St. Michael-Albertville hangs on to win opener
Brian Jerzak
After all the lead up to the high school football season – we finally had a full slate of games on Friday night. All I hope for each time I cover a game is that I see a competitive game. I got that on Friday night in Shakopee. The game ended with a Shakopee onside kick that forced the referees to pull players out of a pile to determine that St. Michael-Albertville came out with the ball and, after a pair of kneel-downs, a 29-26 opening night victory.
Things looked bad for the Knights early in the game. Shakopee took the opening kickoff and cashed in on a 93-yard touchdown drive that gave the Sabers a 6-0 lead. All 93 yards were gained on the ground off Shakopee’s double-wing offense. The Sabers converted on a fourth, and one and later, Seth Bakken scored on a five-yard run. The run completed a drive that took over eight minutes off the clock.
"We played a lot of base defense that first drive," STMA head coach Jared Essler said. "We started to take some more chances with slants and blitzes that resulted in tackles for losses that put them behind the chains. When we were able to get them off schedule a little bit."
After one first down, the Knight’s had to punt, but the defense would make a big play. On third and long, linebacker Eric Fouguette read the Shakopee option and forced a fumble that defensive back Jarrett Bennett was able to recover. The turnover would give the ball to STMA’s offense with a short field. Early in the 2nd quarter, the Knights would take the lead on an excellent cutback run – this would become a theme late in the game – by senior running back
David Collins
David
Collins
5'8" | RB
St. Michael-Albertville | 2021
State
MN
.
Shakopee’s offense couldn’t get out of their own way in the second quarter. Penalties and an assortment of mistakes put the Sabers’ offense behind the chains and out of the end zone. The Knights were not much better, but their struggles were caused mainly by Sabers’ defensive lineman and Minnesota Gophers’ commit
Deven Eastern
Deven
Eastern
6'5" | DL
Shakopee | 2021
State
MN
. Eastern was all over the field and was unblockable in the first half.
After scoring a combined 13 points in the first half, both offenses found their stride in the second half. After quarterback
Jack Drobinski
Jack
Drobinski
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
St. Michael-Albertville | 2021
State
MN
completed a long pass down the seam, Collins, on another cutback run, scored from 41 yards out.
Shakopee wasted no time answering Collins’ second score. After the Knights declined a penalty that would have set up a 3rd and six situation for Shakopee, STMA declined the penalty to set up a fourth and one from Shakopee’s own 24-yard line. Shakopee gambled, and Jadon Hellerud easily converted on fourth and short. A few plays later, quarterback David Bigaouette’s first pass attempt of the game covered 69 yards and resulted in a touchdown for Michael Pennington. The two-point conversion would fail, and the Knights would hold on to a two-point lead.
Biggaouette used his feet and his arm to give the Sabers back the lead. He completed a 22-yard pass and then used a deadly stiff arm to get the corner and allow himself to get the corner and pick up twenty yards. Faced with a third and ten, Bakken not only picked up a first down but scored a touchdown, giving the Sabers a 19-14 lead.
Drobinski responded by turning in his best sequence of the game. His pass to Reynold Hamann converted a third down, and the out route he completed picked up twenty. Later, Drobinski and the offense were facing third and eleven. The senior quarterback – making his first career start – threw a rope to Hamann. Hamann caught the ball at the one-yard-line, got lit up by a defensive back for his efforts, hung on to the ball, and scored the touchdown.
"I thought Jack played well," Essler said. "He made a bunch of big throws and did some good things."
The Knights’ defense forced a three and out, and with 6:30 to play in the game, Collins and the offensive line put together a drive that the run dominated Sabers would have loved. A cutback run for twenty yards, an inside run he bounced to the outside resulted in another first down, and yet another cutback run picked up a third first down. That would set up a Bennett 15-yard touchdown run. The touchdown gave the Knights a ten-point lead and seemed to put the game away. Shakopee had other ideas.
The Sabers got into the end zone with 30 seconds to play and then nearly came out of the pouch kick scrum with the ball, but their rally came up one play short.
Next week the Knights face Wayzata in their home opener, and Shakopee will travel to Eden Prairie.
Deven
Eastern
6'5" | DL
Shakopee | 2021
State
MN
. Eastern was all over the field and was unblockable in the first half.
After scoring a combined 13 points in the first half, both offenses found their stride in the second half. After quarterback
Jack Drobinski
Jack
Drobinski
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
St. Michael-Albertville | 2021
State
MN
completed a long pass down the seam, Collins, on another cutback run, scored from 41 yards out.
Shakopee wasted no time answering Collins’ second score. After the Knights declined a penalty that would have set up a 3rd and six situation for Shakopee, STMA declined the penalty to set up a fourth and one from Shakopee’s own 24-yard line. Shakopee gambled, and Jadon Hellerud easily converted on fourth and short. A few plays later, quarterback David Bigaouette’s first pass attempt of the game covered 69 yards and resulted in a touchdown for Michael Pennington. The two-point conversion would fail, and the Knights would hold on to a two-point lead.
Biggaouette used his feet and his arm to give the Sabers back the lead. He completed a 22-yard pass and then used a deadly stiff arm to get the corner and allow himself to get the corner and pick up twenty yards. Faced with a third and ten, Bakken not only picked up a first down but scored a touchdown, giving the Sabers a 19-14 lead.
Drobinski responded by turning in his best sequence of the game. His pass to Reynold Hamann converted a third down, and the out route he completed picked up twenty. Later, Drobinski and the offense were facing third and eleven. The senior quarterback – making his first career start – threw a rope to Hamann. Hamann caught the ball at the one-yard-line, got lit up by a defensive back for his efforts, hung on to the ball, and scored the touchdown.
"I thought Jack played well," Essler said. "He made a bunch of big throws and did some good things."
The Knights’ defense forced a three and out, and with 6:30 to play in the game, Collins and the offensive line put together a drive that the run dominated Sabers would have loved. A cutback run for twenty yards, an inside run he bounced to the outside resulted in another first down, and yet another cutback run picked up a third first down. That would set up a Bennett 15-yard touchdown run. The touchdown gave the Knights a ten-point lead and seemed to put the game away. Shakopee had other ideas.
The Sabers got into the end zone with 30 seconds to play and then nearly came out of the pouch kick scrum with the ball, but their rally came up one play short.
Next week the Knights face Wayzata in their home opener, and Shakopee will travel to Eden Prairie. 
