The football season starts with no big changes. It’ll be the Kingsland’s last year of 11-man football.
Rushford-Peterson went 6-1, 8-2 last season. It was the Trojans’ sixth straight winning campaign. They lost to BP 21-20 in the 1A semis (won the regular season meeting 39-35). Coach Davin Thompson notably lost a pair of standouts in All-District guys Jake Paulson and Dawson Dahl, but he has plenty back to inspire optimism. He has five returning A-D seniors; Landon Skalet (5’9” 160, QB/CB), Ethan Sense (5’7” 160, RB/LB), Carter Weidemann (5’7” 180, RB/LB), Ian Brown (5’8” 180, G/LB), and Riley Koop (6’0” 180, WR/DB). Skalet enters his fourth year of varsity action. He threw for 1,000 yards and 9 TDs last year, 1,614 yards and 21 TDs in 2016 amidst the Trojans’ state runner-up season. He’s a two-time All-District selection. Sense ran for 1,098 yards with 18 rushing TDs in 2017. Weidemann and Brown are each third-year starters while Koop is the Trojans go-to defensive back. Other key returnees are Ethan Hermanson (5’8” 160, Jr. RB/LB), Matt Nelson (5’10” 175, Sr. OL/DL), Dominic Jenkins (5’8” 175, Sr. C/DT), Kobe Lind (6’1” 165, So. WR/S), Vinnie Mason (6’2” 180, Jr. TE/DE), and Triton Meldahl (5’10” 165, Jr. RB/CB). Hermanson (345 yards, 5 TDs rushing) and Nelson were A-D Honorable Mention last year. Brennen Volkman (5’5” 165 OL/DL) and Nolan Mueller (5’8” 190 TE/LB) round out a 9-man senior group. R-P then has 11 juniors, six sophomores, 12 freshman (38 total). FC is week three, Goodhue week six, and BP week eight.
For Houston, 2017 was its most hoopla-filled season in a while. The Hurricanes ended GM’s winning streak. The ‘Canes started 5-0. Playing in the toughest 9-man section, they finished 6-1, 8-2. They lost to also-ranked Cleveland in the Section 1 9-man semis. Cody Hungerholt graduated three A-D players. He returns one A-D pick in James Hongerholt (6’2” 175, QB/DB), who did a little of everything last year, scoring TDs three different ways and adding four interceptions. Critical offensive pieces, seniors Jaytin Millen (5’10” 175, QB/RB/LB) and Joey Fishel (5’10” 175, FB/LB) are also back. Millen played QB for most of last year, scoring three different ways (257 yards, 2 TDs passing; 482 yards, 8 TDs rushing; 110 yards, 2 TDs receiving). Fishel’s 11 rushing TDs (597 yards) tied for team leader (six games). Kyle Twite (6’2” 220, Sr. OL/DL) is a fourth returning starter. Aaron Francis (5’6” 150, RB/DB), Jacob Cripps (5’5” 120, RB/DB), Jordan Langheinrich (5’10” 185, TE/LB), Jesse Langheinrich (5’10” 230, OL/DL), Tanner Krage (5’9” 220, OL/DL), and Jacob Becker (5’11” 165, WR/S) round out a 10-man senior class. Houston then has four juniors, six sophomores, and eight freshman (28 total). They have GM week two, M-C week four, SG week six, and Lanesboro week seven.
Chatfield went 3-4 in the Southeast-White, 5-5 overall last year. The Gophers beat St. Charles in the playoffs before falling to state champ Caledonia in the 1AA semis. Jeff Johnson graduated four A-D picks including 1,000-yard rusher Kyle Nosbisch. Isaiah Froese (6’0” 220, Jr. OL/DL), a two-way starter as a sophomore, is the lone returning A-D pick. Four Gophers selected A-D HM are back; Nathan Goldsmith (5’5” 160, SR. RB/LB), Carson Larrabee (5’11” 200, Sr. RB/LB), Chance Backer (6’1” 190, Jr. TE/DE), and Zach Roline (6’2” 260, Sr. OL/DL). Goldsmith, a third-year starter, is a top tackler. Larrabee had 300 rushing yards and 3 TDs. Chatfield’s top returning rusher is third-year guy Gage Tuohy (5’11 195, Sr. RB/S > 358 yards, 2 TDs in just four games). Seth Allen (5’10” 150, WR/DB), Ben Brogan (6’0” 180, WR/DB), Lincoln Salisbury (5‘11” 185, RB/LB), Davontae Goldsmith (6‘0“ 205, OL/DL), and Manny Perez (5’10” 165, WR/DB) are other senior returning starters. Perez had five catches, but three TDs (187 yards) last year. Jack Tuohy (6’2” 195, OL/DL), Simon Swartzentruber (5’10” 165 TE/LB), and Mitchell Crawford (6’2” 200, OL/LD) round out a 12-man senior class. Chatfield then has five juniors and 13 sophomores (30 total 10-12). Old-school TRC games with Caledonia, L-A, SC, and D-E are weeks 5-8.
