Huskies thankful for each and every snap

This season, the Owatonna football team had to adjust to a multitude of changes in order to abide by COVID-19 protocols and have a season. Those changes included putting their pads on and taking them off in the parking lot or in their car, riding with their parents to road games, no team dinners, virtual game plans and simply not being around either as much.
“Everything besides the actual football playing was different this year,” said Owatonna captain Matt Seykora. “When you are playing, you're not thinking about it but when you look over to the sidelines or stands you are reminded of it. It was kind of a struggle to get used to, but the most noticeable was the small number of fans. Since Owatonna is so supportive of the football team, the stands are always packed. I missed the roar and sound of all our fans.”
While there were so many differences off the field, the one constant was getting to play football.
Having a football season, said fellow Husky captain Zach Stransky, was a big deal to a lot of his teammates.
“It has given us a positive thing to look forward to and to be excited about. Everyone seems down about school and not having the freedoms we usually have so this has brought a lot of joy to a lot of the other players,” he said.
In addition to joy, quarterback Brayden Truelson said playing football gave the Huskies a distraction from all the worry about COVID-19.
“This fall football season was basically the only normal and positive thing in most of our lives, so it was definitely an escape from everything going on,” he said.
Seykora went even further, saying this season was a godsend.
“This season has definitely been a blessing to everyone. At the end of August and beginning of September, no one thought we had a shot of playing in the fall. That was a big deal to us because we thought it would be like the spring of last year. For most kids, playing is the most important thing to them and for it to be stripped away is devastating. To get away from the craziness of the world for two or three hours a day makes everyone feel better,” he said. “We’re able to do what we love.”
Being able to do what they love for the past two months gives all the Owatonna football players something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
Playing football this season also taught them to savor every moment because they never knew what practice or game might be their last.
“We were very thankful for the opportunity we had to play this year,” Stransky said.
“[It taught us] to not take anything for granted. We had a couple cases that could have shut us down, which happened to a lot of other schools, but we were smart and got to keep playing.”
Truelson echoed that sentiment.
“It really made me appreciate every moment I had with my team, because I never knew when our last practice or game or time being together could be,” he said.
Even though they didn’t get to spend as much time together as past seasons and had to deal with all sorts of adversity, Seykora is still taking a lot of positives away from this season.
“I'm glad we got games in and were able to play the game we love. The opportunity to be with the guys and be a part of something bigger than ourselves. It taught me to value the memories and friendships that have been created in Owatonna football. No other program brings people close like ours does. I'm proud to be a part of it and proud I've been able to lead this team,” he said.
Both Stransky and Truelson agreed, saying they built friendships that will last forever and had a lot of fun.
They couldn’t have asked for much more but winning the Section 1AAAAA championship was the cherry on top of a great season.