developments on the high school sports scene as well as the game show world.  

First of all, Tara Seifert stepped down as the head girls basketball coach at Chaska and was not unemployed for long.  She headed east to become the head coach at Cretin-Derham Hall.  Also in basketball, Daniel Freitag, the former Jefferson Jaguar who left for California and signed to play for the Wisconsin Badgers has returned to the Twin Cities.  But he won't be returning to Bloomington.  He will play his senior year for Breck.  

On the college scene, Keegan Cook begins his first season in late August as the new head volleyball coach at Minnesota.  Could this be the year the Gophers get back into the Final Four?  

Big news on the game show front.  After 51 years at Television City in Hollywood, The Price is Right is moving to a new studio in Glendale.  The reason is the facility, home of the studio that bears the name of long time host Bob Barker is undergoing a renovation.  So there will be a new facility for fans to "Come on Down!'  The ongoing writers strike will also impact Jeopardy, which is slated to begin its 40th season in September.  However, there are plans to recycle previous used material.  It will also be the final year for Pat Sajak hosting Wheel of Fortune.  The following season, Ryan Seacrest will take over the hosting reigns.  

So what's coming up for HSGN in the coming year?  

The answer.  Plans to cover Holy Family's first game in its new facility as they open the new season under veteran head coach Dan O'Brien.  Volleyball coverage is also in the works as well as another Providence Academy girls basketball game.  The Prep Bowl will also be back in the usual post-Thanksgiving slot instead of a week later due to a nationally televised Vikings game.  

A lot is in the works for year seven.  

Pat Sajak to Retire From Wheel of Fortune in 2024

 When Wheel of Fortune begins its 41st season in syndication in September, it will be the beginning of the end of an era for the very popular game show since Pat Sajak announced that he will be retiring as host at the end of the season.  

Sajak, 76, has been the host of Wheel of Fortune since 1981.  He replaced original daytime version host Chuck Woolery, who left the show in a contract dispute.  He hosted both the daytime and nighttime shows until 1989 when he left the daytime show to host a late night talk show on CBS.  

The big question is who will replace Sajak?  it's against HSGN policy to speculate as mentioned in a previous post on the passing of Jeopardy host Alex Trebek but Sajak's daughter Maggie as well as his long-time co-host Vanna White could be in the mix.  White actually hosted while Sajak was recovering from surgery.  One website mentioned about the possibility of Ryan Seacrest being considered as a potential replacement.  

Merv Griffin, who created and produced Wheel of Fortune discovered Sajak when he was a weatherman on the NBC owned station in Los Angeles.  Before that, Sajak hosted an unsold pilot for  Mark Goodson titled Puzzlers.  NBC initially didn't want Sajak to replace Woolery because officials felt he was too local.  Griffin threatened to stop taping unless Sajak would host but Fred Silverman, who headed NBC back then gave in and as the saying goes, the rest is history.  

Viewers can not only play along with the classic game but tune in after the bonus round to hear the banter between Sajak and White before the closing credits. 

SLP Orioles Eliminate Mpls. South Tigers

 Tuesday night was a big night for Josh Middleton as he drove in three runs and struck out eight batters to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to an 8-3 win over the Minneapolis South Tigers in a Section 6AAAA elimination round game at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

Middleton would drive in the Oriole first run in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single that scored Graham Sullivan, who led off the game with a walk.  

In the top of the second, the Tigers would take the lead with three runs, aided by two St. Louis Park errors.  Two of the runs would come on an RBI single from Elias Solberg that scored Alex Menth and Tariku Westrum Ostrom.  The Orioles would tie the game in their half of the inning as Aaron Bilden led off with a triple, then crossed the plate on a fielder's choice by Ryan Moran.  Moran would head home on Middleton's RBI single, his second of the game.  

St. Louis Park would take the lead for good in the bottom of the third on an error by South shortstop Gavy Schacher that enabled Andruw Vela to head home and Griffin Krone to take second base.  Krone would account for the Orioles fifth run on a sacrifice fly from Moran.  

The long ball would prevail for St. Louis Park in the bottom of the fourth when Zach Helfmann hit a two run homer over the right center field fence, his seventh of the season.  

