BRIDGE TUSLER
Osseo, football
When last we checked in with Tusler, he was throwing his body around the court at Target Center, willing the Orioles to a heart-stopping 49-47 victory over Lakeville North in the Class 4A boys' basketball championship game.
The point guard led the team in rebounds and floor burns in that game, indicative of his physical nature and desire to win.
Both were on display in in Osseo's 37-21 season-opening football victory over Centennial on Thursday. Tusler, a 6-foot, 195-pound running back who is an enviable combination of battering ram and ballet dancer, rushed for 125 yards and four touchdowns, caught a 4-yard pass for another touchdown and intercepted a pass on defense.
Tusler's biggest plays came when the Orioles needed them most. He weaved for a 49-yard touchdown run on their opening drive, setting the tone for the evening.
And when Centennial was mounting a comeback and needed a defensive stand, it was Tusler who denied it, carrying the ball three times for 39 yards and a game-clinching TD on Osseo's final drive.
"I really don't care about the stats and all that," Tusler said. "I just did what I thought we needed . All I care about is getting the 'W.'"
Osseo coach Derrin Lamker gushed about Tusler in the moments following the victory.
"He's a great football player, a great athlete and an even better kid," Lamker said. "My kids are all girls, but if I had a boy, I'd want him to be Bridge Tusler."