Fillmore Central posted its third straight winning campaign last year. The Falcons went 5-2, 7-3. They fell to eventual section champion Goodhue in the 1A semis. FC graduate a group that boasted four A-D players (co-defensive P.O.Y. Brady Ristau, Lineman of the Year Luke Ristau), five A-D HM guys. Chris Mensink has two senior A-D returnees in, twice-honored Josh Peters (5’9” 152, QB/LB), and Brock Walsh (5’10” 217, OL/DL). Peters has amassed back to back stand-out seasons (2017 > 713 yards rushing, 925 total yards, 11 TDs; 2016 > 853 yards rushing, 9 total TDs). He’ll make the transition to QB. Walsh is one two returning line starters with Hadrian Williams (5’11” 210, Jr. OL/DL). Tyler Raaen (5’8” 150, Sr. RB/LB) is fourth returning starter. Speedster Carson Kiehne (5’5” 136 So., WR/CB) is one newbie to watch. Taryn Raaen (5’8” 233 OT/DL), FC’s first female captain, Damian Anthony (5’8” 155, WR/DB), William Westh (6’1” 160, WR/DB), Logan Dyreson (5’10” 170, WR/CB), and Brendan Back (6’0” 175, WR/DE) round out an 8-person senior class. FC then has eight juniors, 12 sophomores, and five freshman (33 total). They have BP, RP, then 9-man bound Kingsland and Southland, weeks 2-5.
Mabel-Canton took a slip below .500 last year. The Cougars went 3-4, 4-5. They lost to GM in the 9-man quarters. Karl Urbaniak, the senior statesmen of county coaches, lost one A-D player and two A-D HM selections. He returns two A-D guys in fourth year players, seniors Drew Wyffels (5’8” 150 QB/S) and Blake Henry (6’1” 185 OL/LB). Wyffels has been M-C’s man behind center since freshman year. He put up around 1,000 yards total offense last season (528 passing, 478 rushing) with 14 total TDs. Drew has double digit career interceptions. Henry has been doing the dirty work up front since he was a youngin too. M-C also has back its top rusher in senior Ryan Kuhn (5’11” 155, TB/LB > 1,065 yards, 11 rushing TDs, 14 total TDs). M-C’s other three seniors are Brandon Schneider (RB/DB), Dylan Loppnow (OL/DL), and Jon Smith (OL/DL). Top returning juniors are Caden Stoen (RB/LB), one of M-C’s top tacklers, and Ethan Underbakke (QB/RB/DB > 335 combined rushing/receiving yards, 2 TD receptions). Gavin Johnson (RB/DB) is a top sophomore. M-C has four juniors, 11 sophomores, five freshman, and one eighth grader (27 total). They have Houston week four, Lanesboro in the season finale.
A season ago was tough in “Dam city.” Lanesboro went 1-6, 2-7 overall. Houston eliminated the Burros in the Section 1 9-man quarters. Coach James Semmen had just one A-D player. Connor Ruen (6’0” 170 RB/CB) returns after having done a bit of everything, from offense (161 rushing yards, 268 receiving yards, 2 TDs) to defense (five sacks, three FFs, INT return TD), to special teams (578 KOR yards, 121 punt yards). Joe Gathje (6’0” 210, TE/DE) is a returning A-D HM lineman. Carson Schwichtenberg (6’0” 145 senior, QB/DB > 182 yards, 2 TDs rushing, 940 yards, 9 TDs, 11 INTs passing) and Andrew Luck (6’1” 170, WR/CB > 233 yards, 2 TDs rushing; 240 yards, TD receiving) give team orange and black a couple more experience senior ball handlers. Riley Cambern (5’10” 220, C/DT) and Jackson Musselman (5’7” 225, OT/DT) round out a six-man senior group. Nate Betz (5’9” 155 Jr., FB/LB), Caden Anderson (5’9” 147 So. WR/CB > 18-126, 3 TDs receiving), and Bodie Mayer (6’2” 210, So. TE/LB) are three other key returnees. The Burros have three juniors, 13 sophomores, and 11 freshman (33 total). They have Houston and M-C weeks seven and eight.
Kingsland’s 2017 campaign was highlighted by a lone win. After a 50-game losing streak, the Knights beat Hayfield in the season finale. Team double-K finished 1-6, 1-8. They fell to R-P in the 1A quarters. Brent Stinson graduated three A-D players. He returns four A-D HM guys in Reid Kruegel (6’0” 150, Sr. WR/S), Hunter Fabian (5’10” 210, Sr. OL/DL), Bradyn Willford (6’0” 195, Sr. TE/LB), and Dallas Jones (5’8” 165, Jr. RB/LB). Christian Millette (5’9” 205, OL/DE), Josh Warren (6’3” 235, OL/DL), Austin Stephans (6’1” 235, OL/DL), and Dakota Jones (6’1” 230, OL/DL) round out a 7-man senior class. Nick Ramaker (6’2” 180, QB/LB), Nathan Lund (5’11” 155, WR/CB), and Reed Merkel (5’11” 175, WR/LB) are key returning juniors. The Knights have 11 juniors, eight sophomores, and six freshman (32 total). Kingsland has Southland week three. Hayfield is week eight.
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