2025 Minnesota High School Football Thread


Good lord. Nobody can play defense in this game.
 


If I am fleck I am pretty disappointed in the level of defense in this State from its highest division. Pretty pathetic.
 



Our best athletes play hockey.
Pretty broad statement. While I kind of agree the last 2 high level recruits that chose the UofM schools dont have hockey amd there are several guys in the NBA rightnow from MN. But I do agree if we didnt have hockey MN would probably be higher in talent level pool
 

If I am fleck I am pretty disappointed in the level of defense in this State from its highest division. Pretty pathetic.
A lot of bigger Schools went to this "tackle bar" system at the lower levels up through JR High for a few years, so some these classes didnt learn to tackle in game until there freshman year. Could 100% contribute to poor tackling and for sure how physical they are.

I was youth coach in 2017-2019 and had several parents from larger schools call and asked if we still tackled and if we did they were going to send there kids to us instead of playing in these tackle bar leagues with the bigger schools
 

A lot of bigger Schools went to this "tackle bar" system at the lower levels up through JR High for a few years, so some these classes didnt learn to tackle in game until there freshman year. Could 100% contribute to poor tackling and for sure how physical they are.

I was youth coach in 2017-2019 and had several parents from larger schools call and asked if we still tackled and if we did they were going to send there kids to us instead of playing in these tackle bar leagues with the bigger schools
It looked to me like both teams stacked their offense with their best players, and then just decided we will outscore our opponents, even if the kids on D struggle.
 

Get this Moorhead QB offered and committed!!
What does everyone think of Jett? Probably needs to add some height to be a legit P4 QB prospect (I see his older brother is listed at 6-3 now). Not sure he has any interest playing another position.
 












A lot of bigger Schools went to this "tackle bar" system at the lower levels up through JR High for a few years, so some these classes didnt learn to tackle in game until there freshman year. Could 100% contribute to poor tackling and for sure how physical they are.

I was youth coach in 2017-2019 and had several parents from larger schools call and asked if we still tackled and if we did they were going to send there kids to us instead of playing in these tackle bar leagues with the bigger schools
Edina starts tackle in fourth grade. I can't speak to Moorhead.
 

Edina starts tackle in fourth grade. I can't speak to Moorhead.
Where is live its the same. I just know that in that time frame when I was a youth coach that some bigger schools went to that. The last year I coached 5th and 6th grade football, that 5th grade class is SRs today.
 

Where is live its the same. I just know that in that time frame when I was a youth coach that some bigger schools went to that. The last year I coached 5th and 6th grade football, that 5th grade class is SRs today.
Moorhead coach said the juniors have been together since 3/4th grade.
 

A lot of bigger Schools went to this "tackle bar" system at the lower levels up through JR High for a few years, so some these classes didnt learn to tackle in game until there freshman year. Could 100% contribute to poor tackling and for sure how physical they are.

I was youth coach in 2017-2019 and had several parents from larger schools call and asked if we still tackled and if we did they were going to send there kids to us instead of playing in these tackle bar leagues with the bigger schools
Just my opinion, it has more to do with the lack of tackling in practice. This is a universal problem all the way through the NFL.

I’m sure many of us are from the same generation. I played HS football in the late 90s…. Every Tuesday and Wednesday we were tackling to the ground all practice long. Teams today don’t do that due to injuries/concussions.

They are probably smarter than we were/are, but we were better tacklers.
 

Centennial coach retired. Assume his kid or another internal hire will be made.
 

Just my opinion, it has more to do with the lack of tackling in practice. This is a universal problem all the way through the NFL.

I’m sure many of us are from the same generation. I played HS football in the late 90s…. Every Tuesday and Wednesday we were tackling to the ground all practice long. Teams today don’t do that due to injuries/concussions.

They are probably smarter than we were/are, but we were better tacklers.
I think it's more about these kids watch football on TV, and so often, guys are just going shoulder down to try and knock the guy over, or they're focused on trying to knock the ball loose. High school kids aren't powerful enough to do that - at least not here.

When I coached youth football, we CONSTANTLY worked on teaching tackling because it was the single hardest thing to get kids to be able to do. And I don't coach anymore, but I watch my kid's middle school team and it's still an issue, and apparently, it goes all the way to high school.
 

I think it's more about these kids watch football on TV, and so often, guys are just going shoulder down to try and knock the guy over, or they're focused on trying to knock the ball loose. High school kids aren't powerful enough to do that - at least not here.

