2024 MN High School Football thread

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Ranger692 said:
IMHO its more that we are playing games on Thursday than the distance traveled. A game on a Friday evening and long travel fine, a game on Thursday and long travel, now were are messing with 2 days of school and work...

Why dpses MN love non Friday night games??? Its like MSHSL takes some strange pride in forcing 9man-5A to be different while 6A stays on Friday with the rest of the country. All these teams playing on Thursday evening next week will have played more games not of Friday night than they will have played under the "Friday night lights"
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6A plays Thursdays as well. Some have played 4 or more Thursdays.

School administrators love Thursday games.
 

Ope3 said:
I'm not saying I agree with it, but there are a few valid reasons to have games on Thursday Night.

- Semis at the Zygi Dome start the following Thursday. Teams that play this Thursday have a full week of rest/preparation.

- Teams that play Thursday can host Friday (and vice versa) thus allowing Staff to attend both.

- Potentially allows for coaches (head & assistant) to scout in person.
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Might be valid reasons if

Class A, Class 3A teams play Thursday, then all games in class following Saturday...

3 games scheduled for Thursday 11-14 at US Bank - 14 Games scheduled 11-7
(28 of the remaining 56 team play Thursday)

Only 3 games scheduled at same venue for Thursday 11-7 and friday 11-8

In person scouting is garbage with todays film. Only thing gained from an in person scout is the
chance to rub shoulders to see actual size VS perceived size from film - NOT REALY A BIG THING in game planning
 

MaxyJR1 said:
6A plays Thursdays as well. Some have played 4 or more Thursdays.

School administrators love Thursday games.
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Not in the area I am from. Any out state games played on Thursdays result in school out early for football players, and tired kids at school Friday. Not to mention in small schools having to get volleyball players out early so visiting team can have a locker room. I get a lot of people have no idea what I am talking about but Thursday night games for small schools are nightmares to deal with
 

MaxyJR1 said:
6A plays Thursdays as well. Some have played 4 or more Thursdays.

School administrators love Thursday games.
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Yep. Wayzata had 2 or 3 Thursdays.

A big issue is the shortage of officials.
 


Obviously not a factor at this point of the playoffs with not nearly as many games to cover, but the primary driver of the non-Friday games in the regular season is the referee shortage, as I think we've discussed on here.
 

xyz1 said:
Obviously not a factor at this point of the playoffs with not nearly as many games to cover, but the primary driver of the non-Friday games in the regular season is the referee shortage, as I think we've discussed on here.
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Not to mention, in sparsely populated parts of the state, you probably have a much smaller pool of officials to draw from. I doubt a crew from the Twin Cities is going to go to Hallock or Roseau to work a game.
 

Breakdown by night and class for Quarter-finals (28 games total - 4 gms @ in 7 classes)

Thursday: 6A-2, 4A-4, 2A-2, 1A-2, 9pl-3 = 13

Friday: 6A-2, 3A-1, 2A-2, 1A-2, 9pl-1 = 8

Saturday: 5A-4, 3A-3 = 7

It's possible the MSHSL doesn't want all the games on one night. they want people attending the games, and paying to stream the games on NSPN. so stacking too many games on one night would dilute the potential live and streaming audiences.
 

I already have a subscription to NSPN, but are the state tourney games free to everyone else? I know the consolation games in the hockey tournament are...
 



xyz1 said:
Obviously not a factor at this point of the playoffs with not nearly as many games to cover, but the primary driver of the non-Friday games in the regular season is the referee shortage, as I think we've discussed on here.
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Yes it is. Totally get that we need to accommodate for that reason. I also have my suspicions about how much truth there is to it because of how few games and the different number of Thursday games each week

Week 1 is strange with teams opting to play Thursday so its about a 50/50 split

Week 2 - 4 total games Thursday
Week3 - 4 total games
week 4 - 3 total games
week 5 - 4 total games
week 6- 2 total games
Week 7 - 52 total games

Tell me what makes sense to all the sudden need 52 games in week 7 to be played on Thursday? Officials?
 

Sparlimb said:
I already have a subscription to NSPN, but are the state tourney games free to everyone else? I know the consolation games in the hockey tournament are...
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as far as I know, you have to pay to watch the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me.
 

Ranger692 said:
Yes it is. Totally get that we need to accommodate for that reason. I also have my suspicions about how much truth there is to it because of how few games and the different number of Thursday games each week

Week 1 is strange with teams opting to play Thursday so its about a 50/50 split

Week 2 - 4 total games Thursday
Week3 - 4 total games
week 4 - 3 total games
week 5 - 4 total games
week 6- 2 total games
Week 7 - 52 total games

Tell me what makes sense to all the sudden need 52 games in week 7 to be played on Thursday? Officials?
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well, with week 8 being the Wednesday night MEA game, a lot of teams want to play on Thursday because that gives them an extra day of rest/preparation before the final game of the regular season. at least that's the rationale I've always heard.
 

