As the weather gets chillier, boys and girls soccer teams via for a state title, football heads into Section Final Friday and the winter sports season begins throughout Minnesota with the first day of girls hockey practice.
The defending Class A champion Breck Mustangs will have a new leader behind the bench as head coach Ronda Englehardt stepped down. Keith Radloff, who was a co-coach with Steve Persian last season at Orono will serve as the interim head coach. The Mustangs open the regular season hosting the Centennial Cougars on Saturday, November 10 at 3 PM at the Anderson Ice Arena. The Cougars will also have a new coach in David Cole, who replaced Kristi King who is now an assistant coach for the University of St. Thomas women's hockey team.
As for the defending Class AA champion Edina Hornets, their first two games will be on the road, starting on Thursday, December 8 at Andover at 7:30 PM. They will head to Hopkins on Tuesday, November 13 for the first of two meetings with the perennial power Blake Bears. The two teams will battle again at Braemar Arena in Edina Friday, January 18. Both game times are 7 PM. They could be a preview of the Section 6AA final on February 15.
You might want to bundle up for Hopkins/Park's season opener since they will be playing on the outdoor rink at the Rec Center in St. Louis Park on Saturday, November 10 against the Orono Spartans at 4 PM. Hopkins/Park will also have a new coach in Ryan St. Martin, who replaced Chris Erickson.
Looking at the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights, they will play a tough nonconference schedule that starts with Breck on Tuesday, November 13 at 7:15 at the Rec Center. Other early season opponents include Minnetonka, Edina, Eden Prairie and Blake.
Come November, the excitement begins in Minnesota girls high school en route to section play and the state tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul in February.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
No Hope in New Hope
There will be a new champion in Section 5AAAAA Football this season as Nascier Borden scored three touchdowns to lead the Cooper Hawks to a 35-7 win over the defending section champion St. Louis Park Orioles Saturday in New Hope.
The Hawks flew into the end zone twice in the first quarter. Trashawn McMillan set up the first score as he threw an 18 yard pass to Adrian Adams and Borden ran left for a 14 yard touchdown. The McMillan to Adams combination would also be a factor in Cooper's second touchdown. McMillan sent a deep 57 yard pass that was caught by Adams and the senior quarterback scored on a one yard keeper to give the Hawks a 14-0 lead.
McMillan would throw a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter. First, Borden's 40 yard run would set the stage for McMillan as he threw a 33 yard right side pass to Adams for his second touchdown of the game. The Cooper defense put quite a bit of pressure on St. Louis Park quarterback Aaron Ellingson as Justin Madison came close to a sack but Ellingson was called for intentional grounding. The Hawks would get the ball back and Borden would haul in a 26 yard pass from McMillan and Cooper led at halftime 28-0.
Cooper would get possession to start the second half and it was Borden who made his destination the end zone for the third time on the first play from scrimmage, scoring on a 58 yard run. Tobias Davenport would give the Orioles outstanding field position as he returned the kickoff to the Hawks 21 yard line but when Ellingson aimed for the end zone, his pass was intercepted by Rashsawn Ketin. He got the ball into St. Louis Park territory but it was called back due to a penalty. The Oriole defense would be a bright sport in the third quarter as Armando Morelli sacked McMillan and Adam Bauer came up with an interception. But Cooper would get the ball back on a pick from Pedro Amoussou. Things were starting to get testy on the Hawks sideline as a fight broke out but it looked like nobody was ejected.
There would be some good news for St. Louis Park in the fourth quarter but it would come late in the game as Sajid Nathim scampered down the left side and scored on a 37 yard run with :03 left to avoid the shutout.
The Hawks improved their record to 8-1 and will host the Spring Lake Park Panthers in the section final on Friday, November 2 at 7 PM. The Panthers clinched their championship berth with a 26-17 win over the Irondale Knights. The Orioles concluded their season with a 5-5 record.
The Hawks flew into the end zone twice in the first quarter. Trashawn McMillan set up the first score as he threw an 18 yard pass to Adrian Adams and Borden ran left for a 14 yard touchdown. The McMillan to Adams combination would also be a factor in Cooper's second touchdown. McMillan sent a deep 57 yard pass that was caught by Adams and the senior quarterback scored on a one yard keeper to give the Hawks a 14-0 lead.
