Last fall everything was new for the Moorhead Park Christian football team.
The Falcons split from their football co-op with Fargo Oak Grove and formed a Minnesota 9-man program that competed in Section 6.
"Everything was brand new," Park Christian head coach Dan Kowalski said of the Falcons, who transitioned from playing 11-man football in North Dakota to 9-man.
The Falcons opened the season 0-3 and lost six of their first seven games.
The inaugural season ended with a loss to Ulen-Hitterdal in the Section 6 playoffs.
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"It was a huge thing for the school, the players and the coaches," Kowalski said. "It was a real big deal for us to be able to have our first season called the Park Christian Falcons. It was an exciting time and now we are just trying to build off that momentum."
Outlook
With the first year of being a 9-man football program out of the way, the Falcons have settled into their offense and defense.
The players and coaching staff now know what to expect playing 9-man football.
Park Christian runs a spread offense that features the team's returning skill players and also a few newcomers.
"We got a great amount of varsity experience from last year coming back," Kowalski said. "We are optimistic. We would obvious like to be .500 or better this year and at least double our wins ... We think that is a realistic goal for us to achieve."
Under center for the Falcons will be senior Simeon Reiswig, who completed Armed Forces basic training this summer.
Reiswig is a dual threat to run and pass in the Falcons offense.
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"He has come a long way," Kowalski said. "He is just a really great athlete size wise. He's got a strong arm and is a strong runner too."
The Falcons' depth at skill players continues with Fargo North transfer running back Dave Tompkins.
Tompkins - who was ineligible to play varsity for Park Christian last fall - should be a dynamic addition to the Falcons backfield, but Kowalski also hinted that he may line him up at receiver as well as play him at linebacker on defense.
"He is just a great athlete," Kowalski said of Tompkins.
Compiled by Tom Mix
