Re: Rep Retirement Lodge #173: (Insert Title)
They've always been in the Big 9, and the games always seem to have pretty big meaning for at least one if not both teams. Lots of playoff battles and continuity on both coaching staffs has really helped the rivalry bud. Not to mention the students at each school have grown to really dislike each other. It's a fun game to play in, and with Nystrom still coaching, you know Albert Lea will continue to play with great effort for 51 minutes, regardless of their skill/talent level. He's a heck of a coach. All through youth hockey Albert Lea struggles. Growing up we'd beat them by 8+ often..Roy then takes over and they improve immensely in his system.
Mostly unrelated, since it's football, but still somewhat related and funny as it has Rochester John Marshall in it.
My nephew attended Eastview High School, graduated 11 or 12 years ago, the first year the school made it to the state tourney for football. They were playing the RJM Rockets for their section's sede in the tourney. Eastview was just a machine that year, only lost one game in the regular season (a close one to Eden Prairie) and it was close game, so most attributed the loss to the fact that one of the starting linemen killed himself with a gunshot to the head that week. At any rate, the RJM head coach was quoted in the paper stating something to the effect, "Eastview? Has anybody ever heard of them before? They've had an easy schedule - they've not played anybody in the Big 9 this season. Our entire season is leading up to this game, with competition we've played and how we've played them." Eastview's coach had a copy of that interview taped to the wall next to the locker room's door, and they beat RJM 49-6 in Rochester - even scoring a TD on a muffed punt snap. RJM only scored after Eastview put in their second stringers.
Before the conference re-aligned, Eastview was playing those "nobody" schools in the Lake Conference that included Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eden Prairie (all recent state title winners), and Rosemount was strong that year too with Tom Conboy on the roster (he went on to play D-1 football, and his brothers both played D-1 and pro hockey - Tim, the eldest for SCSU, and Andrew, the youngest, who I only knew as "Ratface," for Sparty).