McMillan would throw a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter. First, Borden's 40 yard run would set the stage for McMillan as he threw a 33 yard right side pass to Adams for his second touchdown of the game. The Cooper defense put quite a bit of pressure on St. Louis Park quarterback Aaron Ellingson as Justin Madison came close to a sack but Ellingson was called for intentional grounding. The Hawks would get the ball back and Borden would haul in a 26 yard pass from McMillan and Cooper led at halftime 28-0.
Cooper would get possession to start the second half and it was Borden who made his destination the end zone for the third time on the first play from scrimmage, scoring on a 58 yard run. Tobias Davenport would give the Orioles outstanding field position as he returned the kickoff to the Hawks 21 yard line but when Ellingson aimed for the end zone, his pass was intercepted by Rashsawn Ketin. He got the ball into St. Louis Park territory but it was called back due to a penalty. The Oriole defense would be a bright sport in the third quarter as Armando Morelli sacked McMillan and Adam Bauer came up with an interception. But Cooper would get the ball back on a pick from Pedro Amoussou. Things were starting to get testy on the Hawks sideline as a fight broke out but it looked like nobody was ejected.
There would be some good news for St. Louis Park in the fourth quarter but it would come late in the game as Sajid Nathim scampered down the left side and scored on a 37 yard run with :03 left to avoid the shutout.
The Hawks improved their record to 8-1 and will host the Spring Lake Park Panthers in the section final on Friday, November 2 at 7 PM. The Panthers clinched their championship berth with a 26-17 win over the Irondale Knights. The Orioles concluded their season with a 5-5 record.
2018 Section 5AAAAA Football Semifinal Preview
It's Semifinal Saturday in Minnesota high school football and the St. Louis Park Orioles head up to New Hope as they battle the top seeded Cooper Hawks in the Section 5AAAAA semifinals. Also in action today is the third seeded Irondale Knights and the second seeded Spring Lake Park Panthers.
The Orioles broke open a back and forth quarterfinal game as they scored 35 unanswered points to beat the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 49-21. It was a big night for junior quarterback Aaron Ellingson as he ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more that also include 52 and 59 yard passes to Cole Ewald. The St. Louis Park defense also had an outstanding game as they held Southwest's leading rusher TK Marshall to 27 yards.
As for the Hawks, they had a first round bye so they had time to regroup after losing their final regular season game to the Knights on October 17 41-13. Cooper and St. Louis Park battled on September 7 in St. Louis Park as Nascier Borden ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns to rout the Orioles 42-17. It will be the third meeting between the two schools in almost a year. Last season, they played in the section final when St. Louis Park upset Cooper to earn their first state tournament berth. Game time is 5 PM.
In the second semifinal game, the third seeded Irondale Knights will go to Spring Lake Park for a 2 PM game with the second seeded Panthers. Irondale advanced to the semifinals with a 42-22 win over the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates. Irondale is led by running back Parker Freiberg, who ran for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Knights quarterfinal win. It will be the first meeting between the Knights and the Panthers since the season opener August 31 where Spring Lake Park beat Irondale 35-13. The Panthers had an outstanding rushing attack against the Knights as they ran for 383 yards. Derric Bergman ran for 135 and three touchdowns. He would have two other games where he turned the touchdown hat trick. They were October 5 against the North St. Paul Polars and October 17 against the Forest Lake Rangers. The Knights will have to play solid defense to stop the Panthers ground game.
Get ready for a couple of outstanding section semifinal games.
The Orioles broke open a back and forth quarterfinal game as they scored 35 unanswered points to beat the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers 49-21. It was a big night for junior quarterback Aaron Ellingson as he ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more that also include 52 and 59 yard passes to Cole Ewald. The St. Louis Park defense also had an outstanding game as they held Southwest's leading rusher TK Marshall to 27 yards.
As for the Hawks, they had a first round bye so they had time to regroup after losing their final regular season game to the Knights on October 17 41-13. Cooper and St. Louis Park battled on September 7 in St. Louis Park as Nascier Borden ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns to rout the Orioles 42-17. It will be the third meeting between the two schools in almost a year. Last season, they played in the section final when St. Louis Park upset Cooper to earn their first state tournament berth. Game time is 5 PM.
In the second semifinal game, the third seeded Irondale Knights will go to Spring Lake Park for a 2 PM game with the second seeded Panthers. Irondale advanced to the semifinals with a 42-22 win over the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates. Irondale is led by running back Parker Freiberg, who ran for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Knights quarterfinal win. It will be the first meeting between the Knights and the Panthers since the season opener August 31 where Spring Lake Park beat Irondale 35-13. The Panthers had an outstanding rushing attack against the Knights as they ran for 383 yards. Derric Bergman ran for 135 and three touchdowns. He would have two other games where he turned the touchdown hat trick. They were October 5 against the North St. Paul Polars and October 17 against the Forest Lake Rangers. The Knights will have to play solid defense to stop the Panthers ground game.
