All Things 2022 Minnesota High School Football Thread

Donate To GopherHole
Offensively Rosemount played not to lose, than to win. Seems like once Rosemount got the lead, they trusted their defense to do the rest, which they did. EP tried to take advantage of their size advantage on the outside, but never seemed to prioritize that until the end. If it wasn't for the turnovers and the strange onside kick choice by Grant (wonder if Frost is a consultant for EP), Rosemount doesn't win. Still, they did everything they needed to do. I do believe whomever gets to 17 first wins the title game. One thing I will say about Rosemount is they are an extremely deep team for a HS team. No real stars, but solid throughout.
 

gophernut1 said:
Offensively Rosemount played not to lose, than to win. Seems like once Rosemount got the lead, they trusted their defense to do the rest, which they did. EP tried to take advantage of their size advantage on the outside, but never seemed to prioritize that until the end. If it wasn't for the turnovers and the strange onside kick choice by Grant (wonder if Frost is a consultant for EP), Rosemount doesn't win. Still, they did everything they needed to do. I do believe whomever gets to 17 first wins the title game. One thing I will say about Rosemount is they are an extremely deep team for a HS team. No real stars, but solid throughout.
Click to expand...
Hot take by me here

Not losing and winning are the same thing
 

To Gophernut1:The onside kick by Grant was a real headscratcher. Rosemount was going to get the ball at the start of the second half. At the time of the kick, it was 7-7. If he had kicked and put Rosemount at the 25-yard line or less they may have scored, but putting them at their 40-yard line made a big difference particularly when the QB made his run on a great fake. The TD 17 seconds before the half was huge. Rosemount never made it past their 50 in the second half as the EP D tightened. EP penalties, a fumble by 24 inside the 20, and the dropped pass by 17 at the 11-yard line sealed the game for Rosemount. I will say again, congrats to both squads; that was a hard-hitting high school football game. Rosemount goes into the final game with a lot of momentum.
 

As someone who played for Grant (albeit 32 years ago), I can tell you he's always had that surprise onside kick in his arsenal, though I'm not sure why, because it's not a play that usually works, and I'd never consider doing it in a playoff game.
 

Some guy said:
Hot take by me here

Not losing and winning are the same thing
Click to expand...

You are genius!! There are ways to coach that challenge your team to make a play and ways to coach that challenge the other team to make a play. Coach Erdman was not coaching to challenge his team to extend the lead (only way that happens is if EP misses an assignment on a run). I left the game feeling Rosemount won the game because of some fortunate bounces their way, not because they played the better game. Obviously Rosemount won, it was how they won that makes me worried for them going into the championship game.
 


gophernut1 said:
You are genius!! There are ways to coach that challenge your team to make a play and ways to coach that challenge the other team to make a play. Coach Erdman was not coaching to challenge his team to extend the lead (only way that happens is if EP misses an assignment on a run). I left the game feeling Rosemount won the game because of some fortunate bounces their way, not because they played the better game. Obviously Rosemount won, it was how they won that makes me worried for them going into the championship game.
Click to expand...
Lol at the guy who criticizes an unbeaten team in the state title game who just beat the biggest powerhouse in the state

You’re right. They might not have been the better team…yet you somehow think that’s a criticism when in reality it’s a complement to the coaching. They just won with a worst team. That’s proves they had the better strategy
 

Are HS numbers still really down? I was shocked how many Rosemount and EP kids played both ways.
 


gophernut1 said:
You are genius!! There are ways to coach that challenge your team to make a play and ways to coach that challenge the other team to make a play. Coach Erdman was not coaching to challenge his team to extend the lead (only way that happens is if EP misses an assignment on a run). I left the game feeling Rosemount won the game because of some fortunate bounces their way, not because they played the better game. Obviously Rosemount won, it was how they won that makes me worried for them going into the championship game.
Click to expand...
All good, except for the fact that Rosemount and EP have played twice this year.

Rosemount is 2-0 and, as near as I can tell, in 120 minutes of football EP has never had the lead.

What more does Rosemount have to do to make you think that they’re simply a better team than EP this year?
 



Has Rosemount been to a title game with Erdmann? Seems they are in state or even semis a lot but can’t recall them in the prep bowl
 

Fan of Ray Christensen said:
All good, except for the fact that Rosemount and EP have played twice this year.

Rosemount is 2-0 and, as near as I can tell, in 120 minutes of football EP has never had the lead.

What more does Rosemount have to do to make you think that they’re simply a better team than EP this year?
Click to expand...
It’s the most illogical argument of all time
Rosemounts coaching strategy sucks so bad they went 2-0’with the worse team
 

timj5304 said:
Has Rosemount been to a title game with Erdmann? Seems they are in state or even semis a lot but can’t recall them in the prep bowl
Click to expand...
I think this is the 3rd time
For sure at least second
 




LeftofThaDial said:
Are HS numbers still really down? I was shocked how many Rosemount and EP kids played both ways.
Click to expand...
Even at 6A when you have more kids sometimes you just have to get as much as you can out of your best guys. Superior athletic ability sometimes carries the day.
 

gophernut1 said:
You are genius!! There are ways to coach that challenge your team to make a play and ways to coach that challenge the other team to make a play. Coach Erdman was not coaching to challenge his team to extend the lead (only way that happens is if EP misses an assignment on a run). I left the game feeling Rosemount won the game because of some fortunate bounces their way, not because they played the better game. Obviously Rosemount won, it was how they won that makes me worried for them going into the championship game.
Click to expand...
This is high school football not college or pro. Erdmann and the Rosmount coaches know exactly what they have and what you see as bad coaching is actually great coaching. Rosemount has the best defense in 6A and a strong running game. They lean on that and it has worked to the tune of a 12-0 record with 2 wins over Eden Prairie to go along with wins over South, Centennial and a number of other good teams.