There are also Saturday games; this year in the weeks after Labor Day and before MEA compressed the schedule there were at least 4 games every Saturday, and as many as 9. I can reasonably believe that even that degree of reduction in the number of games on Fridays makes a difference in ensuring that all games are officiated with full staffs.

I will note that the point made on here about the greater logistical challenges for non-Friday games at a smaller outstate school is a legitimate one and one that would not have occurred to me.
 



Ranger692 said:
Might be valid reasons if

Class A, Class 3A teams play Thursday, then all games in class following Saturday...

3 games scheduled for Thursday 11-14 at US Bank - 14 Games scheduled 11-7
(28 of the remaining 56 team play Thursday)
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3 of the 9man Quarters are 11/7. All will play 11/14. The winner of the 11/8 Quarter gets shortchanged IMO.

2 of the 6A Quarters are on 11/7. There is a 6A Semi on 11/14.
Ranger692 said:
Only 3 games scheduled at same venue for Thursday 11-7 and friday 11-8
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Not the point I was making. Schools hosting on Thursday might have their own team playing on Friday in some other venue. Opposite could also be true.

Ranger692 said:
In person scouting is garbage with todays film. Only thing gained from an in person scout is the
chance to rub shoulders to see actual size VS perceived size from film - NOT REALY A BIG THING in game planning.
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I never said it was a BIG thing, but it is a thing. A buddy of mine who has coached in many State Tournaments, relishes the opportunity to watch an opponent (even a potential one) in person. He once drove on a Saturday about 5 hrs (round trip) after winning on a Friday the night before to scout his opponent.

He's playing again this Thursday. Should his team advance, I'm pretty sure I know where he or part of his staff will be the following night.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
well, with week 8 being the Wednesday night MEA game, a lot of teams want to play on Thursday because that gives them an extra day of rest/preparation before the final game of the regular season. at least that's the rationale I've always heard.
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Also, the first round of section play is the Tuesday after that, so getting an extra day between week 7 and 8 is helpful.
 

Ranger692 said:
Yes it is. Totally get that we need to accommodate for that reason. I also have my suspicions about how much truth there is to it because of how few games and the different number of Thursday games each week

Week 1 is strange with teams opting to play Thursday so its about a 50/50 split

Week 2 - 4 total games Thursday
Week3 - 4 total games
week 4 - 3 total games
week 5 - 4 total games
week 6- 2 total games
Week 7 - 52 total games

Tell me what makes sense to all the sudden need 52 games in week 7 to be played on Thursday? Officials?
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SON hit the Week 7 reason, it's so that they have 6 days off prior to the Wed night MEA game, instead of just 5.

Also you are overlooking several teams play a Saturday game Weeks 2-6 to mitigate the referee shortage.
 

xyz1 said:
Obviously not a factor at this point of the playoffs with not nearly as many games to cover, but the primary driver of the non-Friday games in the regular season is the referee shortage, as I think we've discussed on here.
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The league director stated this morning that football is still growing in MN an d there are schools starting to add football. He also said officials saw an uptick in numb T’s this year. All good things for the sport.

Example in north metro is that Pact Charter school in Ramsey had a JV team the last couple years.
 

Ope3 said:
SON hit the Week 7 reason, it's so that they have 6 days off prior to the Wed night MEA game, instead of just 5.

Also you are overlooking several teams play a Saturday game Weeks 2-6 to mitigate the referee shortage.
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Ill fully admit I was unaware of any games being played on Saturdays. I have coached in a game Thursday and boarded a bus at 8AM to play a game at 6PM a few years back. I will also be coaching in this years state tournament and if we win I will Definitly not be attending another game until I coach in the next lol. I am not an old man so I am pretty well versed in film study VS on site scouting.

I buy the reasoning to want to play Thursday before MEA, but then that brings up another question. Why are some schools getting preferential treatment for the week prior to the MEA Wednesday game? Another anomaly only MN has to deal with... I promise you when I talk with coaches from every state but here that can not understand the way the end of the season plays out in MN.
 


MaxyJR1 said:
I’m going to go with a final four of

Minnetonka
Anoka
Maple Grove
Shakopee

This is a really balanced final 8.
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This would be my pick for the final 4 as well. Metro South doing about as well as I expected in the playoffs. Lakeville North is still standing mostly due to who they have faced so far (barely got past a team that finished 4-6 in Champlin Park)

Taking it a step further probably going to be Maple Grove vs. Minnetonka in the final.
 

