The Hopkins Royals football team is coming back to their home turf this Friday night, looking to gain back the momentum they lost last week at Waconia, getting handed a tough 35-15 loss.

Last Friday, the Royals defense struggled and never really clicked to begin with, as they allowed 35 points to a now 2-0 Waconia team, which makes the Royals fall to 1-1 on the season. The offense on the other end held their own against a very tough Waconia defense, as senior running back Jadon Washington punched one in from 7 yards out in the 2nd quarter.

“We had a pretty rough week last week, so we’re really just focusing on fixing all of our mistakes which we know is extremely doable, said Jack Gunderson, senior. After our week one win against Apple Valley, our team and myself got a little bit too cocky which hurt us.”

The Royals will look to move on from last week’s loss this Friday night on their home field, facing off with the Armstrong Falcons.

“Last week’s loss was a learning experience for us. Every team goes through their bumps and bruises throughout a season, but that’s the game of football and my team and I understand that,” said Rhegan Holmes, senior. “We’ve been coming into every practice with high energy which will hopefully carry on to the game tomorrow.”

The one thing the Royals do have is consistency at the quarterback position. Senior quarterback James Klecker will look to lead the offense for the third straight week.

“After last week, we really cannot take anything for granted. As long as we focus on doing our own jobs, our game will speak for itself,” said Klecker.

The royals will look to bounce back and improve to 2-1 on the season this Friday night on their home field.