Huskies Take Their Practice Indoors

With several inches of snow on their practice field, the Owatonna High School football team arranged for time inside the Dundas dome to continue their practice plans for Saturday's state quarterfinal game against St. Thomas Academy. The dome is a bit of a home-away-from-home for the Huskies, who are at state for the fourth straight year.

OHS coach Jeff Williams expressed his appreciation for the facility, "It's a real godsend for us with four or five inches of snow in Owatonna to be able to find some practice space. They've always been very accommodating."

Regarding the business at hand, Williams said this year's edition of the Cadets is similar to the team the Huskies beat 14-3 in the 2018 Prep Bowl, "They pride themselves on running the football right up the chute. They will play action pass, but they're bread and butter is running the football between the tackles." Williams added, "Their defense is very, very aggressive. They play man-to-man all over the field"

Senior linebacker/fullback Isaac Gefre enjoyed the chance to be indoors Wednesday, "It's always great to be playing late, into November. It's a little bit warmer in here." He stated simply, "They're a power run team. We've got to shut down the run and force them into passing."

The Huskies also beat St. Thomas Academy in the 2012 semifinals, winning 30-27 on a late touchdown by Luke Wanous. Back in 1998, Owatonna edged the Cadets 24-21 on a late touchdown pass from Tim Nierengarten to Michael Lundstrum in the final minute. Each of those games was at the Metrodome.