We ran the ball incredibly well, a testament to our offensive line up front and our backs for pounding it in there.”

Head Coach Dana Strain

My offensive line did amazing blocking for me. I’m proud of them. They did it all: practice, planning, game plan—amazing works of perfection.”

Zach Shatek

Up next:

Up next for Hastings is a trip up to the campus of the University of St. Thomas to take on Cretin-Derham Hall on Sept. 27, then the Raiders return home on Oct. 4 to host Robbinsdale Armstrong. Both of those games are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoffs.

The Raiders will then host St. Thomas Academy on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m.

The regular season closes with a trip to Robbinsdale Cooper for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.

The first four weeks of Hastings Raiders Football have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. After suffering a huge loss to Owatonna (50-7), the team faced a competitive first half in a 35-14 defeat against Two Rivers. However, they bounced back with a close, back-and-forth win at Mahtomedi (13-7) and a dominating 30-15 victory against Bloomington Jefferson. With this win, Hastings sits at .500 and holds second place in the Northstar – East Maroon conference.
While a 30-15 score might not initially suggest a dominant win, Hastings showcased their strength throughout the game, eliminating any fears of losing after each team’s opening drive.
Star of the Night: Zach “Shady” Shatek
Zach “Shady” Shatek stole the spotlight with a fantastic opening kickoff return that placed the Raiders at their own 35-yard line. The first five plays of the drive all featured Shatek, culminating in a spectacular 53-yard run down the visiting sideline for a touchdown, just 2:15 into the game. The success of this drive was largely due to the stellar blocking from the receiving corps and tight ends, who opened lanes for the speedy Shatek.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Jaguars started at their own 21. Shortly after, Hastings’ Brayden Thomsen broke into the backfield, forcing a fumble that was quickly recovered by Fletcher Peterson, giving the Raiders a short field at the Jefferson 41. Unfortunately, Hastings was unable to capitalize and turned the ball over on downs.
After forcing a punt, Hastings regained possession at their own 26. Nine plays later, Lukas Foss pitched to Lane Hoffman, who dashed 36 yards for the touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 following a PAT from Johan Rova-Hegener.
Hastings’ defense was equally impressive. On Jefferson’s third possession, Barret Boardman forced another fumble with a great open-field tackle, which was recovered by Carter Herman-O’Brien.
The Raiders wasted no time capitalizing on this turnover. Foss launched his first pass of the game, a 38-yard touchdown to Johnny Vickney, who fought off two defenders to reach the endzone. Rova-Hegener's PAT sent the score to 21-0, leaving the stunned Bloomington Jefferson sideline to reckon with their fate just 12 minutes into the game.
A Quiet Second Quarter
The second quarter was far less exciting, marked by turnovers on downs and punts. However, with 35 seconds left in the half, Jefferson mounted a successful drive, threatening from the six-yard line. Hastings’ Hoffman again made a critical play, hitting the Jefferson quarterback and forcing the third fumble of the half, which was recovered by Gabriel Dorham.
With 24 seconds remaining and the ball at their own three, Hastings opted to take their 21-0 lead into halftime.
Halftime Festivities
The halftime entertainment featured the introduction of the homecoming court, a performance by the Raider Marching Band, and a display by the Raider Dance Team Pom Squad.
A Renewed Jefferson
Emerging from halftime, Jefferson appeared revitalized. They quickly scored their first points with a 46-yard pass, narrowing the gap to 21-7. Hastings responded by driving 49 yards to the Jefferson 14, where they stalled but managed to get Rova-Hegener a chance at his first varsity field goal, bringing the score to 24-7.
Jefferson attempted to keep the momentum going but turned the ball over on downs at the Hastings 41. The Raiders then marched 59 yards downfield, culminating in another touchdown—a 16-yard run by Hoffman. Despite a missed extra point, Hastings extended their lead to 30-7.
Jefferson scored again on their next drive, converting a two-point attempt to make it 30-15. Hastings responded with another solid drive but failed to convert on a field goal attempt that hit the upright. Both teams had one more possession before the game concluded with Hastings securing a 30-15 victory.
Key Statistics and Player Performances
Offensively, Hastings had a phenomenal night, running 61 plays for 403 yards. Shatek led the charge with 205 yards on 32 carries, plus three catches for 15 yards and one rushing touchdown. Lane Hoffman added 80 yards on 11 carries, scoring twice. Grant Birken contributed with 60 yards on seven carries.
Foss attempted just seven passes, connecting on five for 61 yards, including the touchdown to Vickney. Matt Foss had one reception for eight yards.
Defensively, Hastings excelled in creating turnovers, logging three fumble recoveries and forcing multiple punts. Jefferson racked up 349 yards of offense, but 162 of those came on their two scoring drives. The Raiders limited the remaining drives to an average of just 23.4 yards each.
“It started with a turnover,” said head coach Dana Strain. “It's one of the things that we've been harping on, trying to create more turnovers. Then we got one early, and we've talked to our kids about how they've seen it from themselves coming out of halftime of some of the games, all you have to do is make one play and it gets you rejuvenated. So, we talked about that. The kids came out and made that play early with Braden Thompson; he made the big tackle for a fumble early, and then it just snowballed. After that, the turnover machine opened up for us, and that was huge. We ran the ball incredibly well, a testament to our offensive line up front and our backs for pounding it in there. Defensively, we hung in there, and, as you know, had a couple of scary moments there at the end, but that will be great for us to learn from with the W, so a lot went well defensively.”
On the defensive side, Alton Majetich had a key string of tackles for loss, while Hunter Hoff, Barret Boardman, and others consistently pressured the Jefferson backfield, causing chaos throughout the game.
Offensively, any time a running back breaks the 200-yard mark, things should be going well for the whole offense. Hastings gained 345 yards on the ground between three players, with Shatek's total estimated at close to 250.
“I hope I was [over 250],” he said. “I had written down a goal before the game on my piece of paper. My goals are just to get 150 and a touchdown. I don’t know if I did, but I tried.”
The conversation continued with, if he didn’t break 150, it would be a complete shock, as he likely exceeded that mark in the first half alone.
What did he see on his long touchdown run?
“It was just straight-up instincts. I just said, if we run power kick, I'm just going to take it to the outside. I know no one can catch up to me with my speed and stuff. I just know I'm going to beat anyone to the outside,” added Shatek. “My offensive line did amazing blocking for me. I’m proud of them. They did it all: practice, planning, game plan—amazing works of perfection.”
Watching back the game film, it will be a safe bet to add that the Raiders’ receivers did just as well at blocking for the running backs all night.
Looking Ahead
Up next for Hastings is a trip up to the campus of the University of St. Thomas to take on Cretin-Derham Hall on Sept. 27, then the Raiders return home on Oct. 4 to host Robbinsdale Armstrong. Both of those games are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. kickoffs.
The Raiders will then host St. Thomas Academy on Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. This game needs a bigger crowd than homecoming to hopefully cheer the Raiders into first place in the conference.
The regular season closes with a trip to Robbinsdale Cooper for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.