Sports
Robbinsdale Armstrong Varsity Football Team Looks to Turn Things Around
With the high school football season around the corner, Armstrong looks to improve on last season.
If anyone is looking forward to fall, it’s the Robbinsdale Armstrong football team.
The Falcons have been eager for a fresh start since the end of last season’s 2-7 campaign. Come September, Armstrong hopes months of practice and preparation helps them turn their fortunes around.
Armstrong hosted its season-opening minicamp this week, the first official step toward the squad’s Sept. 1 season opener at Maple Grove.
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“We get our plans and minds ready starting in March,” second-year coach Ryan Bartlett said. “This is our first official workout, but we have been preparing for this all year.”
But a turnaround won’t be automatic.
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The Falcons will need to battle through their Northwest Suburban Conference schedule—one of Minnesota’s premier football conferences.
Last year, Blaine went 10-1 and earned a state tournament berth, beating NWSC rival Andover in the Section 7AAAAA championship game. Osseo went 6-1 in conference play and lost its Section 5AAAAA championship game to eventual state champion Wayzata.
Armstrong’s two wins last year were against Maple Grove and Park Center, and each team finished in the bottom half of the conference with the Falcons.
This season, Armstrong is looking add to its 10.3 points per game a year ago while holding opponents to fewer than the 20.8 points per game allowed a year ago.
“We want to be in every game,” Bartlett said. “It doesn’t matter who we are playing. To do that, we need to work hard, and I think the players know that.”
It’s that collective belief in one another’s work ethic that keeps the Falcons focused. Armstrong is looking forward to that first game against the Crimson.
“We don’t look at the record from last year,” senior safety Denzel Anderson said. “We are a family. We give 100 percent for coach and for each other.”
To win, the Falcons will need to keep that faith in one another. Anderson said that’s not a problem.
“It’s like your brother out there,” Anderson said. “You can never turn your back on a brother.”
