Happy Hour with John Gaskins

There's nothing quite like reuniting with your old flame.
 
Will the fire blaze even brighter than before for Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings? The 38-year-old began his second marriage with the team on Wednesday, a day after they traded a third-round draft pick to Las Vegas for him.
 
The Happy Hour host thinks Cousins 2.0 will yield results as good as, if not better than, the six seasons "Captain Kirk" spent in Minnesota, which produced only two playoff berths and one playoff win. 
 
Why should it be better — maybe even Super Bowl material? The host makes his case as he tries to talk down from the ledge die-hard Vikings fans and Cousins non-believers like the Happy Hour video producer/
 
Then, a pair of Happy Hour guests have stories to tell about coaching against people they spent many successful and memorable years coaching with. 
 
 
Augustana coach Jerry Olszewski
Long before becoming the head coach at Augstana in 2013, Olszewski spent seven season in two different stints at Minnesota State-Mankato from 1993-2001 as an assistant. He wanted to be the next head coach after the second go-round. It didn't happen, and Olszewski decided to leave the profession and become the CEO of the downtown Mankato YMCA.
 
For the last 13 years, he has coached against the Mavericks. The man who got the job "Coach O.J." applied is still the head coach, Todd Hoffner. The Vikings are usually the underdog because almost every team MSU plays is the underdog.
 
Saturday, the Mavs came in 9-0 and ranked No. 3 and led Augie 30-17 midway through the fourth quarter. But "OJ" had quarterback Gunnar Hensley and a team that refused to quit. The Vikings stormed back and won 31-30, their fourth win in their last six trips to Mankato.
 
Olszewski explains how his team pulled it off, part of a five-game winning streak that has vaulted them to 8-2. The streak started with a lights-out, second half shutout of rival USF in the Key to the City game. Then came blowout wins by a combined 100-0 over Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State, making it 10 consecutive quarters without a point allowed.
 
Not bad for a defense that started the season as the NSIC's worst while the league's No. 1 offense carried the load. The Vikings are averaging 42 points per game with Gunnar Hensley living up to his first name, especially last Saturday during the legendary comeback charge.
 
Now the Vikings host Wayne State (8-2) on Saturday, possibly in a "knockout" game for a playoff spot. It's the perfect time to catch up with O.J. on Happy Hour to find out how Augie has turned the corner.
 
Jefferson HS coach Eric Struck
In his final season before taking over the Cavaliers, Struck called the offense for Sioux Falls Lincoln under head coach Jared Fredenburg and then-sophomore quarterback Brody Schafer.
 
All that produced was a state championship — the first for Fredenburg and the first at LHS in a decade.
 
Schafer has become the most productive quarterback in Class 11AAA history, surpassing brother Tate, whom Struck also coached for the two years before the title season with Brody.
 
But on Saturday, Struck will make calls for Jefferson's state-best offense (nearly 50 points per game) against the Patriots defense, which is called by his former boss Fredenburg. Struck may also have some pointers for his own defensive coordinator Ed Whiting in attempting to limit the slippery, lightning quick, laser-throwing Schafer.
 
Yeah, talk about a reunion. 
 
Struck describes what the week has been like preparing for that scenario and how the Cavs come bursting into the DakotaDome as the only team in their class to win every game this season, including a 42-14 whopper over Lincoln nine weeks ago.

There's nothing quite like reuniting with your old flame.
 
Will the fire blaze even brighter than before for Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings? The 38-year-old began his second marriage with the team on Wednesday, a day after they traded a third-round draft pick to Las Vegas for him.
 
The Happy Hour host thinks Cousins 2.0 will yield results as good as, if not better than, the six seasons "Captain Kirk" spent in Minnesota, which produced only two playoff berths and one playoff win. 
 
Why should it be better — maybe even Super Bowl material? The host makes his case as he tries to talk down from the ledge die-hard Vikings fans and Cousins non-believers like the Happy Hour video producer/
 
Then, a pair of Happy Hour guests have stories to tell about coaching against people they spent many successful and memorable years coaching with.

Jefferson coach Eric Struck on his No. 1 Cavs' turbo jet offense, facing former boss and former QB Brody Schafer in state championship

OJ! Augie coach Jerry Olszewski on massive win in Mankato, crucial clash with Wayne State, The Great Gunnar Hensley, winning with local players

Cousins coming back to Minnesota! What will this trade do for Vikings?