Let's Play Football October 2020

Volume 2 • Number 1 • Issue 9

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Football

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October 23, 2020

LEGENDS l l a F e RETURN of th High school football is back!

Randolph junior wide receiver Nathan Weckop.

PHOTO BY CRAIG JOHNSON

TOP HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMERS IN WEEKS 1&2 page 6

INSIDE •

• • • • • • •

Why kids need football now more than ever..............................................page 4 Three coaching legends retire....................... page 5 Minnesota’s top high school recruits............. page 7 Friday Night Lights.......................................page 8 Vikings Prep Spotlight..................................page 9 LPF Scoreboard...................................... page 10-11 Thielen approaches milestone..................... page 22 The NFL: Behind the Scenes........................page 24

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October 23, 2020

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October 23, 2020

Caledonia gets one step closer to No. 70

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

PHOTOS BY CRAIG JOHNSON

Caledonia wide receiver Chris Pieper outruns Plainview-Elgin-Millville’s Peyton Schumacher on a 41-yard touchdown reception to help lead Caledonia to a 26-8 victory.

P-E-M’s Peyton Schumacher (20) and Johnny Evers (24) fight for a loose ball off the hands of Caledonia’s Jacob Staggemeyer.

Caledonia extended their national winning streak to 69 games with a 26-8 win over Plainview-Elgin-Millville Oct. 10. If they win their next game against Dover-Eyota Oct. 24, it will give them 70 wins in a row, the longest football streak in the nation.

The Warriors defense got them on the board in the first quarter when they recorded a safety for a 2-0 lead. It stayed that way until the second quarter when Eli King caped of a drive with a 3-yard TD score. After a missed extra point the score stood 8-0 at the half.

PEM’s quarterback Conner Schumacher tied the game, though, when he scampered in from a yard out and then connected with Johnny Evers for the two-point conversion.

But the Warriors answered right back when King returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. The Warriors failed to convert for two points and the lead stood 14-6.

The Warrior defense was able to keep PEM at bay the rest of the way and Caledonia scored twice more, the first on King’s third touchdown of the night when he ran in from 11 yards out. King then connected with Chris Pieper on a 41-yard score for the 28-6 win.

Conner Schumacher evades Caledonia’s Logan Base who gives chase during Caledonia’s victory.

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It was another successful night for the Warriors, although they were not able to convert on any of their extra points or two-point conversions. PEM was also able to hold the Warriors to just 91 yards on 31carries, 2.9 yards per attempt. King led the way with 64 yards on 15 carries. King was able to move the ball through the air with 17 completions for 217 yards and a touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, both to PEM’s Blake Herber. Austin Klug led the Warriors receivers with 111 yards on six catches. Jacob Staggemeyer also hauled in six passes and Andrew Kunelius had 43 yards on three catches.

Caledonia’s defense was on its game, only allowing 19 rushing yards on 26 attempts to the Bulldogs. PEM’s Schumacher completed seven of 17 passes for 102 yards. Herber led with three catches for 68 yards.

Caledonia (1-0) had to wait an extra week to try for win No. 70 as their game against Stewartville was canceled. Their next game is against Dover-Eyota (0-1) this Saturday at 1 p.m. PEM (1-1) will travel to Stewartville (1-0) Friday.

Caledonia running back Reed Gordon turns upfield. He rushed the ball six times for 17 yards in the Warriors 26-8 win Oct. 10.

Eli King scrambles during the Warriors win over Plainview-Elgin-Millville. King rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns and also threw for 217 yards and a touchdown.

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October 23, 2020

We need football now more than ever

Let’s Play Football Let’s Play Football 13 7th St S Sauk Centre, MN 56378 Phone: 320-333-3279 Email: editor@letsplayfootballmn.com Email articles and photos to Bryan Zollman editor@letsplayfootballmn.com Founded in 2019 by Mike Sonntag and Bryan Zollman Pioneer9192 Media Publishers Bryan Zollman (320-333-3279) Mike Sonntag (651-260-5032) Managing Editor Bryan Zollman Advertising Mike Sonntag Graphic Design Laura Bromenshenkel Contributors Vince Conway, Ryan Dutton, Ryan Johnson, Bobby Lawrence Matt Kane

Photography Nick Wosika, Matt Kane Let’s Play Football is a newspaper devoted to covering all levels of football in the state of Minnesota.

It is published nine times in the fall from August through November.

All submitted stories and photos must be sent to editor@letsplayfootballmn.com.

LPF reserves the right to edit submitted stories and letters to the editor for length, grammar, punctuation and clarity.

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by BRYAN ZOLLMAN Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

High School football is back!

After so many uncertainties and back and forth proposals and eventually a lawsuit, our little legends of the fall returned to the gridiron this month with much enthusiasm and anticipation.

It’s been a challenging last seven months to say the least. After thinking a two-week shutdown would slow the spread, here we are seven months later and still canceling events, distance learning, and wearing face coverings wherever we go.

At least our student-athletes are able to wear the face masks they prefer on Friday nights. But it hasn’t gone without sacrifice. Coaches have had to prepare their team without holding two-a-day practices in August and only having two short weeks to get their team ready.

Athletes were prepared to play in the spring, throwing a wrench into any athlete who plays multiple sports. A lot of football players in smaller towns opted to run for the cross-country team to stay in shape,

only to find out their football season was resumed. I think these kids have a new appreciation for cross-country runners!

Most importantly, though, is that our student-athletes are together again. While many districts have gone with a hybrid model where kids are doing most of their schooling through a computer screen, being able to go to the field at 3 p.m. and strap on the shoulder pads and knock each other around a little bit can be very soothing for the athlete’s soul.

Most of these kids have poured a lot of time and effort into their sport, and football is no different. Countless hours in the weight room, early morning runs, eating a more healthy and balanced diet, working on technique, whether it be route running or run blocking…there is a high level of commitment by the athlete that gives them a sense of purpose.

And being on a team gives them a sense of belonging, of being part of a brotherhood where every single person on the team carries equal responsibility in ensuring success.

Being part of a team is an extension of the classroom, an opportunity to learn life skills and lessons

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that are not necessarily taught on a white board.

My son was a senior last year.

His favorite sport was baseball and he was looking forward to a fun spring with nine other fellow seniors on the team. That opportunity was erased because of the virus.

But when asked about it afterwards, what he missed the most was just being with his buddies.

In this issue we feature some kids who are going to go on to big things on the football field. But the vast majority of senior football players in the state of Minnesota will play their final game this fall and never strap on a pair of shoulder pads again. They have waited for this final season their entire high school lives — the memories, the camaraderie, and the togetherness that the game of football provides is so meaningful.

Isolating kids from each other will have a far more detrimental effect on them than a virus. It’s great to see them back out on the field enjoying all the sport has to offer. I hope they are allowed to continue.

Because right now, these kids need football more than they ever have.

Gophers 2019 reflection

by MIKE SONNTAG

Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

When Bryan Zollman and myself sat down for the first time over two years ago to discuss the vision of creating the Let’s Play Football publication, we agreed the spirit of playing football needed a boost of positivity in the state of Minnesota. Our goal was to create positive, informative, and inspirational content for our subscribers, readers, and sponsors. As we begin our second, albeit abbreviated season of publishing Let’s Play Football, I’d like to reflect on the happenings of the 2019 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers’ remarkable football season.

Admittedly, I am a 48-year-old born and raised in Minnesota and Gopher Football season ticket holder for the past 20 years. Last season we witnessed the best Gopher Football season since 1904 and it is safe to say no one alive remembers that season. Along the way we saw an

8-0 start, a signature win on National Television, ESPN College Game Day come to Minnesota, and an 11-2 season completed by an awesome victory over SEC power Auburn on a New Year’s Day bowl game.

We were greatly inspired by place kicking holder Casey O’Brien’s courageous story of his now 5th time beating cancer. How wide receiver Rashad Bateman stuck with his commitment to Minnesota when his star grew to the attention of powerhouse programs like Georgia.

Homegrown Tyler Johnson from Minneapolis North became the greatest receiver in program history.

We have listened to PJ Fleck repeatedly talk about changing the culture of the program academically, spiritually, and socially (And oh by the way the guy can coach and recruit!).

There were no negative off the field scandals, instead stories of how polite the Gopher football players are and how well they carry themselves in public.

Coach Fleck has preached positivity and moving beyond the

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thoughts of “here we go again” and what we can become as a state behind our only Division 1 Football program. If the scene on the field following the Penn State win, or the showing the fans made the day ESPN came to town, or how many families and friends gathered together on New Year’s to cheer on the maroon and gold are any indication of his preaching, then I think his message is taking hold state-wide.

So as a fan of football, as a co-founder of Let’s Play Football, I say thank you to coach Fleck and the University of Minnesota Football Program for helping make 2019 our inaugural season a memorable one for the state of Minnesota. If their success on and off the field inspires young kids (with permission from their newly enthused parents) to give the great sport of football a chance, then the Golden Gophers have really helped us promote the goals of Let’s Play Football as we move forward for the future.

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Three coaching legends retire

October 23, 2020

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Freed, who spent five seasons as head coach in Houston, Minn., and led his team to a state Nine-Man championship. “I am not intimidated and I know Replacing a coaching legend at what my style and personality is as a any level of football can go both ways. head coach. Like anything, you’ve got It certainly worked for the Dallas to feel things out and find your niche Cowboys when Jimmy Johnson took with the kids and program. over for Tom Landry. The same is true “Having been in the program for when Bill Cowher replaced Chuck the past 11 seasons though has alJeff Ferguson (left) retired after winning eight state titles with Totino-Grace. AssisNoll for the Pittsburgh Steelers. lowed me to establish those relationtant coach Jay Anderson takes over the reigns.

Gerry Faust replacing Dan Devine ships with kids and coaches on the at the University of Notre Dame? Not staff. Also knowing the foundation so much. The University of Florida’s that Coach Stolski left creates a peace choice of replacing Steve Spurrier of mind as well. I always say I know with Ron Zook was equally disastrous one way on how to be a football coach for a proud Gators’ program. and that is ‘all in’ and my philosophy is Regardless of results, the process very much like Coach Stolski’s which of replacing a successful coach in high is to create a football experience that school football is a process that can be kids want to be part of.” enduring, frustrating and rewarding.

Freed went to high school in Among the names to debut as head Northwest Iowa before attending Lucoaches in Minnesota this season are ther College, where he helped coach Jason Freed at Brainerd, Mark Esch at for one year before heading to HousMinnetonka and Jay Anderson at Totton, which was a struggling program. ino-Grace.

Added administrative duties are Throw in the fact there almost heavily increased as head coach, wasn’t a season due to COVID-19 such as hiring seven new coaches in and then having to prepare for a shortGrades 9-12. Those duties tend to get ened season in the way of in two weeks game-planning, is a recipe for “I am not intimidated and I know but Freed said overwhelming what my style and personality is as it’s all part of the stress. But, it’s a head coach. Like anything, you’ve process.

Jason Freed (pictured) takes over for Mark Esch (pictured) will take over for all part of the “Like anyRon Stolski, who has coached for 58 Dave Nelson at Minnetonka. Nelson got to feel things out and find your job for both thing, you’ve got years and 45 of them at Brainerd High coached 42 years and owns two state rookie and vet- niche with the kids and program.” to get back into School. titles including 2004 for Minnetonka. eran coaches.

– Jason Freed, Brainerd head coach the role of being “I am just a head coach, excited to be the but having did ply to build relationships and create a his success. He created a team-first coach of the Brainerd Warriors,” said that for five years prior gave me the culture of accountability. These are the culture and had tremendous relationFreed, who is in his 12th year on the confidence of where I needed to start building blocks for the ultimate goal ships with and respect from his playBrainerd coaching staff. “I know the with the program and then make a deof a ‘culture of character.’ A culture ers. We used the term ‘brotherhood’ job comes with its own challenges and tailed plan from there,” Freed said. “I that takes care of itself and benefits when describing our program, and it I knew that when I took it, but I am exam excited to be able to get the new everyone on the team. The community was so much more than just a word, it cited to get to work with the staff and coaches involved and mixed in with and football family has been great and was truly a way of life. There is always build upon the tradition that is Brainthe staff members who stayed on with totally supportive. The administration change and an adjustment period. Jay erd Warrior Football. I think the transithe program. We hit the ground runhas been great to work with.”

Anderson is going to do a great job tion has been pretty seamless.” ning in March and have been sprinting taking over the program as the head ever since.”

Assistant in at Totino-Grace coach, and we have so many talented Taking the reigns Anderson was a longtime assistant coaches on our staff that I expect the Every coach has their own philosSkipper of the Skippers for Jeff Ferguson at Totino-Grace. All transition to be smooth.” ophies. Finding that balance of reAs familiar as Stolski was in the Anderson has to replace is an 18-year specting their predecessor and impleNorth Country, Dave Nelson had the era that included eight state titles. Six Season different for everyone menting new strategies are among the same swagger in the Twin Cities area. of those championships came in Class Keeping the players motivated many challenges.

Nelson coached for 42 years, win4A, one in 5A and one in 6A as Ferguand interested in a season that does Replacing Ron Stolski in Brainerd ning a state championship at Blaine in son believed in playing the best posnot have the carrot of playing at U.S. ranks among one of the more difficult 1988 and leading sible competiBank Stadium dangling at the end of tasks. Stolski was Brainerd football Minnetonka to tion. the line adds to the challenge for new since 1975 and coached for 58 years the big school “My philosophy as a coach is simply Ferguson’s and experienced coaches. In August, before retiring last fall. Stolski concrown in 2004. to build relationships and create a final record the Minnesota State High School fidently, intently and sometimes nerHe was at Minof 187-35 is League’s Board of Directors voted to vously roamed the sidelines of Central netonka for 17 culture of accountability. These are fourth all-time postpone the season until March due and Northern Minnesota with his Waryears and earned the building blocks for the ultimate among Minneto COVID-19 safety concerns. riors.

267 career victo- goal of a ‘culture of character.’ A sota coaches for That move was met by skepSeeing him lead his sea of blue, ries before hand- culture that takes care of itself and winning perticism from coaches, parents and white and silver-clad players down the ing over control benefits everyone on the team.” centage (.842). groundskeepers. Ultimately, the Board steps from the high school to the field to Esch, who He was a dereversed its decision, allowing teams was an intimidating site for visiting grew up playing – Mark Esch, Minnetonka head coach fensive-mindto play a six-game schedule with a teams. Stolski finished his career with football in tradied coach who to-be-determined playoff format and a 389-182-5 career record – which tion-rich Caledoearned accono more than 250 fans in attendance. ranks second in all-time wins behind nia. lades from his staff, including 12-year “It’s been an up and down year Verndale’s Mike Mahlen’s 401. StolUnlike Freed, Esch only had one assistant Anthony LaPanta. with COVID,” Esch said. “I’m proud ski’s Brainerd teams also won 10 secyear of experience with his new pro“Ferguson was the best defensive of how our kids have handled the tion titles and reached the Prep Bowl gram. Esch hopes to use the lack of coach I have ever known. He underrollercoaster of having a season, not in 2013, where the Warriors were beatfamiliarity to his advantage as he imstood the variety of offenses against having a season, then having a seaen by Owatonna. plements his style, strategy and perwhom we would prepare as well as son again. We have taken measures Filling Paul Bunyan’s shoes on the sonality. anybody,” said LaPanta, who coaches to implement social distancing and north side of town might be easier than “I try not to focus on following the Eagles’ defensive backs. “He unmasks and done our best to prevent the replacing such success on the gridiron. coach Nelson,” said Esch, who played derstood blocking schemes and how to spread. So far we have been success“Stepping into the role as the collegiately at Wisconsin-LaCrosse, defeat them. Whether it was an option ful. We take it one week at a time and head football coach at Brainerd High where he also coached for one year. team, the veer, Wing-T, or spread – he do our best to have fun.”

School, the first name people think “I focus on doing what I do best and understood concepts and was as good of is Ron Stolski. He established an creating the best possible culture for at prepping a game plan and making – LEGENDS – extremely strong foundation for what success. in-game adjustments as anybody. continued on page 6 Warrior football is all about,” said “My philosophy as a coach is sim“But that was really just a part of

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NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Every week players go above and beyond and perform at the highest level.

Here is a look at the top performers for the first two weeks of the season RUNNING BACK

Zac Janz, Farmington, Sr. Janz opened the season with a bang for Farmington, who is off to a 2-0 start thanks to two impressive performances from their senior running back. Janz scored five touchdowns in the season-opener 68-13 win over Eagan. Janz rushed 12 times for 119 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per carry. He followed that up with a three touchdown game in Farmington’s 48-7 win over Hopkins. The 5-9, 200 pound runner has rushed for 203 yards in the first two games.

Up Next: Farmington (2-0) vs. Burnsville (0-1).

RUNNING BACK

Austin Freerksen, Byron, Sr. Freerksen rushed for 313 yards in last week’s win over Winona. He scored three touchdowns in the shutout victory. In the opener he rushed for 198 yards and scored four touchdowns.

Up Next: Byron (2-0) @ Austin (1-1)

Wide receiver

Trey Feeney

Zach Yeager

QuarterBack

Trey Feeney, Moorhead, Sr. The 6’2” 180-pound quarterback for the Spuds has lit up opponent secondaries with 10 touchdown passes in the team’s first two games. In their season opener at Buffalo, Feeney threw for 408 yards and six touchdowns on 17-for-24 passing, leading the Spuds to a 56-6 win. Not to be outdone, he did it again Oct. 16 in a 42-0 win over Alexandria by throwing for four touchdowns on 22 completions and 226 yards. He currently leads the state in completions, passing yards and touchdowns.

The North Dakota recruit threw for 2,986 yards as a junior and 29 touchdowns. The Spuds advanced to the state tournament a year ago where they lost to Elk River 58-55. In that game Feeney threw five TD passes and threw for 446 yards.

