By Derek Simon

Friday night, the newest installment of the Highway 61 rivalry took place at McNamara Stadium, as the Raiders hosted the Park Wolfpack. Hastings was 1-0 coming off a 12-0 win over Sibley in their opening game. The Wolfpack was 0-1 after losing 28-12 to Mahtomedi in their opener.

Hastings ran the ball 43 times for 186 yards last week versus Sibley but did not complete a pass in nine attempts in the win. Park passed 22 times for 148 yards in their loss, completing 16 passes, but had only 69 yards rushing on 35 carries. Hastings allowed just 167 yards total to Sibley, while Park gave up 284 yards to Mahtomedi. The Zephyrs ran the ball 30 times for 210 yards against the Wolfpack defense.

When I was in high school, a very long time ago, we used to call Park “that team from the north” as it was our biggest rivalry. In recent years with the teams changing conferences and then Minnesota eliminating conferences, the rivalry has lost some of its luster. The teams had only played seven times in the past decade, only once in the playoffs. Hastings held a 5-2 lead in the series since 2010 and won the previous three matchups. Last year Hastings won convincingly, 24-7.

Hastings kicked off to start the game, as Simon Hedin boomed the kick down to the two-yard line. Park bobbled the ball but was able to return the kick to the 16-yard line. The Raiders defense was held Park to a three and out on their first drive. On fourth and four from the 23-yard line, the Wolfpack lined up to punt. The punter was able get the ball out, but the Raiders special teams nearly blocked the kick. The punt went 28 yards to the Hastings 48-yard line.

Against Sibley, both of the Raider touchdown drives started at the Warrior 42-yard line. Thanks to their defense, the Raiders would start the game with a short field again. From their forty-eight, the Raiders again started the game off feeding the rock to Brenden Freiermuth. Freiermuth would carry the ball three straight times for twelve yards and a first down at the Park 40-yard line. On his fourth carry he was stuffed for a loss of one yard. Before the Raiders snapped the ball on the next play, they received a delay of game penalty. They would now face a second down and sixteen. Arnold then rolled out and just barely overthrew running back Payton Burow, who was wide open on a wheel route out of the backfield. On third down the Raiders connected on their first completion of the season, as Arnold found Lukas Knoll for a Raiders first down at the Wolfpack 28-yard line. On third down and seven, Arnold again found Knoll, this time for just two yards. The Raiders, facing fourth and five at the 23-yard line, tried a curl route to wideout Stephen Reifenberger, but the pass was incomplete.

Park gained ten yards on a run to start their drive. The Wolfpack now had a first and ten at their 33-yard line when Cameron Olsen delivered a big hit on the running back. On the next play, Park dropped back to pass, and Olsen met sophomore Pacer Ruble at the quarterback for a big sack. Park then ran a draw play for short yardage and would have to punt the ball. On fourth and fifteen from their twenty- eight, the Raiders again nearly blocked the Wolfpack punt that rolled to the Hastings 49-yard line for 23 yards.

The Raiders turned to sophomore Payton Burow on the next drive. After a one-yard gain, Burow ripped off a tenyard gain and a first down. The next play he was stopped for no gain. Hastings then sent Joey Millner in motion and ran a sweep to the Park 33-yard line for a gain of seven. On third down, Park stuffed Arnold as he tried to run for the first down. With the ball resting on the Wolfpack 33-yard line and the Raiders facing a fourth down and three, Coach Strain decided to play field position and punt the ball. Hastings downed the ball at the 12-yard line after a short, but effective, 21-yard punt. The first quarter had ended and just like last week, the Raiders were tied 0-0.

Park started their first drive of the second quarter 88 yards from paydirt against a defense that hadn’t given up a point in the first five quarters of the season. The first four plays of the drive were inside runs where Park pulled their offside lineman in front of their running back. Gains of three, two, six and twelve yards gave the Wolfpack two first downs and they were out to their 36-yard line. After a completion and a two-yard run, it was third down and eight. Park’s pass was incomplete, but Hastings was called for pass interference. The big penalty kept the Wolfpack drive alive. The ball was placed at the Park 49-yard line. The Wolfpack completed a pass for six yards to get into Hastings territory. After an incomplete pass, they ran for four yards to pick up a big first down at the Raider 38-yard line. Park ran the ball the next four plays, three on the same inside run they had been using all night. They picked up two more first downs and had a first and ten at the Hastings 27-yard line. Park then looked to run the same inside play but fooled the Raiders when they faked the handoff and ran a reverse instead. The Raider defense all went after the running back, leaving the receiver alone to race 27 yards for a touchdown. On the extra point, Hastings again almost blocked the kick, but then they ran into Park’s holder for a 15-yard penalty. The extra point was good, so the penalty would be assessed on the kickoff.

