Huskies season ends in section finals
November 7, 2022
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THROUGH THE GAP. Senior Justin Gleason finds a gap into the open field.
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END OF AN ERA. Seniors Ayden Walter and Drew Kretlow reminiscing their high school careers.
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THROWN. Senior Conner Grems drives through Mayo defender creating space to run.
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LAY OUT. Senior Justin Gleason crushes Rochesters RB to end the play.
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EVERY YARD COUNTS. Junior Jack Strom drags the defender for extra a few more crucial yards.
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FIRST DOWN. Junior Caleb Hullopeter moves the chains with a first down reception.
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LOCKED IN. Captain Mikah Elstad getting set looking to make a play.
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NOPE. Junior Rielly Kleeberger denies the first down stopping the big play.
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LAST KICK. Senior Drew Henson kicks one last extra point to close out his high school career.
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TEAM RESPECT. Teammates take a knee as QB Jacob Ginskey is carted off the field.
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The 2022 season has come to an end for the Owatonna Football team. On Saturday, Nov. 5, the Huskies traveled to the top seed Rochester Mayo Spartans for the section championship and fell short of a state berth in a 36-7 loss.
The Huskies started off the game strong. They forced the Spartans to punt on their first drive, and left the first quarter tied 7-7. After this back and forth first quarter, the Spartans controlled the game the rest of the way and ended the Huskies season with a 5-5 record.
The Huskies were a team that never gave up and battled all season long. Senior captain Drew Kretlow said, “We really came together as a team when it mattered the most. Every person played for the guy next to them.” This mindset was shown during their comeback victory from an early 14-0 deficit against Northfield in the section semifinals game.
This team faced a lot of adversity throughout the season, dealing with ups and downs as the season went on. The team was always fighting until the end, finishing with a 5-5 record. Head Coach Jeff Willams said, “The resilience this group showed was uncommon and really good.” The Huskies graduate 22 seniors this season and will look for underclassmen to step up and fill their shoes when they step on the field in 2023.