Up Next: Moorhead (2-0) @ Sartell-St. Stephen (1-1).

QuarterBack

Zach Yeager, Minneapolis North, Sr. Yeager has put together two strong games behind center for Minneapolis North, leading them to two lopsided wins over St. Anthony (40-0) and Providence Academy (40-10). In the win over St. Anthony, Yeager threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. Last week he threw five touchdown passes against Providence Academy on 270 yards passing. The North Carolina A&T recruit possesses great size and athletic ability at 6-2, 200 pounds.

Up Next: Minneapolis North (2-0) @ Mound Westonka (1-1).

2020 Vikings-Gatorade Coach of the Week The Vikings continue in 2020 to recognize outstanding high school coaches from across the state in the Coach of the Week program.

Weekly winners will receive $1,000 for their high school football programs and will be eligible to earn the High School Coach of the Year.

Week 1...............Dave Dahlstrom.....................Foley High Week 2..................Jared Essler...... St. Michael-Albertville Week 3.......................................................................TBD Week 4.......................................................................TBD Week 5.......................................................................TBD Week 6.......................................................................TBD

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Levi Lampert, Upsala/Swanville Lampert has caught 10 passes so far on the season and nine of them have turned into touchdowns. He had five catches in the season opener and scored on all five, totaling 167 yards. Last week in a loss to Browerville/Eagle Valley, he caught five more passes and scored on four of them. On the season he has 10 catches for 273 yards.

Up Next: Upsala-Swanville (1-1) vs. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (0-2)

Wide receiver

Mekhi Collins, Mankato West, Jr. At 6’5” Collins is a big target and has hauled in four touchdowns in the team’s first two games this season. In the season opener he caught three passes for 67 yards and two scores and followed up last week with five catches for 102 yards and two more touchdowns.

Up Next: Mankato West (2-0) vs. Northfield (0-2).

Defense

Connor Bushbaum, DB, South Ridge Bushbaum has proven he can dominate on both sides of the ball. With 467 yards rushing through two games and six touchdowns, Bushbaum has been a dominant offensive force. But he also is doing it defensively with three interceptions to his credit through the first two games. He picked off one pass in the team’s 48-6 season-opening win over Ely. He then picked off two passes last week in a 44-0 win over Northeast Range.

Up Next: South Ridge (2-0) vs. Cook County (0-2).

Defense

Cody Gartner, DL, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Gartner has been a dominating force on defense for JWP, notching 19 tackles, including six tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through the team’s first two games.

Up Next: JWP (0-2) vs. Cleveland/Immanuel Lutheran (0-2)

LEGENDS

continued from page 5 LaPanta said the restrictions related to COVID-19, such as no summer workouts, no August two-a-day practices and no locker rooms have presented additional challenges for a staff that experienced some turnover.

“This season would have been a challenge anyway with the turnover on our staff,” LaPanta said. “But when you add the bizarre COVID world issues, and it has been remarkable. No June Camp, no summer workouts, and then the announcement that it’s canceled – ‘Oh wait, it’s back on.’ All of it presented challenges, and we are still dealing with them today. We are in a constant state of adaptation, and the kids have handled it very well.”

Lessons continue For Freed, it’s yet another way to teach an important off-the-field lesson.

“Taking over as a head coach during COVID has probably been one of the hardest things I have had to do

in my life, and any coach right now would probably say the same thing.

It’s been a major challenge to say the least. We were excited to hear the season was coming back, I believe football belongs in the fall. Granted this fall might end up being a little more chilly than we are used to for a full season.

“Our message has been very simple with kids – we can only control what we can control in life and right now we need to embrace every day we get to practice and play the game of football. I really feel this generation is getting a real lesson in resilience in life and they are probably disappointed in the fact that the ‘Prep Bowl’ isn’t going to happen, but after last spring I truly think they are grateful to be playing more than anything. Motivation has been a challenge, but our philosophy has been since I took the job to create and maintain relationships with our players and then the motivation piece often can take care of itself. It also takes great leadership with your team and staff to make that happen.”

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Lakeville South’s Mahlman leads list of top recruits in the state

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

Last year it was a quarterback who was the top recruit coming out of Minnesota. SMB’s Jalen Suggs is considered one of the better athletes to come out of the state in some time and has since signed on to play not football, but basketball for Gonzaga.

This year it’s Riley Mahlman that has turned the most heads. The Lakeville South senior is considered the top recruit in the Class of 2021.

At 6’7” and 270 pounds, the offensive tackle has committed to the University of Wisconsin where the Badgers are known for their insanely sized and skilled offensive lines.

According to 247sports.com, Mahlman is rated in the top 150 prospects nationally and in the top 20 at his position. He is one of the rare breeds of size and athleticism that project for him to not only be a sensational college player, but perhaps a kid who can one day play for a long time in the NFL. A trio of defensive ends are also near the top of the list for 2021 recruits coming out of Minnesota.

Davon Townley of Minneapolis North, Deven Eastern of Shakopee, and Justice Sullivan of Eden Prairie are all high recruits coming out of the state. Townley is undecided but is said to have had up to 15 offers, including tenders from Oregon, Penn State, Arizona State, Missouri and Minnesota to name a few. At 6’6” and 220, his position is a strong side defensive end. He is also an

Riley Mahlman

outstanding basketball player and is described as a very fluid athlete.

Townley is another combination of size and athleticism.

Sullivan is 6’1” and 220 pounds and is ranked No. 21 in the nation at his position of weak side defensive end. He has committed to Iowa where he projects to be a strong player with the chance of playing in the NFL. Eastern is headed to the Gophers and at 6’5” and 270 pounds, is a physical force coming off the end.

He turned down offers from Nebraska and Missouri to stay close to home as a Gopher.

Rosemount’s Jake Ratzlaff is considered the state’s top linebacker in the Class of 2021. Ratzlaff was projected to play hockey at the college level as one of the state’s

Minnesota’s Top Prospects Source: 247sports.com Player Riley Mahlman Davon Townley Jake Ratzlaff Devan Eastern Justice Sullivan Joe Alt Bastian Swinney Logan Purcell Tyler Magnuson Bryce Lance

POS OT DE LB DE DE OT OT OT OT WR

HT 6-7 6-6 6-3 6-6 6-1 6-7 6-6 6-7 6-5 6-2

WGT High School College Commit 270 Lakeville South Wisconsin 220 Minneapolis North Undecided 220 Rosemount Undecided 280 Shakopee Minnesota 220 Eden Prairie Iowa 257 Totino Grace Notre Dame 275 Edina California 245 Annadale Minnesota 260 Wayzata Syracuse 160 Marshall Undecided

Other Players To Watch:

Dominic McMillan, LB, MPLS North Michael Olowo, CB, Rogers Cade Ahrenholz, LB, Lakeville South Aidan Kingsbury, OT, Concordia Academy (Princeton) Gaven Ziebarth, RB, Cambridge-Isanti (NorthDakota) Trey Longstreet, TE, Delano Kristoff Kowalkowski, QB, Totino Grace (St. Thomas) Trey Feeney, QB, Moorhead (North Dakota) Elijah Green, WR, Farmington Alec Rasmussen, OT, Wayzata Terrance Kamara, RB, MPLS North Cheick Kaba, OT, Fridley (Air Force) Sam Floysand OG, Cretin-Derham Hall (Air Force) Kenyatta Brannon, OG, Chanhassen Zach Yeager, QB, Minneapolis North (North Carolina A&T) Jaden Norby, TE, West Central Area (North Dakota) Eli Mau, LB, Chanhassen RJ Chakolis, LB, Hopkins Shawn Shipman, RB, Champlin Park

Davon Townley

Jake Ratzlaff

Devan Eastern

Justice Sullivan

top players, but he is said to have a strong love for the gridiron and is still undecided on offers from Minnesota and Wisconsin among others.

Both schools would love to have him either in a hockey sweater or a football jersey. Either way, he is a gifted athlete and will be wearing shoulder pads at the college level. We just don’t know which ones.

Next on the list are four offensive tackles who average a size of 6’6” and 260 pounds.

Joe Alt (Totino Grace), Bastian Swinney (Edina), Logan Purcell (Annandale) and Tyler Magnuson (Wayzata) have all committed to Division 1 schools. Alt is heading to Notre Dame. His father, John, was a two-time brow bowler for the Kansas City Chiefs and at 6’7” and 245 pounds, the younger Alt has the size and ability to follow in dad’s footsteps.

Swinney is 6’6” and 275 pounds and described as a premiere run blocker who could play multiple years as a starter in college and proj-

ects to play beyond college. He is headed to California.

Purcell is committed to the Gophers, giving them two of the top 10 recruits in the state with the possibility to also get Ratzlaff and Townley.

The 6’7” 245 pound lineman is said to be a good athlete with lots of upside and the ability to add muscle and size to his frame.

Tyler Magnuson was a force on Wayzata’s championship squad last season and the 6’5” 260-pounder has chosen Syracuse where he hopes to step in and play early.

Bryce Lance, a wide receiver from Marshall rounds out the top 10 recruits, according to 247sports. com. At 6’2” and 160 pounds, Lance recently became the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards. He already has four TDs in his team’s first two games. His older brother, Trey, plays for North Dakota State University and was MVP of the school’s title game earlier this year. He is projected to go in the NFL draft in 2021.

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Friday Night Lights

by RYAN JOHNSON

Let’s Play Football Columnist

The Art of Normalizing Earlier this summer I enrolled in an online leadership program led by Jeremy Boone, performance coach, speaker, best-selling author, researcher, and consultant. Jeremy is the founder of LeaderKit, the online leadership group that I have been learning a great deal from and applying to not only my professional, but personal life as well. One module in particular really hit home to me on both fronts and has been a guiding principle of how I am moving forward in the midst of a major shift in our lives.

The Next Normal As we began the module, one of the first things that was discussed was how

do we proceed to lead others in the midst of a pandemic? Right now in education there is a philosophy floating around comparing teaching in a pandemic to airplane pilots building the plane on the runway. It has a lot of merit. Teachers and coaches are literally building online learning platforms and recording lessons days before students will log in and begin their learning for the year.

What used to be the norm is no longer, and there has been a major shift to what we had all become accustomed to. This applies to several facets of life, but certainly to education and coaching as well.

Jeremy illustrated to the group that what we need to do is incrementally achieve successful steps that will lead us to the “Next Normal.” We use the term next normal versus new normal because life is changing so frequently. Studies and

policies change all the time, in some cases daily. If we set our minds to a certain level as the “New Normal,” that creates a fixed state that could change. By thinking of what is the next normal, we can then “Normalize” our present situation for that particular time.

Examples I was lucky enough to train athletes over the summer. I focused on our mission for the summer – which was to successfully show our administration that we could train and interact and have fall sports. We pulled it off. Half our sports were successful and the other half got pushed to an October start. This wasn’t because the kids did anything wrong, it was because the state high school league ruled it to be that way. Even though we didn’t get all of our sports right away, we established the protocols that would

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give us the best possible opportunity to play. In this example it is imperative to communicate that our next normal is to do what is said and, even then, understand that sometimes that isn’t going to be enough to get what we want. We have to be okay with the fact that society is in a very fluid state, shifting and adjusting. A closer look at this is that we have cleaning supplies at every workout station in our facility. In all reality these are probably never going to go away. This is an example of the next normal for us in the high school setting.

Expectations Rather than set very high expectations, set minimum expectations. By doing this our evolving state resembles an ascending staircase. Each step higher is establishing a next normal and allows us to normalize our present situation.

By systematically climbing the stairs we avoid massive drop-offs or huge declines in progress. Step by step, brick by brick. I am contemplating how our return to school in mid-September has gone. I think prior to enrolling in Boone’s class I would have said my goal was to teach kids all year in person. Now, I have shifted. I want to be teaching kids in person in October, and if we get to October my goal will be to be teaching them in person in November…

Stacking Wins The concept of stacking wins greatly adheres to and assists us as we work to normalize each day and situation as we return to our next normal. Stacking wins is all of the little victories and a way to manufacture momentum as we climb the staircase. Stacking wins is radical acceptance of our current situation fully. This is not the easiest thing for me to do as I contemplate another possible situation of distance learning as a high school strength and conditioning teacher. But, it is what it is. I am starting the year out teaching kids in a “Hybrid Model.” I have half of my class two days a week and the other half on two different days. Everyone is distance learning on Fridays. The fact that I get to work with kids in my facility as a part of their school day is a huge win for me.

If we move forward and can allow more students in I will continue to stack these wins. However, if we reach a point in the coming months that we are not able to continue and go back to full distance learning, I will respect that as our Next Normal and begin climbing the staircase again.

Let’s Play Football Recently the MSHSL reversed their decision on fall sports and football is back. I will consider this another huge win, hopefully until the six game regular season plays out. But, I have accepted the fact that this has come with a few caveats. Fans, playoffs, and several other factors are still uncertain – but football is back. These kids get to play, and compared to last year’s spring athletes, this is a huge win and another ascending step on the staircase. As parents, fans, and mentors we should celebrate their participation. I will be doing my part as a coach and a parent to ensure

– FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – continued on page 11

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Let’s Play Football

October 23, 2020

9

Vikings Prep Spotlight WOODBURY 45, STILLWATER 0

Mac Lockner (11) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown in Woodbury’s 45-0 win over Stillwater.

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE WISCH

Woodbury junior receiver Joe Mahoney tries to break through a tackle from a Stillwater player.

Stillwater’s Gavin Zurn gives chase to Woodbury senior QB Donald West. West had five completions for 69 yards and a touchdown in their 45-0 win.

The Woodbury Royals continue their impressive start to the 2020 season with a convincing win over neighboring Stillwater. The Royals scored early and often, opening up a 31-0 lead by halftime.

Senior quarterback Donald West, at 6’4” and 217 pounds, got the Royals on board in the first quarter on a 2-yard TD run. RJ Altman followed with a 9-yard TD run for a 14-0 first-quarter lead. After a 31-yard field goal, Devin Paddleford gave the Royals a 17-0 lead, Joey Gerlach picked off a Stillwater pass and returned it 85 yards for the score. But the Royals weren’t done as they closed out the half when West hit receiver Mac Lockner for a 26-yard score and a 31-0 lead.

The Royals tacked on two more scores in the second half when Scott Hanson ran in from six yards out and Bon Chinanga plowed in from the 1-yard line for the 45-0 lead.

Paddleford was perfect on the night by making six extra points to go

along with his 31-yard field goal. The Royals gained 209 yards on the ground on 48 rushes. Altman led the way with 94 yards on 16 carries. West ran 16 times for 88 yards and Chinanga had 27 yards on nine carries. West and Hanson split time at quarterback and each completed five passes. West totaled 69 yards in the air and Hanson threw for 49, giving the Royals 327 yards in total offense. Lockner led Royals receivers with three catches for 52 yards. Blake Rohrer hauled in a pair of catches for 38 yards.

Casey Venske completed seven passes for the Ponies for 83 yards.

He was asked twice. Nick Schlender caught three passes for 30 yards and Connor McCormick caught two passes for 23 yards. Max Shikenjanski had a 24-yard reception as well. Eddie O’Keefe led Stillwater rushers with 28 yards on 10 carries. The Ponies had just 19 net yards rushing on 31 carries.

Jack Bungarden and Marty Seem led Woodbury with nine total tackles each.

Woodbury improved to 2-0 and will visit Cretin-Derham Hall (0-2) Friday. Stillwater (1-1) will host Mounds View (0-2).

Junior quarterback Scott Hansen looks downfield as Stillwater’s Andre Rantila tries to get past a Woodbury defender and apply pressure.

