DeLaSalle Demolition

Friday night was cold, windy and snowy but it didn't stop a small throng of fans from seeing Alexander Hager score three touchdowns to lead the host St. Louis Park Orioles to a 41-0 demolishing of the DeLaSalle Islanders.  

The Orioles entered the game without their leading rusher Sajid Nathim, who tore his ACL last week against Chanhassen, leaving them shorthanded in the backfield.  Nathim's replacement, Tobyous Davenport would leave the game near the end of a scoreless first quarter due to an injury as well as Khalid Powell, who was taken to Children's hospital in an ambulance. 

With Nathim and Davenport sidelined, who would St. Louis Park use to run the ball?  The answer would be Hager as he would help put the game away in the second quarter with two touchdowns.  The first would come on a 30 yard run up the middle and the second would come after Henry Bendickson sacked Islander quarterback Brandon Hoban on fourth down, setting up first and goal at the DeLaSalle seven yard line.  On the first play of the drive, Hager headed into the end zone to put the Orioles ahead 14-0.  They would go up by 22 on quarterback Aaron Ellingson's 10 yard touchdown pass to McCabe Dvorak with :27.9 left in the first half and it would be the halftime margin.  

St. Louis Park would score two more touchdowns in the third quarter as the Ellingson to McCabe Dvorak combination prevailed again, scoring on a five yard pass completion.  Hager would reach the end zone for his third touchdown but it was called back due to a penalty.  He would later score on a 10 yard run to increase the lead to 35.  

As the game headed into running time in the fourth quarter, the Oriole reserves got into the game.  William Dvorak replaced Ellingson at quarterback and he scored the game's final touchdown on a one yard keeper run bolstered by several runs from freshman Tyree Shorter.  

The Orioles improved their record to 3-4 and end their regular season on Wednesday, October 16 as they host the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars at 7 PM.  The Islanders, with 30 players on their roster, also conclude their season on the 15th hosting the Cooper Hawks at 7 PM.  

Six Goals and All Well for SLP Orioles

It was a wet Thursday night in St. Louis Park as the host Orioles opened quarterfinal play in the Section 6AA Boys Soccer Tournament with four goals from Randy Mayele that led them to a 6-1 win over the Cooper Hawks. 

St. Louis Park would set the table 5:00 into the game as Thomas Salanzadeh faced a three player Cooper wall for a free kick and he lined it into the net.  The Orioles would go up by two as Daniel Lainsbury headed in a rebound from a missed Nick Riley shot.  Then it would be Mayele's turn in the St. Louis Park spotlight as he would score the next two goals.  The last one would come with :05.2 remaining in the first half following a collision with Hawks goalkeeper Matthew Wood that sent the ball to the net.  Wood would leave the game and be replaced by Jayden Hove.  St. Louis Park led 4-0 at halftime. 

With an insurmountable lead going into the second half, Oriole head coach Chato changed goalkeepers, replacing Beau Finley with Luis Benitez Matias.  But it was Mayele who displayed speed and outstanding footwork as he would get the hat trick with his third goal coming from the center slot.  The St. Louis Park senior would pick up his fourth goal following a pass from Thomas Salamzadeh.  There would be no shutout for the second seeded Orioles when James Sondo would score from the right side of the net with 7:59 to conclude the scoring. 

St. Louis Park improved their record to 12-1-1 and will host the Section 6AA semifinal game against the Hopkins Royals on Saturday, October 12 at 3 PM.  The sixth seeded Royals upset the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 1-0 in overtime. 

Cooper concluded their season with a 3-12 record. 

SLP Orioles-DeLaSalle islanders Football Preview

The team bus has landed!  The St. Louis Park Orioles football team returns home for their final two regular season games, starting with the DeLaSalle Islanders Friday night. 

Last week, the Orioles concluded their road portion of the regular season as they headed down Highway 212 to Chanhassen to face the Storm and it was a cloudy result for St. Louis Park as they got beat by Chanhassen 40-22. 