Credit EP with doing a good job holding the Rosemount offense in check in the second half. But given that Rosemount was playing with a lead, they weren't going to take unnecessary risks that could have given EP the window it needed to come back. Rosemount was going to do what they do and let the D win it for them the way they have all season.
 

MSHSL HS FB Semi-Finals -- Saturday, Nov 19

1A:
Springfield 54, Deer River 30
Minneota 28, Fillmore Central 27

3A:
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 16, Fairmont 7
New London-Spicer 33, Watertown-Mayer 28

5A:
Mankato West 14, Rogers 10
 

Prep Bowl Matchups - (remember, two weeks until the State Finals....)

Fri, Dec 2:

1A: Springfield vs Minneota -- 10am

2A: Barnesville vs Chatfield -- 1pm

4A: Simley vs Hutchinson -- 4pm

6A: Maple Grove vs Rosemount -- 7pm


Sat, Dec 3:

9-Man: Spring Grove vs Mt Iron-Buhl -- 10am

3A: Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton vs New London-Spicer -- 1pm

5A: Elk River vs Mankato West -- 4pm
 

MNVCGUY said:
This is high school football not college or pro. Erdmann and the Rosmount coaches know exactly what they have and what you see as bad coaching is actually great coaching. Rosemount has the best defense in 6A and a strong running game. They lean on that and it has worked to the tune of a 12-0 record with 2 wins over Eden Prairie to go along with wins over South, Centennial and a number of other good teams.

Credit EP with doing a good job holding the Rosemount offense in check in the second half. But given that Rosemount was playing with a lead, they weren't going to take unnecessary risks that could have given EP the window it needed to come back. Rosemount was going to do what they do and let the D win it for them the way they have all season.
Click to expand...
I didn't say it was bad coaching, I just said he chose to trust his defense and not force anything on offense. He coached a certain way that worked on that day. I just thought Rosemount was the better team, but played in a way that would have allowed EP to win if they ended up making a big play (which they didn't so what he did worked). I am worried that they are going up against a team that held LS to 7 pts and Rosemount has not passed in 2 straight game. While they play the T to perfection, it is easier to defend if you don't have to worry about the pass. My guess is Rosemount passes by drive 2 or 3 if the score is tied or if they are behind. If they are ahead they will grind.
 

gophernut1 said:
I didn't say it was bad coaching, I just said he chose to trust his defense and not force anything on offense. He coached a certain way that worked on that day. I just thought Rosemount was the better team, but played in a way that would have allowed EP to win if they ended up making a big play (which they didn't so what he did worked). I am worried that they are going up against a team that held LS to 7 pts and Rosemount has not passed in 2 straight game. While they play the T to perfection, it is easier to defend if you don't have to worry about the pass. My guess is Rosemount passes by drive 2 or 3 if the score is tied or if they are behind. If they are ahead they will grind.
Click to expand...
It is a tough spot to be in as a coach I'm sure. If EP scores right at the end and Grant brings out the one-timer trick play for the 2 point conversion he wins and Erdman looks like a fool for not opening up the playbook. MNVCGUY is correct that Erdmann bet on his defense, and in this case was right. I did think the Rosemount fans were going to come out of the stands after the pass interference call, but then the make up call for holding and the forced fumble on a hell-of-a hit calmed them down.

Maple Grove vs. Lakeville South surprised me. It was a great game to watch as well. It also made me wonder if Erdmann has an endgame strategy. If you know the playbook for the T there are some nasty things you can do that I have only seen Rosemount dip into twice. Does that mean they have been working on them but don't want to show them until the end? I'm sure Lombardi has things his quarterback can do that he hasn't shown either.

My hope is for an equally impressive championship game. Maple Grove is so impressive athletically. Rosemount may have trouble finding another gear, but they did in the Prior Lake game when they came from behind to win by 10.
 
Last edited:

FUBAR said:
It is a tough spot to be in as a coach I'm sure. If EP scores right at the end and Grant brings out the one-timer trick play for the 2 point conversion he wins and Erdman looks like a fool for not opening up the playbook. MNVCGUY is correct that Erdmann bet on his defense, and in this case was right. I did think the Rosemount fans were going to come out of the stands after the pass interference call, but then the make up call for holding and the forced fumble on a hell-of-a hit calmed them down.

