Coaches Shows

Owatonna is back at the state tournament, along with five others from last year's field of teams. The Huskies beat Apple Valley before losing to eventual state champ Elk River is 2016. The Eagles and Elks are back.

Owatonna scored all the points they would need in the opening minute of the Section 1-5A football championship game at OHS Friday night. Abe Havelka tossed a screen pass to Noah Budach in the right flat and he sprinted up the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown to put the Huskies up 7-0 just 54 seconds into the game. Owatonna went on to a 37-0 win over Rochester Century to repeat as section champs.

Owatonna hosts Rochester Century in the Section 1-5A football title game Friday night at 7PM at the OHS football field on KRFO AM 1390. The Huskies beat the Panthers 46-7 October 6 with Owatonna running back Jason Williamson scorching Century for a school-record 343 yards.

The semifinal round of the section football playoffs unfold Saturday. Owatonna hosts Austin at 7PM on KRFO AM 1390. Triton entertains Lewiston-Altura at 7PM on KDHL AM 920. Blooming Prairie travels to Rushford-Peterson at 7PM on Kat Kountry 105 FM. NRHEG plays Maple River in Mapleton at 7PM. All four are rematches of regular season games.

Bundle up as you head out to cheer on your favorite team with the start of the high school football playoffs Tuesday night. Strong northwest wind accompanying highs in the mid to upper 40's will make for a rude contrast to last Wednesday's final night of the regular season.

The Huskies football team is facing adversity for the first time this season. After sending nearly every game through the first six weeks into running time, the Huskies dropped a 21-17 dual to Northfield Friday night in a battle of top-five clubs.

Tackle Cancer Night hits home hard for the Medford Tigers with a player on the roster recently diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Owatonna first-year volleyball coach Whitney Ordal thinks her players will be extra fired up to face Bethlehem Academy Monday night since she used to coach there with Franz Boelter. She would prefer the team focus on their own game and end the regular season on a strong note.

Owatonna football is averaging more than 500 yards of offense each game. Junior running back Jason Williamson is eating up the turf at a 190 yard per-game pace. The newly-minted No. 1-5A Huskies (6-0) faces possibly their toughest test of the regular season when they play at No. 5-5A Northfield (6-0) Friday night at 7PM.

Owatonna has advanced to the Section 1AA girls tennis finals in each of the last four years, losing to Rochester Mayo each time. The Huskies face a formidable obstacle in Tuesday morning's semifinals to get another chance at the title.