There was a bright spot for the Orioles that night in quarterback Aaron Ellingson, completing 11 of 22 passes for 313 yards and throwing three touchdown passes.  Two of them were to McCabe Dvorak with the first for 62 yards and the second hauled in for 80 yards.  The junior receiver caught five passes for 198 yards.  Ellingson, who is 18 passing yards away from 1000 also had a stellar night on defense, recording 10 tackles.  Jack Townsend also had an outstanding night on defense, recording nine tackles and the Orioles lone interception. 

What's happened to the DeLaSalle Islanders?  Two years ago, they lost in double overtime to Fridley in the section final and last season they finished 4-6.  This season, the Minneapolis school near the Mississippi River hasn't been mighty in 2019, heading into Friday's game with a record of 1-5.  Their lone win came on September 28 with a 21-0 shutout of the North St. Paul Polars.  Last week, the Islanders were overwhelmed by the Orono Spartans 45-7.  It doesn't get easier for DeLaSalle in next Wednesday's final regular season game as they host the Cooper Hawks. 

The keys to the game for St. Louis Park are for Ellingson to continue what he did well against Chanhassen and create opportunities for McCabe Dvorak and his receivers to put the ball in the end zone.  The running game has to be reestablished since the Orioles had only 42 yards on the ground, including 15 from Sajid Nathim. 

The keys to the game for DeLaSalle is to get into an offensive groove and to tighten the defense that fell apart last week against Orono. 

\A heads up to fans attending Friday's game. It will be a wintry weather picture with a possible rain and snow mix so bring an umbrella and dress warm.  Game time is 7 PM. 

2019 Section 6AA Soccer Tournament Preview

The road to the state soccer tournament gets underway this week for both St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams as they head into the Section 6AA quarterfinals this Thursday.  Here's a preview of both the boys and girls pairings. 

First up is the boys quarterfinal matchups as two Minneapolis schools square off for the second time this season.  The eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers take on the top seeded Minneapolis Washbuen Millers.  The Millers, ranked fourth in Class AA, captured the number one seed with a big 2-1 win over St. Louis Park October 5.  Washburn dominated South in their regular season meeting September 12 4-0.  Seven of the Millers 12 wins have been by shutout.  They are one of the favorites in Section 6. 

It's the "Battle of Plymouth" in the second upper bracket game with the fifth seeded Armstrong Falcons facing the fourth seeded Wayzata Trojans.  The two Plymouth schools did not face each other in the regular season but their records are nearly identical with the Falcons 8-6-2 and the Trojans 8-5-3.  Armstrong finished the regular season winning three of their last four games, losing their regular season finale to the Centennial Cougars. Wayzata is the defending section champion and has lost only one game since they were beaten bay the top ranked Edina Hornets 3-0 September 19.  Don't count out the Trojans for a potential battle with the top seeded Millers. 

To the lower bracket and a rematch of a September 12 game between the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks and the second seeded St. Louis Park Orioles.  The Orioles came out on top 6-2 against the Hawks.  Cooper has scored only one goal in its final two regular season games and it will be a tough task against a St. Louis Park team that came close to ending the regular season unbeaten but they were defeated by Washburn.  The Orioles play outstanding defense and move the ball around well to set up scoring plays.  Keep an eye on St. Louis Park.  It could be their first trip to state since 2009 if they can get by the Millers in the section final. 

Concluding the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers.  It hasn't been a royal season for Hopkins, who did not win a game until they defeated the Eden Prairie Eagles 2-1 September 28.  They did face Southwest in the regular season and tied the Lakers 1-1 August 29.  The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games and look to head to state for the first time since they finished second in 2010. 

Looking at the girls tournament bracket, there is a new top seed for the first time in many years, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders.  The Raiders ended the regular season on a five game winning streak and on a quest to advance to their first state tournament since 2004.  First, they have to defeat the eighth seeded Armstrong Falcons who they opened their season against and demolished them 9-0 August 22.  Armstrong has won only one game this season, the win coming against Park Center.  Can CDH end Wayzata's Section 6 domination? 

