Football wins first game against Orono
Team breaks losing streak with 35-27 win Nov. 7
Junior Will Dvorak runs to find a open teammate to throw the ball to Nov. 7. Park won 35-27 against Orono.
November 11, 2020
After falling far behind undefeated Orono, who was ranked second in the state, at the start of the game, head coach Jason Foster said the team completely turned the tide in their favor with their first touchdown.
“We were down at the end of the first quarter 21-0, and then the guys fought back and ran off 28 unanswered points in the second quarter. And then we didn’t yield another touchdown offensively, but we had a fumble going into the goal line, and Orono returned it for a touchdown,” Foster said. “Then we sealed the game in the fourth quarter with another touchdown and came out on top 35-27.”
Sophomore captain Henry Bendickson said the atmosphere of being with his teammates after the game was unimaginable because of how exciting it was to win their first game of the season.
“It felt really good. It’s almost an indescribable feeling, it’s a feeling of jubilation that’s unlike any other. It feels so good to be there with your guys and know that you did something right,” Bendickson said.
According to Foster, the last week of practice had a big impact on the team’s performance at the game and the effort they put in helped them feel more prepared.
“It felt great, I was most happy for the kids because they put in a lot of work at practice that week after the big loss against Spring Lake Park. It led them into the next week of practice, and we felt pretty confident that the coaching staff did a great job of getting the kids ready,” Foster said.
It felt really good. It’s almost an indescribable feeling, it’s a feeling of jubilation that’s unlike any other. It feels so good to be there with your guys and know that you did something right — Henry Bendickson
Senior Austin Amelse said beating Orono gave the team a big motivation boost after losing the previous four games.
“It was extremely exciting especially considering all the doubt we’d been getting after the first few games,” Amelse said. “It affected me a lot considering I have a pretty big role on the team, so winning made me feel accomplished and relieved.”
According to Bendickson, besides some small changes, the team has improved a lot recently and everyone has gotten closer, helping it play better.
“Overall there are a couple small mechanical things we need to work on as individuals, like us as linebackers need to work on certain small things. But it’s not any big team thing, We bonded a lot as a team this game,” Bendickson said.
Foster said he hopes the team will continue to stick together so it will play well at the final game of the season.
“We need to keep doing what we’re doing, make sure we stay together and play as one unit. This is the ultimate team sport. We just need to continue to believe and trust in one another, that goes a long way so hopefully we can keep that going,” Foster said.
Boys’ football’s next game will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at St. Louis Park High School Stadium against Chanhassen.
