Wayzata overpowers Irish
Rosemount’s attempt to win its first state football crown ended one game short on Saturday night as an undefeated Wayzata squad topped the Irish 34-10 at Metrodome. The crowds on both sides were loud, but Rosemount’s fans seemed to be more engaged to the ebbs and flows of the game, starting chants when the team needed that extra nudge or expressing their feeling about a call made by a referee.
A couple things stood out in my mind about the Irish fans:
1. Even though their team was losing badly in the fourth quarter, they still chanted “Rosemount Irish” and “I love Rosemount,” keeping their squad’s emotions high.
2. Between the third and fourth quarters teams will do something to signal the “time to get serious” and make that final push for a win. Rosemount busted out a bag piper to stir up support. It was unique and outstanding because the crowd kept themselves quiet long enough for everyone to hear the piper.
Even in the final minutes, when Wayzata was going to be the clear winner, Rosemount fans continued to chant “Rosemount, Rosemount,” causing the bench to return the favor by bringing the state semifinal trophy to the student section after the game.
It was a cool and fitting way to end what turned out to an impressive 11-2 season with two championship trophies, the Lake Conference and Section 3AAAAAA hardware.