Thunder Football Kicks Off Third Season

Aug 7

Tom Urbanski

Using the team slogan “The New Challengers,” the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Thunder Football Team opens the 2009 season with new enthusiasm and a new class of recruits. Third-year head coach Tony DeLeon expects a roster of more than 50 players to vie for playing time throughout the season.

The Thunder football athletes were busy reporting in during the day on Friday, August 7. The squad’s first team-building activity will be a community appearance at the Kristin Burkholder 5K running race in Esko at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 8, where every player participates in the 3.1 mile run and walk event. Players will be part of the Esko Fun Day Parade after the race and conclude the morning with a pizza feast at Eskomo Pizza Pies.

The team will get down to football business with a team meeting on Saturday evening and will hit the practice field at Hilltop Park for the first time this season at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 9. Regular practices will begin at 6:00 a.m. on Monday at Hilltop as the team prepares with two-a-day sessions during fall camp.

The Thunder’s first game is a night game on the road against Central Lakes College at the Minnesota College Athletic Conference Kick-off Classic in St. Cloud on Friday, August 28. The Thunder home opener is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12 at Bromberg Field in Cloquet against Minnesota West Community and Technical College. Other Thunder home games at Bromberg Field include Saturday, September 26 against Itasca Community College and Saturday, October 10 against Ridgewater College. A Friday night game will be held at Public School Stadium on October 23 against Vermilion Community College.