A season ending victory over the Minneapolis Washburn Millers earned the St. Louis Park Orioles the fifth seed.  They will take on the fourth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers.  It's been an up and down year for the Orioles, who had a four game winning streak before losing three in a row.  Southwest has won seven of their last eight games, including a 1-0 win over St. Louis Park September 26.  It should be a great quarterfinal game. 

Over in the lower bracket, it's an All Minneapolis Showdown as the seventh seeded South Tigers battle the second seeded Washburn Millers.  Washburn beat South in their regular season meeting 1-0 on September 12.  The Millers are a tough team to score against and it showed late in the season with five straight shut outs, outscoring the opposition 24-0.  They will need to continue their strong defense in order to play for a state tournament berth. 

Wrapping up the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded and defending section champion Wayzata Trojans.  No, it's not a typo.  The Trojans are seeded third since they had a down regular season with two losing streaks of three games.  Wayzata tied Washburn 1-1 August 27 and a rematch is very likely as the Trojans begin their journey to their 28th state tournament. 

There are the pairings.  Be sure and dress warm since it will be chilly, rainy and possibly snowy for Semifinal Saturday. 

SLP Orioles Split Home Season Finale With Chanhassen Storm

It was a chilly Thursday night in St. Louis Park as the Oriole soccer teams concluded the home portion of their regular season schedule against the Chanhassen Storm with the girls defeated 1-0 and the boys shutting out Chanhassen 5-0. 

First up was the girls game where the Storm, who entered the final week of the regular season with two wins, got a first half goal from Riley Lyons to lead them to a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Park Orioles. 

Lyons would roar down the field, dribbling the ball and sent it into the net for the only first half goal that would turn out to be the game's only goal.  The Orioles had a number of chances to send the game into overtime but Chanhassen goalkeeper Jess Maus made a number of outstanding saves to preserve the shutout.  Dare Kroeten would get a free kick as she went up against a three player Chanhassen wall but Maus would come out of the net to make the save.  Maus' counterpart in goal for St. Louis Park, Sophia Romero would also prevent the ball from entering the net as she saved Kennedy Beld's shot. 

The Storm conclude their regular season with a record of 3-8-2.  They will open Section 2AA tournament play on Tuesday, October 8.  The Orioles fell to 6-5-2 and end their regular season on Saturday, October 5 at 3 PM in Minneapolis against the Washburn Millers. 

To the boys game where Claudy Zua scored two goals to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 5-0 clouding of the Chanhassen Storm. 

St. Louis Park would put the game away with four first half goals.  The first came with a flurry of action on the right side of the net as the ball deflected off a Storm player and entered the net.  Zua would get credited for the goal.  Their next two goals would come from penalty kicks as the Chanhassen defense played aggressive to prevent St. Louis Park from scoring but it would cost them not once but twice.  Randy Mayele would score the first one and Thomas Salamzadeh score the other to put the Orioles up by three.  They would score their fourth goal when the ball deflected off Alex Ruiz-Shimada and ended up inside the net with :09 left in the first half to lead 4-0 at halftime. 

The Orioles would add another goal to their total in the second half as Zua would position himself on the right side of the net to rebound Mayele's shot and he would extend the lead to five. 

Following the game, Oriole head coach Chato was honored for his 20 years of service to the boys soccer program. 

St. Louis Park improves their record to 11-0-1 and ends the regular season on Saturday, October 5 with a 5 PM against the Millers at Minneapolis Washburn.  Chanhassen also closes the regular season on the fifth as they head down I-494 to Woodbury to face the East Ridge Raptors at 1 PM. 

SLP Orioles-Chanhassen Storm Football Preview

The final road test of the regular season for the St. Louis Park Orioles football team takes place down Highway 212 in Chanhassen Friday night as the Orioles battle the Storm. 

Both teams head into the sixth week of the regular season with identical 2-3 records. 

