Humboldt/OWL Athletics Fall 2020 Update (November 2020)

Submitted by John Pucci Humboldt/OWL Athletics Fall 2020

(Photo: Steve Aeilts, 2020)

     St. Paul, Minn...Weeks ago at the start of the season, Coach Damon Liberatore was preaching growth and development throughout the season. He spoke about how each week he hoped his team would elevate their game, and continue to become more and more competitive in the always tough Saint Paul City Conference. It appears they have done just that. Early in the season, the Hawks dropped a match 3-0 to Harding High School; a consistently tough conference opponent. Coach Liberatore continued to find the positives and identify areas of growth within his squad as they geared up for a rematch scheduled for 11/4/20. The Hawks definitely carried themselves with a noticeably different mentality prior to the match. Not only did they want to win, but they felt that they were going to win. 

As the match began, it was clear coach Liberatore had prepared his team with not only the right mentality, but the correct tactics to dominate the match. The Hawks won the first two rounds of the match handily. Stunned, the Knights of Harding High School rallied for a tough third round that could have gone either way, and snuck out a point, but the Hawks remained un-phased. They entered the fourth round with the belief that they would earn that final point and secure the win, and they did just that. In defeating Harding, the Hawks have proven that they can compete with just about everyone in this conference, and finally have the confidence, composure and mentality to do so. Seeing how proud they were after their victory was exciting, but seeing their drive to earn another victory in their next match was inspiring. The Hawks’ next match will be against Johnson on the road on 11/6. 

Goodluck Volleyball!

Football - Fall 2020

   The Hawks football team has shown a lot of development in the past few weeks. While the Hawks dropped a tightly contested match to Harding, and faced likely conference champion Como Park last week, their mentality and goals have not changed. Even Coach Flores, a seasoned Humboldt veteran as both a player and coach is optimistic for the remaining two games of the season; St. Paul Johnson and St. Paul Highland Park. The Hawks face off with Johnson on Friday, 11/6/20. While the Governors of Johnson High School had a strong season in 2019, Coach Flores felt confident in the practices leading up to the game. “they’ve (Johnson) struggled against the same teams we’ve struggled against. I think with the way we’ve been practicing, we stand a good chance of winning”. The Mental toughness that not only Coach Flores, but his assistants which include fellow Humboldt Alum Tyler Chavez is contagious amongst the team. The Hawks’ match against Johnson will be held on 11/6/20 at Harding High School. The match is slated to kick off at 5:00 PM. Best of luck to our Football athletes!

Featured: Humboldt High School Athletics - Football and Volleyball

Submitted by John Pucci, Humboldt Athletic Department 

Head Coach and Humboldt alumni Arnulfo Flores was excited and apprehensive when informed that there would be a Fall Football season for the Hawks. The Hawks graduated a massive contingent of players from last year’s team; a team that finished 4-4, the Hawks best finish in years. With that said, Coach Flores is optimistic about some of the young talent on the roster. Headlining this core of young athletes is Junior, Michael McCambell. 

McCambell was the top wide receiver on the team last fall as only a sophomore, and was primed to have a break out Junior season prior to injuring himself in the Hawks’ first match. All hope is not lost however with the rest of the youth movement on the Hawks’ roster, headlined by sophomore running back Obadiah Chea. Chea will headline the Hawks’ offense the coming fall with some impressive breakaway speed.

In addition, another new aspect of the Football team this fall is the inclusion of OWL athletes. This is adds to an already strong partnership between the two schools, as it becomes the 12th Co-op sport between the two institutions. The fresh faces from OWL have brought in additional young talent,

including 8th grade Lineman Noah Hayes. While Hays is only a middle school athlete, he towers over the opposition, standing at a whopping 6 feet 2 inches tall. The new look Hawks look to build on last year’s successes, as well as pave a way for future success with this young cohort. The Hawks next game is Friday November 6th, agains St. Paul Johnson. The game will be held at Bakken Field at Harding High School.

With only Volleyball and Football left in completion, we are able to go a bit more in depth with the Volleyball team. The team looks to have come back strong after a few early season losses. The Hawks statement victory came with a 3-0 defeat of conference foe Washington Tech, followed by two tightly contested matches with St. Paul Central and Como Park. The Volleyball team looks to earn their second victory of the season with their upcoming match on November 4th. The Hawks face conference rival St. Paul Harding, and after dropping a very tight early season match to the Knights, your Hawks are looking to come back strong and earn some points. Good luck Volleyball!

(Photo Credit: Volleyball, principal Steven Aeilts)