Middleton would settle into a groove on the mound over the last three innings as he recorded five of his eight strikeouts and only allowed three Tiger hitters to reach base.  Alex Menth hit a two out double in the top of the fifth but he retired Westrum Ostrum on a called third strike.  He would leave two runner stranded in the top of the sixth thanks to Vela's outstanding fielding at shortstop.  In addition, he brought home St. Louis Park's final run in the bottom of the sixth on a ground out to Schacher at shortstop that enabled Sullivan to cross the plate following a triple.  

The Orioles improved their record to 10-12 and will face the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in another elimination round game on Friday, June 3 at 4 PM at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.  Minneapolis South concluded their season with a record of 12-9.  

Stormy Night for SLP Orioles

 The Chanhassen Storm, ranked fourth in Minnesota girls high school lacrosse, should their speed and tenacity as Ali McPartland scored six goals to lead them to an 18-1 drubbing of the host St. Louis Park Orioles in the regular season finale Thursday night.  

McPartland would strike early for the Storm, scoring 1:00 into the game.  She would score her second goal as Chanhassen increased their lead to five with four goals in a stretch of !:12.  Also tallying were Gabb Bjugen, Sophie Cook and Hannah Grimm (no relation to St. Louis Park's Kate Grimm).  It would be Hannah Grim who would begin the Storm's next five goal run as she caught an inside pass from Allie Welder.  McPartland would get her first hat trick off a pass from Tatumn Nyen and Welder would account for two of Chanhassen's final first half goals, sandwiched by Hannah Grimm's second goal.  The Storm led 10-0 at the half.  

Heading into the second half, as running time would be the status quo with the game at a high margin.  McPrtland would continue to put the ball past Oriole goal Carina Otos three straight times to score a double hat trick.  The Storm would extend their unanswered goal streak to 17 as Bjugan would score two goals and Ava Stewart and Welder would also get a hat trick.  Welder would also pick up four assists, giving her seven points for the game.  But there would be some good news for Oriole fans when Lily Fandel Thompson went around the right side of the goal and put it past Storm goalie Katie Colleran.  It would be the only St. Louis Park goal of the game as Stewart would wrap up the scoring with 2:13 left to play.  

The Storm concluded their regular season with a record of 10-3.  The Orioles ended their regular season with their fifth straight loss and fell to 4-9.  Section play begins next week.  

Chaska Hawks Hang Ten on SLP Orioles

 Tuesday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Orioles but it was home runs by Karson Attebury and Maddox Foss that helped the Chaska Hawks beat the Orioles 10-7 at Derrick Keller Field.  

The top of the first inning was double trouble for Oriole starting pitcher Danny Montanez as he gave up a leadoff double to Attebury and he would score on Tate Miller's RBI double.  A two bagger from Raymond Johnson would score Miller.  It would be the only inning Montanez would pitch due to a sore elbow that caused him to leave the game in the second but before he departed, he drove home Griffin Krone with an RBI single in the bottom of the first.  

Three would be a magic number for both teams as they scored three runs in the third inning.  Chaska would get their runs starting with Attebury's homerun over the left field fence and Johnson's two RBI single brought home Matthew Magnuson and Jacob Welter.  St. Louis Park produced via the longball.  Following a single from Graham Sullivan, there would be back to back homers from Krone and Zach Helfmann.  

The Hawks would go up by four in the top of the fourth inning on Foss' two run homer.  They would also add two runs to their ledger in the top of the seventh.  The first came on an RBI single from Isaac Whicker and pinch hitter Mason McGowan's sacrifice fly that brought across Mason Tangen.  

The Orioles would put three runs across in the bottom of the seventh.  The first would be Geiber Silva's RBI single that scored Sullivan and a two run single by Andruw Vela.  But that was all St. Louis Park could due in the game that ran two hours and 26 minutes.  

Chaska improved their record to 8-6 and will return to St. Louis Park on Thursday, May 18 to face the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights at 7 PM.  St. Louis Park fell to 7-9 and will travel to Long Lake to battle the Orono Spartans on Wednesday, May 17 at 4:30 PM.  

Trojan Trouncing

 Henry Novak pitched a three hitter and got early run support with a three run first inning to lead the New Prague Trojans to a 6-0 shutout of the St. Louis Park Orioles Wednesday night at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

The Trojans would capitalize on three Oriole errors in the top of the first inning.  But first came back to back double from Nolan Eischens and Jake Lundquist that accounted for New Prague's first two runs.  Novak would score the third run on an error.  