St. Louis Park headed to Orono last week to face the Spartans as Aaron Ellingson threw two touchdown passes to McCabe Dvorak to lead them to a 28-14 win.  Ellingson was effective under center, completing 11 of 15 passes for 156 yards and carrying the ball 13 times for 48 yards and a touchdown.  Sajid Nathim led the Oriole rushing attack with 111 yards on 20 carries. 

Defense was also a factor for St. Louis Park as Tobyous Davenport was credited with 10 tackles and Alex Hager had the Orioles lone sack. 

Chanhassen ended a three game losing streak last Friday with a 19-13 overtime win over the Waconia Wildcats.  Jack Schaefer's two touchdown passes in the first quarter put the Storm ahead 13-0 but the Wildcats would tie the game on Mac McEnelly's one yard touchdown run to send the game into overtime.  Chanhassen would get the game winner on a four yard touchdown run from Jason Collins.  He led the Storm in rushing with 73 yards on 18 carries. 

On defense, Eli Mau led Chanhassen with 12 tackles.  Chris Ewing had the lone Storm sack. 

The keys to the Orioles beating the Storm is for Ellingson to have another outstanding game and throw to his receivers McCabe Dvorak, Davenport and Cole Ewald.  The offensive line has to create opportunities for Nathim to pick up yardage as they head for the .500 mark going into their final two home games against DeLaSalle and Bloomington Jefferson. 

The keys to the Storm beating the Orioles is for Collins to test the Oriole defense on the ground and for the defense to get to Ellingson. 

The weather picture for Friday doesn't call for rain but bring a blanket since it might get chilly as well as a radio or a smartphone since the Twins open their playoff series against the Yankees that night.  Game time is 7 PM. 

Mayer Lutheran Crusaders Sweep Bethlehem Academy Cardinals

Two Class A volleyball powers clad in red and black met Tuesday night in Mayer as the top ranked Mayer Lutheran Crusaders swept the Bethlehem Academy of Faribault Cardinals three sets to none.

The Crusaders took home the first set 25-14 behind a couple of key kills from Liv Tjernagel and outstanding center line play from sophomore Lilly Wachholz, one of three Wachholz sisters to play for Mayer Lutheran.  The other two are Gabby, a freshman and Anna, a senior.

To the second set as Bethlehem Academy started the set with a 2-0 lead and Mayer Lutheran went on a 4-0 run to forge ahead.  Mayer Lutheran fell behind 7-4 and would bounce back to take the lead on a left side kill from Claudia Stahlke.  The Crusaders would go on a 10-2 run and emerge with a 25-19 win.

Mayer Lutheran opened the third set on a 3-0 run and Bethlehem Academy would come back to take a 7-6 lead.  But it was the only time they would lead as the Crusaders displayed outstanding hitting as well as defense to wrap up the match 25-11.

Cardinal head coach Chris Bothum is in her first season leading the Faribault based team replacing long-time head coach Franz Boelter.  Bothum, who played for the veteran head coach mentioned how very influential he was to her as a coach.  "His record and many trips to the state tournament have helped."

Bothum mentioned about one thing about Boelter that she applied when she took over the program was the determination to win and have a winning attitude.

The first year head coach, who heads a program that has taken home six Class A championship trophies described what it would take to return to the Xcel Energy Center, site of the state tournament in St. Paul.  "Continued hard work.  Always moving.  Knowing we can go out and beat good teams. "

Also interviewed was veteran Crusader head coach Joelle Grimsley, who is in her 25th season at Mayer Lutheran.  She spent seven years coaching in Missouri.  She mentioned the difference between high school volleyball in Missouri and Minnesota.  "Minnesota was at a high level of play."

Grimsley said the keys to the Crusaders success are being positive and highly motivated. She also said that setting high expectations and meeting those expectations were also keys to the program's success.

The Crusaders improved their record to 17-1 and will travel to Arlington on Thursday, October 3 to take on the Sibley East Wolverines at 7 PM.

The Cardinals fell to 7-11 and will also be in action on the 3rd as they host the Medford Tigers at 7:15 PM.