Orioles Win Home Football Finale

No matter how the rest of the season plays out for the football team, the Orioles can he happy knowing one thing—they won their and their regular season home finale.

The latter was accomplished on Friday night, as St. Louis Park (3-4 overall, 3-3 in North Suburban Conference) trounced conference foe Columbia Heights (0-7 overall) 35-0.

The Orioles were led by a ground game that racked up 350 yards on 40 carries. Most of the damage was done by senior Desmon Martin, who carried the ball 25 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jacolbi Courington-Meier added three rushes for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for 71 yards and another score.

It was Martin, however, that really set the tone for the game. He ran over, past and around the Hylanders in the first half, with his most impressive run being a 62-yard touchdown scamper.

Getting the running game going was a clear strategy coming in. On practice on Wednesday, St. Louis Park coach Vince Varpness mentioned to his team that Columbia Heights lacked depth—the Hylanders’ roster lists only 34 names—meaning many of their players play both offense and defense. Running the ball, Varpness said before the game, could wear the opponent down. It did that and more on Friday night.

The Orioles were so dominant that they actually led 35-0 after three quarters, but pulled many of their starters for the final 12 minutes.

St. Louis Park finishes the regular season with a road game against Irondale on Wednesday night. It’ll then be on to the Section 3AAAA playoffs starting Oct. 25 and, depending on how the chips fall next week, that first playoff game could be at home.