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Owatonna Football heads to the State Championship game
Dalton Kubista looks for the ball as it soars through the air
The lights shined bright, the crowded roared, the Huskies entered the field. They knew that task of winning would not be easy, but that didn’t stop them from coming out on top. The Owatonna High School Football team strived to play in the ‘bank’ all season, now all they had to do was get the job done and they would move onto the final round.
The Huskies knew coming in that the Warriors would not relent. The Huskies still came out on top with a 56-28 win over the Brainerd Warriors in the state semifinals. With this win this team becomes one of only a few of the Owatonna teams to ever participate in a state championship game.
The game began with the Huskies receiving the ball. This allowed them to set the tone for the entire game. With a long touchdown connection between senior Dalton Kubista and senior quarterback Abe Havelka to start off the game the Huskies started with a hasty 7-0 lead over the Warriors. “It got the nerves out and let the team know that we could do this,” said Kubista on the early lead. From there, the tone was set for the rest of the game. The defense created a few stops and the offense continued to make ground and score. In the end, the Huskies explosive offense came out on top.
In the state championship, the Huskies will be playing the Elk River Elks. Owatonna faced Elk River last year in the 2016 state semifinals where they fell to a well fought game of 7-19. This will by far be the biggest challenge the Huskies have faced all season. The Huskies will have to prepare for a high paced complex offense that they have not seen anything like all season. Coach Williams said, “We will have to get healthy, and we will be hitting the pedialyte and gatorade a little harder to prepare for another game in here.”
This is something I have always wanted as a kid, and to be at that state in my life is pretty cool, this next week will probably be one of the best weeks of our lifes.
— Abe Havelka
This will be the last game for the Huskies- no matter win or lose. When asked what it will be like to be playing their last game in the state championship, Kubista said, “It will be fun.” Havelka added, “This is something I have always wanted as a kid, and to be at that state in my life is pretty cool, this next week will probably be one of the best weeks of our lifes.” The Huskies know they have a momentous ask ahead of them, but they are ready to face it with no fears. When asked what made this team special, Williams said, “We will worry about that when the season is over, we are going to get back to work and figure out how we are going to beat Elk River.”
The Huskies will be playing the Elk River Elks in the state championship on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. Tickets go on sale today at the Knights of Columbus and at OHS on Monday. For more information regarding both ticket sales and tournament info visit mshsl.org.
For constant updates regarding the Huskies and their trip to the championship and also more stories regarding them, follow @ohsmagnet on twitter and instagram and like OHS Magnet on Facebook. OHS Magnet will be using snapchat from the sidelines: ohsmagnet.
