Archive by Author

Packers headed to State with Alley-Oop Finish

16 Mar

We’ll have full video highlights on this tomorrow, but here’s the play Austin Packer fans will be talking about for years to come.

After the top-seeded Packers had scrapped back from six points down to second-seeded New Prague in the second half to take a one-point lead with 90 seconds remaining, the game came down to a last play.  With the score tied at 41, Austin’s coach Kris Fadness called timeout with 13 seconds left. Here’s the play he called, an alley-oop from Zach Wessels to Tom Aase for a dunk, and the resulting celebration:

March Madness, indeed!

The Packers are now headed to the Minnesota State Boys Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1982. They will open play on Wednesday, with the opponent to be determined tomorrow.

Follow the Packers on Twitter, and find the Fast Break Club on Facebook.

Tags: , ,

Turn the Civic Center Red!

15 Mar

For last Saturday’s semifinal game against Winona, the crowd was gathering more than an hour in advance of the 7 p.m. tip. This video is from the lobby outside of Packer Gym at about 6:10, as the line of fans extended out the doors of the building and down the block. The second part of it is from five minutes before the tip, as the gym is packed except for a few seats in the balcony section. The final part is from the introduction of the starting lineup.

The Packers were undefeated at home this year, so we’re counting on Packer fans to create a homey environment tomorrow at Mayo Civic Center. Sign up by noon today if you want to ride on the fan bus.

Update: Due to popular demand, we’ve added another student bus, so we’re extending the sign-up time. There’s still some room on the adult bus, too. Download and print the forms and get them to the AHS Activities Office by Friday afternoon.

Student Bus Permission Form

Adult Bus Reservation Form

 

Follow the Packers on Twitter, and find the Fast Break Club on Facebook.

Let’s turn the Mayo Civic Center red!

Tags: , , ,

Post-Bulletin Previews Friday Finale

14 Mar

As we highlighted earlier, the Austin Daily Herald has a nice and well-deserved feature today on the four Packer seniors. The Austin Post-Bulletin also has a feature on the Packers in this afternoon’s paper, highlighting recent years of rivalry between Austin and New Prague.

There is a bit of history on the basketball court between these two schools. Although they didn’t play last year in the post-season, there have been a number of interesting games over the years.

Austin’s last run to the section finals came back in 2007 and it started with a road win at New Prague in the first round. The Trojans got revenge by beating the Packers in their last tournament meeting two years ago in the section semifinals at New Prague.

They have also met during the regular season over the last few years. New Prague won at Austin in the 2010-2011 season. This season started with a 23-point win by the Austin boys at New Prague back on Dec. 6 of last year.

New Prague won the Section 1AAA title last year and went on to take fourth-place at the state tournament. Austin hasn’t been to the state tournament since the 1981-82 season.

Read the whole story.

Be sure to get to Rochester Friday night for the championship game against New Prague. If you need a ride, we have bus transportation available, but you need to sign up by noon Thursday.

Follow the Packers on Twitter, and find the Fast Break Club on Facebook.

Packer Seniors Profiled in Austin Daily Herald

14 Mar

Today’s Austin Daily Herald has a great profile on the Packer seniors – Ryan Larson, Goliath Oboyo, Nate Schwab, Zach Vierkandt – and the road they’ve taken to playing in the Section 1AAA championship game on Friday.

Here’s a sampler:

While they’ve clicked throughout the season for the No. 5 ranked Packers (22-5 overall), who are playing for Austin’s first state tournament berth in 30 years against New Prague this Friday, some of them weren’t even on the basketball radar in Austin a few years ago.

The biggest thing to know is that Goliath Oboyo, Nate Schwab, Zach Vierkandt and Ryan Larson combined for about five minutes of varsity playing time before this season and now they’re all playing key roles on Austin’s best team in 30 years.

Read the whole story.

Follow the Packers on Twitter, and find the Fast Break Club on Facebook.

Be sure to get to Rochester Friday night for the championship game against New Prague. If you need a ride, we have bus transportation available.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Pack the Fan Buses!

12 Mar

The Packer Fast Break Club (Like us on Facebook) is sponsoring and subsidizing the cost for fan buses to Friday night’s Section 1AAA Final against New Prague.

The school buses will leave from Austin High School at 6 p.m. and will return after the game. The cost is only…

$1 for students

or

$5 for adults!

To reserve your spot, click the appropriate link below and print, complete and sign the form and return it to the Austin High School Activities Office with payment by noon on Thursday, March 15.

STUDENT FAN BUS PERMISSION FORM

ADULT FAN BUS RESERVATION FORM

Update: The first adult bus will be a coach bus instead of a school bus, so get to the AHS Activities Office and sign up early if you want to be sure to get on the coach bus.

Game tickets may be purchased separately at the Mayo Civic Center when you arrive. Game time is 8 p.m.

There also is a big concert at the Mayo Civic Center Friday night. There is plenty of parking and it is free, but parents and fans should be notified that they may have to walk a few blocks from the lots. The ramp across the street from the Civic Center may be full.

Packer fans have fueled an undefeated home record this year. Now it’s time to build that enthusiasm to an even greater scale at Mayo Civic Center to earn a trip to State!

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →