All Things 2022 Minnesota High School Football Thread

[Some guy]

They’ve done so before and love to have the option. They had Elk River and Spring Lake park. Chaska vs Mankato West I believe. There isn’t equity in sites already. Schools understand when you have 28 games.

I’m not telling you it’s good. I’m telling you avoiding questions is literally why they do stupid stuff

 

[MNVCGUY]

Rosemount 27-0 over Centennial. Rosemount with first pass with 5 minutes left in 3rd quarter.

EP 28-12 over Shakopee.

And the pass went for a TD.

Game started with a blocked punt for a TD and Rosemount was in control the whole way. Should be a great rematch with EP at US Bank.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Scores from Thurs, Nov 10 (more games Friday and Saturday)

6A:
Eden Prairie 28, Shakopee 12
Rosemount 27, Centennial 0

4A:
Simley 46, Chisago Lakes 14
Rocori 22, North Branch 12
Hutchinson 60, Stewartville 22
Zimmerman 51, Holy Angels 6

3A:
Watertown-Mayer 34, Cannon Falls 30
New London-Spicer 18, Milaca 14

2A:
Jackson County Central 27, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Barnesville 21, Moose Lake-Willow River 0
Chatfield 35, Blue Earth 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 14, Sauk Centre 7

9-Man:
Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 37, Red Rock Central 0
Spring Grove 40, Hancock 22

 

[Some guy]

Scores from Thurs, Nov 10 (more games Friday and Saturday)

6A:
Eden Prairie 28, Shakopee 12
Rosemount 27, Centennial 0

4A:
Simley 46, Chisago Lakes 14
Rocori 22, North Branch 12
Hutchinson 60, Stewartville 22
Zimmerman 51, Holy Angels 6

3A:
Watertown-Mayer 34, Cannon Falls 30
New London-Spicer 18, Milaca 14

2A:
Jackson County Central 27, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Barnesville 21, Moose Lake-Willow River 0
Chatfield 35, Blue Earth 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 14, Sauk Centre 7

9-Man:
Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 37, Red Rock Central 0
Spring Grove 40, Hancock 22

14 games
2 1-score games


This is the round of 8
We have too many classes

 

[Gopher 461]

I went to the EP/Shakopee game tonight. Base layer, wool sweater, fleece and a shell with an internal fleece layer and it was enough to withstand the 30+mph gusts.......barely. EP won the rematch with their grind-it-out style and terrific defense. The EP/Rosemount game next week, indoors, should be one hell of a football game. Rosemount won the first one playing field position, great defense, and opportunistic offense. EP went flat late in the 1Q after being stuffed at the Rosemount 7 yard line despite holding the ball for nearly eight minutes. Should be a good one GopherHolers.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I went to the EP/Shakopee game tonight. Base layer, wool sweater, fleece and a shell with an internal fleece layer and it was enough to withstand the 30+mph gusts.......barely. EP won the rematch with their grind-it-out style and terrific defense. The EP/Rosemount game next week, indoors, should be one hell of a football game. Rosemount won the first one playing field position, great defense, and opportunistic offense. EP went flat late in the 1Q after being stuffed at the Rosemount 7 yard line despite holding the ball for nearly eight minutes. Should be a good one GopherHolers.

Should be a fun rematch. Both teams average a little over 30 points a game and play great defense. Rosemount's D has been phenomenal all season giving up only 76 points through 11 games (avg 6.9 per game) with 3 shutouts and 4 other games where they held the opponent to 1 TD or less.

Tons of credit needs to go to former Gopher Parc Williams and his defensive staff because they don't have a ton of stars on D but they are so sound fundamentally and they make teams have to drive the whole field to score which is not easy for most high school teams to do.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Odd schedule setup for 6A. Rosemount and Eden Prairie show as being scheduled to pay on next Friday while the winners of the games tonight will play next Thursday. Why would they set it up to have some teams play on 6 days rest and others on 8 when they could have put both at 7 easily?

Unless they have it wrong on the MSHSL website but you would hope they would catch something like that.

 

[MaxyJR1]

14 games
2 1-score games


This is the round of 8
We have too many classes

It has more to do with some sections being stronger and not seeding state for most classes. Having few classes would still get you blow outs at this point as the top teams are usually powerhouses.

 

[State of Football]

Odd schedule setup for 6A. Rosemount and Eden Prairie show as being scheduled to pay on next Friday while the winners of the games tonight will play next Thursday. Why would they set it up to have some teams play on 6 days rest and others on 8 when they could have put both at 7 easily?

Unless they have it wrong on the MSHSL website but you would hope they would catch something like that.

With the bracket, you have Stillwater and EP still playing and hosting games. I am sure that made an impact on the bracket.

 

[Gophers_4life]

14 games
2 1-score games


This is the round of 8
We have too many classes

I get the overall observation ... but why does that have to destroy classes?