Get ready for a couple of outstanding section semifinal games.
Monday, October 22, 2018
2018 Section 5AAAAA Football Tournament Preview
Many teams throughout Minnesota begin the Road to the Prep Bowl Tuesday as section play gets underway in high school football. The fourth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles open up Section 5AAAAA quarterfinal play as they host the fifth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in a 7 PM game. Here is a preview of Section 5AAAAA.
St. Louis Park opens up section play on a two game winning streak after dropping a pair of road games to the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights and the Orono Spartans. Last Wednesday, the Orioles drubbed the DeLaSalle Islanders 51-13. Akili Farris took two kickoff returns into the end zone. They will need to continue their momentum against the Lakers and play strong defense.
Looking at the Lakers, they enter section play with a 3-5 record. They were routed by the combined team from St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake, the SMB Wolfpack 42-14. SMB is the top seeded in Section 5AAAA that also includes defending state champion Holy Angels and Providence Academy. As for Mpls. Southwest, they have been playing .500 football since they started the season 1-3. The Lakers are a predominately running team led by TK Marshall, who rushed for a season high 249 yards against Minneapolis Washburn on October 12. Marshall is 10 yards away from the 1000 yard mark and he is very likely to surpass it against the Orioles.
The winner will head up to New Hope on Saturday, October 27 to take on the top seeded Cooper Hawks. The Hawks lost their first regular season game since 2016 last Wednesday to the Irondale Knights but they still got the number one seed. Cooper is led by quarterback Trashawn Marshall and running back Nascier Borden. Jerrell Smith-Shannon, Aki Mulbah and Charles Washington anchor the Hawk defense. Should St. Louis Park win on Tuesday, it will be a rematch of the September 7 game where the Hawks routed the Orioles 42-14. Borden ran for 217 yards and scored three touchdowns. Will there be hope in New Hope as Cooper looks to win the section title trophy?
Over to the lower bracket as the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates head down I-694 to face the third seeded Irondale Knights. The Pirates have gone through rough waters as they take a four game losing streak into section play. In their last four games, they have been outscored 170-17. It won't get easier against the Knights, who pulled off the upset last Wednesday with a 41-13 win over the Cooper Hawks. The big story of the game was running back Parker Freiberg, who rushed for 278 yards. In the game against Park Center on September 28, Freiberg reached the end zone twice and ran for 147 yards in a 65-0 rout.
Waiting in the wings for Saturday's semifinals is the second seeded Spring Lake Park Panthers. If the Knights and Panthers battle on the 27th, it will be a rematch of the season opener where Spring Lake Park beat Irondale 35-13. Derric Bergman scored three touchdowns and ran for 135 yards. The Panthers are a team with outstanding backfield depth and they could wear down the Knights defense. Zach Dubar and Brian Orellana-Lopez have also contributed to Spring Lake Park's success. Dubar has run for seven touchdowns and Orellana-Lopez has crossed the goal line six times. Two years ago, the Panthers played in the Class AAAAA title game and lost to the Elk River Elks. Don't count out Spring Lake Park, They could head into a potential section final with Cooper on Friday, November 2. It could be a big one.
St. Louis Park opens up section play on a two game winning streak after dropping a pair of road games to the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights and the Orono Spartans. Last Wednesday, the Orioles drubbed the DeLaSalle Islanders 51-13. Akili Farris took two kickoff returns into the end zone. They will need to continue their momentum against the Lakers and play strong defense.
Looking at the Lakers, they enter section play with a 3-5 record. They were routed by the combined team from St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake, the SMB Wolfpack 42-14. SMB is the top seeded in Section 5AAAA that also includes defending state champion Holy Angels and Providence Academy. As for Mpls. Southwest, they have been playing .500 football since they started the season 1-3. The Lakers are a predominately running team led by TK Marshall, who rushed for a season high 249 yards against Minneapolis Washburn on October 12. Marshall is 10 yards away from the 1000 yard mark and he is very likely to surpass it against the Orioles.
