Prep Blog: Previewing Last Year's 6A State Football Field
We're approaching the end of July and the Minnesota State Fair isn't even here yet, but there's already plenty of football talk happening.
The Vikings have started training camp, the Gophers are about to start their fall camp and some high schools, yes even prep football, is already underway. Where did the summer go? While some of us are spending our weekends grilling or at the cabin, many football athletes are already putting on shells and getting ready for the fall.
Official football practices, as well as workouts for every other fall high school sport, start officially on Monday, Aug. 10. But head to any high school football field across the Twin Cities, and you'll likely find a captain's practice happening on a summer afternoon.
It's a new year in Minnesota high school football with scheduling. Conferences are gone, and now schedules are done regionally. It's a combined effort to keep games competitive but at the same time, limit traveling expenses for schools.
So instead of previewing districts this year, here is a look at how Class 6A could shake out based on last year's state tournament teams.
Eden Prairie (West Metro District)
Eden Prairie continued its football dominance in 2014, finishing a perfect 11-0 and beating Totino-Grace 28-27 in the Class 6A Prep Bowl. The Eagles have won four straight state championships and 10 overall.
As with any team, Eden Prairie will have some holes to fill this year. But they'll have great senior leadership in linebacker Carter Coughlin. He's one of the state's best players and will play college football for the Gophers. The Eagles also have athlete J.D. Spielman, who has multiple Division I offers to play football. Other talented returning players include quarterback Connor Carlson, running back Alec Hetherington and linebacker T.J. Conrad.
Eden Prairie has a gauntlet of a schedule, including opening against Totino-Grace in a Prep Bowl rematch. Edina, Hopkins and Maple Grove follow.
East Ridge (East Metro District)
East Ridge had a great chance to make a playoff run last year, until it ran into Eden Prairie in the Class 6A state quarterfinals. The Raptors finished 9-1, then had to forfeit its 2013 Suburban East Conference title and 2014 state tournament berth after using an ineligible player.
Regardless, East Ridge should be a top-tier team yet again this year. Leading rusher Dominik London is back, as are running back Connor Mohs and wide receiver Kjetil Cline. The rumor mill is also hot that quarterback Seth Green, one of the state's top players last year, is returning to Minnesota after moving to Texas with his family following the season. He's currently committed to play football at Oregon.
East Ridge has an extremely tough start to its fall, with four of its first five games against Lakeville North, Mounds View, Stillwater and Cretin-Derham Hall.
Maple Grove (West Metro District)
Maple Grove was one of the best teams in the Twin Cities last year, finishing 10-2 before losing to Eden Prairie in the 6A semifinals. The Crimson was one of the best teams in the Northwest Suburban Conference last year, and they should be state contenders again with much of their talent back.
Maple Grove will be led by quarterback Brad Davison, one of the better athletes in the metro. The Crimson also returns wide receiver Evan Skaja, defensive back/running back Isaac Collins, wide receiver Eddie Lee and defensive back Lukas Burrington.
Maple Grove opens the season at rival Osseo, looking to avenge its only regular season loss last year. The Crimson then follows with Hopkins, Edina, Eden Prairie and Wayzata.
Prior Lake (West Metro District)
Prior Lake is looking to build off a season where it became one of the best teams in the southern part of the Twin Cities metro. The Lakers finished 9-2 overall, 7-1 in league play and got to the 6A state playoffs before losing a close battle to Maple Grove.
The Lakers will have plenty of talented players to replace on the roster, but enough skill players are back that they should be a competitive team in 2015. They'll be led by quarterback Jimmy Larson, who was the backup last year. One of their top rushers from last year is back in Jacob Hitz, and other returners include running backs Andrew Owodunni, Lawson Zenner and wide receiver Ben Ward.
Prior Lake opens the season on the road at Centennial, then heads to Minnetonka before hosting Wayzata and Shakopee for the first half of its schedule. Those first four games will tell a lot about what the season entails for the Lakers.
Mounds View (East Metro District)
Mounds View had a chance to make a playoff run last year before running into Totino-Grace in the 6A quarterfinals. The Mustangs ultimately lost a close 21-19 contest.
They were one of the best teams in the Suburban East Conference, and can be right there in the East Metro District if a few things come together. The Mustangs will be led by quarterback Steven Skware, who saw action in two games last year. They'll also look to find some depth running the ball between Tyler Fredlund, Nate Fredrickson and Alex Keske.
Mounds View's schedule is back-loaded with tough games, but its early schedule is no easy stretch either. The Mustangs start by hosting Farmington, then travel to East Ridge, host Forest Lake and travel to Roseville for the first half of the season.
Totino-Grace (West Metro District)
Totino-Grace was a successful two-point conversion away from knocking off Eden Prairie in the Class 6A Prep Bowl last year at TCF Bank Stadium. The Eagles finished 11-2 last fall, with their only other loss coming to Maple Grove.
They'll have a new quarterback in Jacob Zurbay. He'll have help on offense with weapons in the names of fullback Brady Bertram, running back Gayflor Flomo and running back/linebacker Ivan Buriak. The defense will be led by defensive ends Lewis Kidd and Hunter Christenson.
Totino-Grace has never backed off the competition in its scheduling, especially when you consider the Eagles are opting up by playing in 6A. They'll start by hosting Eden Prairie in a rematch of the Prep Bowl. Road games at Anoka and Andover follow, then they finish the first half of the season hosting Osseo.
Rosemount (East Metro District)
Rosemount is another team that had potential to make a big run in the playoffs. But the Irish ran into a tough Lakeville North team in the 6A quarterfinals and lost 14-13. It was their only loss of 2014.
Rosemount won with its defense last year, allowing eight points or fewer in five of their 10 wins. The Irish are hoping to use that same model to have a big 2015 season. They'll be led by running backs Blake Storholm and Mike Knoll, linebacker Dan Monson, running back/linebacker Gabe Ames and running back Austin Valenzuela.
The Irish start their season hosting White Bear Lake, then hit the road to face Apple Valley and Eastview before the first half of the schedule ends with a home game against Lakeville South.
Lakeville North (East Metro District)
Lakeville North has its sights set on contending for a Prep Bowl in 2015 after coming up one win short of the title game last season. The Panthers finished 10-2, losing to Totino-Grace in the Class 6A state semifinals 37-21. Their only regular season loss came to Prior Lake in a tough, defensive 10-7 contest.
The Panthers will likely rely more on their offense this year, with eight defensive players from last year graduating and moving onto play college football. But for Lakeville North, it's more about reloading rather than rebuilding. They'll have plenty of talented athletes to fill some of the open spots.
Lakeville North returns talented quarterback Drew Stewart. Also back are defensive back Jacob Traefeld, running backs Joseph Larson and Hunter Schaefer, wide receiver David Lindstrand and defensive end Jackson Dunnell. The Panthers open the 2015 season with a tough one, hosting East Ridge. They'll follow that with road games at Eagan and Burnsville before hosting Farmington in mid-September. They also host rival Lakeville South on Sept. 18.
It's hard to envision a scenario where a majority of these teams aren't still standing when Class 6A is narrowed down to eight teams later this fall. Given how close and competitive many of those match-ups were, it should be another exciting fall of prep football among the state's biggest and best programs. It all starts in less than a month.