Park kicked off from the Hastings 45-yard line after the penalty. Joey Millner fielded the kick at his seven and carried Wolfpack players out to the Raiders 33-yard line. On first down Payton Burow found some daylight on a sweep and picked up 15 yards. Burow then ran two yards up the middle. The next play, Arnold was back to pass, got hit and fumbled the football. Ben Witt alertly jumped on the football for the Raiders. On third and long, the Raiders tried a sweep to Freiermuth, but Park was not fooled and stopped him for a four-yard gain. Facing a fourth and eight at midfield, the Raiders decided to punt the football.

Stephen Reifenberger, filling in for John Chorlton, kicked the ball 35 yards to the Wolfpack 15-yard line. Park returned the ball 18 yards, but it was called back for a penalty on the return. A personal foul was called for a blindside hit. The Wolfpack started the drive at their 18-yardline, but after two incompletions and a short run, they were forced to punt.

Joey Millner fair caught the punt at the Raiders 46-yard line, with 2:24 left until halftime. On first down, Axel Arnold found Millner on an out route for 10 yards and a first down. The next play, Arnold again hooked up with Millner, this time for 15 yards. Hastings had a first down at the Park 29-yard line. On first down, most of the Park defense broke through the Raiders line, swarming Arnold for a two-yard sack. The Raiders would call timeout with 1:28 remaining until half. On second and long, Hastings ran a draw play to Freiermuth for five yards and called another timeout with 1:17 remaining. On third down Arnold’s pass was incomplete, forcing a huge fourth down. On fourth and seven from the 26-yard line, Arnold rolled out and completed a first down to Reifenberger, who was lined up in the slot and ran an out route, while Joey Millner ran a go route to the outside to draw defenders deep. The nicely designed play resulted in eight yards and a Raiders first down. On the next play, Arnold and Reifenberger again connected, this time on a fade route for an 18-yard touchdown! The always reliable Simon Hedin split the uprights on the extra point to tie the score at 7-7. Just as they did last week against Sibley, Hastings scored in the final minute of the first half.

Hedin kicked off to the Park five-yard line, but Park returned the kick 38 yards to their 43-yard line with 49 seconds remaining in the half. On first down Park completed a 17-yard pass to the Raiders 40-yard line and called a timeout with 42 seconds remaining. Park then dropped back to pass, and the quarterback was flushed out of the pocket by Conner Olsen and forced to scramble out of bounds for no gain. Olsen was also held on the play. The flag was thrown at the Raider 45-yard line, so the penalty was ten yards from the spot of the foul. With 34 seconds left, Park now faced a first and twenty-five at their own 45-yard line. Park again dropped back to pass, the quarterback was able to evade Lucas Knoll, but Freiermuth raced in and sacked him all the way back to the Wolfpack 34-yard line. Park let the clock run out and the score was 7-7 at halftime.

Joey Millner caught the second half kickoff and raced up the middle before he made a nice cut outside near the Raiders 30-yard line. The Wolfpack finally chased him down at the Park 44-yard line, making it a 46-yard return for Millner. On first down, Freiermuth ran off tackle for a big 14-yard run to give the Raiders another first down. After a Wolfpack timeout, there was a penalty before the next snap. The Park defense immediately moved down near their 20-yard line as they were expecting a penalty on them. After a lengthy conversation, the officials called a false start instead on Hastings. Park would then stop the Raiders for a loss of a yard on first down. On second down, Park’s defensive ends both collapsed the pocket and Arnold was sacked for a four-yard loss. On third down and twenty from the Park 40-yard line, the Raiders were unable to complete a screen pass and would have to punt the football. Reifenberger punted it 34 yards to the Park six-yard line.

Park went back to their ground game. Four runs gained them a total of 33 yards. The Hastings defense would stiffen and after a two-yard gain, on second down, Freiermuth and Olsen stuffed the Park running back for no gain. On third and eight from their 41-yard line, Park was forced to throw the ball. Park’s pass was incomplete and nearly picked off by Michael Gruwell. Park then got a few great bounces on the ensuing punt, which rolled a good fifteen yards, before the Wolfpack downed the ball at the Raider 21-yard line.