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October 23, 2020

Let’s Play Football

www.letsplayfootballmn.com

Let’s Play Football

Scoreboard

Standings and Results (as of 10-19-20) 9-Man

9-Man Section 1

Southland 2-0 Grand Meadow 2-0 Houston 1-1 Lanesboro 1-1 Leroy-Ostrander 1-1 Spring Grove 1-1 Kingsland 1-1 Mabel-Canton 0-2 Results Southland 35, Mabel-Canton 14 Southland 27, LeRoy-Ostrander 14 Grand Meadow 13, Mountain Lake Area 0 Grand Meadow 40, Spring Grove 6 Spring Grove 33, Houston 16 Houston 40, Mabel-Canton 16 LeRoy-Ostrander 27, Lanesboro 20 Lanesboro 43, Kingsland 6 Kingsland 44, Lyle-Pacelli 14

9-Man Section 2

Renville County West 2-0 Ogilvie 2-0 Cedar Mountain 1-1 Nicollet 1-1 Onamia 1-1 Red Rock Central 1-1 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 0-2 Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s 0-2 Results Renville County West 22, Red Rock Central 8 Renville County West 36, Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s 6 Ogilvie 28, McGregor 14 Ogilvie 40, Onamia 6 Westbrook-Walnut Grove 24, Cedar-Mountain 20 Cedar-Mountain 40, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 14 Nicollet 26, Alden-Conger/G-E 6 Mountain Lake Area 26, Nicollet 0 Onamia 38, Isle 16 Red Rock Central 34, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 14 Madelia 30, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 22 Hills-Beaver Creek 36, Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s 0

9-Man Section 3

Hills-Beaver Creek 2-0 Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 1-0 Lyle-Pacelli 1-1 Mountain Lake Area 1-1 Westbrook-Walnut Grove 1-1 Madelia 1-1 Granada-Huntley-EC/Truman 0-0 Edgerton 0-2 Results Hills-Beaver Creek 36, Sleepy Eye-St. Mary’s 0 Hills-Beaver Creek 56, Edgerton 6 Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda 48, Edgerton 20 Kingsland 44, Lyle-Pacelli 14 Lyle-Pacelli 44, Madelia 30 Grand Meadow 13, Mountain Lake Area 0 Mountain Lake Area 26, Nicollet 0 Westbrook-Walnut Grove 24, Cedar Mountain 20 Red Rock Central 34, Westbrook-Walnut Grove 14 Madelia 30, Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 22

9-Man Section 4

Hancock 2-0 Verndale 2-0 Bertha-Hewitt 1-1 Brandon/Evansville 1-1 Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 1-1 Ortonville 1-1 Rothsay 1-1 Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 0-2 Results Hancock 38, Ortonville 12 Hancock 42, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 14 Verndale 22, Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 8 Verndale 52, Sebeka 6 Bertha-Hewitt 34, Rothsay 8 Brandon/Evansville 22, Bertha-Hewitt 0 Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 20, Brandon/Evansville 6 Ortonville 22, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley 14 Rothsay 32, Lake of the Woods 6

9-Man Section 5

Cromwell-Wright 2-0 Hill City/Northland 2-0 South Ridge 2-0 Isle 0-2 McGregor 0-2 Floodwood 0-0 Results Cromwell-Wright 15, Carlton/Wrenshall 14 Cromwell-Wright 44, McGregor 14 Hill City/Northland 12, Barnum 0 Hill City/Northland 18, Bigfork 0 South Ridge 48, Ely 6 South Ridge 44, Northeast Range 0 Onamia 38, Isle 16 Carlton/Wrenshall 69, Isle 20 Ogilvie 28, McGregor 14

9-Man Section 6

Win-E-Mac 2-0 NCE/U-H 2-0 Park Christian 1-0 Fertile-Beltrami 1-0 Blackduck 1-1 Sebeka 0-1 Clearbrook-Gonvick 1-7 Nevis 0-2 Laporte 0-0 Results Win-E-Mac 46, Northern Freeze 0 Win-E-Mac 41, Nevis 13 NCE/U-H 16, Kittson County Central 13 NCE/U-H 16, Menahga 8 Park Christian 22, Clearbrook-Gonvick 6 Fertile-Beltrami 28, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 6 Goodridge/Grygla 32, Blackduck 8 Blackduck 26, Northern Freeze 0 Verndale 52, Sebeka 6 Stephen-Argyle 36, Nevis 14

9-Man Section 7

Cherry 1-0 Silver Bay 1-0 Mountain Iron-Buhl 1-0 Ely 1-1 Bigfork 0-2 Northeast Range 0-2 Cook County 0-2 Results Cherry 44, Cook County 26 Silver Bay 25, Northeast Range 6 Mountain Iron-Buhl 58, Lake of the Woods 0 South Ridge 48, Ely 6 Ely 20, Cook County 0 North Central 41, Bigfork 14 Hill City/Northland 18, Bigfork 0 South Ridge 44, Northeast Range 0

9-Man Section 8

Goodridge/Grygla 2-0 Stephen-Argyle 2-0 North Central 1-0 Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 0-1 Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 0-1 Lake of the Woods 0-2 Northern Freeze 0-2 Kittson County Central 0-1 Results Goodridge/Grygla 32, Blackduck 8 Goodridge/Grygla 26, Kittson County Central 7 Stephen-Argyle 36, Nevis 14 Stephen-Argyle 47, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo 0 North Central 41, Bigfork 14 Fertile-Beltrami 28, Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 6 Mountain Iron-Buhl 58, Lake of the Woods 0 Rothsay 32, Lake of the Woods 6 Win-E-Mac 46, Northern Freeze 0 Blackduck 26, Northern Freeze 0 NCE/U-H 16, Kittson County Central 13

Section 1A

CLAss A

Blooming Prairie 2-0 Randolph 2-0 Goodhue 1-1 Hayfield 1-1 Wabasha-Kellogg 0-0 Fillmore Central 0-2 Rushford-Peterson 0-2 Results Blooming Prairie 37, Rushford-Peterson 22 Blooming Prairie 26, Medford 15 Randolph 20, Bethlehem Academy 7 Randolph 32, Rushford-Peterson 22 Goodhue 20, Kenyon-Wanamingo 12 Lewiston-Altura 53 Goodhue 8 Hayfield 28, Winona Cotter 8 Bethlehem Academy 35, Hayfield 14 Medford 39, Fillmore Central 14 Kenyon-Wanamingo 28, Fillmore Central 0

Section 2A

Aiden-Conger/GE 1-1 United South Central 1-1 Bethlehem Academy 1-1 Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 1-1 New Ulm Cathedral 1-1 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 0-0 Cleveland 0-1 Minnesota Valley Lutheran 0-2 Results Nicollet 26, Aiden-Conger/GE 6 Aiden-Conger/GE 8, United South Central 6 United South Central 22, Cleveland 6 Randolph 20, Bethlehem Academy 7 Bethlehem Academy 35, Hayfield 14 Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 40, Concordia Academy 24 New Richland H-E-G 26, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 20 New Ulm Cathedral 37, Adrian 19 Sleepy Eye 38, New Ulm Cathedral 14 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 34, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 12 Wabasso 48, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 6

Section 3A

Murray County Central 2-0 Wabasso 2-0 Springfield 1-1 Sleepy Eye 1-1 Martin County West 0-0 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 0-2 Adrian 0-2

Results Murray County Central 35, Sleepy Eye 12 Murray County Central 30, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 6 Wabasso 31, Springfield 0 Wabasso 48, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 6 Springfield 22, Adrian 0 Murray Country Central 35, Sleepy Eye 12 Sleepy Eye 38, New Ulm Cathedral 14 Lakeview 24, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 14 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 20, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 6 New Ulm Cathedral 37, Adrian 19

Section 4A

Browerville/Eagle Valley 2-0 Mayer Lutheran 2-0 Lester Prairie 1-0 Benson 1-1 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 1-1 Upsala/Swanville Area 1-1 Parkers Prairie 0-1 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 0-2 Results Browerville/Eagle Valley 54, Menahga 20 Browerville/Eagle Valley 48, Upsala/Swanville Area 30 Mayer Lutheran 36, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 6 Mayer Lutheran 38, Maple River 0 Lester Prairie 42, St Clair/Loyola 13 BOLD 35, Benson 20 Benson 48, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 12 Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 20, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 6 Kimball 28, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 20, Parkers Prairie 16 Upsala/Swanville Area 44, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 42 OT Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 34, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 0

Section 5A

Dawson-Boyd 2-0 Minneota 2-0 Lakeview 2-0 BOLD 2-0 Lac qui Parle Valley 1-1 MACCRAY 0-1 Canby 0-2 Yellow Medicine East 0-2 Results Dawson-Boyd 28, Canby 7 Dawson-Boyd 41, Yellow Medicine East 8 Minneota 47, MACCRAY 6 Minneota 21, Canby 6 Lakeview 24, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 14 Lakeview 35, Lac qui Parle Valley 22 BOLD 35, Benson 20 BOLD 26, Maple Lake 13 Lac qui Parle Valley 28, Yellow Medicine East 22 OT

SECTION 6A

Breckenridge 2-0 Underwood 2-0 New York Mills 2-0 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 1-1 Otter Tail Central 1-2 Pine River-Backus 0-1 Lake Park-Audobon 0-2 Results Breckenridge 42, Otter Tail Central 16 Breckenridge 39, Roseau 6 New York Mills 27, Polk County West 6 New York Mills 21, Pelican Rapids 12 Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 25, Pine Rover-Backus 22 Warroad 16, Walker-Hackensack-Akeley 14 West Central Area/Ashby 30, Otter Tail Central 18 Breckenridge 42, Otter Tail Central 16 Otter Tail Central 22, Pillager 8

Section 7A

Hinckley-Finlayson 2-0 Braham 1-0 Barnum 1-1 Deer River 1-1 North Woods 1-1 Carlton/Wrenshall 1-1 Chisholm 0-2 East Central 0-2 Results Hinckley-Finlayson 43, Chisholm 3 Hinckley-Finlayson 35, East Central 0 Braham 22, North Woods 16 Hill City/Northland 12, Barnum 0 Barnum 12, Chisholm 0 Deer River 24, East Central 0 North Woods 48, Deer River 36 Cromwell-Wright Area 15, Carlton/Wrenshall 14 Carlton/Wrenshall 69, Isle 20

Section 8A

Mahnomen/Waubun 2-0 Polk County West 1-1 Cass Lake-Bena 0-0 Red Lake County 0-1 Red Lake 0-2 Ada-Borup 0-2 Results Mahnomen/Waubun 30, Warrod 0 Mahnomen/Waubun 44, Ada-Borup 14 New York Mills 27, Polk County West 6 Polk County West 12, Red Lake County 8 Wadena-Deer-Creek 50, Red Lake 6 Bagley 41, Red Lake 8 Pelican Rapids 53, Ada-Borup 20

CLAss AA

Section 1AA

Chatfield 2-0 Caledonia 1-0 Triton 1-1 Kenyon-Wanamingo 1-1 Lewiston-Altura 1-1 Winona Cotter 0-1 Dover-Eyota 0-2 St. Charles 0-2 Results Chatfield 32, Lewiston-Altura 0 Chatfield 50, Dover-Eyota 9 Caledonia 26, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 8 Cannon Falls 49, Triton 6 Triton 26, St. Charles 6 Kenyon-Wanamingo 28, Fillmore Central 0 Goodhue 20, Kenyon-Wanamingo 12 Lewiston-Altura 53, Goodhue 8 Hayfield 28, Winona Cotter 8 Lake City 29, Dover-Eyota 0 Rochester Lourdes 43, St. Charles 14

Section 2AA

Blue Earth Area 2-0 New Richland-H-E-G 2-0 St. Clair/Loyola 1-1 Leseur-Henderson 1-1 Maple River 1-1 Medford 1-1 Norwood-Young America 1-1 Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 0-2 Results Blue Earth Area 45, Jackson County Central 14 Blue Earth Area 41, Luverne 10 New Richland-H-E-G 34, St. James Area 0 New Richland-H-E-G 26, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 20 Lester Prairie 42, St. Clair/Loyola 13 St. Clair/Loyola 27, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 14 Ti-City United 36, Leseur-Henderson 12 Leseur-Henderson 27, Belle Plaine 22 Maple River 26, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 6 Mayer Lutheran 38, Maple River 0 Medford 39, Fillmore Central 14 Blooming Prairie 26, Medford 15 Norwood Young America 20, Belle Plaine 16 Jordan 42, Norwood Young America 8 Mayer Lutheran 36, Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton 6

Section 3AA

Redwood Valley 2-0 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 1-1 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 1-1 Pipestone Area 0-2 St. James Area 0-2 Windom Area 0-2 Results Redwood Valley 34, Windom 0 Redwood Valley 18, Pipestone Area 7 Maple River 26, Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 6 Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial 55, St. James Area 32 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 34, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 12 Murray County Central 30, Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 6 Luverne 22, Pipestone Area 0 New Richland-H-E-G 34, St. James Area 0 Jackson County Central 32, Windom 8

Section 4AA

Minneapolis North 2-0 St. Agnes 1-0 Concordia Academy 1-1 Rush City 0-0 St. Paul Humboldt 0-1 Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0-2 Maple Lake 0-2 Results Minneapolis North 40, St. Anthony Village 0 Minneapolis North 40, Providence Academy 10 St. Agnes 22, Breck 0 Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 40, Concordia Academy 24 Concordia Academy 24, Minneapolis Roosevelt 12 St. Paul Harding 8, St. Paul Humboldt 0 Upsala/Swanville Area 44, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 42 OT Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 32, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 18 Rockford 41, Maple Lake 27 BOLD 26, Maple Lake 13

Section 5AA

Eden Valley-Watkins 2-0 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 2-0 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 2-0 Paynesville Area 2-0 Holdingford 1-1 Kimball Area 1-1 Results Eden Valley-Watkins 22, Melrose 7 Eden Valley-Watkins 32, Kimball Area 18 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 42, Minnewaska Area 6 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 41, Holdingford 14 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 34, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 0 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City 32, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 18

Paynesville Area 58, Grantsburg 35 Paynesville Area 58, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 14 Holdingford 30, Sauk Centre 8 Kimball Area 28, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 0

Section 6AA

West Central Area/Ashby 3-0 Wadena-Deer Creek 2-0 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 1-1 Pillager 1-2 Osakis 0-0 Staples-Motley 0-2 Results West Central Area/Ashby 30, Otter Tail Central 18 West Central Area/Ashby 24, Crookston 6 West Central Area/Ashby 40, Staples-Motley 0 Wadena-Deer Creek 50, Red Lake 6 Wadena-Deer Creek 45, Lake Park-Audubon 0 Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 20, Parkers Prairie 16 Paynesville Area 58, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 14 Barnesville 36, Pillager 6 Pillager 38, Staples-Motley 19 Otter Tail Central 22, Pillager 8

Section 7AA

Moose Lake-Willow River 2-0 Crosby-Ironton 1-1 Mesabi East 1-1 Eveleth-Gilbert 0-2 Royalton 0-2 International Falls 0-2 Results Moose Lake-Willow River 56, International Falls 6 Moose Lake-Willow River 34, Esko 21 Crosby Ironton 20, Mesabi East 6 Aitkin 30, Crosby-Ironton 6 Mesabi East 12, International Falls 6 Mora 51, Eveleth-Gilbert 0 Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 32, Eveleth-Gilbert 7 Pierz 20, Royalton 8 Sauk Centre 13, Royalton 0

Section 8AA

Barnesville 2-0 Frazee 1-1 Crookston 1-1 Pelican Rapids 1-1 Warroad 1-1 Bagley 1-1 Hawley 1-1 Menahga 0-2 Results Barnesville 36, Pillager 6 Barnesville 32, Hawley 6 Frazee 41, Bagley 0 Underwood 20, Frazee 19 Crookston 14, Roseau 10 West Central Area/Ashby 24, Crookston 6 Pelican Rapids 53, Ada-Borup 20 New York Mills 21, Pelican Rapids 12 Mahnomen/Waubun 30, Warroad 0 Warroad 16, Walker-Hackensack-Akely 14 Bagley 41, Red Lake 8 Hawley 28, Roseau 14 Browerville/Eagle Valley 54, Menahga 20 NCE/U-H 18, Menahga 8

CLAss AAA

Section 1AAA

Rochester Lourdes 1-0 Stewartville 1-0 Pine Island 1-1 Plainview-Elgin-Millville 1-1 Waseca 1-1 Zumbrota-Mazzeppa 0-2 Results Stewartville 35, Zumbrota-Mazzeppa 8 Rochester Lourdes 43, St. Charles 14 Rochester Lourdes 42, Zumbrota-Mazzeppa 0 Cannon Falls 27, Pine Island 18 Pine Island 28, Red Wing 6 Caledonia 26, Plainview-Elgin-Millville 8 Plainview-Elgin-Millville 49, Red Wing 6 Waseca 54, Cambridge-Isanti 18 Rocori 28, Waseca 20

Section 2AAA

Litchfield 2-0 Dassel-Cokato 2-0 Rockford 2-0 Belle Plaine 0-2 Glencoe-Silver Lake 1-1 Providence Academy 0-2 Watertown-Mayer 0-2 Holy Family Catholic 0-2 Results Litchfield 34, Glencoe-Silver Lake 14 Litchfield 49, Watertown-Mayer 7 Dassel-Cokato 41, Holy Family Catholic 19 Dassel-Cokato 34, New London-Spicer 18 Rockford 41, Maple Lake 27 Rockford 20, Minnewaska 6 Glencoe-Silver Lake 42, Holy Family Catholic 8 Norwood-Young America 20, Belle Plaine 16 Le Sueur-Henderson 27, Belle Plaine 22 Mound Westonka 27, Providence Academy 21 OT Minneapolis North 40, Providence Academy 10 New London-Spicer 14, Watertown-Mayer 7

Scoreboard results continued on page 11

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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS continued from page 8

that the bottom will not fall out on the lives of these athletes as we start play. If we limit fans to parents, have to wear a mask – shoot – if I have to stand on my head I will probably do it to make sure

Let’s Play Football Standings and Results (as of 10-19-20)

continued from page 10 Section 3AAA

Sibley East 1-1 Jackson County Central 1-1 Luverne 1-1 Worthington 1-1 Tri-City United 1-1 Fairmont 0-0 Results Jordon 41, Sibley East 7 Sibley East 19, Tri-City United 2 Blue Earth Area 45, Jackson County Central 14 Jackson County Central 32, Windom Area 8 Luverne 22, Pipestone Area 0 Blue Earth Area 41, Luverne 10 Mankato East 39, Worthington 14 Worthington 27, New Ulm 8 Tri-City United 36, LeSueur-Henderson 12

Section 4AAA

Cannon Falls 3-0 St. Croix Lutheran 2-0 Breck 1-1 Minneapolis Roosevelt 1-1 Lake City 1-1 Richfield 1-1 Results Cannon Falls 27, Pine Island 18 Cannon Falls 49, Triton 6 Cannon Falls 56, Lake City 20 St. Croix Lutheran 35, Richfield 28 St. Croix Lutheran 20, Minneapolis Southwest 6 Breck 16, Spectrum 12 St. Agnes 22, Breck 0 Minneapolis Roosevelt 16, Minneapolis Edison 0 Concordia Academy 24, Minneapolis Roosevelt 12 Lake City 29, Dover-Eyota 0 Richfield 35, Bloomington Kennedy 12

Section 5AAA

Mora 2-0 Annandale 2-0 Brooklyn Center 2-0 Spectrum 1-1 Foley 1-1 Milaca 1-1 Pine City 1-1 Minneapolis Henry 0-2 Results Mora 51, Eveleth-Gilbert 0 Mora 36, Pine City 6 Annandale 21, Princeton 12 Annandale 46, Little Falls 15 Brooklyn Center 36, Academy Force 28 Brooklyn Center 36, Minnapolis Edison 0 Breck 16, Spectrum 12 Spectrum 32, Minneapolis Henry 28 Foley 26, St. Cloud Cathedral 6 Albany 43, Foley 6 Little Falls 23, Milaca 21 Milaca 15, Zimmerman 8 Pine City 19, Two Harbors 14 Spectrum 32, Minnapolis Henry 28

Section 6AAA

Pierz 2-0 Albany 2-0 New London-Spicer 1-1 Sauk Centre 1-1 Montevideo 0-0 Minnewaska Area 0-2 St. Cloud Cathedral 0-2 Melrose 0-2 Results Pierz 20, Royalton 8 Pierz 45, Melrose 22 Albany 35, Zimmerman 6 Albany 43, Foley 6 New London-Spicer 14, Watertown-Mayer 7 Dassel-Cokato 34, New London-Spicer 18 Holdingford 30, Sauk Centre 8 Sauk Centre 13, Royalton 0 Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 42, Minnewaska Area 6 Rockford 20, Minnewaska Area 6 Foley 26, St. Cloud Cathedral 6 Princeton 47, St. Cloud Cathedral 7 Eden Valley-Watkins 22, Melrose 7

Section 7AAA

Aitkin 2-0 Esko 1-1 Two Harbors 1-1 Proctor 1-1 Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 1-1 Virginia 0-2

October 23, 2020

Let’s Play Football that this game goes on and these kids get to keep playing it no matter what. Even if they don’t have state playoffs, they get to play football, and that is a win in 2020. As parents, coaches, and leaders we have to be thankful for what we have. We must also be ready to accept whatever may happen with the upcoming season and prepare our kids for any possible situation. But for right now, all across Minnesota, from the small towns

to the big schools, there are Friday Night Lights!

