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Orion is the name of a constellation. The Lanesboro football team hopes it has a star in the making by the same name.

After spending his junior season as primarily a backup running back, Orion Sass had a big game during Lanesboro’s season opener last week. Sass rushed for 193 yards, including touchdown runs of 44 and 11 yards, as the Burros posted a 30-20 victory over Grand Meadow.

“I can’t take a ton of credit because the line is so good,” Sass said.

The Burros have a big and experienced line back from last year's stellar team. And it looks like they have another standout back on board as well.

“He’s finally just getting a chance to play a lot,” Lanesboro coach James Semmen said of Sass. “We always knew he had a lot of potential because he’s one of our faster kids on the team.”

When Sass’ father was in high school at Lewiston-Altura, he had a wrestling teammate named Orion. The teammate made such an impact on his life that the elder Sass decided to name his son Orion.

Orion Sass had a big impact on Lanesboro’s co-opted wrestling team a year ago as he was named All-Three Rivers Conference. He hopes to have the same impact in football this season.

“It’s very exciting,” Sass said. “I’d get thrown in a couple of times last year and it was a good feeling. Now this year I feel like I have a lot to prove since the last guy was pretty good.”

J.T. Rein was Lanesboro’s standout running back a year ago when the Burros went 10-1, losing to eventual state champion LeRoy-Ostrander in the Section 1 Nine-Man title game. Sass excelled when he played, rushing for 511 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a lusty 12.2 yards per carry.

Semmen is expecting a big season from Sass in 2022.

“His vision has gotten better, his balance has gotten better,” Semmen said. “He’s able to see the field a lot better than before.”

The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Sass is a compact and powerful runner. He is constantly on the go. He lives on a farm so is used to working at home. He also had a full-time job as a carpenter this summer.

“I wanted to do carpentry because it’s something good to have in your toolbox,” Sass said.

He also has a few “tools” in his toolbox when it comes to running the football. Sass has shown the ability to shed tacklers and he uses a quick burst to get through an open hole.

“I’m quick but I’m not super fast,” Sass said. “Something clicks, a switch turns on when I’m on the field. It seems like natural instincts click in.”

Sass found enough time this summer to attend a pair of football camps. The bulk of the Lanesboro team attended a South Dakota State University camp. Sass and a friend also went to a camp at Northern Iowa University.

The Burros have high expectations this season after falling in the section title game last season. The goal in 2022 is a state tournament berth.

“It’s a pretty high goal for us,” Sass said. “We want to do it pretty badly.”

Sass had been dealing with a bad hip and had an injection this summer. Semmen likes to keep his players fresh, so if possible he will only play them on one side of the ball. If Sass does play defense on occasion, he has the ability to fill a wide variety of roles. He has the speed to play cornerback and is physical and strong enough to play defensive tackle.

The 17-year-old Sass says his training as a wrestler has helped him on the football field.

“I think a lot of the balance comes from wrestling. … Both sports kind of help each other,” he said.

Sass would be open to playing football or wrestling in college if he gets the opportunity. He enjoys both sports, but his first choice in college would be to play football.

“I like them both in different ways,” he said. “Wrestling is more of a family sport in a sense, because it’s such a long period of time and you spend so much time with everybody. But with football, I would say I like the game more.”