Aug. 20—OAKES — There's a sophomore on Oakes' roster that head coach Greg Dobitz is pretty excited about.
"(Andrew Rosendahl) is the kid we're hoping will take major strides for us," Dobitz said.
Rosendahl is poised to enter his second year as a starter for the Tornadoes. He lines up as a running back, a kick returner and a linebacker on defense.
"I got started with football by playing on the elementary playground at recess," Rosendahl said. "I officially started in fifth grade. Oakes usually starts in fourth grade, but our season was canceled due to COVID."
Since the days of elementary football, Rosendahl has risen through the ranks and is becoming a strong player for Dobitz and company.
"He started a couple games for us last year at running back after some injuries, so we are looking for a big season for him," Dobitz said. "He's got something at the position that some of our other guys don't have size and speed-wise. He got the experience last year."
Rosendahl's first starting game was against Mayville-Portland-Clifford-Galesburg — a game the Tornadoes won 21-18.
"I was excited but nervous," Rosendahl said. "We had lost two senior running backs, one to injuries. I felt prepared to step up into a role if I needed to because of all the practicing and preparation the coaches provided."
Rosendahl played the rest of the season.
"I learned to always be prepared, work hard, and know what you're doing because you never know when you're going to be given an opportunity," he said.
As a team, Oakes ended the 2025 season at 3-5.
Rosendahl is entering his sophomore season well-conditioned as a multi-sport athlete who also plays basketball and runs track. He said he also challenges himself with strength training and plyometrics year-round.
"I hope to improve from last year," Rosendahl said. "... we have a big returning senior class that is experienced (and) we have an experienced quarterback returning. Our offensive line is strong. (We are improving) our football IQ. This is something our coaches have said to us, and we've been improving."
The Tornadoes will be welcoming back quarterback Beau Thorpe, who has played starting signal caller since midway through his freshman year. Thorpe will be a senior this season. In total, Dobitz is hoping for 35 to 38 kids.
"It's not bad," Dobitz said of the size of his roster. "I think every coach wishes that they could have more kids, but it is a doable, workable number. We'll have a large senior class that will take up the majority of our starting positions."
Oakes will open its season on Aug. 21 against Class A State Champion Langdon.
"Top to bottom, it's going to be solid every week," Dobitz said. "Our goal is to make the postseason every year. That's the first goal. We had a run there for eight seasons where we were able to do that, but last year we weren't able to do that, so we've got to start that process again this year."
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