Raptors Blank Bears on a Stormy Friday Night
Written by Noah Beukelman
Photo by Sophie Durand
On Friday September 16th, the East Ridge Raptors football team took on the White Bear Lake Bears in a game that many predicted to be a blowout.
The Raptors did not disappoint.
White Bear Lake began the game with a strong drive, consisting of several tough, earned first downs through the ground game.
But the Bears were eventually forced to punt to the potent Raptors offense.
The Raptors ate up yards on the ground chunk by chunk with a two punch combo of senior running back Dominik London and junior fullback Jaron Pittman. Pounding the Bears up front, the Raptors drove the length of the field and capped off the drive with a Dominik London touchdown to put them up 7-0 with 4:28 left in the 1st quarter.
Following the touchdown, the Raptors defense held firm once again and forced White Bear Lake to punt and end the first quarter.
The second quarter began with East Ridge cruising down the field. However, the drive stalled and the Raptors settled with a 50+ yard field goal by standout kicker, Grant Ryerse, to put them up 10-0.
White Bear Lake, desperate for any kind of momentum, got just that with a huge gain on a screen pass. But, as usual, the Raptor defense stood strong and held the White Bear offense to prevent a score.
East Ridge, backed up deep in its own territory, then ripped off a long drive highlighted by a long pass from senior quarterback Ty Okada to tight end Zach Bennett, finished with a touchdown run by Dominik London to put the Raptors up 17-0 with 3:18 left in the 2nd quarter.
White Bear Lake proceeded to go 3 and out and quickly give the ball back to the Raptors who were still hungry for points.
The Raptors easily drove down the field for a the third score of the night by none other than star running back Dominik London to increase the score to 24-0 with a little over a minute left in the half, just enough time for the boys to punch in one more score.
White Bear Lake coughed up a fumble, which East Ridge recovered then converted into another touchdown after Ty Okada spun his way through the defense to widen the score to 31-0 at the end of the half.
Halftime brought the beginnings of a rainstorm, and as they say, when it rains, it pours. And it very much poured. Heavy showers downpoured all through halftime, scaring away most fans from both sides, but neither student section would back down and stayed through the storm to the beginning of the 3rd quarter.
The play during the 3rd quarter was sloppy at best, with both sides struggling to do much of anything in the difficult terrain.
But most memorable was the unbelievable display of compassion by both sides with exactly 9:17 left in the 3rd quarter. For the Raptors, the game was dedicated to Ally Trebesch, a student who passed away three years prior. The student section as well as the players donned pink to honor her and when the clock hit 9:17, the date of which she passed, both the East Ridge and White Bear student sections chanted “A-K-T” in an unforgettable display of sportsmanship and love for their classmate.
Following the powerful remembrance of Ally, the game was cancelled due to weather conditions with the final score being 31-0 Raptors in a remarkable night. The Raptors now are preparing for their home showdown with rival Stillwater, hoping to keep their momentum going and win their third straight game.
