2024 MN High School Football thread

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DinkytownDelight said:
Top 7 Recruits in the state of Minnesota in 2024:

Koi Perich 1st overall (3 sport athlete) was in 3A--do we really consider 3A schools tiny, tiny high schools?
Emerson Mandell--Wisconsin (2nd overall recruit in state): Football & Track at Irondale (5A)
Wyatt Gilmore--OU (3rd overall recruit in state): Football, basketball, and Track at Rogers (5A)
Mason Carrier--Gophers (4th overall recruit in state): football, basketball, and track (4A)
Jide Abasari--USC (5th overall): football, wrestling, and track (6A)
Kene Anene--Kansas (6th overall): football and track (6A)
Simon Seidl--Gophers (7th overall: football, hockey, and Track (4A)

If this list shows anything, it confirms you don't need to specialize no matter what size of school you go to. It may show though that if you want to be a great football player you should strongly consider track and field in the offseason!
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I get the point that you're trying to make. Football and track, which was 2 of the sports for each recruit listed, aren't super skill based (I would argue the obvious exception is QB). So, if you're a good enough athlete, you can probably be a really good at football and track.

The guys that tend to excel in football and track tend to be bigger, faster, and stronger. That helps in sports like basketball, hockey (I never played it but I would imagine), and baseball. You still need to put in major hours developing your skills in those sports though, which is unfortunately where the specialization comes in. It's probably a lot less common, though definitely not unheard of, to find someone who is really good at two sports like basketball and baseball.

TLDR: Specialization is a lot more important in other sports than it is in football, which is why football gets the shaft.
 

Word said:
Only one hockey player on the list and zero soccer players, which confirms what some were saying about those 2 sports not playing well with others. Also no baseball. Sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, and tennis require a lot of specialized skills (to play at a really high level) which may explain why they those athletes don't play multiple sports. I don't think it's good but it is what it is.
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Thanks for saying a lot more clearly what I was trying to say 👍
 

FWIW - Esko's enrollment on the MSHSL website is listed at 375. (I believe that is the top 3 grades).

so not tiny but not huge, either. on the smaller end of 3A.

football classes by enrollment:
9-man: 150 and below
A: 151-210
2A: 211-312
3A: 313-597
4A: 598-1016
5A: 1017-1629
6A: 1630 and above

largest enrollments - Minnetonka 3,348 - Wayzata 3,321 - Prior Lake 2,655 - Blaine 2,535 - Edina 2,506

smallest (not an Academy or Christian school) -- Herman-Norcross 23, Hendricks 25.

(there was a school called Indus High School listed on the MSHSL web site with 27 students. I looked it up - it was a magnet school that closed in the summer of 2023. but still listed on the MSHSL web site. they're on top of things)
 

short ornery norwegian said:
FWIW - Esko's enrollment on the MSHSL website is listed at 375. (I believe that is the top 3 grades).

so not tiny but not huge, either. on the smaller end of 3A.

football classes by enrollment:
9-man: 150 and below
A: 151-210
2A: 211-312
3A: 313-597
4A: 598-1016
5A: 1017-1629
6A: 1630 and above

largest enrollments - Minnetonka 3,348 - Wayzata 3,321 - Prior Lake 2,655 - Blaine 2,535 - Edina 2,506

smallest (not an Academy or Christian school) -- Herman-Norcross 23, Hendricks 25.

(there was a school called Indus High School listed on the MSHSL web site with 27 students. I looked it up - it was a magnet school that closed in the summer of 2023. but still listed on the MSHSL web site. they're on top of things)
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They update those lists every two years


My understanding is all the numbers are pro-rated to be 9-12 two genders regardless of your school model (10-12, 9-12, 7-12, k-12, all boys/ all girls, etc)
 
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Some guy said:
They update those lists every two years


My understanding is all the numbers are pro-rated to be 9-12 two genders regardless of your school model (10-12, 9-12, 7-12, k-12, all boys/ all girls, etc)
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double-checked. MSHSL enrollment numbers are 9-12 minus 40% of the "free & reduced price" students in those grades.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I don't have kids old enough yet to worry about any of this but from the little I hear and see, it seems there are certain sports that we see the "need" to specialize in more than others. Sports like hockey, gymnastics and swimming.

If I'm a football coach especially, I want the kids playing as many other sports as they can.
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Wrestling might be at the top of the list. It's an impossible sport to commit just four (4) months a year to and expect to reach your potential.

When you have wrestle-offs at each weight class before every meet, it makes it impossible for parents to whine to the coaches that their kid should be on varsity, though. Always a positive.
 
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Mshsl enrollments are 9-12 minus 40% of their free and reduced lunch or compensatory aid. Enrollments are from two years ago. Classification is every two years.
 


State of Football said:
Cretin’s fall in football has been fascinating. Torino’s similar but they were at least competitive in 4A now.
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We discussed this last fall as well. I think the theory is that a lot of kids who would have gone to Cretin in the past maybe go to STA now.
 



Word said:
Only one hockey player on the list and zero soccer players, which confirms what some were saying about those 2 sports not playing well with others. Also no baseball. Sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, and tennis require a lot of specialized skills (to play at a really high level) which may explain why they those athletes don't play multiple sports. I don't think it's good but it is what it is.
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Well, soccer is a fall sport, so realistically, you wouldn't see someone playing both at the high school level.
 


disco said:
We discussed this last fall as well. I think the theory is that a lot of kids who would have gone to Cretin in the past maybe go to STA now.
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I have no data to back this up but my own personal speculation about cretin vs STA is that as the suburbs have gone from Eagan and Burnsville to lakeville and rosemount fewer people want to journey all the way into St. Paul. + everything at STA is new whereas a lot of the cretin facility feels older.
 

disco said:
Well, soccer is a fall sport, so realistically, you wouldn't see someone playing both at the high school level.
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No but at youth level they conflict which could lead to a player not ever playing high school football .... You also don't see many high level soccer players in other high school sports.
 