In the top of the second, the Trojans would load the bases as Will Seymour, the only player not to bat in the top of the first led off with a single, Eric Berg reached base on an error by Oriole second baseman Eli Puchner and Eischens would reach on a single.  Lundquist would pick up his second RBI on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Graham Sullivan to bring Seymour home.  

Novak would allow only one hit through four innings until he gave up a pair of base hits to Danny Montanez and Griffin Krone.  Nothing would transpire and both runners were left stranded.  

St. Louis Park starting pitcher Andruw Vela settled down since the first inning, retiring nine straight batters before he gave up a double to Kyle Carlberg in the top of the seventh and he would cross the plate on Nolan Eischens' triple.  Eischens would account for New Prague's sixth and final run on a sacrifice fly to Sullivan in center field.  

The Trojans improved their record to 11-3 and will head down Highway 169 on Saturday, May 13 to face the Mankato West Scarlets at noon at Minnesota State University-Mankato.  The Orioles fell to 7-7 and will also be in action on the 13th as they head to Plymouth for a noon game with the Wayzata Trojans.  

SLP Orioles Trounce New Prague Trojans

 Recovering from a disappointing overtime loss to Apple Valley/Burnsville last Thursday, the host St. Louis Park Orioles got four goals from Ailish Fitzpatrick and Lily and Gretchen Fandel Thompson scored hat tricks to lead them to a 13-3 win over the New Prague Trojans Tuesday night.  

The Orioles took the early lead on a free shot goal from Meg Ridgway, followed by Fitzpatrick to build a two goal lead.  The Trojans bounced back to tie the game with a pair of goals from Payton Pumper but it was all the offense New Prague had in the half as St. Louis Park tacked on two more goals to regain the lead.  Lily Fandel Thompson would break through a couple of New Prague defenders and fire the ball into the net and Fitzpatrick would wrap up the first half scoring 4:00 later to give the Orioles a 4-2 halftime lead.  

St. Louis Park was not done widening their lead in the second half.  Fitzpatrick would score the hat trick on a pass from Gretchen Fandel Thompson and Ridgway would score her second goal on an inside pass from Kate Grimm :13 later.  The Fandel Thompson sisters would factor into the Orioles next three goals.  Lily would score her second goal and Gretchen would tally for the next two, the second coming off a pass from Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick would put her fourth ball into the net and Gretchen Fandel Thompson would get the hat trick.  Lily Fandel Thompson also recorded the hat trick on an assist from Madeline Anklam to extend their unanswered goal streak to ten.  The streak would come to an end as the Trojans Joslyn Brotemarkel would find the net with 3:06 to play.  St. Louis Park would wrap up the scoring on Margaux Pollock's goal with :28 to go.  

St. Louis Park improved their record to 3-3 and will travel to Inver Grove Heights on Thursday, May 11 to face the Simley Spartans at 7 PM.  New Prague fell to 3-4 and will host a combined Mankato team on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 PM.  

BSM Red Knights Win Battle of St. Louis Park

It was The Battle of St. Louis Park Monday night as Colin McGie's sacrifice fly scored Jack Anderson in the top of the fifth inning to lead the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles at Derrick Keller Field at Dakota Park.  

The Red Knights, the defending Class AAA state champions came close to an early lead in the top of the second inning when Conner Armand singled and Oriole pitcher Miles Marggraf hit Charlie Gearen and Jack Shull to load the bases but it would go for naught as Marggraf got Rowan Dodge on a called third strike and Caleb Koskie and a pop out to shortstop Andruw Vela.  St. Louis Park would bat around in the bottom of the inning as three runners crossed the plate. Courtesy runner Griffin Krone had a successful steal of home, followed by an RBI single from Josh Middleton that scored Vela and a bases loaded by Aaron Bilden scored Danny Montanez.  

BSM would come back with two runs in the top of the fifth when Easton Breyfogle scored on an error by Middleton and McGie brought home Anderson on a sacrifice fly to the left fielder Bilden.  The Orioles would go down in order in the bottom of the seventh as Andy Johnson, in relief of Koskie, struck out four batters in two innings of work, including two in thwe seventh.  

Koskie would pitch five innings and strike out 10 batters.  

The Red Knights improved their record to 9-3 and will head down I-394 to Orono on Wednesday, May 10 for a 4:30 game against the Spartans.  The Orioles fell to 5-5 and will host Orono in a game rescheduled from April 28 on Tuesday, May 9 at 6 PM at Derrick Keller Field.