Orioles set for rivalry test

Rivalries are always a big part of sports. When two schools are in the same district and separated by less than five miles, no question things get quite interesting. That is the case with our rivalry with Maple Grove.

“It’s a big week for us. Our kids are way excited. They love the fact that they get to play Maple Grove and it’s a cross town rival,” said head coach Derrin Lamker. “As much as you want to say it’s not a big game, it is for these kids. They really like it. To us, it’s a progression in our season.”

Recent history has belonged to the Orioles winning five of the last six meetings including a sweep last year. Both teams pulled off impressive opening night wins although the Crimson really weren’t tested in their blow out win over Armstrong. Flip that to our win over Centennial that was much like that of a roller coaster ride at Valley Fair.

 “I’m really happy that our team was put in positions where we were up and then we were down,” said Lamker. “We were up a little bit and then they made a run. That’s the type of offense and defense you need to play. I’m glad they were in those positions.”

Like any good rivalry, calendars get circled the moment the schedules are announced. The Crimson has had September 7^th on their radar since the Orioles ended their season 20-14 in last year’s section semi-final.

“It’s Maple Grove’s super bowl, there’s no doubt about it. This is their biggest game of the year and this is what they care about,” said Lamker. “They are going to come out flying around. They have a really dynamic offense with some good skilled kids. Notoriously they have one or two, but they’ve got four or five skilled kids that can play. We’re going to have our hands full all night long.”

Games aren’t won solely on skill. The Crimson and their faithful will be ready to go tomorrow night. The stadium will be packed as Maple Grove attempts to regain its footing not only in the conference, but in the rivalry as well.   

“You know its going to be five or six thousand people screaming and yelling. We’re just excited to get over there and get it on,” said Lamker. “We just want the whistle to blow at seven o’clock.”

For the first time in three seasons, the Orioles enter this game in a different role than they played in those games. In those contests, it was the Orioles who had the dynamic big play offense. This year, the offense is more bread and butter than glitter and gold.

 “We’re definitely the underdog this time. We were favored the last couple of games and ended up winning those,” said Lamker. “The shoe is kind of on their foot, they are favored. They need to step up and we do too. It’s a game that, can we get? Yeah we can get it but if you don’t play well, you’re not gonna.”

Lamker’s Keys:
Defensive line controlling their offensive line- No big push
Keeping their skilled kids in tact. No big plays.
Sustain drives and keep them off the field.