Today is Friday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2024. There are 123 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina hit, floods covered 80 percent of New Orleans, looting continued to spread and rescuers in helicopters and boats picked up hundreds of stranded people.

Also on this date:

In 1916, on his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackelton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for four and a half months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance.

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Today in History: August 29, John McCain picks Sarah Palin for running mate

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In 1941, during World War II, German forces approaching Leningrad cut off the remaining rail line out of the city.

In 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.

In 1963, the “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2021, the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war with the Taliban back in power, as Air Force transport planes carried a remaining contingent of troops from Kabul airport. After watching the last U.S. planes disappear into the sky over Afghanistan, Taliban fighters fired their guns into the air, celebrating victory after a 20-year insurgency.

In 2022, Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the last leader of the Soviet Union, and waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, died at age 91.

Today’s Birthdays:

Investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet is 94.
Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 85.
Actor John Kani is 82.
Cartoonist Robert Crumb is 81.
Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy (zhahn-KLOHD’ kee-LEE’) is 81.
Comedian Lewis Black is 76.
Basketball Hall of Famer Robert Parish is 71.
U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is 64.
Actor Michael Chiklis is 61.
Actor Cameron Diaz is 52.
TV personality/journalist Lisa Ling is 51.
Former MLB pitcher Adam Wainwright is 43.
Former professional tennis player Andy Roddick is 42.
Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha is 35.

After severe thunderstorm pushed back Thursday’s season opener, the weather mostly cleared up for kickoff, but Gophers still sloshed and stumbled their way against North Carolina at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Minnesota almost got it figured out for another late win to start a season, but couldn’t tamp down its error-filled debut as Dragan Kesich pushed a 47-yard field goal just wide and the Tar Heels escaped with a 19-17 win.

Operators at Huntington Bank Stadium contributed their own mishap, by firing off a series of fireworks as if Kesich had made it. But North Carolina was celebrating on the field.

What a dud — all the way around.

Kesich made the game-winning field goal to win the 2023 season opener, 13-10 over Nebraska, but he couldn’t uncork another one. He made a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter, but also missed a 27-yard field goal the second quarter.

After a sloppy start in the opening 19 minutes, Minnesota found footing when senior cornerback Justin Walley picked off quarterback Max Johnson and returned it 70 yards to the Tar Heels’ 6-yard line.

Minnesota’s transfer running back Marcus Major scored a touchdown two plays later. The U looked like a different team for the final eight minutes of the half and took a 14-7 lead.

North Carolina scored 12 points in the second half, all from all-ACC kicker Noah Burnette.

Minnesota’s first half spell of quality passed as the offense managed minus-one yard on their first two drives of the second half and new transfer quarterback Max Brosmer fumbled on the third drive.

The Tar Heels weren’t much better, but were able to tack on three field goals to take a 16-14 lead with nine minutes left in the game.

Gophers receiver LeMeke Brockington made a 22-yard reception and fumbled it. But Major picked it up and added 16 more yards. Dragan Kesich made a 30-yard field goal to retake the lead with 3:40 remaining.

In the first game of the home-and-home series, North Carolina beat Minnesota 31-13 in Chapel Hill last September.

North Carolina put together a 17-play drive, but weren’t able to get into the end zone, settling for a 29-yard field goal. After the Gophers’ offense went three-and-out, Minnesota’s defense had another self-inflicted issue keep the Tar Heels’ drive alive.

On third and long, cornerback Justin Walley blitzed and got a hard hit on Max Johnson, but fellow cornerback Za’Quan Bryan’s holding penalty allowed Noah Burnette to smack a 52-yard field goal to cut the U lead to 14-13.

The Gophers appeared in need of a jackhammer to knock off the rust in the opening quarter. New transfer quarterback Max Brosmer overthrew tight end Jameson Geers on third down on his opening drive and the U would punt on three of its opening four drives.

The one drive the U was able to get something going early, top receiver Daniel Jackson came out of the game on third and goal from the 9 and a handoff to Marcus Major when nowhere.

Dragan Kesich then put a 27-yard field goal off the right post.

The Gophers defense hampered itself with two penalties on the Tar Heels second-quarter scoring drive, with an Aidan Gousby holding call negating a Jai’Onte’ sack fumble and Cody Lindenberg’s recovery. It would have helped change the game before Walley’s pick.

Then seven plays later, Gophers defensive tackle Deven Eastern’s personal foul gave North Carolina a first down inside the U red zone.

