APPLETON — On a stunning Thursday evening, the Fond du Lac Band played its opening game at Paul Engen Field in Appleton North.
The Cardinals lost six minutes on their first drive, which ended with a Rhett Hlavacka touchdown, but the ever-relenting Lightning defense kept them at bay the rest of the way, and Appleton North won 21-7.
“It meant everything to our team, man. Fond du Lac is a tough team. They started off slow, but they faced some good teams. We had a great week of practice and it really helped us come together,” senior defensive end Daniel Garrigan said.
Lightning senior running back Bobby Salm had one rushing touchdown. Quarterback Charlie Olsen had one passing and one rushing touchdown, with one interception.
Garrigan was outstanding at Appleton North. The Cardinals were in the red zone in the second half, down 14-7, when he intercepted a pass and ran it deep into Fond du Lac territory. He finished the game with two interceptions.
“He just wants it so bad,” Lightning head coach Rob Salm said. “He’s a hard worker in practice. You knew this was going to happen. I’m really happy about that because the kids who work the hardest want to see themselves succeed, and that was really important for us tonight.”
Appleton North (2-1, 1-0) will host Oshkosh West (1-2, 0-1) in Oshkosh on Friday, Sept. 13.
Fond du Lac (0:3, 0:1) hosts Kimberly (2:0,1:0).