11

64 team state titles in his tenure and Johnson works directly with the threetime state champion football program as Director of Operations and Player Development. Johnson was named the NSCA 2017 National High School Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year. He is the Regional Director / Secretary for the National High School Strength Coaches Association (NHSSCA).

Ryan Johnson – “RJ” played football for Normandale Community College and Augsburg University. He now teaches physical education at Wayzata High School and is the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for Wayzata Public Schools, a position he began in 2000. Wayzata Athletics have captured

Scoreboard

Results Aitkin 38, Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 0 Aitkin 30, Crosby-Ironton 6 Esko 27, Virginia 22 Moose Lake-Willow River 34, Esko 21 Pine City 19, Two Harbors 14 Two Harbors 20, Virginia 12 Proctor 22, Hibbing 0 North Branch 46, Proctor 6 Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 32, Eveleth-Gilbert 7

Section 8AAA

Dilworth-Glyndon-Fenton 2-0 Thief River Falls 1-1 Fergus Falls 1-1 Pequot Lakes 1-1 Perham 1-1 East Grand Forks 0-2 Park Rapids 0-2 Roseau 0-3 Results Dilworth-Glyndon-Fenton 26, Pequot Lakes 20 Dilworth-Glyndon-Fenton 13, Perham 8 Detroit Lakes 55, Thief River Falls 0 Thief River Falls 7, Fergus Falls 6 Fergus Falls 14, East Grand Forks 12 Pequot Lakes 28, Park Rapids 6 Perham 40, Park Rapids 7 Crookston 14, Roseau 10 Detroit Lakes 21, East Grand Forks 7 Hawley 28, Roseau 14 Breckenridge 39, Roseau 6

CLAss AAAA

Section 1AAAA

Byron 2-0 Kasson-Mantorville 1-0 Faribault 1-1 Winona 1-1 Red Wing 0-2 Albert Lea 0-2 Results Byron 59, Albert Lea 0 Byron 28, Winona 0 Kasson-Mantorville 37, Faribault 6 Winona 14, Austin 9 Pine Island 28, Red Wing 6 Plainview-Elgin-Millville 49, Red Wing 6 Austin 47, Albert Lea 0

Section 2AAAA

Marshall 2-0 Hutchinson 2-0 Jordan 2-0 Mankato East 1-1 St. Peter 0-2 New Ulm 0-2 Results Marshall 49, New Ulm 16 Marshall 35, St. Peter 0 Hutchinson 40, St. Cloud Tech 6 Hutchinson 24, Big Lake 7 Jordon 41, Sibley East 7 Jordan 42, Norwood-Young America 8 Mankato East 39, Worthington 14 Mankato West 20, Mankato East 0 Worthington 27, New Ulm 8

Section 3AAAA

Simley 2-0 St. Paul Harding 1-0 St. Paul Johnson 1-0 Hill-Murray 1-1 South St. Paul 1-1 Academy Force 0-2 Results Simley 40, DeLaSalle 13 Simley 21, South St. Paul 14 St. Paul Harding 8, St. Paul Humboldt 0 St. Paul Johnson 46, St. Paul Central 7 Hill-Murray 38, North St. Paul 6 Mahtomedi 41, Hill-Murray 14 South St. Paul 20, Holy Angels 13 Brooklyn Center 36, Academy Force 28 Minneapolis South 20, Academy Force 0

Section 4AAAA

Fridley 2-0 St. Paul Como Park 1-0 Columbia Heights 0-2 DeLaSalle 0-2 Minneapolis Edison 0-2 St. Anthony Village 0-2 Results Fridley 14, SMB 0 Fridley 43, St. Anthony Village 0 St. Paul Como Park 16, St. Paul Highland Park Simley 40, DeLaSalle 13 Minneapolis Southwest 29, Columbia Heights 2 Minneapolis Washburn 37, Columbia Heights 0 Benilde-St. Margaret’s 41, DeLaSalle 0 Minneapolis Roosevelt 16, Minneapolis Edison 0 Brooklyn Center 36, Minneapolis Edison 0 Minneapolis North 40, St. Anthony Village 0

Section 5AAAA

Orono 2-0 Minneapolis South 2-0 SMB 1-1 Holy Angels 1-1 Benilde-St. Margaret’s 1-1 Mound Westonka 0-2 Results Orono 31, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 7 Orono 22, Robbinsdale Cooper 13 Minneapolis South 28, Minneapolis Henry 8 Minneapolis South 20, Academy Force 0 SMB 42, Mound Westonka 14 South St. Paul 20, Holy Angels 13 Holy Angels 28, Park Center 7 Benilde-St. Margarets 41, DeLaSalle 0

Section 6AAAA

Becker 1-0 Princeton 1-1 Delano 0-1 Big Lake 0-2 Zimmerman 0-2 Results Becker 20, Spring Lake Park 13 Annandale 21, Princeton 12 Princeton 47, St. Cloud Cathedral 7 Willmar 42, Delano 0 Rocori 24, Big Lake 8 Hutchinson 24, Big Lake 7 Albany 35, Zimmerman 6 Milaca 15, Zimmerman 8

Section 7AAAA

Cloquet 2-0 Hermantown 1-1 North Branch 1-1 Chisago Lakes 0-0 Duluth Denfeld 0-2 Hibbing 0-2 Results Cloquet 24, North Branch 12 Proctor 22, Hibbing 0 Cloquet 76, Hibbing 22 Hermantown 36, Duluth Denfeld 0 Grand Rapids 41, Hermantown 0 North Branch 46, Proctor 6 Duluth East 48, Duluth Denfeld 0

Section 8AAAA Detroit Lakes Grand Rapids Rocori Willmar Little Falls

Results Detroit Lakes 55, Thief River Falls 0 Detroit Lakes 21, East Grand Forks 7 Grand Rapids 41, Duluth East 14 Rocori 24, Big lake 8 Willmar 42, Delano 0 Grand Rapids 41, Hermantown 0 Rocori 28, Waseca 20 Little Falls 23, Milaca 21 Annandale 46, Little Falls 15

2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 1-1

CLAss AAAAA

Section 1AAAAA

Owatonna 2-0 Rochester Century 1-1 Rochester Mayo 1-1 Austin 1-1 Northfield 0-2 Rochester John Marshall 0-2 Results Owatonna 35, Rochester Mayo 28 Owatonna 40, Rochester John Marshall 0 Rochester Century 34, Rochester John Marshall 19 Rochester Mayo 34, Rochester Century 14 Winona 14, Austin 9 Austin 47, Albert Lea 0 Faribault 30, Northfield 28 2OT New Prague 23, Northfield 7

Section 2AAAAA

Mankato West 2-0 Chaska 2-0 Chanhassan 1-0 Waconia 1-1 Bloomington Jefferson 1-1 New Prague 1-1 Results Mankato West 20, Mankato East 0 Mankato West 53, New Prague 14 Chaska 44, St. Louis Park 7 Chaska 19, Robbinsdale Armstrong 12 New Prague 23, Northfield 7 Chanhassan 49, Bloomington Jefferson 28 Robbinsdale Cooper 20, Waconia 13 Waconia 49, St. Louis Park 14 Bloomington Jefferson17, Apple Valley 0

Section 3AAAAA St. Thomas Academy Park Cottage Grove Hastings 1-1 Apple Valley Bloomington Kennedy Henry Sibley

2-0 1-1 0-2 0-2 0-2

Results St. Thomas Academy 51, Coon Rapids 8 St. Thomas Academy 30, Henry Sibley 6 Mahtomedi 28, Park Cottage Grove 12 Park Cottage Grove 19, Hastings 7 Hastings 12, Henry Sibley 0 Hopkins 34, Apple Valley 0 Bloomington Jefferson17, Apple Valley 0 Minneapolis Washburn 48, Bloomington Kennedy 13 Richfield 35, Bloomington Kennedy 12

Section 4AAAAA

Tartan 2-0 Mahtomedi 2-0 Minneapolis Washburn 2-0 St. Paul Central 0-1 St. Paul Highland Park 0-1 North St Paul 0-2 Results Tartan 23, Forest Lake 20 Tartan 49, North St. Paul 16 Mahtomedi 28, Park Cottage Grove 12 Minneapolis Washburn 48, Bloomington Kennedy 13 Hill-Murray 38, North St. Paul 6 Mahtomedi 41, Hill-Murray 14 Minneapolis Washburn 37, Columbia Heights 0 St. Paul Johnson 46, St. Paul Central 7 St. Paul Highland Park 16, St. Paul Como Park 8

Section 5AAAAA

Spring Lake Park 1-1 Irondale 1-1 Minneapolis Southwest 1-1 Robbinsdale Cooper 1-1 St. Louis Park 0-2 Park Center 0-2 Results Becker 20, Spring Lake Park 13 Spring Lake Park 28, Irondale 0 Irondale 52, Park Center 6 Chaska 44, St. Louis Park 7 Waconia 49, St. Louis Park 14 Minneapolis Southwest 29, Columbia Heights 2 St. Croix Lutheran 20, Minneapolis Southwest 6 Robbinsdale Cooper 20, Waconia 13 Orono 22, Robbinsdale Cooper 13 Holy Angels 28, Park Center 7

Section 6AAAAA

Monticello 2-0 Rogers 2-0 Robbinsdale Armstrong 0-1 St. Cloud Tech 0-1 Elk River 0-2 Sauk Rapids-Rice 0-2 Results Monticello 34, Sauk Rapids-Rice 14 Monticello 43, Cambridge-Isanti 16 Rogers 34, Buffalo 13 Rogers 28, Elk River 12 Chaska 19, Robbinsdale Armstrong 12 Hutchinson 40, St. Cloud Tech 6 Andover 22, Elk River 7 Monticello 34, Sauk Rapids-Rice 14 Willmar 35, Sauk Rapids-Rice 34 2OT

Section 7AAAAA

Andover 2-0 Duluth East 1-1 St. Francis 0-1 Cambridge-Isanti 0-2 Coon Rapids 0-2 Results Andover 22, Elk River 7 Andover 17, Bemidji 7 Forest Lake 32, Coon Rapids 13 Duluth East 48, Duluth Denfeld 0 Grand Rapids 41, Duluth East 14 St. Thomas Academy 51, Coon Rapids 8 Alexandria 49, St. Francis 14 Waseca 54, Cambridge-Isanti 18 Monticello 43, Cambridge-Isanti 16

Section 8AAAAA

Moorhead 2-0 Brainerd 1-0 Bemidji 1-1 Sartell-St. Stephen 1-1 Alexandria 1-1 St. Cloud Apollo 0-2 Results Moorhead 56, Buffalo 6 Moorhead 42, Alexandria 0 Andover 17, Bemidji 7 Alexandria 49, St. Francis 14 Brainerd 35, St. Cloud Apollo 30 Bemidji 48, Sartell-St. Stephen 6 Sartell-St. Stephen 35, St. Cloud Apollo 13

CLAss AAAAAA

Section 3AAAAAA

Lakeville South 2-0 Farmington 2-0 Prior Lake 2-0 Lakeville North 1-1 Rosemount 0-0 Burnsville 0-1 Eagan 0-2 Eastview 0-2 Results Lakeville South 53, Burnsville 14 Lakeville South 63, Eastview 8 Farmington 69, Eagan 13 Farmington 48, Hopkins 7 Prior Lake 29, Wayzata 28 Prior Lake 42, Edina 0 Lakeville North 55, Cretin-Derham Hall 14 East Ridge 13, Lakeville North 0 Anoka 52, Eagan 19 East Ridge 40, Eastview 7

Section 4AAAAAA

Woodbury 2-0 East Ridge 2-0 Stillwater 1-1 White Bear Lake 1-1 Totino-Grace 1-1 Roseville 0-0 Cretin-Derham Hall 0-2 Mounds View 0-2 Results Woodbury 49, Mounds View 10 Woodbury 45, Stillwater 0 Stillwater 52, White Bear Lake 24 Lakeville North 55, Cretin-Derham Hall 14 White Bear Lake 35, Cretin-Derham Hall 21 East Ridge 13, Lakeville North 0 East Ridge 40, Eastview 7 Blaine 26, Totino-Grace 22 Totino-Grace 21, Centennial 7 Minnetonka 7, Mounds View 3

Section 5AAAAAA

Champlin Park 2-0 Maple Grove 2-0 St. Michael-Albertville 2-0 Osseo 1-1 Forest Lake 1-1 Anoka 1-1 Blaine 1-1 Centennial 0-2 Results Champlin Park 38, Centennial 21 Champlin Park 14, Osseo 7 Maple Grove 25, Edina 3 Maple Grove 26, Blaine 14 St. Michael-Albertville 29, Shakopee 26 St. Michael-Albertville 21, Wayzata 14 Anoka 52, Eagan 19 Blaine 26, Totino-Grace 22 Totino-Grace 21, Centennial 7 Osseo 37, Anoka 6 Tartan 23, Forest Lake 20 Forest Lake 32, Coon Rapids 13

Section 6AAAAAA

Eden Prairie 2-0 Hopkins 1-1 Minnetonka 1-1 Buffalo 0-2 Edina 0-2 Wayzata 0-2 Shakopee 0-2 Results Eden Prairie 34, Minnetonka 7 Eden Prairie 52, Shakopee 0 Hopkins 34, Apple Valley 0 Farmington 48, Hopkins 7 Prior Lake 29, Wayzata 28 Prior Lake 42, Edina 0 Minnetonka 7, Mounds View 3 Maple Grove 25, Edina 3 St. Michael-Albertville 21, Wayzata 14 St. Michael-Albertville 29, Shakopee 26 Moorhead 56, Buffalo 6 Rogers 34, Buffalo 13

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2019 Academic Teams

9-MAN TEAM ACADEMIC ALL STATE TEAMS GOLD Hancock Chad Christianson Grand Meadow Gary Sloan Park Christian Lawton Burgstahler Stephen-Argle Central Ethan Marquis Fertile Beltrami Brian Nelson Win-E-Mac Aaron Cook Brandon-Evansville Tim Pattrin Verndale Mike Mahlen SILVER Mountain Lake Area Tim Kirk Nicollet Tom Murphy Cedar Mountain Dwane Jemmings CLASS 1A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD BOLD Derek Flann Minnesota Valley Lutheran Jim Buboltz Martin County West Tom Elliott Parkers Prairie Mike Johnson Randolph Mike Schmidt Upsala-Swanville Area (USA) Jay Loven SILVER Red Lake County Brian Remick Goodhue Tony Poncelet Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Pat Hentges Lakeview Scott Hanson Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Joshua Fredrickson Bethlehem Academy Jim Beckmann Ada-Borup Paul Tinjum Minneota Chad Johnston CLASS 2A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD St. Clair/Loyola Dustin Bosshart Eden Valley-Watkins Adam Tri Maple River Dusty Drager Morris Area-Chokio/Alberta Kevin Pope Hawley Peder Naatz Redwood Valley Matt Lundeen

Source: Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association

SILVER Barnesville Triton Lewiston-Altura Rush City Blue Earth Area Caledonia Frazee Janesville-Waldorph-Pemberton

Bryan Strand Mike Ellingson Brent Olson Joe Lattimore/Mike O’Donnell Randy Kuechenmeister Carl Fruechte Russ Hackell Jeff Wagner

CLASS 2A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD Litchfield Jim Jackman Albany Mike Kleinschmidt Pierz Dan Saehr Holy Family Catholic Tim Triplett SILVER Pine City Jared Polzine Rockford Dan Houghton Thief River Falls Bryce Lingen Luverne Todd Oye Breck Jon Martin Glencoe-Silver Lake Scott Tschimperle Pequot Lakes Bill Magnuson Waseca Brad Wendland Foley Dave Dahlstrom Worthington Gene Lais CLASS 4A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD Rocori James Herberg Willmar Jon Konold Byron Benjamin Halder Benilde-St. Margarets Jon Hanks SILVER Orono Joe Mcpherson Faribault Ned Louis Grand Rapids Greg Spahn Marshall Terry Bahlmann Mankato East Eric Davis Winona John Cassellius