But on third and goal from the 3, three Gophers defenders — Gousby, Jack Henderson and Maverick Baranowski — missed tackles as Max Johnson dove across the line for a touchdown.

The Gophers’ pass defense was without one of its top safeties, Darius Green, but held the Tar Heels to their firsts first half passing yards (28) since the 2019 season.

The Gophers have started seasons on Thursday nights for the last 12 years, entering the North Carolina game at 10-2, with their only loses coming to No. 2 Texas Christian in 2015 and No. 4 Ohio State in 2021.

Wayzata 17, Lakeville South 14: Fresh off a two-win season, Wayzata delivered the shocker of the night on Thursday, knocking off what many people feel is a state title favorite in Class 6A. Kyle Boutwell’s 29-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter put the Trojans up by 10.

Gaven Dean had a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Cougars.

Becker 51, Hill-Murray 0: Becker legendary coach Dwight Lundeen notched career win No. 400 in impressive fashion.

Minnetonka 34, White Bear Lake 10: The Bears took a 7-0 lead on a 7-yard run by Porter Cleary, but from there it was all Skippers.

Minnetonka quarterback Caleb Francois tallied five touchdowns — two passing and three on the ground.

DELAYS, DELAYS, DELAYS

Numerous games originally scheduled for Thursday were postponed to Friday because of weather. The majority of those games will be played early in the day as teams want to allow for Labor Day trips and activities.

Here are a few local games moved to Friday, with start times in parenthesis:

Centennial at Coon Rapids (10 a.m.), Bloomington Kennedy at St. Paul Central (10:30 a.m.), Simley at Winona (12 p.m.), Moorhead at Spring Lake Park (3 p.m.), St. Thomas Academy at Andover (4 p.m.), Roseville at Woodbury (6 p.m.)

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A game in late-August is just the start to a season that Stillwater and Lakeville North hope goes until mid-November.

Both teams enter the season ranked in the top 10 after each lost in the state quarterfinals last season and have expectations of getting at least that far again this year.

The Panthers are off to a better start.

Sam Ripplinger scored a minute into the game, Lakeville North got two late scores and beat Stillwater 27-7 on Thursday in a semi-soggy season-opening matchup of Class 6A heavyweights that wasn’t so much about the two highly touted signal callers.

Rather it was the guys behind Stillwater’s Nick Kinsey and Lakeville North’s Riley Grossman who garnered much of the game’s yardage. Ripplinger rushed for 174 yards for the Panthers; Emilio Rosario-Matias 139 yards for the Ponies.

But the key play was a huge stop by the Lakeville North defense.

Down 14-7 early in the fourth quarter, Stillwater quickly got to midfield. After a third-down stop by Carter Crawford, Gavin Casey stopped Kinsey a yard short of the sticks with 8:26 to play.

The next time Stillwater touched the ball, it was down two scores with less than three minutes remaining.

That’s because Ripplinger capped a 10-play, 53-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.

Down by two scores, Kinsey was strip-sacked by Reece Hunt and Ethan Rozmarin recovered the ball in the end zone less than 30 seconds later to make the final score somewhat deceiving.

Stillwater turned the ball over three times. Lakeville North had zero.

For Lakeville North, its ground-and-pound running game is in good hands with Ripplinger behind an offensive line that was in control much of the night, and its defense was staunch against one of the state’s top passers.

Things could not have started out much better for the home team.

On the first play from scrimmage, Ripplinger took a handoff, burst up the middle, cut a bit to his left and was caught at the Stillwater 1-yard line. He scored from there on the next play.

Ripplinger ran for 812 yards — nearly 74 per game — and six touchdowns last season. Sawyer Wilkie and his nearly 1,500 yards graduated, meaning Ripplinger is likely “the guy” this season.

Stillwater, unofficially, had 20 yards of offense in the first half, going three-and-out on five of its six series, and losing a fumble on the fourth play of the other.

Lakeville North had a chance to add to its lead after Roman Johnson recovered a Stillwater fumble, but turned the ball over on downs at the Ponies’ 26 midway through the second quarter.

Bouncing back, Grossman — a Minnesota Duluth commit — perfectly lobbed a pass to Lane Johnson for a 24-yard touchdown late in the frame for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Rosario-Matias, who led Stillwater with 727 rushing yards last season, was responsible for 78 yards of an 80-yard scoring drive that got Stillwater within a score early in the third quarter.

His 48-yard dash to the end zone included a couple of broken tackles and a late burst of speed.

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