The winner will head up to New Hope on Saturday, October 27 to take on the top seeded Cooper Hawks. The Hawks lost their first regular season game since 2016 last Wednesday to the Irondale Knights but they still got the number one seed. Cooper is led by quarterback Trashawn Marshall and running back Nascier Borden. Jerrell Smith-Shannon, Aki Mulbah and Charles Washington anchor the Hawk defense. Should St. Louis Park win on Tuesday, it will be a rematch of the September 7 game where the Hawks routed the Orioles 42-14. Borden ran for 217 yards and scored three touchdowns. Will there be hope in New Hope as Cooper looks to win the section title trophy?
Over to the lower bracket as the sixth seeded Park Center Pirates head down I-694 to face the third seeded Irondale Knights. The Pirates have gone through rough waters as they take a four game losing streak into section play. In their last four games, they have been outscored 170-17. It won't get easier against the Knights, who pulled off the upset last Wednesday with a 41-13 win over the Cooper Hawks. The big story of the game was running back Parker Freiberg, who rushed for 278 yards. In the game against Park Center on September 28, Freiberg reached the end zone twice and ran for 147 yards in a 65-0 rout.
Waiting in the wings for Saturday's semifinals is the second seeded Spring Lake Park Panthers. If the Knights and Panthers battle on the 27th, it will be a rematch of the season opener where Spring Lake Park beat Irondale 35-13. Derric Bergman scored three touchdowns and ran for 135 yards. The Panthers are a team with outstanding backfield depth and they could wear down the Knights defense. Zach Dubar and Brian Orellana-Lopez have also contributed to Spring Lake Park's success. Dubar has run for seven touchdowns and Orellana-Lopez has crossed the goal line six times. Two years ago, the Panthers played in the Class AAAAA title game and lost to the Elk River Elks. Don't count out Spring Lake Park, They could head into a potential section final with Cooper on Friday, November 2. It could be a big one.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
DeLaSalle Demolition
Wednesday night was Senior Night for the St. Louis Park Orioles football team and one of the 13 seniors honored in a pregame ceremony, Akili Farris had a big night as he scored three touchdowns to lead the Orioles to a 51-13 rout of the DeLaSalle Islanders.
Farris would be a factor in the first St. Louis Park touchdown as he scored on a 11 yard run up the middle. The Orioles would get the ball back following a McCabe Dvorak interception and Sajid Nathim would cash in on a 22 yard run that would spot the ball at the Islander one yard line and a one yard run that put their lead at 14.
It looked like Nathim would score his second touchdown as the Orioles lined up in a split T formation but it was called back because of an illegal shift penalty. Milkaso Dedefo, who made some outstanding tackles on defense, also excelled on offense as he caught a nine yard pass from quarterback Aaron Ellingson to extend the lead to 21. The news would be better for Nathim as he bulldozed his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and St. Louis Park led at halftime 28-0.
Heading into the third quarter, St. Louis Park also would score on defense as Tobias Davenport intercepted a James Pfarr pass and scampered 42 yards for a touchdown. The Islanders were close to their own goal line and they backed in on a holding penalty that would award the Orioles a safety. St. Louis Park would get another shot on offense and Farris would take the kickoff and trample down the field 60 yards to increase the lead to 44-0.
There would be good news for DeLaSalle fans who made the trip from Minneapolis. Julian Wright, who scored a pair of touchdowns last Friday on big runs, caught a six yard touchdown pass from Pfarr and that would end the Oriole shut out. Defense would prevail once again for St. Louis Park as Dedefo would block the extra point. Though the game was now in running time due the large margin in the fourth quarter, it would be "Dueling Kickoff Returns" on this chilly Wednesday night. The Orioles would score on Farris' 79 yard return and the Islanders on the next play would get an 83 yard return from Wright to conclude the scoring.
St. Louis Park ended the regular season at 4-4 and DeLaSalle concluded their campaign with a 3-5 record. Both teams head into section play on Tuesday, October 23.
Farris would be a factor in the first St. Louis Park touchdown as he scored on a 11 yard run up the middle. The Orioles would get the ball back following a McCabe Dvorak interception and Sajid Nathim would cash in on a 22 yard run that would spot the ball at the Islander one yard line and a one yard run that put their lead at 14.
It looked like Nathim would score his second touchdown as the Orioles lined up in a split T formation but it was called back because of an illegal shift penalty. Milkaso Dedefo, who made some outstanding tackles on defense, also excelled on offense as he caught a nine yard pass from quarterback Aaron Ellingson to extend the lead to 21. The news would be better for Nathim as he bulldozed his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and St. Louis Park led at halftime 28-0.