CLASS 5A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD Mankato West J. J. Helget Waconia Corey Shea Alexandria Mike Empting Chanhassen Cullen Nelson Northfield Bubba Sullivan SILVER Moorhead Kevin Feeney Monticello Jason Telecky Owatonna Jeff Williams Hastings Dana Strain Andover Rich Wilkie Brainerd Ron Stolski Rochester Century Jon Vik Sauk Rapids-Rice Phillip Klaphake New Prague Jake Norby CLASS 6A TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS GOLD Lakeville North Brian Vossen Farmington Adam Fischer Wayzata Lambert Brown SILVER Lakeville South Tyler Krebs Stillwater Beau Labore St. Michael-Albertville Jared Essler Eastview Kelly Sherwin Centennial Mike Diggins Forest Lake Sam Ferraro Woodbury Andy Hill

2019 Individual Academic All-State 9-MAN INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Andrew Johnson Brandon-Evansville 2 Ryan Peterson Cherry 3 Adam Dorr Cook County 4 Adison McCollum Fertile-Beltrami 5 Micah Tollefson Fertile-Beltrami 6 Parker Schmidgall Hancock 7 Gideon Joos Hancock 8 Abraham Stoesz Mountain Lake Area 9 Jon Mans Nicollet 10 Andrew Lien Park Christian 11 Craig Orlando Verndale 12 Dustin Osland Win-E-Mac 13 Mason Ollman Silver Bay (William Kelley) CLASS 1A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Mason Miller Ada-Borup 2 Will Enderson Benson 3 Jarrett Larson Blooming Prairie 4 Andrew Sheehan BOLD 5 Luke Bendickson Braham 6 Thor Kongsjord Deer River 7 Sam Opsahl Goodhue 8 Carter Kyllo Hayfield 9 Chris Podlak Mahnomen-Waubun 10 Cole Sanow Minneota 11 Colton Collum Minnesota Valley Lutheran 12 Trevor Morrison North Woods 13 Josh Helling Parkers Prairie 14 Derek Peterson Red Lake County CLASS 2A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Samuel Scherzer Bagley 2 Hunter Zenzen Barnesville 3 Jack Frundt Blue Earth Area 4 Ethan Jacobson Caledonia 5 Derek Utecht Eden Valley-Watkins 6 Cole Mundt Lewiston-Altura 7 Brody Kaiser Maple Lake 8 Wyatt Simon Maple River 9 Zach Wetmore Medford 10 Eli Grove Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta

11 12 13 14 15

Mason Ferber Caden Spanier Matt Kasella Lucas Gervais Parker Boe

NRHEG Paynesville Royalton Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Triton

CLASS 3A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Ben McLachlan Albany 2 Mitchell Sullivan Annandale 3 Noah Halonen Dassel-Cokato 4 Caleb Dahlstrom Foley 5 Bennet Lepel Glencoe-Silver Lake 6 Zach Mohr Glencoe-Silver Lake 7 Eli Conaway Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin 8 Karter Wensmann Melrose Area 9 Luke Dehmer Melrose Area 10 Mathias Algarin Pierz 11 J.J. Preston Pine City 12 Konnor Jusczak Pine City 13 Blake Wendland Waseca 14 Tyler Paine Watertown-Mayer 15 Seth Juncewski Watertown-Mayer 16 Emmett Bickett Worthington CLASS 4A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Joseph Anthony Marinaro Benilde-St. Margaret’s 2 Noah Schmitz Byron 3 Owen Dresel Chisago Lakes 4 Eric Rasmussen Delano 5 Hadyn Anderson Grand Rapids 6 Ciaron McGraw Hutchinson 7 Ethan Beffert Hutchinson 8 Jordan Merseth Mankato East 9 Brayden Hilgemann Marshall 10 Adam Nobs Mound Westonka 11 Andrew Van Eerden North Branch 12 Daniel Striggow Orono 13 Brock Humbert Rocori 14 Caleb Hoilien SMB 15 Ryan Ballot St. Anthony Village 16 Eli Hunt St. Peter 17 Ashton Gregory Willmar

CLASS 5A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Matthew Carlsen Alexandria 2 Jack Sharon Andover 3 Colton Bauer Apple Valley 4 Owen Davis Brainerd 5 Jack Schaefer Chanhassen 6 Jake Van Hulzen Coon Rapids 7 Nicklaus Gill Elk River 8 Jack Foster Mankato West 9 George “Mack” Nall Minneapolis Southwest 10 Parker Johnson New Prague 11 Jake Trachte New Prague 12 Braden Black Rochester John Marshall 13 Joey Lipinski St. Francis 14 Ethan Mills St. Paul Central 15 Cody Engstrom Tartan 16 Bennett Weber Waconia 17 Todd Jager Waconia CLASS 6A INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC ALL-STATE SELECTIONS Player Name School 1 Samuel Street Anoka 2 Aidan Bouman Buffalo 3 Conner Zulk Centennial 4 Noah Link Champlin Park 5 Kyle Le Eastview 6 Nathan Callies Eastview 7 Zachary Miller Eastview 8 Ben Sather Eden Prairie 9 Hunter Hedlund Farmington 10 Quentin Evans Forest Lake 11 Carter Patterson Lakeville North 12 George Brekke Lakeville South 13 Mark Mosser Lakeville South 14 Sander Tollefson Minnetonka 15 Cody Sisaket Osseo 16 Jonathan Mann Rosemount 17 Connor Raines Shakopee 18 Boston Merila St. Michael-Albertville 19 Joe Frommelt Woodbury

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2019 All-State Football Teams 2019 AP PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JALEN SUGGS - SMB

FIRST TEAM QB — Jalen Suggs, SMB RB — Christian Vasser, Wayzata RB — Jonathan Kieren, St. Anthony RB — T.K. Marshall, Minneapolis Southwest WR/TE — Jonathan Mann, Rosemount WR/TE — Gabe Hagen, Blooming Prairie WR/TE — Terry Lockett, SMB OL — Riley Mahlman, Lakeville South OL — Jalen Travis, DeLaSalle OL — Noah Pappas, Robbinsdale Armstrong OL — Jackson Smith, St. Thomas Academy OL — Will Lemire, White Bear Lake DL — Landon Carter, Lakeville North DL — Aaron Witt, Winona DL — Joe Demro, Wayzata DL — Randy Keumogne, Tartan LB — Kaden Johnson, SMB LB — Obi Evuleocha, Champlin Park LB — Cole Smutny, Woodbury LB — Loshiaka Roques, Wayzata DB — Sam Robertson, Wayzata DB — Jake Ratzlaff, Rosemount DB — Kaleb Blaha, Fridley DB — Connor Raines, Shakopee All-purpose — RaJa Nelson, Lakeville North Kicker/punter — Noah Kiani, Irondale

2ND TEAM QB — Aidan Bouman, Buffalo RB — Terrance Kamara, Minneapolis North RB — Johnny Shabaz, Lakeville South RB — Joe Nordstrom, Elk River WR/TE — Russell Corrigan, Hutchinson WR/TE — Michael Tweten, Buffalo WR/TE — Thai Bowman, Robbinsdale Armstrong OL — Joe Salonek, Wayzata OL — Cody Newhouse, Elk River OL — Bastian Swinney, Edina OL — Elijah Brown, Benilde-St. Margaret’s OL — Yahya Black, Marshall DL — Quientrail Jamison-Travis, Minneapolis North DL — Garrison Solliday, St. Thomas Academy DL — Oliver Andersen, Austin DL — Pierce Oppong, Bloomington Jefferson LB — Dacion Francis, Robbinsdale Armstrong LB — Anthony Gipson, Maple Grove LB — Marcus Holasek, Chanhassen LB — Jonathan Bunce, Edina DB — Jordan Sagedahl, BOLD DB — Kale Hoselton, St. Michael-Albertville DB — Anthony Ukofia, Wayzata DB — Stephen Betts, St. Thomas Academy All-purpose — Dorian Singer, Tartan Kicker/punter — Nathan Whiting, Rosemount

3RD TEAM QB — Noah King, Caledonia RB — Josh Buri, Stewartville RB — Zach Niebuhr, United South Central RB — Matthias Algarin, Pierz WR/TE — Ryan Samuelson, Jordan WR/TE — Dylan DeChampeau, Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin WR/TE — Wyatt Schroeder, St. Francis OL — Ethan Prodzinski, Winona OL — Deontae Veney, Rochester John Marshall OL — Max Lommel, Chaska OL — Jake Raines, Woodbury OL — Noah Layton, Benilde-St. Margaret’s OL — Mason Miller, Ada-Borup DL — Isaiah Green, St. Cloud Tech DL — Seth Anderson, Moorhead DL — Danny Striggow, Orono DL — Justice Sullivan, Eden Prairie DL — A.J. Hunt, Mounds View LB — Cody Lindenberg, Anoka LB — Chance Backer, Chatfield LB — Garret Strating, Centennial LB — Hunter Zenzen, Barnesville DB — Logan Molacek, Milaca DB — Carter Patterson, Lakeville North DB — George Brekke, Lakeville South DB — Jack Fisher, Rochester Century All-purpose — Myles Taylor, Coon Rapids Kicker/punter — Abraham Stoesz, Mountain Lake

9-MAN FOOTBALL ALL-STATE TEAM as selected by the 9-Man Football Coaches in the State of Minnesota on Nov. 23, 2019 at Verndale, MN QB – Abraham Stoesz, Mountain Lake Area QB – Gavin Wysong, Hills Beaver Creek RB – Tyler Timmerman, Hancock RB – Mason Ollman, Silver Bay William Kelley RB – Avery Northquest, Nicollet RB – Zachary Reuber, Buffalo Lake Hector Stewart FB – Micah Tollefson, Fertile-Beltrami WR – Luke DeWulf, Nevis TE – Adam Karschnik, Mountain Lake Area G – Cameron Sneed, Grand Meadow G – Gideon Joos, Hancock G – Drew Bainbridge, Wheaton-Herman/Norcross DL – Craig Orlando, Verndale DT – Riley Resnick, NCE-UH DE – Dillon Drake, Mountain Iron-Buhl NG – Isaac Grev, Mountain Lake Area LB – Tanner Bitzan, Brandon-Evansville LB – Dalton Rose, Hancock LB – Brandon Miller, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo LB – Nolan Skifter, Grand Meadow LB – Jaden Kolker, Renville County West S – Gavin Walker, Win-E-Mac S – Keagan Schiele, Brandon-Evansville Honorable Mention Nathan Fortmann, Win-E-Mac; Carter Johnson, LeRoy-Ostrander; Soren Larson, Fertile-Beltrami; Ben Radke, Nicollet; Jon Mans, Nicollet; Tyler Madison, Fulda Heron Lake Okabena; Cade Carlson, Brandon-Evansville; Preston Rohloff, Hancock; Adam Shaw, Hancock; Daniel Milander, Hancock

2019 Hall of Fame Members Doug Heruth Blaine – High School Division

two sons, Joe and Jack.

Doug Heruth is a 1977 graduate from Brooklyn Center High School, where he was a three-sport athlete. He participated in football, basketball and baseball, earning all-conference honors in each sport during his senior year.

After high school, Heruth attended Hamline University. He was a four-year letterwinner in football under head coach Dick Tressel (Hall of Fame 2006). He graduated with a business administration degree in 1981.

Heruth earned his degree in business education from the University of Minnesota in 1984 and his master’s degree in education in 1996. He began his teaching career in 1985 at Blaine High School, where he still remains after 35 years.

Heruth’s football coaching career only includes two schools: Brooklyn Center (1982-1985) and Blaine (1986-2018). He received the Butch Nash Award in 2001, Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004 and coached in the high school All-Star game in 2016.

Heruth teaches business education at Blaine. He and his wife, Kristi, have

BOB JACKSON

Spring Lake Park & White Bear Lake High School Division

Bob Jackson was a 1972 graduate of Winnebago High School in Winnebago, Minn., where he lettered in football and baseball. He then attended Mankato State University and earned his degree in Education. After graduation, he accepted his first high school teaching and head football coach positions in Belcourt, N.D. Jackson then went on to coach and teach in Mabel, Minn., from 1978-1982 and 1984, where his Mabel-Canton Cougars were the conference champions and made a state tournament appearance (quarterfinals) in 1981.

He was a graduate assistant at UW-River Falls in the fall of 1983 and the University of Colorado in the spring of 1984.

In 1985, he taught and coached the Spring Lake Park Panthers until 1993, earning a conference championship in 1988 and making state appearances in 1991 (Class A State Champions) and 1992.

His last 19 years of his career were spent in White Bear Lake, where he was the athletic director and head football coach. While coaching the White Bear Lake Bears, Jackson earned conference championships in 2000 and 2004. His team made state tournament appearances in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2002. He left White Bear Lake as the winningest coach in school history with 123 wins and was inducted into the White Bear Lake Athletic Hall of Fame. Jackson was a master of rebuilding struggling programs by putting emphasis on weight room and work ethic. He ended his head coaching career with 214 wins.

After retiring, Jackson helped as an assistant coach at North Branch, Spring Lake Park and Wayzata.

He died at the age of 64 on March 31, 2018. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa, his sister and five nieces and nephews.

MIKE MAX WCCO - Citation Division

Mike Max is sports director at WCCO-TV. Mike returned to WCCO-TV as a sports reporter and anchor in April 2005, having joined WCCO Radio in 1998.

Mike is no stranger to Minnesota sports. He hosts “Sports To The Max” every weeknight from 6:30-9 p.m. on WCCO Radio. Prior to hosting the radio show, Mike hosted Sports Connection on the Midwest Sports Channel.

Mike started his career as an intern at WCCO-TV. He was hired as a sports producer and soon began reporting for WCCO-TV. A true Minnesotan, Mike grew up in Gaylord, Minn. and played football, basketball and baseball. He then attended Hamline University and furthering his talents on the court and on the diamond, playing basketball and baseball for the Pipers.

In his spare time, Mike enjoys working out, hunting and spending time with his wife, daughter and son.

2000 Elmer Menage Jerry Hegna Ed Mettner

Andy McCarty Jim Simser George Thole

2001 Ken Belanger Don Bertek John Gross Roger Lipelt Stuart Nordquist Keith Swanson 2002 Pepper Lyksaker Paul Mork Rick Manke Willie Raven Jim Roforth Ken Baumann 2003 Dave Nigon Clark Bergloff Jim Mader David Main Lyle Anderson Dick Strand 2004 Gary Graham, Browerville Stan Olson, LeRoy-Ostrander Deryl Ramey, Willmar Randy Shaver, KARE 11 Dean Taylor, Sartell 2005 Neal Hofland, Chokio-Alberta Ken Jacobson, Chatfield Dick Jonckowski, Radio Donavon Larson, NDSU; Hamline University Terry McLean, Elk River Jerry Sonnek, Blackduck 2006 Ken Hill, Sauk Rapids Gordon Hinck, KDHL Radio Rich Kallock, Cretin-Derham Hall Charles Kavanagh, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Stan Skjei, Bloomington Jefferson Dick Tressel, Hamline University 2007 Keith Bergstedt, Cromwell Dave Brokke, Granite Falls/ Yellow Medicine East Robert Hage, Hector Public Schools Dan Kostich, Moorhead Conley “Con” Natvig, Swanville Tom Witschen, WMIN/WDGY Radio 2008 Del Elston, Harmony Mario Lucia, Big Fork/Grand Rapids Jim Sims, University of MN - Crookston Gary Trimble, Kimball Ron Stolski, Brainerd 2009 Roger French, Brigham Young University DeWayne Johnson, Anoka Dwight Lundeen, Becker Mike Mahlen, Verndale Dave Hylla, Proctor

2010 Jim Reinhardt, Rushford/Rushford-Peterson Dennis Hale, Worthington Jim Dotseth, Minneapolis Patrick Henry (Citation Div.) Dave Dose, Glencoe-Silver Lake 2011 Terry Karlsgodt, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Don Stueve, Fergus Falls Darrell “Bozo” Wincek (Citation Div.) Bob Majeski, Hastings Merrill Pavlovich, Delano Mark Kroulik, Stephen-Argyle 2012 Tyrone Wacker, Gaylord/Jackson Earl Bauman, St. Michael-Albertville Steve Nunnink, Brainerd Dick Hanson, Burnsville Terry Ogorek, Hallock/Kittson County Central Paul Gasner, Totino-Grace 2013 Gene Stritesky, Ogilvie Jerry Foley, Stillwater Steve Ott, Deer River Ivan Kroulik, Kasson-Mantorville Jerry Carlson, Cambridge-Isanti Don Seipkes, Henning/Ottertail Central 2014 Jon Bakken, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Tom Idstrom, Anoka and Irondale Dave Nelson, Blaine and Minnetonka Larry Thompson, Lakeville and Lakeville South Dave Fritze, All-Star Game Mgr. – MFCA (Citation Div.) Mike Grant, Eden Prairie Marc Trestman, College – CFL – NFL Coach (Citation Div.) 2015 Steve Solem, BOLD Jeff Ferguson, Totino-Grace Paul Miller, Apple Valley John Sherman, Sun Newspapers (Citation Div.) 2016 Don Henderson, Triton Bernie Litecky, Totino Grace Flint Motschenbacher, Detroit Lakes Leo Pohlkamp, Pierz Steve Johnson, Bethel University Rand Middleton, West Central Tribune, Willmar - (Citation Div.) 2017 Brad Anderson, Wayzata Mike Scanlan, Cretin-Derham Hall Richard Risbrudt, Hillcrest Lutheran Curtis Strand, Mcleod West Rick Sutton, Eagan Larry Knutson, KQWB Radio (Citation Division) 2018 Mike Belseth - Breckenridge Steve Fedie, Orono Doug Torgerson, ACGC Ray Tri, Eden Valley-Watkins Terry Turek, Le Sueur-Henderson Mike Bialka, Brainerd 2019 Doug Heruth, Blaine Bob Jackson, Spring Lake Park & White Bear Lake Mike Max, WCCO

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15

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October 23, 2020

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Suggs named 2019 Mr. Football

Jalen Suggs, a quarterback/defensive back from SMB Wolfpack, was named Mr. Football for 2019 by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA). The award was presented at the Mr. Football Banquet on Dec. 8, 2019, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Minneapolis Park Place Hotel in St. Louis Park.

