Entering Their Second Season in Class 6A, the Hopkins Royals Prepare for the Big Stage

On September 15th, second year Head Coach Trevor Tolly will lead the Hopkins Royals onto one of the biggest stages in Minnesota as they take on the East Ridge Raptors at the TCO Performance Center, the practice facility of the Minnesota Vikings. East Ridge running back Jaelen Harper headlined the previous matchup between the two teams with three rushing touchdowns en route to a 34-0 victory.

The Royals got their first taste of some of the best competition in the state last season when they moved up from Class 5A to Class 6A. They went winless, but gained valuable experience playing against some of the bigger and better teams in Minnesota - including the Woodbury Royals, and the state champion Lakeville South Panthers.

“I think the coaches and players know what to expect in year two,” said Max Hill, senior and one of four co-captains. “Even though we’re a smaller team than last year, we know who and what we’re going up against and how they play.”

Hopkins is one of the biggest outliers in Class 6A because of the number of students who attend the school. Compared to other 6A schools including Wayzata and Minnetonka, who enroll around 3,500 students, Hopkins High School enrolls just over 1,500 students.

The matchups for the 2022 season will be against the same teams as last year, the only difference being last year’s home games are this year’s away games, and vice versa. An enthusiastic Royals team is looking for some revenge this time around.

To see improvement, one of the most important factors this year’s Royals have to consider is effort and attitude in practice.

“I think we will be more successful this year because there is much better chemistry among our team,” said Jai Kalvik, senior and co-captain. “We aren’t at each other's throats during practice and we’ve had much better energy.”

Experienced players have had to step into new leadership roles after playmakers including Lee Hutton, Aaron Aune, and Bryce Buckingham graduated. Along with Kalvik and Hill, seniors and co-captains Charlie Shaw and Rhys Vagle are looking to make a statement in their final year of high school football.

With only nine seniors on the team, the Royals are entering this season as one of the younger teams in the state. The influence the seniors have on some of the inexperienced players on the team will be crucial for the team’s future success.

"One piece of advice I give to younger players is to enjoy their time on the team,” Kalvik said. “It goes really fast, and I can remember my freshman season like it was yesterday.”

One upside of having a limited number of seniors on the team is that the underclassmen can study individual senior’s habits on and off the field in a more detailed manner. Sophomores meticulously watch their senior teammates at work and strive to model their game after those they look up to.

“I think having seniors on the team is important because they provide a lot of different perspectives,” said Tanner Odd, sophomore. “As a wide receiver, I can see Rhys run a route a certain way, and then Charlie run the same route a different way.”

The 37 sophomores and juniors on the Royals are aware of the potential they have. The newer players understand that if they can improve this season, the team can pose a major threat to other football powerhouses in the coming years.

“In the future, when my grade reaches junior and senior year, the younger guys on the team right now will have a lot of experience,” Odd said. “I think this will make us really dangerous in a few years.”