SPORTS WRAP

As much a part of the Steele County Fair as cheese curds and 4-H, the Owatonna football pep rally is Sunday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. in Fair Square Park.

Quite a few years ago, Todd Hale, then public relations director for the fair, was looking for an event to cap the final day. He phoned Huskies’ Head Coach Jeff Williams and invited him to introduce the team to fairgoers.

Williams told me previously that he didn’t expect the event to be a big draw. In this case, Hale was right. The park is packed for the annual pep rally which fills the stage with players and features cheerleader routines.

Williams’ ability to share extensive details about each player is phenomenal, to borrow one of his favorite words. He puts each player in the spotlight with historical facts, the outlook for their contribution to the season, and a few amusing anecdotes.

Countdown to kickoff

Practice began on Monday, Aug. 11. The Huskies scrimmage at Rosemount on Saturday, Aug. 23 with Woodbury and Anoka – a state semifinalist last season.

The season begins with Mankato East on Friday, Aug. 29. Williams knows the Cougars will bring a tough squad to Federated Field after finishing as section runner-up to Chanhassen and beating Mankato West in the playoffs.

“They’re a very good up-and-coming football team. They’ve got some athletes there. They win a lot of baseball games and track meets. Obviously, their basketball program is lights out. That tells you they’ve got a nice run of athletes going through [Mankato] East High School.”

Any changes offensively will be more about players’ abilities than Matt Skala taking over as the primary play caller, with Williams appointing himself defensive coordinator.

“We always pride ourselves in taking the strengths of our athletes and building the plays around them. Our core offense will still be what it is. However, we may have some different strengths this year,” said Skala.

The team graduated their quarterback and many of their top receivers. “The strength coming back is definitely the running back and offensive line position. We’ve got some quarterbacks in the stable, a little bit younger in the sophomore and junior class but they are learning at a fast rate,” Skala indicated.

Defensive lineman Max Flemke likes the offseason dedication. “We blew it out of the water the past few years with our offensive and defensive line mini-line camps that we had a few times this summer… Great turnouts. You see guys putting in the work in the weight room, on the turf,” said Flemke.

Run the Chatty

The third annual Chatty 5K is Saturday, Aug. 16 at 8 a.m. at Owatonna High School. Named after longtime OHS coach Dave Chatelaine, the event continues a tradition of a run during fair week that started with the Owatonna Rotary but faded away after the pandemic.

New girls’ cross-country coach Tasheena Cooke told Owatonna Live, “It’s something I think a lot of people look forward to. Then I heard it was not happening… Let’s do something for the cross-country team. This could be a great fundraiser. (Boys’ coach Luke) Holt and Chatelaine talked about it and then it slowly became’ ‘Let’s give it a try.’ Holt ran off with it and we’ve been doing our best since,” said Cooke.

Chatelaine was an inspiration for Cooke. “He was there when I was a runner, and still to this day, I look up to him… He is loved,” she said.

Race-day registration is an option, but bring cash. A kid’s quarter-mile run is free.