Note: SMB Wolfpack is cooperative program that includes four private schools: St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Minnehaha Academy, Hope Academy, and The Blake School. Jalen Suggs is a student at Minnehaha AcadHighlights from Jalen Suggs’s outstanding 2019 season: • Team: Class 4A Runner-up (12-1 record) • Passing: 128 of 253 (50.6%) for 2213 yards and 25 touchdowns; quarterback rating 102.1 • Rushing: 115 carries for 978 yards, averaged 8.5 yards per carry and 75.2 yards per game, 12 touchdowns • Receiving: 2 receptions for 34 yards, averaged 17.0 yards/ reception • Kick Returns: 5 attempts for 91 yards, averaged 18.2 yards/ return • Scoring: 12 touchdowns and 72 points • Defense: Played defense in 8 games with 15 solo tackles, 17 assisted tackles, 9 interceptions, two defensive TDs

emy. The program is in the Twin City District, Suburban-Maroon Sub-District, and MSHSL Class 4A. First presented in 2004, the Mr. Football Award is an annual award recognizing Minnesota’s best high school football player. The Mr. Football Award is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Minnesota Vikings.

Jalen Suggs is the 16th player to receive the Mr. Football Award and the first from the SMB Wolfpack program.

He is the fourth player from a private school program to win the Mr. Football

Award. He is the third quarterback to win the Mr. Football Award. His head coach was Chris Goodwin.

Chris Goodwin’s comments about Jalen Suggs: “I have never seen or been around an athlete that has the work ethic and focus on the details like Jalen. He doesn’t just want to do something, he wants to do it right over and over. He is a tireless student of the game and prepares as much off the field as he does on. Jalen does it all with a passion, pure joy and most importantly a smile on his face that lets you know he is loving every minute of it.”

Honors and Awards: • Gatorade Minnesota Football Player of the Year: 2019 • KARE 11 All-Metro Offensive Team selection: 2019 • Star Tribune All-Metro Football First-Team Offense selection: 2019 • Pioneer Press East Metro Player of the Year: 2019 • Member of Class 4A State Runner-Up team: 2019 • Member of Class 4A State Championship team: 2018 • All-District selection: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 The other ten finalists for the 2019 Mr. Football Award in alphabetical order were: Name School Position Sub-District Class Aidan Bouman.... Buffalo ............................QB................ North Central-Blue..............6A Jonathan Kieren.. St. Anthony Village..........RB/LB.......... Twin City-Suburban-Gold...4A Noah King........... Caledonia ........................QB/S............. Southeast-White..................2A TK Marshall........ Minneapolis Southwest....RB/OLB....... Twin City-City-Blue ...........5A RaJa Nelson........ Lakeville North ...............QB/RB/R/DB... Metro-South .......................6A Jordan Sagedahl.. B O L D ...........................QB/SS/K ..... Mid State-Sub District 2 .....1A Abraham Stoesz.. Mountain Lake Area ........QB/S ............ 9 – South-West..............9-Man Aaron Wit............ Winona ............................DE/TE ......... Big Southeast-Blue..............4A Hunter Zenzen..... Barnesville ......................DE/LB/TE ... Midwest-White....................2A

Jalen Suggs Previous winners of the Mr. Football Award: 2018: Jason Williamson, RB/FS, Owatonna 2017: Antonio Montero, LB/RB/PK/P,

Eden Prairie 2016: Wade Sullivan, RB, Lakeville North 2015: J.D. Spielman, RB/WR/DB,

Eden Prairie 2014: Robbie Grimsley, RB, Hutchinson 2013: Jeffrey Jones, RB,

Minneapolis Washburn 2012: Bridgeport Tusler, RB, Osseo 2011: Philip Nelson, QB, Mankato West 2010: Peter Westerhaus, TE/LB,

Holy Family Catholic 2009: Zach Vraa, WR, Rosemount 2008: Varmah Sonie, DB, Apple Valley 2007: Michael Floyd, WR,

Cretin-Derham Hall 2006: Blake Sorensen, LB, Eden Prairie 2005: Matt Carufel, OL, Cretin-Derham Hall 2004: Nick Mertens, QB, East Grand Forks

Bateman, Morgan named to Big Ten Preseason Honors list Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman and quarterback Tanner Morgan were named to the 2020 Big Ten Football Preseason Honors list.

The annual list features 10 players – five from each division – and is voted on by members of the media. Minnesota is the only school from the West Division to have two players featured. Minnesota and Ohio State were the only schools to have multiple players named to the list.

Bateman has caught at least one pass in all 26 games he has played in and has made 111 receptions for 1,923 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has seven 100-yard receiving games and set multiple freshman and sophomore school records in the Maroon and Gold. Last season, he caught 60 passes for 1,219 yards (second most in a single season) and 11 touchdowns (tied for second most in a single season), as he was named the Big Ten’s Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year. He was also one of 12 finalists for the Biletnikoff Award and was named All-Big Ten First Team and AP Third-Team All-America.

Morgan, who was named All-Big Ten Second Team last season, set school single-season records for passing yards (3,253), touchdown passes (30), completion percentage (66.0%), passing yards per game (250.2), touchdown-interception ratio (4.28) and pass efficiency rating (178.7) in 2019.

This year, the Gophers return nine starters on offense from last season that totaled 5,616 yards (third most in school history), 3,293 passing yards (school record), 294 first downs (second most in school history), 443 points (second most in school history) and a scoring average of 34.1 points per game (three most in school history).

Tanner Morgan SCHOOL RECORDS: Season Passing Yards: 3,253 (2019) Season Touchdown Passes: 30 (2019) Season Completion Percentage: 66.0% // 210-of-318 (2019) Season Passing Yards Per Game: 250.2 (2019) Season Touchdown-Interception Ratio: 4.28 // 30 TDs, 7 INTs (2019) Season Pass Efficiency Rating: 178.7 (2019) Passing Yards in Bowl Game: 278 (2019 Outback Bowl) Sophomore Passing Yards: 3,252 (2019) Sophomore Touchdown Passes: 30 (2019) Sophomore Total Offense: 3,196 // -57 Rushing, 3,253 Passing (2019) Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass: 14 (12/26/18 – 1/1/20) Tanner Morgan HONORS: All-Big Ten Second Team (2019) Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist (2019) The Manning Award finalist (2019) Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (2x in 2019) Big Ten Freshman of the Week (1x in 2018) Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2018) Neil Fredenburg Award - Love of the Game (2019)

Rashod Bateman

Tanner Morgan

Rashod Bateman SCHOOL RECORDS: Sophomore Receiving Yards: 1,219 (2019) Sophomore Receiving Touchdowns: 11 (2019) Freshman Receptions: 51 (2018) Freshman Receiving Yards: 704 (2018) TCF Bank Stadium Record for Receiving Yards: 203 (Nov. 9, 2019 vs. Penn State) Rashod Bateman HONORS: All-Big Ten First Team (2019) Big Ten’s Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year (2019) Biletnikoff Award Finalist (2019) AP Third-Team All-America (2019) Bronko Nagurski Award - Team MVP (2019) Outstanding Offensive Freshman (2018) Big Ten Freshman of the Week (1x in 2018) Complete List of Big Ten Football Preseason Honors WEST DIVISION EAST DIVISION Rashod Bateman, WR, MINN Kwity Paye, DE, MICH Tanner Morgan, QB, MINN Wyatt Davis, OG, OSU Paddy Fisher, LB, NU Justin Fields, QB, OSU Rondale Moore, WR, PUR Shaun Wade, CB, OSU Jack Sanborn, ILB, WIS Pat Freiermuth, TE/H, PSU

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Seven from MIAC receive AP All-America honors BLOOMINGTON – Seven Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) football players were named to Associated Press All-America Teams.

Saint John’s offensive lineman Dan Greenheck earned a second consecutive First Team selection, while Concordia all-purpose player Willie Julkes III also received First Team accolades. Four more Johnnies and one more Cobber landed on the Second Team, as SJU quarterback Jackson Erdmann joined teammates Ben Bartch, Ravi Alston, and Danny Pietruszewski, along with Concordia punter Alex Berg as Second Team honorees.

Erdmann and Berg both received First Team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) earlier this month.

2019 ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA Pos. Name Institution Class Hometown | High School Team OL Dan Greenheck Saint John’s Sr. St. Paul, Minn. | Cretin-Derham Hall First Team AP Willie Julkes III Concordia Sr. Mesa, Ariz. | Desert Ridge First Team QB Jackson Erdmann Saint John’s Sr. Rosemount, Minn.

Second Team WR Ravi Alston Saint John’s So. Lake Elsinore, Calif. | Vista Murrieta Second Team OL Ben Bartch Saint John’s Sr. Dayton, Ore. | Blanchet Catholic Second Team DL Danny Pietruszewski Saint John’s Jr. South St. Paul, Minn.

Second Team P Alex Berg Concordia Sr. Moorhead, Minn. | Fargo Shanley Second Team

Previous Selections 2018 (1T) -2018 (1T) ----

Derrin Lamker named Augsburg football head coach Augsburg University Sports Information Department MINNEAPOLIS – Derrin Lamker ‘97, an Augsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame member who has become one of the top high school football coaches in Minnesota, returned to his alma mater as the 15th head coach in Augsburg football history.

As football coach at Osseo High School, he led the Orioles to the Minnesota Class 6A state championship in 2015, part of an 11-season tenure that saw him earn Minnesota State 6A Coach of the Year honors, while winning three conference titles and two section titles.

Lamker earned honors from the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame twice in the past decade, receiving the school’s Excellence in Coaching Award in 2016 and being named to the Hall of Fame for his playing accomplishments in 2018.

For the past three seasons, Lamker served as head coach at Edina High School, where he led the Hornets to the Minnesota Class 6A state tournament quarterfinals in 2017 – only the team’s third state tournament appearance in school history – and a 20-11 record. He served as offensive coordinator at Edina in the 2016 season before being named head coach in 2017.

He earned section coach of the year honors in 2017.

“I am honored and extremely excited to able to come back ‘home’,” Lamker said. “Augsburg is a special place, and I look forward to leading the Auggies back to the top of the MIAC in the near future. I have always said that Augsburg has real people in a real-world setting. I am so ex-

Lamker was a three-year starter at quarterback for Augsburg and earned MIAC MVP honors after leading the Auggies to the conference championship in 1997. cited to lead these young men into the next chapter of their lives, to see them succeed in the classroom, on the field and eventually watching them gain employment.”

Lamker was a two-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree as a three-year starting quarterback for the Auggie football team. He led the Auggies to the 1997 MIAC championship and a second-round NCAA Division III national tournament appearance – just the second conference title and first NCAA tournament appearance in Augsburg football history. He was named MIAC Most Valuable Player in 1997, in addition to being a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy, given to the top student-athlete in NCAA Division III football. He was also named to the Football Gazette All-West Region team.

“Derrin emerged from an outstanding field of candidates to lead

our program,” said Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ‘79. “When he quarterbacked the team, he led us to an MIAC championship, and we feel he is capable of leading us to championship success as a head coach. He is unique as an Augsburg Athletic Hall of Famer both as an athlete and a coach, and he has been a winner at every stop in his coaching career. He is so passionate about Augsburg and wants to come home to lead us again. He's ready to hit the ground running in recruiting the student-athletes to keep building our program to the next level.”

Lamker completed 550-of-1,022 passes for 6,624 yards and 46 touchdowns during his Augsburg career, setting school passing records that stood for 10 seasons. He currently stands fourth in school history in career passing attempts, completions and yardage, while he is tied for third in school history in career passing touch-

downs.

He was also a three-year starter on the Augsburg men’s basketball team and played two seasons of baseball for the Auggies.

In 2005, Lamker was named head coach for the Osseo High School football team. In 11 seasons there, he led the Orioles to three conference championships, two section titles and the Minnesota Class 6A state title in 2015.

He had a 74-39 record at Osseo, part of his 94-50 high school career coaching record. He earned Northwest Suburban Conference Coach of the Year honors three times, was named section coach of the year twice and was named Minnesota Class 6A State Coach of the Year in 2015. He also served on the coaching staff for the Minnesota High School All-Star Game twice, including as head coach in 2015.

Lamker began his coaching career at his alma mater, where he spent four seasons (1999-2002) as an assistant coach, his final two seasons as offensive coordinator. He then moved to Robbinsdale Armstrong, his high school alma mater, where he was an assistant coach in football, boys’ basketball and baseball, and served as head coach for the girls’ basketball team in 2003-04.

He served as a physical education teacher in Robbinsdale, Osseo and Edina during his K-12 career. Lamker earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Augsburg in 1997 and his master’s degree in education from Saint Mary’s University in 2004.

A native of Golden Valley, Minn., he and his wife Amy have two daughters, Jordyn (16) and Shea (15), and live in Maple Grove.

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UMAC 2019 football postseason awards

ST. PAUL, Minn. – For the second-straight season, Martin Luther College rolled through its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) football schedule with a perfect 8-0 record. Following this impressive feat, the Knights highlighted the postseason awards taking two of the top five honors and leading with 18 total and eight First Team all-conference selections, it was announced Thursday.

The Knights’ dual-threat running back Joshuah Kren was tabbed as the Most Valuable Offensive Player, while defensive back Ian Paulsen earned Most Valuable Defensive Player. Greenville University had a remarkable turnaround season to finish as the UMAC runner-up earning Robbie Schomaker Coach of the Year from his peers. The Panthers’ Anthony Esquivel was selected Most Valuable Lineman after posting top defensive numbers from the line. University of Minnesota Morris senior Drew Shipley earned the Most Valuable Special Teams Player distinction for a tremendous effort punting.

En route to a UMAC title again last fall, the Knights relied heavily on the run game averaging 374.5 rushing yards per game (ypg) and 512.6 ypg of total offense against UMAC teams. Kren was a significant part of the Knights’ success ranking third in the UMAC for rushing with 117.0 ypg, 936 total rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged a conference-best 8.9 yards per carry and had a long run of 81 yards. What made Kren even more dangerous was his impact receiving, though. He averaged 59.1 ypg but had just 12 total receptions with six going for touchdowns.

All together, Kren led the UMAC in conference play in all-purpose yards with 176.1 ypg for a total of 1409 yards. He tallied a UMAC-leading 104 total points with 17 total touchdowns averaging 13.0 points per game (ppg).

His 11.6 ppg in overall games this season ranks 13th in NCAA Division III. The junior was twice named the UMAC Offensive Player of the Week including for his final regular season performance Saturday against Crown College where he scored three touchdowns and tallied 284 all-purpose yards.

As good as Kren and the Knight offense were last fall, they were equally as strong on the defensive side of the ball thanks in large part to the contributions of Paulsen’s versatile play. In his first complete, healthy season on defense, Paulsen helped the Knights lead the conference in total points allowed (12.8 ppg), total offense allowed (191.0 ypg), rushing defense (48.5 ypg) and pass defense (142.5 ypg). The senior tallied two of the team’s leading 19 interceptions in conference games. He also had six pass breakups and finished with 46 total tackles against UMAC teams including 29 solo and 6.5 tackles for a loss. Paulsen also recorded a safety and a blocked kick on two separate plays in a win over the University of Northwestern.

While Paulsen dominated in coverage, Greenville’s Esquivel led the UMAC on the defensive line and helped turnaround a spectacular season for the Panthers. The junior lineman anchored a defense that was third in total defense (315.9 ypg) and second in run defense (101.1 ypg). He led the UMAC in tackles for a loss (TFL) with 17.0 to boast a remarkable 2.13 TFL in conference play. Of those, 8.5 went for sacks totaling 54 yards lost. Esquivel averaged just over one sack a game against UMAC teams. He also finished with 55 total tackles including 30 solo tackles in league play and added three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Esquivel twice was named UMAC Defensive Player of the Week which included his 12-tackle, 3.5-sack performance in a win over the College of St. Scholastica.

Esquivel and Panther defense were a key part to the successful turnaround of a Greenville squad that improved to 7-1 in the UMAC after finishing 3-5 in 2018. Schomaker’s Panthers placed second in the UMAC and were 8-2 overall with a solid win over Kalamazoo University in non-conference play.

The only conference loss for the Panthers came against Martin Luther which helped lead Schomaker to his second-career Coach of the Year honor and first since 2013. His team finished third in conference games for scoring with 32.5 ppg and second in points allowed (20.0 ppg). The Panthers recorded 40-plus points in three UMAC games this season and shutout two conference opponents.

The final honor on Special Teams went to Shipley who ended his impressive career with the Cougars earning the top honor for his specialty and his second-career All-UMAC First Team selection. In conference games, Shipley led all UMAC punters with 2,107 total yards and 41.3 yards per punt. He also tallied 51 total punts, a long of 70 yards and six inside the 50-yard line against UMAC teams. Shipley recorded 14 punts inside the 20-yard line and had six touchbacks.

Martin Luther led the all-conference nods with eight First Team selections and 10 Second Team honors. MacMurray College finished with seven First Team honors and nine total, while Northwestern tallied eight Second Team honors for a total of 10 selections. Each UMAC team had at least four honorees between the two squads recognized.

Shipley is among a group of just five players to have earned either First or Second Team honors three times in their career which includes St. Scholastica quarterback Zach Edwards who is the only player to be named First Team each of the last three seasons. The others in that company of three total honors include Demtrius Curry (MacMurray), Corben Edwards (MacMurray) and Tristan Pankow (Martin Luther).

