South St. Paul coach Chad Sexauer said he never questioned Sam Rohrer's ability to make the game-winning kick Friday vs. Park.
His intuition did not disappoint, as the junior nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired, giving South St. Paul a 29-26 victory.
Quarterback Ryan Duffy rushed for three touchdowns and threw another to Miles Williams for the Packers (2-0), as they avenged last year's 28-27 loss to the Wolfpack.
"That's the best I've felt in a long time," Rohrer said after his game-winning kick. "When it went through I was just excited for everyone, 'cause it wasn't just me."
South St. Paul took a 26-14 lead in the first half, but Park stayed competitive thanks to quarterback Brandon Alt's two passing touchdowns. Lucas Liljedahl added for two third-quarter rushing touchdowns for the Wolfpack (1-1).
The game capped an emotional week for South St. Paul. A brother of one of the team's players died on the first day of school, and both teams and student sections memorialized him by wearing purple and blue. The students huddled near the middle of the field after the game.
"That was just nice to see both sides, Park and our kids, come together," Sexauer said.
NATE GOTLIEB
