Chloe Hunter and I interviewed Lily O’Donnell and Davina Newman about the homecoming game against Fridley. Our first question was asked to Davina. “What was your favorite part of the game?” She answered saying she enjoyed watching Angelo Martin’s catch. We also asked her what she thought about the crowds enthusiasm, she said it could have been improved if people were more on their feet and cheering, she also would have liked a better game score. Over all she rated the game a 7 out of 10.
Lily’s favorite part of the game was watching the cheer leaders. She would have also wanted the crowd to improve their enthusiasm as well, although she was so excited that we won with a winning score of 21-20. She also mentioned how the score could have improved if it was more stretched out. She scored the game a 9 out of 10.
Over all they both enjoyed watching the game and agreed that there could have been more excitement and energy brought to the game, remember that next year Highland Scots!
Great turnout for the fan section, lots of us repped our HP pride and came out in fun, red outfits to support our football players in the homecoming game against the Fridley Tigers. The bleachers were jam packed with fans cheering on the boys and supporting Highland Park athletics. We saw staff, students, parents, siblings, many former students, and many others come out to the homecoming game. We also had a great performance from the band. Being as this is the first homecoming game we’ve won in 2 years (last homecoming game won was in 2013) our fans were pumped! Although there were moments when we could have been a little louder, all together we had a pretty hyped fan section!
The game had mixed reviews, depending on the grade of the people interviewed, the opinions on the game and the fan section varied. One freshman rated the game a 7 out of 10, saying that the fan section was fun with players jumping on the stands and cheering up the crowd but wishes the highland mascot would have done more. Her favorite part of the game was the cheerleader’s halftime show. Her biggest complaint was the timing of the game, it felt too early and didn’t seem the same as a night game in terms of excitement. When asking a senior boy and girl, their opinions were almost the opposite. They agreed that the mascot was not the best, but also felt that the fan section was lame and needed more cheering. The notorious Musket game, Highland vs Central, is scheduled for Friday, October 9th at 5pm. When mentioned, everyone interviewed said they were looking forward more to the musket game than the homecoming, with statements such as “there is more fan interaction” and “Central vs Highland game is always the best”!
photo courtesy of Ms. Hedwallphoto courtesy of Ms. Hedwallphoto courtesy of Ms. Hedwall
In his interview head coach David Zeitchick told the Pioneer Press “I don’t know what kind of football they play in the Tri-Metro, but we showed them what the City Conference is all about.”
After a win of 49-23. Highland’s senior quarterback and football captain Charles Klug completed 7 of 11 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns.
When asked about the 2015-16 Varsity football team coach Zeitchick said “The key right now is to share the ball and for the players to know there is no one star of the team. We have a tight nit group of boys that have worked very hard all through the summer.”
Both the coaches and the players have come into this season with more intensity ready to play and ready to win. Senior Quarterback Charles Klug said “We need to come to every game ready to play as if we were playing Central.”
The 2015 Varsity football team has become more of a show than the past few years (tailgaiting, cheerleading, more enthusiastic fans) which makes it a lot more fun for the players and also a lot more fun for the fans.
All of our senior captains believe we have a strong chance of going undefeated for the rest of the season and making it to state. If you were going to choose one year to go to games this would be your year!
Fall sports are up and running at Highland Park! So far, we’ve been off to a good start with many wins against conference and non-conference teams. Here’s an update on all of the fall sports at Highland through the first week of school:
*UPDATED* Girls swimming and diving just got their first win of the season against Harding with a score of 94 to 69! This Saturday, the 19th, they will participate in the Laker Invite and hope to take home another win.
The football team is currently 3-1, with a big victory over St Croix Lutheran, the 5th ranked team in state. They also defeated rival Como Park with a score of 45-7. Two players from the team were nominated two weeks in a row for MNHSL football player of the week; Amitri Collins and Charles Klug.
Taken from the Highland Park Football Facebook page
The volleyball team has also had a successful start to the season, with a 7-2 record. They are also currently undefeated in conference. The weekend of the 11th and 12th, they participated in a tournament atVisitation with other schools around the twin cities. They finished in 2nd with wins against St Louis Park, Como Park, and Armstrong, but lost in the championship to Holy Angels.
The girls tennis team is also undefeated in conference, and currently holds a record of 5-6. Their next match in against Johnson at Highland, and they would love to see supporters come out to watch!
The danceline, coached by Ms. Mendenhall, has performed twice now at halftime at the home football games. They will also be performing a new dance at this falls pepfest. They are a crowd favorite!
Cross Country has only competed in two meets, but both have been successful. Senior, Micah Mather has won individual winner at both meets! Congratulations Micah!
Boys soccer is currently 3-1-1, and undefeated in conference. Last week they had two big wins over Johnson and Washington. Girls soccer holds an impressive record at 4-2-1, and they are also undefeated in conference. This week they will take on rival schools Central (at Central) and Como (at Highland). They would love to see fans come to support!
kitrick.com Shared Driving- Car2go
Highland Park has entered a contest with Car2Go to win 10,000 for our athletic program. Many students participated by tweeting, “#Car2GoScots” which enters our school in the contest for a chance win. Highland Park is the only Saint Paul school that is getting involved with the contest, so make sure to Tweet or Instagram that hashtag to increase our chances of winning! The football team loves the turnout of fans and school spirit at the games! They still encourage everyone to come for an even bigger student section. Check back here for more updates on schedule and results: http://sports.spps.org/
Thursday night’s Saint Paul City Conference/Musket game at Griffin Stadium between Highland and Central was an event not to be missed. It being Central’s Homecoming as well as their team having a good record so far this season, the Highland Varsity team knew they were up for a challenge. The game got off to a rough start, with a touchdown being scored by G. Gardner of Central for a 23 yard gain. Heading into the second quarter, the Scots knew they needed to amp up their game in order to stay in the fight to win the musket back from Central. After an interception by Central that lead to a touchdown and 80 yard gain, I. Brower scored a touchdown for a 17 yard gain, extra point scored by D. Bielinski.
The score going into halftime was 14-7, Central. Fresh out of the locker room, Central scored another touchdown, increasing their lead to +2 touchdowns. Late into the 3rd quarter, Highland gave Central a run for their money by scoring a touchdown off a pass from P. Munoz to I. Brower for a 7 yard gain, extra point completed by D. Bielinski. At that point in the game, the score was 21-14. The energy in the stands on the Highland side was incredible. Popular chants, such as “We are the Scotties, the mighty mighty Scotties!” and “Lets go Highland, Lets Go!” were alive and well.
Around the beginning of the 4th quarter, Central threw for another touchdown, this time from Taylor to Stunning for a 32 yard gain. Following, a touchdown pass from P. Munoz to I. Brower for a 28 yard gain with an unsuccessful extra point attempt. This brought the score to 28-20. At this point, the crowd was going wild. Winning felt within reach. Towards the end of the game, a touchdown via a run by Gardner of Central brought the game to a scored of 35-20. In the last 2 minutes of the game, the Scots scored again via a touchdown pass from P. Munoz to I. Brower, which ended up being the game ending score of 35-27.
Understandably, the team and the fans were disappointed however remained positive and in good spirits. Ethan Aune (#72, offensive and defensive tackle) shared his thoughts on the game: “I’m proud of my boys and we all need to remember that we win as a team and we lose as a team… The season isn’t over by a long shot.” With all said and done, the Scots are focused on their next game vs. Saint Paul Johnson, on Wednesday October 16th at 7:00pm at Bakken. #ScotsNation Always and Forever.
You can stay updated with HPSH Football by following the team on Twitter: @HPSHFootball
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