There are 23 other players who have been selected to one of the two teams twice in their careers with Carrington Cunningham and Austin DeNoyer standing out as the only two to be tabbed First Team in back-to-back seasons. The remaining 21 players include Sebastian Alvarado (Crown), Payton Bowdry (Northwestern), Clayton Bristol (Westminster College), Brock Bullar (Greenville), Sam Fitch (Greenville), Derek Gulrud (Martin Luther), George Harris (Greenville), Joe Herrewig (Martin Luther), Seth Johnson (Northwestern), Gavin Jordan (Greenville), Matthew Leathers (Crown), Eddie Lee (St. Scholastica), Marcos Luna (Minnesota Morris), Trevor Lundberg (Northwestern), George Obitz (Northwestern), Aaron Owczarzak (Martin Luther), Sam Poole (Westminster), Evan Pruitt (Northwestern), Mike Radue (Martin Luther), Caleb Sieben (Northwestern) and Jordan Wilkins (MacMurray).

Crown also won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.

*Most Valuable Offensive Player: Joshuah Kren, Jr., Martin Luther #Most Valuable Defensive Player: Ian Paulsen, Sr., Martin Luther ^Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Drew Shipley, Sr., Minnesota Morris %Most Valuable Lineman: Anthony Esquivel, Jr., Greenville Coach of the Year: Robbie Schomaker, Greenville

2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Offense

Pos. QB QB RB RB RB* WR WR WR TE OL OL OL OL OL

Name Zach Edwards Bobby Tedesco Austin DeNoyer Paul Garrett Joshuah Kren Mitchell Adrian Demetrius Curry Kyler Henson Tanner Sussenbach Kenny Couch Carrington Cunningham Sam Fitch Matthew Leathers Aaron Owczarzak

Pos. DL DL% DL DL DL LB LB LB LB DB DB DB DB# DB

Name Joe Duffy Anthony Esquivel Adam Farag Kobe Kaminski Jacob Schmidt Marcos Luna Tristan Pankow Eric Soderberg Ahmad Washington Brock Bullar Jacquese Goins Yannick Kabamba Ian Paulsen Cody Ricketts

Pos. K KR KR P^ PR

Name Tim Branneky Joe Herrewig Carson Reese Drew Shipley Caleb Sieben

Pos. QB RB RB WR WR WR WR WR TE TE OL OL OL OL OL

Name George Harris Payton Bowdry Avory Caruthers Branden Carlson Eddie Lee Cole Mistretta Travion Mosby Evan Pruitt Trevor Lundberg Mike Radue Sam Boeder Sam Glaubitz Derek Gulrud Sam Poole Scott Woker

Pos. DL DL DL DL DL LB LB LB LB LB DB DB DB DB DB

Name Clayton Bristol Nate Holz Seth Johnson Matt Menth Jordan Wilkins Logan Decker Ben Heimann Gavin Jordan George Obitz Ben Riegsecker Sebastian Alvarado Corben Edwards Jaheem Hampton Joe Herrewig Aiden Holien

Pos. K K KR P P PR

Name Blake Mitchell Micah Otto Ameer Lee KJ Downey Micah Otto Benjamin Hodel

Team St. Scholastica MacMurray Martin Luther Greenville Martin Luther St. Scholastica MacMurray Greenville MacMurray MacMurray Martin Luther Greenville Crown Martin Luther

Yr. Sr. Jr. Jr. Fy. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. So. So. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr.

Hometown/High School West St. Paul, Minn./Henry Sibley Freeburg, Ill./Freeburg Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran Goodwater, Ala./Clay Central Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran Altoona, Wis./Altoona Hanford, Calif./Hanford Tyler, Texas/Lufkin Mt. Sterling, Ill./Brown County Fredericktown, Ill./Fredericktown Milwaukee, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran Belleville, Ill./Althoff Catholic Austin, Texas/Hutto Bay City, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary

2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Defense Team Crown Greenville Minnesota Morris Westminster Martin Luther Minnesota Morris Martin Luther St. Scholastica MacMurray Greenville MacMurray Northwestern Martin Luther Crown

Yr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr.

Hometown/High School Mound, Minn./Mound Westonka Rowland Heights, Calif./John A. Rowland Windom, Minn./Windom Fulton, Mo./Fulton Ixonia, Wis./Luther Prep Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle Bay City, Mich./Michigan Lutheran Seminary Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids Peoria, Ill./Peoria richwood Du Quoin, Ill./Du Quoin Hiram, Ga./Hiram Los Angeles, Calif./Norwalk Ixonia, Wis./Luther Prep Milton, Fla./Pace

2019 UMAC All-Conference First Team Special Teams Team Westminster Martin Luther MacMurray Minnesota Morris Northwestern

Yr. So. Sr. Fy. Sr. Jr.

Hometown/High School St. Louis, Mo./Lutheran North Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran Academy Loami, Ill./New Berlin Couer d’Alene, Idaho/Lake City Anoka, Minn./Anoka

2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Offense Team Greenville Northwestern Crown Minnesota Morris St. Scholastica Crown Westminster Northwestern Northwestern Martin Luther Martin Luther Northwestern Martin Luther Westminster Greenville

Yr. Sr. Sr. So. So. Sr. Fy. Fy. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. So. Jr. Sr. Sr.

Hometown/High School Silverdale, Wash./Klahowya Minneapolis, Minn./South Barstow, Calif./Barstow Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Port St. Lucie, Fla./Centennial St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood Temecula, Calif./Rancho Christian Houston, Minn./Houston Waukesha, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran River Falls, Wis./River Falls Marshall, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran Hartsburg, Mo./Southern Boone Greenville, Ill./Greenville

2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Defense Team Westminster Martin Luther Northwestern Minnesota Morris MacMurray Westminster Westminster Greenville Northwestern Martin Luther Crown MacMurray Iowa Wesleyan Martin Luther Martin Luther

Yr. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. So. So. Sr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. Fy. Sr. So.

Hometown/High School Fulton, Mo./Fulton Clarksville, Tenn./Luther Prep Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian Mayer, Minn./Mayer Lutheran Chicago, Ill./Schurz Owensville, Mo./Owensville Moberly, Mo./Moberly Carterville, Ill./Herrin Florence, Ariz./Florence Lincoln, Neb./Nebraska Lutheran Blaine, Minn./Blaine Pleasant Hill, Ill./Pleasant Hill Whigham, Ga./Cairo Fond du Lac, Wis./Winnebago Lutheran Academy Watertown. S.D./Great Plains Lutheran

2019 UMAC All-Conference Second Team Special Teams Team Northwestern Martin Luther Crown Northwestern Martin Luther Martin Luther

Yr. So. So. Fy. So. So. So.

Hometown/High School Watertown, S.D./Watertown Mequon, Wis./Luther Prep Groesbeck, Texas/Groesbeck Blaine, Minn./Blaine Mequon, Wis./Luther Prep Lake Mills, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran

2019 UMAC Football All-Sportsmanship Awards

Team Award – Crown Crown – Aaron Oberste, Sr., Princeton, Texas/Chant Greenville – Daniel Martinez, Jr., Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual Iowa Wesleyan – Marco Ventura, Jr., Davenport, Iowa/Davenport Central MacMurray – Ian Leib, Sr., Flora, Ill./Flora Martin Luther – Alex Quist, Sr., Saint Peter, Minn./Saint Peter Minnesota Morris – Caleb Kemp, Sr., Wabasso, Minn./Wabasso Northwestern – Colton Christman, Sr., Kindred, N.D./Kindred St. Scholastica – Daniel Voxland, Jr., Savage, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels Westminster – Ben Holt, Jr., Butler, Mo./Butler

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NSIC cancels fall competition & championships; suspends all sports competition through Dec, 31 BURNSVILLE, Minn. – In light of the NCAA Board of Governors’ decision to direct all institutions and conferences to meet specific requirements to conduct fall sports and the NCAA Division II Presidents Council’s announcement that all NCAA Division II fall championships are canceled, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference’s Board of Directors has canceled NSIC fall competition and championships, and has suspended all athletic competition through Dec. 31, 2020.

The NSIC recognizes the value an NCAA championship experience

provides for student-athletes and that was a factor in the analysis. However, health and safety concerns prevailed in the league’s decision. Additionally, current recommendations for testing, exposure, and quarantine make it very difficult for a season to be successfully completed at an institution or across the conference without severe disruptions.

“The league’s initial decision to delay the start of fall sports was made with the rationale to allow campuses the ability to focus solely on reopening safely for their broader university

communities,” said NSIC Commissioner Erin Lind. “In light of the recent decisions made by the NCAA Board of Governors, it is no longer feasible to conduct outside competition this fall semester. Our student-athletes deserve a competitive experience that provides a greater degree of safety and certainty than current conditions would allow.

We believe now is the right time to provide clarity to our student-athletes so we can turn our efforts towards helping institutions reopen and ensuring a safe return to campus to start the academic year.”

Although the NSIC will not conduct a league schedule for 2020 fall sports, competition is an integral part of the student-athlete experience, therefore, the membership is committed to exploring meaningful opportunities and experiences for fall student-athletes in the spring, if it can be done reasonably and safely.

The conference will continue to monitor the landscape and conditions surrounding the pandemic, locally, regionally, and nationally, and make any decisions or announcements, as necessary.

MSU’s Goettl earns 2019-20 D2 CCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors CLEVELAND – The Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) announced that Minnesota State’s Alex Goettl has been selected as the 2019-20 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Goettl becomes the first student-athlete from the NSIC to earn the honor since its inception in 199900.

Goettl, a linebacker for the Mavericks, maintained a 3.9 GPA as a biomedical sciences major.

“Congratulations to our Scholar-Athletes of the Year and regional winners. Alex and Alexy are first-class representatives of an impressive group of students who continue to bring light to college athletics during a difficult time in our industry and in the world,” said D2 CCA President Tom Daeger, commissioner of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. “These individuals will continue to succeed off the playing field and uphold the values and mission of Division II.” As a senior on the gridiron in 2019, Goettl recorded 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss with one sack and two interceptions – one returned for a TD in the playoffs – as he helped Minnesota State to the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.

Goettl is a 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist and was recognized as one of the top 12 scholar-athletes in the nation (all levels) for combined academic success, athletic performance and exemplary leadership. He earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was a multiple time CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-American member. His NSIC honors include the Glen Galligan Out-

standing Senior Athlete Award, the Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award, the Elite 18 Award, as well as being named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence multiple times.

Goettl graduated from MSU Summa Cum Laude while earning several scholarships, including the MSU Presidential Scholarship, the MSU Alumni Legacy Scholarship and the MSU Biology Department Scholarship. He was also honored as the Stein-Fallon Scholar Athlete by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NFF). On campus, Goettl was a member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club and was a Chemistry Lab Teaching Assistant. During his career on the football team, the linebacker played in 53 of MSU’s 54 games during the last four seasons, including 42 starts. He recorded 205 career tackles, including 20.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He also intercepted five passes and recovered four fumbles. As a junior he led the Maverick defense with 87 tackles.

Goettl has been actively involved in the community during his time as a Maverick having assisted with the Kiwanis Holiday Lights setup, Echo Food Shelf volunteer, science fair judge volunteer, Mankato LEEP softball coach, Climb for Kids volunteer, served as a certified nursing assistant at Oak Terrace assisted living and as a member of the Minnesota State Football steering committee.

stitutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders.

Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About the NSIC The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with in-

About NCAA Division II The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a vol-

About D2 CCA Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences. The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www. nacda.com.

Alex Goettl unteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.

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Sideline snapshots: Let’s Play Football

– MOORHEAD 56, BUFFALO 6 –

Feeney’s six TD tosses lead Spuds

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN

Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football

Trey Feeney threw six touchdown passes and passed for 408 yards as Moorhead defeated Buffalo 56-6 Oct. 9.

Feeney, who is headed to the University of North Dakota, threw all six of his TD passes in the first half as the

Spuds opened up a commanding 49-0 lead. He connected twice in the first quarter with Blake Walthall, who finished the game with four touchdown catches. The first was a 35-yard score followed by a 60-yarder.

Feeney connected with George Nyanforth in the second quarter on a 80yard gain for a score and a 21-0 lead.

Nyanforth finished with three catches for 111 yards on the night. Feeney and Walthall then hooked up with Walthall again on a 13-yard strike for a 28-0 lead.

Feeney then hit Jacqui Fitzpatrick on a 77-yard touchdown for a 35-0 lead.

The Moorhead defense took part in the scoring on the following drive when Giulio Angotti picked off a Buffalo pass and returned it 22 yards for the pick six. Leading 42-0, Feeney and Walthill capped off the first half with Walthall’s fourth from 11 yards out for a 49-0 halftime lead.

Buffalo running back Luke Gunderson finally got across the goal line in the fourth quarter. Gunderson had a strong night carrying the ball with 140 yards on 24 carries.

Moorhead closed out the scoring when backup QB Gave Quade connected with Jacob Guest for the final tally.

Feeney now has 10 TD passes and has thrown for 634 yards in two games.

After hosting and defeating Alexandria 42-0 last week, the Spuds will take their air show on the road this week to battle Sartell-St. Stephen.

Senior QB Trey Feeney (left) was 17for-24 on the night for 408 yards and six touchdown passes. He will be attending the University of North Dakota next fall.

PHOTOS BY MATT KANE

Blake (8) and Brady Walthall (9) celebrate after one of Blake’s four touchdowns on the night against Buffalo.

Saif Allawi was perfect on the night, nailing all eight extra points on the night for the Spuds.

George Nyanforth lowers his head after one of his three receptions on the night, one that led to a touchdown.

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October 23, 2020

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Minnesotans in the NFL Thielen approaching 100th regular season game

by BRYAN ZOLLMAN Co-Publisher, Let’s Play Football Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is set to become the 45th Minnesota-born player to play in 100 NFL regular season games. Barring an injury, Thielen will reach the milestone on Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 22.

Thielen, who hails from Detroit Lakes and attended Minnesota State University-Mankato, will reach the milestone in his seventh season at age 30. He had played in all 16 regular season games his first five seasons before missing six games last year with an injury. He has played in 96 regular season games thus far and has caught 32 touchdown passes on 355 receptions for 4,340 yards.

He has long way to go, however, to reach Minnesota legend Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is the all-time leader in games played by a Minnesota-born player, having suited up for his 256th game Monday night where he caught a

pass to make it 249 consecutive games where he has had at least one reception.

Only five Minnesota-born players have ever played in at least 200 NFL regular season games. They include Fitzgerald (256), Terrell Suggs (244), Rohn Stark (233), Matt Birk (210) and Dave Dalby (205). Fitzgerald, Suggs and Stark are all Minneapolis natives and Birk is from St. Paul. Dalby hails from Alexandria. Birk and Dalby were both centers and Stark was a punter.

Suggs played his final season last year as a linebacker.

Thielen currently ranks 47th in games played for a Minnesota-born player but is expected to pass Marion Barber III and Justin Hartwig, who each played 99 games. Fitzgerald and Tom Compton of Rosemount are the only active Minnesota-born players with at least 100 games under their belt.

Compton, a tackle from Rosemount, has played in exactly 100 games for six different teams.

Games Played in NFL Player Larry Fitzgerald Terrell Suggs Rohn Stark Matt Birk Dave Dalby Keith Fahnhorst Greg Larson Larry Cole Steve Nelson Jim LeClair Jeff Siemon John Fina Gino Cappelletti Jim Langer Steve Heiden Dave Casper Milt Sunde Errol Mann Ramon Humber Chip Lohmiller Barry Bennett Jon Borchardt Corbin Lacina Les Josephson Marcus Sherels Bob Wetoska Steve Martin Matt Herkenhoff Steve Zabel Matt Spaeth Ben Hamilton James Laurinaitis Craig Dahl Derek Rackley Ryan Harris Steve Kiner Adam Goldberg Eric Decker Jim Carter Todd Kalis Michael Floyd Rod Smith Tom Compton Jacky Lee

Pos WR LB P C C T C DE LB LB LB T FL C TE TE G K MLB K DT G G RB DB T DT T LB TE G LB DB TE T LB G WR LB G WR DB T QB

City Minneapolis Minneapolis Minneapolis St. Paul Alexandria St. Cloud Minneapolis Clarkfield Farmington St. Paul Rochester Rochester Keewatin Little Falls Rushford Bemidji Minneapolis Breckenridge Brooklyn Park Woodbury St. Paul Minneapolis Mankato Minneota Rochester Minneapolis St. Paul Melrose Minneapolis St. Michael Minneapolis Hamel Mankato Apple Valley Minneapolis Sandstone Edina Cold Spring St. Paul Stillwater St. Paul St. Paul Rosemount Minneapolis

From To 2004 2020 2003 2019 1982 1997 1998 2012 1972 1985 1974 1987 1961 1973 1968 1980 1974 1987 1972 1983 1972 1982 1992 2002 1960 1970 1970 1981 1999 2009 1974 1984 1964 1974 1968 1978 2009 2018 1988 1996 1978 1988 1979 1987 1994 2003 1964 1974 2010 2019 1960 1969 1996 2004 1976 1985 1970 1979 2007 2015 2002 2010 2009 2016 2007 2015 2000 2007 2007 2016 1970 1978 2004 2011 2010 2017 1970 1978 1988 1995 2012 2018 1992 1998 2012 2020 1960 1969

G 255 244 233 210 205 193 179 176 174 158 156 155 153 151 148 147 147 137 136 135 132 130 129 129 128 128 127 125 124 123 118 117 117 116 114 114 112 111 106 103 102 102 100 100

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen is closing in on 100 career regular season games, making him the 45th Minnesota-born player to reach the milestone. Two other active Minnesota-born players have played in at least 100 regular season games.