Heading into the third quarter, St. Louis Park also would score on defense as Tobias Davenport intercepted a James Pfarr pass and scampered 42 yards for a touchdown. The Islanders were close to their own goal line and they backed in on a holding penalty that would award the Orioles a safety. St. Louis Park would get another shot on offense and Farris would take the kickoff and trample down the field 60 yards to increase the lead to 44-0.
There would be good news for DeLaSalle fans who made the trip from Minneapolis. Julian Wright, who scored a pair of touchdowns last Friday on big runs, caught a six yard touchdown pass from Pfarr and that would end the Oriole shut out. Defense would prevail once again for St. Louis Park as Dedefo would block the extra point. Though the game was now in running time due the large margin in the fourth quarter, it would be "Dueling Kickoff Returns" on this chilly Wednesday night. The Orioles would score on Farris' 79 yard return and the Islanders on the next play would get an 83 yard return from Wright to conclude the scoring.
St. Louis Park ended the regular season at 4-4 and DeLaSalle concluded their campaign with a 3-5 record. Both teams head into section play on Tuesday, October 23.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
SLP Orioles Close Out Regular Season Aganist DeLaSalle Islanders
The 2018 Minnesota high school football regular season concludes Wednesday night as the St. Louis Park Orioles host the DeLaSalle Islanders.
If you missed last Friday night's St. Louis Park-Irondale football game, you missed a classic finish. The score was tied 28-28 going into overtime and the Orioles got the ball first. On the first play from scrimmage at the 10 yard line, Sajid Nathim ran the ball into the end zone. The Knights had a chance to tie or even win the game but Parker Freiberg was stopped short of the goal line and it resulted in a St. Louis Park victory 35-28. Nathim ran for three touchdowns and 90 yards. Quarterback Aaron Ellingson had 243 total yards. He had 146 passing yards and 97 rushing. He will need to have a solid game to beat the Islanders.
As for the Islanders, they enter the regular season finale with an identical record of 3-4. Last Friday night, DeLaSalle was beaten by the Orono Spartans 48-30. The bright spot for the Islanders was Julian Wright, who scored a 90 yard touchdown run in the first quarter and wrapped up the scoring in the fourth with a 79 yard score. He also reached the end zone on a touchdown pass from quarterback James Pfarr. The Islanders has some athletic players on their roster and the Oriole defense will have to slow them down in order to get a good seed going into next Tuesday's section tournament.
Who will finish the season with at least a .500 record? Find out Wednesday night. The weather picture calls for chilly weather in the 40s so once again please bundle up. Game time is 7 PM.
Wayzata Trojans Win Section 6AA Championship
Call them giant killers. Three days after a double overtime win against the top seeded Minneapolis Washburn Millers, the fifth seeded Wayzata Trojans beat another top seeded team, the second seeded St. Louis Park Orioles after the host Orioles own goal with 1:36 left in overtime that led them to a 1-0 win in the Section 6AA Boys Soccer Championship Game Tuesday night.
The two teams opened the regular season on August 25 with Wayzata and St. Louis Park playing to a 1-1 tie. But this time it would be for a trip to next week's state tournament.
Neither team would erase the zeros from the scoreboard in 80 minutes of regulation time. Both teams goalkeepers, Perrin King of the Trojans and Leo Finley of the Orioles made some outstanding saves. The game would then proceed to overtime. It looked like there would be a second 10 minute overtime period but when Finley played way out of the net, Cole Beaton tried to save the ball from entering and it deflected off him after a shot by Ogle with 1:36 left in overtime at the celebration began for Wayzata.
The Trojans improved their record to 9-4-5 and advanced to the state boys Class AA soccer tournament next week. Time, site and opponent to be determined. The Orioles ended their season with a record of 14-2-1.
The two teams opened the regular season on August 25 with Wayzata and St. Louis Park playing to a 1-1 tie. But this time it would be for a trip to next week's state tournament.
Neither team would erase the zeros from the scoreboard in 80 minutes of regulation time. Both teams goalkeepers, Perrin King of the Trojans and Leo Finley of the Orioles made some outstanding saves. The game would then proceed to overtime. It looked like there would be a second 10 minute overtime period but when Finley played way out of the net, Cole Beaton tried to save the ball from entering and it deflected off him after a shot by Ogle with 1:36 left in overtime at the celebration began for Wayzata.
The Trojans improved their record to 9-4-5 and advanced to the state boys Class AA soccer tournament next week. Time, site and opponent to be determined. The Orioles ended their season with a record of 14-2-1.
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