Hastings ran up the middle with Burow for a yard on first down. On second down, Millner took a sweep for a three-yard gain, but a late hit penalty would tack on 15 yards, giving the Raiders a first down at their 40-yard line. Axel Arnold dropped back to pass, stepped up into an empty pocket, and scrambled for 21 yards and an apparent first down. The officials spotted a hold on the play. Hastings would now have a first and twenty-eight at their 22-yard line instead of a first and ten from the Wolfpack 39-yard line. The Raiders would have to punt the ball. After a 38-yard punt, Park would take over at their 25-yard line.

Park started the drive with the same reverse play they scored their touchdown on, but Lucas Knoll was there to drop the running back for a two-yard loss. The next play was incomplete, Joey Millner nearly made an interception on the play. Hastings would force the three and out.

After a 25-yard punt, the Raiders had the ball at their 45yard line. After two short runs, the Raiders faced a third down and six. Arnold connected with Knoll for seven yards and a first down. The third quarter was over with the score remaining 7-7. Park then stopped the jet sweep for a short gain. On second down, they sacked Arnold for a six-yard loss. A draw play by Hastings gained no yardage and the Raiders were forced to punt. The punt was just 15 yards and Park would take over at their 37-yard line.

Three Park runs gained a total of 10 yards and a first down. On first down Park dropped back to pass, and their slot wide receiver was wide open for a 46-yard gain. Two Raiders jumped on a wheel route by the running back leaving the receiver all alone. X’Zavier Deutsch saved the touchdown with a tackle inside the eight-yard line. Deutsch was called for a horse collar tackle, and the penalty moved the ball to the Raiders four-yard line. On the next play, Park scored on a pitch to their running back to take a 13-7 lead with 7:51 remaining in the game. The extra point kick was low and into the line and Park’s lead remained 13-7.

Joey Millner caught the Park kickoff at his 11-yard line and carried Park defenders to the 39-yard line for a 28-yard return. On first down Arnold threw a pass to sophomore Johnny Bezdicek, but the pass was incomplete. Bezdicek and the home crowd were all looking for a flag as it appeared the Park defender arrived early. The officials disagreed and the Raiders would face a second down and ten. A two-yard run by Freiermuth and a six-yard completion to Reifenberger had the Raiders staring at a huge fourth down and two from their 47yard line. With 6:19 remaining in the game, the Raiders called a timeout. Arnold then rolled out and was sacked.

Park got the ball for a first and ten at the Hastings 42-yard line. Throughout the game Park’s bigger lines had started to take over the game against the Raiders undersized lines. The Wolfpack offensive line asserted itself on the drive as Park ran the ball six straight plays all the way down to the Hastings sixyard line. The Raiders defense tried to make one last stand, stopped Park for a three-yard loss on first down. On consecutive plays Park was called for holding and suddenly the Wolfpack had a second and goal all the way back at the Raiders 33-yard line. Park ran a nice screen pass to the running back to the Hastings 17-yard line. On third and goal from the seventeen, Park went back to their inside run and scored on a 17-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good, but Park lead 19-7 with just 1:56 left in the game.

Millner returned the kickoff from the three to the 22-yard line. The passing woes from week one then returned for the Raiders as they had three straight incompletions. On fourth down, Park sacked Arnold for the fifth time of the game. Park ran the clock out with two kneel downs and won, 19-7.

Hastings ran the football 30 times for just 73 yards. Park was more successful on the ground and rushed 42 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Hastings passing game was much improved as Hastings completed nine of 19 passes for 85 yards and one touchdown. Park completed four of 10 passes for 86 yards.

Axel Arnold was 9-19 passing for 85 yards and one touchdown. Brenden Freiermuth had 14 carries for 51 yards rushing. Axel Arnold had seven carries, five on sacks, for a loss of 19 yards. Joey Millner ran three times for 11 yards.

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From Page 10

Payton Burow carried six times for 30 yards. Stephen Reifenberger had four catches for 36 yards and one touchdown. Joey Millner added two catches for 27 yards. Lucas Knoll caught three passes for 22 yards.

The Raiders fall to a record of 1-1 on the season, while the Wolfpack improve to 1-1. Hastings is in action again next Friday night, October 23rd, at South St. Paul. Park travels to Apple Valley for a matchup with the Eagles.

#11 Stephen Reifenberger outleaps two defenders for the touchdown catch late in the first half. Photo by Bruce Karnick