Tom Compton, from Rosemount, is currently at 100 and playing with the San Francisco 49ers. Larry Fitzgerald played in his 256th game Monday night and leads all Minnesota-born players in games played.

Larry Fitzgerald

Tom Compton

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e i or m e m e h t or f s Thank

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Vikings, the state of Minnesota and the entire world of sports said goodbye to a true legend Sunday afternoon.

Longtime sports reporter Sid Hartman passed away at the age of 100. His final column for the Star Tribune, a spotlight on Adam Thielen and the Vikings, ran Sunday morning.

The Vikings released the following statement from Owners Mark and Zygi Wilf: Our hearts are broken with the news of Sid Hartman’s passing. It is nearly impossible to put into words what Sid meant to the sports world and to Minnesota. He was an iconic sports figure, a tenacious reporter and a tireless advocate for his beloved state. His doggedness and work ethic were unmatched, but it was Sid’s ability to nurture relationships that truly set him apart. He was a confidant and a loyal friend to countless athletes and coaches across the country.

The impact Sid had on collegiate and professional sports can never be replicated and will never be forgotten. His presence and his personality were constants during the Vikings first 60 seasons. Sid welcomed our family to town in 2005, and we will always appreciate his support for us as owners and for the Vikings franchise. Our prayers are with the entire Hartman family.

October 23, 2020

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The NFL: behind the scenes

by BERNIE KUKAR This issue will focus more on things and individuals that I have encountered on and off the field. As I mentioned in previous issues, I did a lot of speaking to various groups throughout the years and always opened it up to a question and answer period at the end of the talk.

Earlier, one of the questions asked was “How do you get into the NFL?” That was answered in an earlier edition. Another was “How do you prepare for the season and/or the next weeks game?”

That was also answered in a previous edition. A third was “Who are some of the more interesting coaches and why?”

This will now be addressed.

The first one that comes to mind is Jerry Glanville. He was a most interesting character but somewhat eccentric.

I recall a game when he was coaching Houston before they moved. I forget who they were playing but I was a back judge at that time. There was a play right before halftime that resulted in a defensive pass interference call that I made against Houston. The other team was given a spot foul and the ball was placed on the Houston 20 yard line with one second remaining on the clock before halftime. The next play was a pass completed in the end zone for a touchdown as the half ended.

In the NFL, the back judge is required to go into the visiting team’s locker room to get them out for the second half to start. As I entered into Houston’s locker room, Glanville was addressing the team.

As he looked at me, he yells, “You the guy the called that pass interference?”

I shouted back, “Yes, I am.”

He then asks, “You go to pass interference school?”

I again answered yes.

He then yells, “Did you pass?”

I again blurted out, “Yes, I did.”

He then yells, “Congratulations!”

Just then the whole team stands up and gave me a standing ovation. I’m sure he put them up to it as he knew I would be coming into the locker room to get them out for the second half.

Another time when he was coaching Atlanta in a play-off game in Cleveland – yes, Cleveland was pretty good then for you non-believers – he came out on the field in Cleveland with a cowboy hat on and a large trench coat that reached down to his ankles. Keep in mind that this is the same guy who

would leave two tickets at the will call window for every Atlanta game that he was playing. He firmly believed Elvis was still alive.

He comes out and stands right next to me. So, naturally I asked him why the long coat?

He replies, “Because I had to.”

I said, “What for?”

Just then he opens up his coat and says as I looked at it, “This is a bulletproof vest I’ve got on because the security people tell me they just had two death threats phoned in on me!”

I looked at him and said, “Sorry, coach, I’ve gotta leave. What if they are a bad shots?”

With that I started to the other side of the field as he stood there laughing.

The second one that comes to mind is Marv Levy. He was the coach of the Buffalo Bills that lost four consecutive Super Bowls. He was from Iowa and had a PHD in English from one of the Iowa Universities. Therefore, he considered himself quite the expert in English.

There was a play that happened right in front of the Buffalo bench. I was a referee in this game and called holding on one of the offensive linemen right in front of Levy while their QB Jim Kelly rolled out to his left and was trying to run for a first down.

He yells out at me, “Kukar you over officiating ass, you stink!”

I remember reading about a similar play and the response from that official.

So, I calmly walked off 10 yards for the holding call and placed the ball down.

Then it dawned on me, so I picked the ball up, walked off 15 more yards for

unsportsmanlike conduct, placed the ball down on the field and yelled at Levy, “How do I smell from here!” After that, I didn’t hear anymore from him the rest of the game.

Thirdly, Brian Billick. I knew him when he was in charge of the offense for the Vikings. Now he gets the job of head coach with the Baltimore Ravens.

There was a game on a Monday night in Tennessee when they were both pretty good. This game was probably home field advantage for the winners in the playoffs.

Billick was always aware of where the TV cameras were. I told him once that he never met a TV camera he didn’t like. He got a kick out of that. Anyway, the Ravens were ahead 13-7 where just seconds were left in the game. Tennessee was in a hurry-up offense when their QB threw a long pass down to the Ravens 1 yard line. No timeouts were left as both teams rushed down to get one last play off. The defense was a little late getting on their side of the line of scrimmage. So, one of the defensive linemen tried to squeeze between the right guard and the center of Tennessee.

Just then the Titans center snapped the ball to the QB who then QB sneaked it into the end zone for what looked like a TD. The crowd was going crazy because all they had to do to win this game was convert the extra point.

Just after I signaled TD, the head linesman comes running up to me and says he has a foul on the play. I looked at him and said it better be on the defense.

His answer was yes, it was defense offside. I said great because all I have to do is announce penalty on the defense and they decline the penalty so Let’s Play Let’s Play the TD stands. otball ballLet’s Play FootFo ot Fo Just as I was ball ball Foot Let’s Play about to announce ULTIMATE THE RIVALRY this to the wild frenzy crowd of Titans, the line judge from the other side of the field to the top jumps in and says, “I Which teams will rise l? in this year’s Prep Bow think when that defensive lineman was trying to get onto his side of the line of Let’s Play Let’s Play Let’s Play Football scrimmage he pushed Fo otball Fo otball the QB and the center Let’s Play Football brings you all the Minnesota from the Titans out of the way to clear his football news, from path.”

I did see part of FA MI LY, Pop Warner to the Pros.

A FOUNDATION that play so I agreed AND FOOTBALL with him. Now, when this happens, technically there is a foul by the defense before We provide more coverage the ball is snapped so the play is dead as if it than any secondary! never happened.

I go on the mike and say to the crowd, “With a play of this magnitude I must have your complete attention!”

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE ................ page 4

The last practice ..................... features Minnesota Football Showcase ....................page 8 All-Stars from all classes ....... page 18-19 2019 State Football brackets

25 Year Anniversary Sartell Sabres celebrate 24 ..............................page of 1994 Class A Title ............................ page 27 Johnnies win wild one page 32

scenes ............

The NFL: behind the Stats............. page 33 Vikings Monday Night

MINNESOTA INSIDE HIGH SCHOOL The passing game:

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Prep Scoreboard .................p Intermed age 12 College page 7 roundup ............................. page 22 KICKOFF 1:05 P.M. Friday Night Spotlight .......... page 10 Vikings Trivia .................. ..... page 27

iate routes ............pag e6 Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 U.S. Bank Stadium Big and BOLD.............................

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• Play now, buy tickets page 4 later ........................

• Developing team page 4 leaders ....................

Photo by Matt Kane

(18) and Delano’s Willmar’s Ashton Gregory position in LPF’s Trey Longstreet fight for on page 8.

Game of the week... see story

• What we learn from INSIDE 5 football ....................page The Homecoming Tradition ...page 4 • Friday Night Spotlight page In 6season strength training (prep recap)............ ...page 4 Player safety ..................

• Game of the Week: ...........page 11 Delano picks off a win Friday Night Spotlight ............pag page 8 over Willmar ........... e8 Prep Scoreboard ..................

• Vikings make presence ....page 12 y known with communit 24 efforts ................... page

...page 21

College roundup ..............................pag e 16 Celebrating the 1969 Vikings .................. ...page 25

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tire crowd of 70,000 people go dead silent. I then announce that the play had not gone off before the foul so we will penalize the defense half the distance to the goal line which puts the ball on the 1/2 yard line and we will replay this with and untimed down.

So we do that and the crowd is going bonkers because they thought the game was over. Now we placed the ball on the ground to get ready for the replayed down and all of sudden Billick is yelling at me that he wants an explanation. So okay, I go over to the sideline and the first thing I say to him is “Where is the TV set?”

He looks at me and starts to giggle. Now he says to me that our umpire didn’t give his guy a chance to get across the line of scrimmage.

I said to him, “We don’t have to.”

Then he says, “He didn’t place the ball down fast enough.”

I said, “Yes, he did.” Then he says that they false started.

“No they didn’t,” I replied.

Finally I replied, “Billick, you idiot! If I don’t do this you’re going to lose this game!”

He looks at me with this confused look and finally throws his hands up as it finally came to him what was going on. He then replies to me, “Ah, I knew you were right all along!” and turns around to head back to his bench for the last play.

As luck would have it, the Titan QB takes the snap and does not get into the end zone. Tennessee loses the game. I thought we were going to get killed trying to get off the field on that one.

Fourthly, Mike Tice. Again, I knew him as the defensive line coach for the Vikings. He actually played for the Vikings as a tight end. Interestingly enough, he played for Maryland as a QB. Keep in mind that this quy was 6’8” tall and weighed in the neighborhood of 275 pounds.

Now Red McCombes appoints Mike to the Head Coach of the Vikings.

After he was on the job for a couple of years, I finally get a Vikings home game.

They are playing the Green Bay Packers on a Thursday night game. As I walk on the field for the pre-game walk around 45 minutes before the start of the game, he comes up to me and starts chatting.

In case you people don’t know, Mike used to hang around Bunny’s lounge in St. Louis Park where I would run into him quite often. Aw, come on, this is a good place to eat also.

Anyway, as we are chatting on the field he suddenly says, “Hey, Bernie, if you are real nice to me tonight I’ll let you park in my parking place at Bunny’s.”

For those of you who don’t know, Tice had a parking spot reserved specifically for him in the parking lot with a sign there by the front door that read “Reserved for Mike Tice.”

I look at him with a smile on my face and respond by saying, “Sorry Mike, I am not going to be nice to you tonight and I already park in your spot!”

Needless to say, he let out a grunt and walked away as I headed for the locker room laughing all the way.

Now all you readers remember to be nice to the officials as they are very sensitive people as witnessed by the above paragraphs.

Bernie Kukar was an NFL official for 22 years, the first seven as a back judge and the last 15 as a referee. Prior to the NFL, he worked 21 years as a college official with five years in the D III level (MIAC), 12 years at the D II level (NCC) and four years at the D I level (Big Ten). Before that he played college football at St. John’s University and High School football on the Iron Range in Gilbert.

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October 23, 2020

TRIVIA QUESTION #2

TRIVIA QUESTION #1 Justin Jefferson is on pace for 1,000 yards receiving as a rookie.

Who is the last Vikings rookie to have 1,000 yards receiving?

Justin Jefferson is on pace for 1,000 yards receiving as a rookie.

Who is the last Vikings rookie to have 1,000 yards receiving?

A: Randy Moss. In 1998 Moss had 69 receptions for 1,313 yards. By comparison, through six games, Jefferson has 28 catches for 537 yards, which puts him on pace for 74 catches for 1,432 yards, which would be just short of the NFL record held by Bill Groman of the 1960 Houston Oilers. Groman caught 72 passes for 1,473 yards that year. Anquan Boldin is second all-time with 1,377 yards his rookie season followed by Moss at No. 3 with 1,313.

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Who leads the Vikings in sacks in 2020?

TRIVIA QUESTION #3 Who was the last team to start the season 1-5 to make the playoffs?

Who leads the Vikings in sacks in 2020?

A. Yannick Ngakoue with 5 in the team’s first 6 games. Ngakoue is in his fifth year in the NFL and played his first four with Jacksonville. His high sack total was 12 in 2017. He has also forced two fumbles this season and appears to be a solid addition to the defensive line.

Who was the last team to start the season 1-5 to make the playoffs?

A: It wasn’t long ago. In 2018 the Colts started out 1-5 and finished the season 10-6 and made the playoffs.

There is still plenty of football to play!

The Kansas City Chiefs also did it in 2015.

NCAA ruling allows D-III St. Thomas to make unprecedented leap to D-I University of St. Thomas A historic decision has officially cleared the path for Minnesota’s largest private university – the University of St. Thomas – to become the first program in the NCAA’s modern era to reclassify directly from Division III to Division I college athletics.

At its meetings in July, the NCAA’s Division I Council approved a motion granting St. Thomas the ability to make the unprecedented jump. With the decision, the Tommies officially accepted invitations to join the Summit League athletics conference, as well as the Pioneer Football League and Women’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

“Our St. Thomas community is excited to embark on this journey of building Minnesota’s first private D-I collegiate athletics program and the second D-I program in the state,” said Julie Sullivan, president, University of St. Thomas. “St. Thomas has a long history of academic and athletic excellence and embracing change with an entrepreneurial spirit. This move continues that trajectory.”

Following their final year in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic

Conference (MIAC), the Tommies will begin competing in their new conferences in the 2021-22 academic year. A conference decision is pending for men’s hockey.

“Today, as much as ever, I’m proud to be a Tommie as we look to our university’s future,” said Dr. Phil Esten, St. Thomas vice president and director of athletics. “I thank the leadership at the NCAA, the Summit League, Pioneer Football League, WCHA and all who have supported our efforts. This decision aligns with our university’s bold vision to ever press forward. I am excited to compete in Division I, while ensuring conditions for our student-athletes to pursue comprehensive excellence.”

St. Thomas is a comprehensive, Catholic university that provides holistic and personalized education for more than 10,000 students. Its mission is to educate students to be morally responsible leaders who think critically, act wisely and work skillfully to advance the common good. The Tommies have won 15 NCAA team championships since 1982. They also have top-five national team finishes in 21 different sports. Of the NCAA’s more than 1,000 institutions, St. Thomas is

the only to have secured at least one NCAA team championship in baseball, softball, volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball.

“St. Thomas brings the full package – an excellent academic reputation, experienced leadership, a massive alumni network and a winning culture,” said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple. “With their values-based mission and status as Minnesota’s largest private university, we know the Tommies will represent the Summit League well and we’re proud to welcome them.”

In the past six seasons, the school’s women’s hockey program has made two national semifinal playoff appearances, won nine MIAC regular-season or playoff titles, and was ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time in 201819. The Tommies have gone 19 years without a losing season and are 20287-36 overall over the last 12 seasons.

“The addition of St. Thomas enhances the WCHA regional footprint and further diversifies our incredible league,” said Jennifer Flowers, WCHA Women’s League commissioner. “We look forward to expanding our Twin Cities fan base by welcoming the passionate Tommie fans.

The WCHA is proud to be the women’s hockey home for the University of St. Thomas.”

St. Thomas football has finished NCAA runner-up twice, won seven MIAC championships and had 11 Academic All-Americans over the past decade. The program has won 19 NCAA playoff games in the last 11 years and regularly graduates over 90 percent of its players. For each of the past five years, the team has also been recognized as the top fundraiser among 3,500-plus national student groups that support the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“The Tommies were one of the NCAA’s most successful football programs at any level over the past decade and they live their university mission off the field, which makes them an outstanding institutional fit for us,” said Patty Viverito, Pioneer Football League commissioner. “We are thrilled to expand to the Twin Cities, and proud to welcome a program with a track record for graduating players, winning conference titles and playoff games, and serving its community.”

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October 23, 2020

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VIKINGS game stats Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

Dalvin Cook became the first Vikings player to score in the first five games of any season since Randy Moss in 2004 and only the third in team history.

1) 6 Bill Brown, 9/14/68 - 10/20/1968 2t) 5 Randy Moss, 9/12/04 - 10/17/2004 2t) 5 Dalvin Cook, 9/13/20 - 10/11/2020 Justin Jefferson moved into second place for most receiving yards after first five games at the start of any season by a rookie.

1. 463 Randy Moss, 1998 2. 371 Justin Jefferson, 2020 3. 338 Ray Poage, 1963 James Lynch gets his first career QB sack in his first game. He becomes the fifth Vikings rookie to get a sack in his first game played.

1. 1 James Lynch @ Seattle, 10/11/2020 2. 1 Asher Allen, CB vs. Pittsburgh, 10/25/2009 3. 1 Brian Robison, DE vs. Atlanta, 9/9/2007 4. 1 Carl Eller, DE vs. Baltimore, 9/13/1964 5. 1 Steve Smith, DE vs. Atlanta, 9/14/1968

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October 23, 2020

TCO STADIUM WILL HOST THREE HIGH SCHOOL GAMES IN 2019

The Minnesota Vikings and Twin Cities Orthopedics are dedicated to supporting high school football in our community. For the past three years, the Vikings have hosted our Vikings Prep Spotlight series, an opportunity for high school teams to play a regular season game at TCO Stadium in Eagan, MN. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are transitioning this year’s Vikings Prep Spotlight series to a digital experience. In partnership with School Space Media, we will highlight one high school football matchup each week by providing a FREE livestream of the game for fans to enjoy. In addition, each participating school will receive a product donation, courtesy of Gatorade, to benefit their football program.

To stream games, visit https://www.vikings.com/community/ high-school-football/prep-spotlight

PREP SPO T LIGH T S C H E D U LE

Friday, OCTOBER 9

Robbinsdale Cooper 20, Waconia 13

Friday, October 16

Stillwater 45, Woodbury 0

Friday, October 23

Kasson-Mantorville vs.

New Prague

VIKINGS PREP SPOTLIGHT GAMES are PRESENTED BY Minnesota Vikings and Twin Cities Orthopedics

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October 23, 2020

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team

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