Baseball is an interesting one. That's a sport that's increasingly become more specialized with longer seasons than I remember it being in the past. A lot more bleed over into the fall sports than there once was.
 

Word said:
Only one hockey player on the list and zero soccer players, which confirms what some were saying about those 2 sports not playing well with others. Also no baseball. Sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, and tennis require a lot of specialized skills (to play at a really high level) which may explain why they those athletes don't play multiple sports. I don't think it's good but it is what it is.
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Not trying to be rude, but of course there's zero soccer players on this list since it is played in the fall and so is football.

I feel like all of the sports you listed below are the ones that cost the most money and require the most travel amongst athletes which can make it harder to play multiple sports. There are plenty of other athletes who have succeeded at football and the sports listed above though too.

Eric Decker played baseball and football at the U, as did Drew Hmielewski (who I believe was recruited for both too). We also just signed the Ryerse kid who was committed to play football and baseball at Bama and will do so here at the U as well.

From recent memory Jake Ratzlaff, Mark Alt, had D1 offers in both football and hockey, and one of our best O-Line recruits Jim Gjere played both as well.
 



Word said:
See my post #163 above.
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I understand what you're trying to say but I'd argue in the US more kids go out for soccer that don't see a future in football. If our US soccer national teams lack of success is indicative of anything, it's that our top athletes aren't going out for soccer.
 

Class 6A: Week 1 predictions (winner in bold). Let's see yours?

Maple Grove @ Osseo
Eden Prairie @ Buffalo
Anoka @ Champlin Park
Rosemount @ Eastview
Eagan @ Edina
Moundsview @ Farmington
Prior Lake @ Forrest Lake
Stillwater @ Lakeville North
East Ridge @ Park of Cottage Grove
Blaine @ St. Michael-Albertville
Lakeville South @ Wayzata
Minnetonka @ White Bear Lake
Roseville @ Woodbury
Centennial @ Coon Rapids
Burnsville @ Rochester Mayo
Hopkins @ Shakopee
 

prespsguy said:
Class 6A: Week 1 predictions (winner in bold). Let's see yours?

Maple Grove @ Osseo
Eden Prairie @ Buffalo
Anoka @ Champlin Park
Rosemount @ Eastview
Eagan @ Edina
Moundsview @ Farmington
Prior Lake @ Forrest Lake
Stillwater @ Lakeville North
East Ridge @ Park of Cottage Grove
Blaine @ St. Michael-Albertville
Lakeville South @ Wayzata
Minnetonka @ White Bear Lake
Roseville @ Woodbury
Centennial @ Coon Rapids
Burnsville @ Rochester Mayo
Hopkins @ Shakopee
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I’ll take Prior Lake and Stillwater. Agree on the others. Upset Alert: Coon Rapids
 

DinkytownDelight said:
Not trying to be rude, but of course there's zero soccer players on this list since it is played in the fall and so is football.

I feel like all of the sports you listed below are the ones that cost the most money and require the most travel amongst athletes which can make it harder to play multiple sports. There are plenty of other athletes who have succeeded at football and the sports listed above though too.

Eric Decker played baseball and football at the U, as did Drew Hmielewski (who I believe was recruited for both too). We also just signed the Ryerse kid who was committed to play football and baseball at Bama and will do so here at the U as well.

From recent memory Jake Ratzlaff, Mark Alt, had D1 offers in both football and hockey, and one of our best O-Line recruits Jim Gjere played both as well.
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Ratzlaff was a heck of a baseball player also
 


prespsguy said:
Class 6A: Week 1 predictions (winner in bold). Let's see yours?

Maple Grove @ Osseo
Eden Prairie @ Buffalo
Anoka @ Champlin Park
Rosemount @ Eastview
Eagan @ Edina
Moundsview @ Farmington
Prior Lake @ Forrest Lake
Stillwater @ Lakeville North
East Ridge @ Park of Cottage Grove
Blaine @ St. Michael-Albertville
Lakeville South @ Wayzata
Minnetonka @ White Bear Lake
Roseville @ Woodbury
Centennial @ Coon Rapids
Burnsville @ Rochester Mayo
Hopkins @ Shakopee
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I'll take Prior Lake and Blaine as only opposition to your picks
 


prespsguy said:
Class 6A: Week 1 predictions (winner in bold). Let's see yours?

Maple Grove @ Osseo
Eden Prairie @ Buffalo
Anoka @ Champlin Park
Rosemount @ Eastview
Eagan @ Edina
Moundsview @ Farmington
Prior Lake @ Forrest Lake
Stillwater @ Lakeville North
East Ridge @ Park of Cottage Grove
Blaine @ St. Michael-Albertville
Lakeville South @ Wayzata
Minnetonka @ White Bear Lake
Roseville @ Woodbury
Centennial @ Coon Rapids
Burnsville @ Rochester Mayo
Hopkins @ Shakopee
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I agree on every pick except maybe CP > anoka
 




prespsguy said:
Whatever people think based on their own criteria. I happen to love the Hastings Stadium due to it's iconic location.
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Was going to say Hastings
I really enjoy de la salle setting
At Thomas academy has the best coaches box in the state.
Really enjoy Minnetonka and Rosemount’s built into the hill venues
 


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