As fall sports began at Mounds View, the football and soccer teams were unable to play at Mustang Stadium. Over the last eight years, the plastic pellets covering the field deteriorated. “The rubber infill was melting and sticking to our cleats,” said senior football player Ethan Bateman. “After just 10 minutes of use on the field in the summer, you could feel yourself sticking to the field because of it.”

For the first month of the fall sports season, athletes were unable to play at their home stadium, so games and practices were moved to different locations, such as Bethel University, University of Northwestern, Spring Lake Park, St. Louis Park and the National Sports Center. 

While the teams were unable to play home games at Mustang Stadium, Senior Stable ensured school spirit remained high. “This year, we have had extremely high attendance for students at games. It was inconvenient having to drive to Spring Lake Park, but students still pulled through and showed up,” said senior Annika Schramm. 

Many players noticed high energy from fans as well. “Seeing the student section at every varsity game leads me to believe that people are as passionate about school spirit as they ever have been,” said Bateman. “When we went to WBL, the student section was great,” added senior football player Sean Peterson.

Although some were disappointed to learn the season would have to start without the stadium, it was fixed in time for Mounds View’s homecoming football game, which was positive news for both the players and fans. “I was stoked when I heard we could use the stadium field again,” said Bateman. “I do personally prefer the MV home stadium as it is way less of a hassle to get to and just feels more familiar in general.”

Senior football player Gabriel Lundgren explained how being back in their home stadium has been a positive experience. “Practicing on the new field has made a huge difference in the attitudes of the guys and coaches,” he said. 

While the fall season started with an unexpected setback, the strong turnout of students at games has shown Mounds View school spirit remains high. Lundgren even believes the experience brought the team closer together. “It brought us together as a team because we realized that we were still a team no matter where we played our […] games,” he said.