Ranger692 said:
Ill fully admit I was unaware of any games being played on Saturdays. I have coached in a game Thursday and boarded a bus at 8AM to play a game at 6PM a few years back. I will also be coaching in this years state tournament and if we win I will Definitly not be attending another game until I coach in the next lol. I am not an old man so I am pretty well versed in film study VS on site scouting.

I buy the reasoning to want to play Thursday before MEA, but then that brings up another question. Why are some schools getting preferential treatment for the week prior to the MEA Wednesday game? Another anomaly only MN has to deal with... I promise you when I talk with coaches from every state but here that can not understand the way the end of the season plays out in MN.
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The Thursday thing is a bit overblown and really a 6A thing with each district picking a Thursday to play, plus MEA Thursday and Labor Day weekend Thursday. Outside of these weeks no more than 5 games are played across the state on a Thursday except the Thursday prior to MEA

More games are played on Saturdays across the state. Typically 7-9 each week.

The most difficult weeks for officials are Fridays weeks 2-6 where there are 165 games each Friday. MEA Wednesday has 153 games.
 

Ranger692 said:
Ill fully admit I was unaware of any games being played on Saturdays. I have coached in a game Thursday and boarded a bus at 8AM to play a game at 6PM a few years back. I will also be coaching in this years state tournament and if we win I will Definitly not be attending another game until I coach in the next lol. I am not an old man so I am pretty well versed in film study VS on site scouting.

I buy the reasoning to want to play Thursday before MEA, but then that brings up another question. Why are some schools getting preferential treatment for the week prior to the MEA Wednesday game? Another anomaly only MN has to deal with... I promise you when I talk with coaches from every state but here that can not understand the way the end of the season plays out in MN.
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Good luck in your State Tournament game (unless you're playing my friend's team).
 


disco said:
Yep. Wayzata had 2 or 3 Thursdays.

A big issue is the shortage of officials.
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This is kind of a fake reason from what I’ve heard.
But admin like to repeat it

There was a Thursday game that got postponed to Friday this year because they couldn’t find Thursday officials
 

Here we go - State Football Schedule (by class)

9-player: (seed in parentheses)
(1N) Mountain Iron-Buhl vs (4N) Stephen-Argyle - Thurs 7pm Grand Rapids HS
(2N) Fertile-Beltrami vs (3N) Cromwell-Wright - Thurs 7pm Moorhead HS
(2S) Hills-Beaver Creek vs (3S) Border West - Thurs 7pm Buffalo HS
(1S) LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli vs (4S) Renville County West - Fri 7pm Kasson-Mantorville HS
 

1A:
(1N) Upsala-Swanville vs (4N) Parkers Prairie - Thurs 6pm Rock Ridge HS
(2S) Goodhue vs (3S) Springfield - Thurs 7pm Rochester Mayo HS
(2N) Mahnomen-Waubun vs (3N) Deer River - Fri 7pm Becker HS
(1S) Minneota vs (4S) Lester Prairie - Fri 5:30pm Jordan HS
 

2A:
(2N) Barnesville vs (3N) Staples-Motley - Thurs 7pm St Cloud Tech HS
(1S) Chatfield vs (4S) Triton - Thurs 7pm Hastings HS
(1N) Kimball Area vs (4N) Moose Lake-Willow River - Fri 7pm Brainerd HS
(2S) Jackson County Central vs (3S) Norwood-Young America - Fri 7pm Orono HS
 

3A:
(1N) Fergus Falls vs (4N) Albany - Fri 6pm Alexandria HS
(1S) Stewartville vs (4S) Holy Family Catholic - Sat Noon Totino-Grace HS
(2S) Dassel-Cokato vs (3S) Fairmont - Sat 3pm Mpls Washburn HS
(2N) Pequot Lakes vs (3N) Annandale - Sat 7pm Rocori HS
 

4A:
(1S) Totino-Grace vs (4S) Hill-Murray - Thurs 5:30pm Blaine HS
(2N) Hermantown vs (3N) Orono - Thurs 6pm Alexandria HS
(2S) Byron vs (3S) Marshall - Thurs 6pm East Ridge HS
(1N) Becker vs (4N) Holy Angels - Thurs 7pm Brainerd HS
 

5A:
(2N) Robbinsdale Armstrong vs (3N) Alexandria - Sat 11am Monticello HS
(2S) Chanhassen vs (3S) St. Thomas Academy - Sat Noon Osseo HS
(1S) Owatonna vs (4S) Cretin-Derham Hall - Sat 1pm Eastview HS
(1N) Elk River vs (4N) Monticello - Sat 4pm Forest Lake HS
 

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