Maple Grove vs. Lakeville South surprised me. It was a great game to watch as well. It also made me wonder if Erdmann has an endgame strategy. If you know the playbook for the T there are some nasty things you can do that I have only seen Rosemount dip into twice. Does that mean they have been working on them but don't want to show them until the end? I'm sure Lombardi has things his quarterback can do that he hasn't shown either.

My hope is for an equally impressive championship game. Maple Grove is so impressive athletically. Rosemount may have trouble finding another gear, but they did in the Prior Lake game when they came from behind to win by 10.
Click to expand...
As long as Rosemount is ahead or tied they are going to be conservative on offense, leaning hard on the run game and relying on the defense. It is a formula that has worked in essentially every game this year since the D has held 10 of 12 opponents to 10 points or less.

They did need to rely on the passing game a little against Prior Lake and it worked out well for them but in the playoffs so far they have barely had to put in the air at all.

Think the championship game could go either way. Both teams have had amazing seasons but one of them will get their first L on the 2nd.
 


Some guy said:
Have not recovered from pandemic yet

Maybe never will
Click to expand...
Kids quit if they don't think they will see the field. Large schools keep numbers up a bit because they can field both a JV and Sophomore teams. I was surprised when my kid's 10th grade season was over and how many kids, he said were quitting and not going to play next year.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Kids quit if they don't think they will see the field. Large schools keep numbers up a bit because they can field both a JV and Sophomore teams. I was surprised when my kid's 10th grade season was over and how many kids, he said were quitting and not going to play next year.
Click to expand...
Yeah. IMO that’s pandemic related. That was happening a little before it. It’s happening a ton now.
A lot of people complain that the kids couldn’t do anything but stay at home during the pandemic…but a lot of kids liked doing nothing but staying home and gaming, hanging out; etc


You used to have seniors happy to be just special teams guys as a senior, now they’d rather play video games and be in the student section
 

It takes a lot to be a starter at a major high school program.

Most of the sports other than football, you're doing year round practicing with a personal trainer or coach and/or playing on some kind of club team (indoors as needed).

And football specializing kids are going to camps and/or working out year round. Lot of these specialized "speed and strength" focused performance gyms for high school kids.


If you're not going to play and potentially get a scholarship, I can see why they don't want to keep up with it.
 

Gophers_4life said:
It takes a lot to be a starter at a major high school program.

Most of the sports other than football, you're doing year round practicing with a personal trainer or coach and/or playing on some kind of club team (indoors as needed).

And football specializing kids are going to camps and/or working out year round. Lot of these specialized "speed and strength" focused performance gyms for high school kids.


If you're not going to play and potentially get a scholarship, I can see why they don't want to keep up with it.
Click to expand...
The days of the multi-sport athlete are definitely diminishing as kids are pushed to specialize in one sport earlier and earlier.

The amount of money spent on specialized training is off the charts these days.
 

MNVCGUY said:
The days of the multi-sport athlete are definitely diminishing as kids are pushed to specialize in one sport earlier and earlier.

The amount of money spent on specialized training is off the charts these days.
Click to expand...
Big money in all this.

Hey, it's something to do. IMO it's better than playing video games. But even that has become a major competition business.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Big money in all this.

Hey, it's something to do. IMO it's better than playing video games. But even that has become a major competition business.
Click to expand...
Big money being spent but I am not sure the return on that is all that great. Families can drop thousands on training and coaching and yet the percentage of kids that are going to progress past the high school level is very small and the ones that are going to actually be in a position to see any sort of financial return on the investment is very very very small.

It is what it is, but the hyper-competitive nature around sports has really sapped a lot of the fun out of it at the lower levels.
 

MNVCGUY said:
The days of the multi-sport athlete are definitely diminishing as kids are pushed to specialize in one sport earlier and earlier.

The amount of money spent on specialized training is off the charts these days.
Click to expand...
I've been saying this for some time now. It's not the fear of concussions IMO that's hurting football numbers. It's the increased specialization. Most sports are year-round. Football is not. So when coaches "suggest" that their players play in this or that league off-season in another sport, it pushes football out of the way. Even at the youth level, baseball encroaches on the early season, and hockey on the late season.

There was a high school coach on the radio the other day. I forget who it was - I think it was a hockey coach. He was talking about how much they love multi-sport athletes.

B.S.

Hockey especially insists that you put hockey above and beyond anything else. When hockey tryouts are so inflexible that they result in kids missing actual football games, then it's just lip service.
 

disco said:
I've been saying this for some time now. It's not the fear of concussions IMO that's hurting football numbers. It's the increased specialization. Most sports are year-round. Football is not. So when coaches "suggest" that their players play in this or that league off-season in another sport, it pushes football out of the way. Even at the youth level, baseball encroaches on the early season, and hockey on the late season.
Click to expand...
I think it's both.
 

Back to the championship talk. Here are my thoughts for 6A.


Rosemount - cannot play one-dimensional and win this game. Will need to have at least the threat of a passing attack. Can their defense play to form against the most versatile offense they have faced.

Maple Grove - Key will be to get an early lead to force Rosemount into a style of play they do not like on offense. Limit big plays and force Rosemount into long drives to score.

Absent turnovers that could swing the game, I see a low scoring affair. I look for MG having just enough to win this in a close game.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom