I knew Hopkins ran the spread offense, but the Royals blew me away tonight with their season-opening performance in a 48-30 win over Owatonna. As I wrote for Saturday’s paper, speed is key for Hopkins.

But equally impressive was the lack of mistakes by Hopkins. They lost one fumble but had very few penalties and looked very polished for the first game of the year.  

They were simply too fast for Owatonna. QB Sean Borman threw for four TDs, three to Montez Wilkerson. Guys like Wilkerson, Marcus Williams and RB Terrell Sinkfield can really burn. The Huskies are the polar opposite, running an old-fashioned ground game behind a big O-line.

But Owatonna, which is expected to contend for the Big Nine title, also plays a lot of kids both ways. That made a difference late in tonight’s game. The Huskies moved the ball well in the first half and led 24-21 at halftime, but they got worn down as the game moved along.

The Huskies are nothing fancy. As coach Jeff Williams said, “We’ve gotta be Frazier. We can’t be Ali.” For non-boxing historians, that means Owatonna has to punch, punch and punch some more, but can’t float like a butterfly.

Hopkins’ quick-strike offense is a blast to watch, but the Royals need to shore up the defense. They held Owatonna to six points in the second half, but giving up 30 is too many. The Huskies don’t run up and down the field, which makes 30 points stand out even more.

Hopkins faces Edina next week, and the way these two teams run the spread and throw it around, that game might last until midnight.

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