SPORTS WRAP

How Owatonna football turned around a slumping start

At 0-3 to start the football season, it’s not hard to believe that some Owatonna players may have been “dragging their heels at Monday practice.” Some could even have taken on an attitude of “this isn’t all that much fun.”

            Strong leadership from the seniors, however, guided the Huskies into a turnaround that saw them win five of their last seven games and nearly upset Northfield in the section semifinals.

            Senior captain Max Flemke said, “You put your head down and just keep going. For everybody to be able to do that, to pick up the season from an 0-3 start to 5-5, is really just incredible to see.”

            Coach Jeff Williams added, “It wasn’t only the captains. We had a lot of senior leaders really step up and lead the way. Held kids to a high standard. Made sure that they worked hard. I think that’s ultimately why we ended up with the second half of the season that we did.”

            Assistant coach Matt Skala stated, “We went back to the basics. We went position by position. And we just slowly built it back up from there. Every single week you could start to see, especially the offensive line, start to gel a lot more together.”

            He said that led to developing the running game into the strength that it became.

            Senior captain Logan Risser told Owatonna Live, “Everyone just coming into their role. Going back to the basics, to what we’re good at. Coach Skala said for one of our game plans it was back to three basic run plays.”

Coaching changes

            Skala took over the primary play calling responsibilities this season as part of a shuffling of the coaching staff. “I have always done that in my own head. Even, I kind of fall into the trap watching games on TV too. It’s something I’ve always had interest in,” said Skala.

            “We have a really good staff. Everybody takes their position group very seriously. We were able to, ahead of time, determine certain run plays, pass plays, some situational stuff. A lot of it within our scripting throughout the week and planning. The Friday night aspect sometimes became a lot easier than the actual practices during the week… I think the hardest part about the offensive coordinator role, its main challenge, is always trying to be a step ahead of the defense,” Skala said.

            This was Williams’ 30^th year as head coach. Midway through his tenure, the coaching staff adjusted to an approach of focusing on one side of the ball. Prior to that, coaches had assignments on both sides. Williams worked with the defensive secondary in addition to calling offensive plays.

            “It’s been at least 15 years since I’ve coached on the defensive side of the ball.” That changed this season with longtime defensive coordinator Marc Achterkirch stepping aside.

            “The unbelievable amount of time that coaching on the defensive side of the ball takes was probably the biggest eye-opener for me. I have a newfound respect for the dedication that coach Achterkirch, in particular, put in,” Williams said.

She Kills Monsters

            Owatonna High School Theater Department presents She Kills Monsters as its fall play. Production dates are Nov. 6, 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. The play uses humor and Dungeons and Dragons to deal with serious topics.

            Jaelyn Otte plays Agnes, a girl whose younger sister dies. “They’re not really close when Tilly was alive… Basically, the story is Agnes goes through and finds her sister’s old D&D module and plays the game and gets to know more about her sister throughout the show. There will be a lot of laughter but also a lot of sad moments near the end. It gets really emotional and touches your heart,” said Otte.

            L McColley plays the younger sister Tilly, who has a big role in the play, primarily as a ghost. “She gets hit with a car almost immediately. Her role in the story is more as a helper for Agnes to figure out that connection to her sister that she never had,” said McColley.

            Both students have strong family ties to performing. McColley, whose father studied acting in college, loves the connection. “I really like the community. Everyone I’ve ever done a show with. You’ll never get a cast like that again. But when you have all of these casts together, it feels like a really special thing that’s happening.”

            Otte has performed since sixth grade. Her aunt is active with Little Theatre of Owatonna. Like her character, she doesn’t have a strong knowledge of D&D. However, for McColley, “I have been in a few campaigns and it’s definitely one of my big hobbies.”

Friends and monsters

            Boldin Krause plays Agnes’ friend Ronnie and a monster in the D&D game. “Orcus is definitely there for comedic relief. He’s a very, almost lazy character. He doesn’t really like conflict. When you meet Orcus, he is sitting in his cave watching Friends and eating,” said Krause.

            Krause was encouraged to give acting a try by director Erik Eitrheim’s daughter Ava, who was a player on the volleyball team for which Krause is the manager. “I auditioned for Shrek in 2022, and I really found a love for doing theater and I’ve done shows ever since, all four years.”

            Finn Vieths is taking on a major role for the first time after being in the stage crew. “A lot of my friends are actors. Vitaly (Bauer), I just saw that he was so good in the way that he was on the stage and I kind of want to do that. He inspired me.”

            He plays Agnes’ boyfriend Miles in addition to a role in the D & D portion of the play.

            Vieths anticipates opening night. “It’s this looming clock. It’s terrifying. You’re counting down.”

            Miles Bon moved from being on stage to the production crew and understands the adrenaline rush of the first show. “It’s like a release of the build-up of pressure for me. It’s this thing I spent countless hours working on finally being able to be enjoyed by many, many people.”

            He runs the sound board for She Kills Monsters. “It’s a lot more relaxing than acting. I’ve made a lot of really great friends and just really like working with my hands.”

            Bon plays D&D in real life. “I have a lot of dice… It’s the freedom. You can be whatever you want and do anything with the group of friends. The best possible hangout.” Krause’s limited knowledge of the game came through watching Stranger Things.

            For tickets go to Owatonnaactivities.com and click on the Go Fan button.

Blades hockey

            It was a promising start to the weekend for the Steele County Blades, jumping out to a two-goal lead at Hudson on Halloween night and skating to a 4-2 junior hockey victory. Alexander Wilkey scored a pair of goals and had an assist.

            The next night, the Blades lost 4-3 to the Northwest Express in Spooner, Wisconsin. After trailing 2-0, Steele County rallied for a third period lead on a goal by Dante Zaffarano. However, the Express scored twice midway through the final period.

            On Sunday, the Blades hosted the Express, who scored four power play goals and pulled away for a 6-1 win over the Blades. Steele County entertains the Minnesota Squatch on Friday, Nov. 7 at Four Seasons Centre at 7 p.m.

Drop the puck

            Don’t look now but winter prep sports begin next week with the season and home opener for OHS girls hockey. The Huskies host section rival Farmington on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. Catch the action at OwatonnaLive.com.

            Owatonna Dance Team is more than two weeks into practice. Their first competition is on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Burnsville. They won’t host a meet this season but will hold their annual community show on Jan. 31 at OHS.