TONIGHT: Orono, Mound Westonka Kick Off Playoffs

FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Orono (2-6, 1-6 in Wright County Conference play) vs. Park Center (0-8, 0-8 in Northwest Suburban Conference play). 

Playmakers:
Grant Schoen, Orono (Quarterback): Has thrown for 100 yards in seven of his eight games under center this season. Schoen has thrown for 1,068 yards in all this year.

Tom Wachman, Orono (Offensive Tackle/Linebacker): Leads the Spartans with 823 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He has rushed for over 100 yards on five occassions this season.

Preston Paulson, Park Center (Quarterback): The senior signal caller has a good arm if given time by his offensive line. 

Isaac Flomo, Park Center (Wide Receiver): Senior wideout leads the Pirates in reception, yardage and receiving touchdowns.

Orono wins if...
They can keep a good balanced attack. They have passed for 1,068 yards and rushed for 1,161 yards this season. The winner of this game faces Benilde St. Margaret’s. Orono is the No. 3 seed, despite a 2-6 mark.

Park Center wins if...
They can get off to a better start. The Pirates have been outscored 241-25 in the first half. They are coached by former Golden Gopher Rickey Foggie, who is in his first year. Park Center has been outscored by an average of 34.7 points per game this year.

Two-minute drill:
Site: Orono High School, Section 6AAAA first-round playoffs.
Time: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 42 degrees. 
Last meeting: This is the first meeting of the two schools.

Orono schedule
Sept. 2 vs. Waconia (L, 28-14)
Sept. 9 at Mound Westonka (W, 20-0)
Sept. 16 vs. Glencoe-Silver Lake (L, 28-8)
Sept. 23 at Dassel-Cokato (L, 21-9)
Sept. 30 at Hutchinson (L, 34-21)
Oct. 7 vs. Grand Rapids (W, 35-21)
Oct. 14 at Delano (L, 28-21)
Oct. 19 vs. Litchfield (L, 35-12)

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FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Mound Westonka (1-7, 0-7 in Wright County Conference play) vs. Fridley (1-7, 1-6 in North Suburban Conference play).

Playmakers:
David Bingham, Mound Westonka (Running Back): Showed off his versatility as he finished with 69 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards and a touchdown last week against Waconia.

Mitchell Kern, Mound Westonka (Wide Receiver): Has 200 receiving yards for the White Hawks.

Kenben Parker, Fridley (Running Back/Defensive Back): Senior rusher has carried the ball 121 times for 632 yards and six scores. 

Nick Rathke, Fridley (Quarterback): The sophomore has completed 92-of-176 passes for 1,150 yards and eight touchdowns this year. 

Mound Westonka wins if...
They can regain their offensive confidence. The White Hawks have scored just two touchdowns in their past three games. A win would give them two victories, the most for the team since 2005. The winner of this game faces No. 1 seed Spring Lake Park Saturday. 

Fridley wins if...
They can get off to a good start. Fridley has been outscored 76-6 in the first quarter this season. 

Two-minute drill
Site: Mound Westonka High School, Section 6 AAAA first round playoffs.
Time: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 42 degrees.
Last meeting: Fridley defeated Mound Westonka 49-14 at home in the first round of the playoffs in 2009.

MOUND WESTONKA SCHEDULE
Sept. 2 at Hutchinson (L, 47-6)
Sept. 9 vs. Orono (L, 20-0)
Sept. 16 at Delano (L, 40-18)
Sept. 23 vs. Litchfield (L, 50-14)
Sept. 30 at Minneapolis Henry (W, 35-8)
Oct. 7 vs. Annandale (L, 35-7)
Oct. 14 vs. Dassel-Cokato (L, 35-0)
Oct. 19 at Waconia (L, 32-8)