When I coached youth football, we CONSTANTLY worked on teaching tackling because it was the single hardest thing to get kids to be able to do. And I don't coach anymore, but I watch my kid's middle school team and it's still an issue, and apparently, it goes all the way to high school.
Played HS football in the mid-70's. Do they still teach "sink your hips, keep you feet moving, extend into the ball carrier and head across the bow?"
 

Just my opinion, it has more to do with the lack of tackling in practice. This is a universal problem all the way through the NFL.

I’m sure many of us are from the same generation. I played HS football in the late 90s…. Every Tuesday and Wednesday we were tackling to the ground all practice long. Teams today don’t do that due to injuries/concussions.

They are probably smarter than we were/are, but we were better tacklers.
100 percent. PJ I believe is less tackling than most.
 

(Sorry know I'm late on this)

Kinda wild that two teams with 4 regular season losses are the ones to make it??


On the MG side of the bracket, I'm wondering if Lakeville South was the perfectly wrong mismatch for MG, they played their Superbowl to win, and then Moorhead was the perfectly wrong match for LS? Thing like that?

Edina on the other hand ... went through Champlin, EP, and then Tonka all in a row. They earned it.
 

(Sorry know I'm late on this)

Kinda wild that two teams with 4 regular season losses are the ones to make it??


On the MG side of the bracket, I'm wondering if Lakeville South was the perfectly wrong mismatch for MG, they played their Superbowl to win, and then Moorhead was the perfectly wrong match for LS? Thing like that?

Edina on the other hand ... went through Champlin, EP, and then Tonka all in a row. They earned it.
The T is super difficult to stop if you never see it. Not sure on the maple grove matchup.
I didn’t think Lakeville South was good enough to win the title all year. Was shocked they beat down maple grove.
having watched just highlights of maple grove vs south, maple grove guys got caught not reading keys and then rather than dial in it spiraled. Not the first team that’s happened to against the T. South and Elk River are insane to defend if you don’t see it every year. South averaged 24.6 vs the south metro. Averaged 33.2 against non south metro and played the toughest teams in the state non conference (Edina, maple grove, Moorhead, Wayzata (bad), Moundsview (ok)….just think it’s tough if you haven’t coached or played against it before.


4 regular season losses for Edina. But they lost to Moorhead in the QBs first game back and didn’t know he would be back. Lost to South (semifinalist) by like 2.
Got beat down once by maple grove.
Lost to Eden prairie by a few scores but then beat them in the rematch.
Another thing that happened with Edina is they didn’t really run west at all during the regular season and they he did run some in the playoffs which makes them insanely difficult to defend.


Moorhead a lot simpler. They were like 1-4 against an insane schedule with their backup QB.
They went to state title game with starting QB
 



Considering how much smaller Moorhead's enrollment is than Edina's, I would guess it is far more consequential that Moorhead football loses so many high end athletes to Moorhead hockey, than Edina's situation.

Would also guess Moorhead has far more lower income and immigrant/first gen families baked into their enrollment number, whose kids will never go out for (American) football, let alone hockey, than Edina's enrollment number.

I know MSHSL adjusts the number based on income levels, but the adjustment only does so much.
 

The T is super difficult to stop if you never see it. Not sure on the maple grove matchup.
I didn’t think Lakeville South was good enough to win the title all year. Was shocked they beat down maple grove.
having watched just highlights of maple grove vs south, maple grove guys got caught not reading keys and then rather than dial in it spiraled. Not the first team that’s happened to against the T. South and Elk River are insane to defend if you don’t see it every year. South averaged 24.6 vs the south metro. Averaged 33.2 against non south metro and played the toughest teams in the state non conference (Edina, maple grove, Moorhead, Wayzata (bad), Moundsview (ok)….just think it’s tough if you haven’t coached or played against it before.


4 regular season losses for Edina. But they lost to Moorhead in the QBs first game back and didn’t know he would be back. Lost to South (semifinalist) by like 2.
Got beat down once by maple grove.
Lost to Eden prairie by a few scores but then beat them in the rematch.
Another thing that happened with Edina is they didn’t really run west at all during the regular season and they he did run some in the playoffs which makes them insanely difficult to defend.


Moorhead a lot simpler. They were like 1-4 against an insane schedule with their backup QB.
They went to state title game with starting QB
Awesome post, thank you appreciate this analysis!
 




Top Bottom