Why can't it just be that, say for example, only the top 8 in each class get to make the state playoff??

Give everyone and extra week or two of regular season, to fill up the gap we now currently have with 120938123 rounds of "everyone makes it" playoff.

 

[MNVCGUY]

With the bracket, you have Stillwater and EP still playing and hosting games. I am sure that made an impact on the bracket.

Could be the case. My rooting interest is Rosemount so if they get an extra day of rest that is a good thing but still seems odd to make some teams go on a shorter week when it could be avoided fairly easily (assuming that the dates are listed correctly of course)

 

[Ope3]

Scores from Thurs, Nov 10 (more games Friday and Saturday)

6A:
Eden Prairie 28, Shakopee 12
Rosemount 27, Centennial 0

4A:
Simley 46, Chisago Lakes 14
Rocori 22, North Branch 12
Hutchinson 60, Stewartville 22
Zimmerman 51, Holy Angels 6

3A:
Watertown-Mayer 34, Cannon Falls 30
New London-Spicer 18, Milaca 14

2A:
Jackson County Central 27, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 0
Barnesville 21, Moose Lake-Willow River 0
Chatfield 35, Blue Earth 6
Eden Valley-Watkins 14, Sauk Centre 7

9-Man:
Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 37, Red Rock Central 0
Spring Grove 40, Hancock 22

A good not great day for the old Missota.

Winners - Rosemount, Simley & Hutchinson.
Losers - Shakopee & Holy Angels.

Shakopee (6A) & HA (4A) were in the Conference at the end in 2014, but there's an entire Class in between them.

 

[Some guy]

It has more to do with some sections being stronger and not seeding state for most classes. Having few classes would still get you blow outs at this point as the top teams are usually powerhouses.

Having sections of 4 and 5 decided purely by geography is why some sections are weaker. We have sections with 4-5 teams because we have too many classes.

 

[Some guy]

I get the overall observation ... but why does that have to destroy classes?

Why can't it just be that, say for example, only the top 8 in each class get to make the state playoff??

Give everyone and extra week or two of regular season, to fill up the gap we now currently have with 120938123 rounds of "everyone makes it" playoff.

That’s closer to what Wisconsin does.

But really we have a ton of sections with 4 5 and 6 teams that are purely geographic.
If you have 4 bad teams in one section, you are guaranteeing at least one bad team in the state tourney.
If you have 7 classes you have 56 teams in the state tourney
If you have 6 you have 48

8 more spots increases the likelihood of bad teams in the state tourney

 

[Gophers_4life]

That’s closer to what Wisconsin does.

But really we have a ton of sections with 4 5 and 6 teams that are purely geographic.
If you have 4 bad teams in one section, you are guaranteeing at least one bad team in the state tourney.
If you have 7 classes you have 56 teams in the state tourney
If you have 6 you have 48

8 more spots increases the likelihood of bad teams in the state tourney

I'm not talking like take the highest ranked team from each section. Basically, sections become irrelevant. I'm talking about just taking the best (ranked) X teams in the state, per class, based on regular season results, seeding them, and putting them into an X team seeded bracket for each class.

 

[Some guy]

I'm not talking like take the highest ranked team from each section. Basically, sections become irrelevant. I'm talking about just taking the best (ranked) X teams in the state, per class, based on regular season results, seeding them, and putting them into an X team seeded bracket for each class.

There is no way of objectively rankings the best X teams in the state in our current scheduling model

 

[Gophers_4life]

There is no way of objectively rankings the best X teams in the state in our current scheduling model

How does Wisconsin do it, then?

 

[MinnGopher]

Does anyone know if there is a MN HS football forum anywhere? Talking off gopherhole on other sites. Always fun to hear what others are saying about their teams.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Does anyone know if there is a MN HS football forum anywhere? Talking off gopherhole on other sites. Always fun to hear what others are saying about their teams.

used to be one on Minnesota-Scores.net, but they dropped the message board section. ran into too many problems with people being a-holes.

 

[MNVCGUY]

used to be one on Minnesota-Scores.net, but they dropped the message board section. ran into too many problems with people being a-holes.

a-holes on a message board......now you are just making stuff up.....

 

[UpAndUnder43]

I honestly just started following MN HS football closely for the first time this year, so forgive my ignorance. For those in the know - help me out here. Is this the accurate representation for the AAAA state tournament? The MSHSL says they aren't placing teams into brackets until Monday, and yet this shows up today. I'm dubious whether it's accurate or just a placeholder. If accurate,

I honestly just started following MN HS football closely for the first time this year, so forgive my ignorance. For those in the know - help me out here. Is this the accurate representation for the AAAA state tournament? The MSHSL says they aren't placing teams into brackets until Monday, and yet this shows up today. I'm dubious whether it's accurate or just a placeholder. If accurate, it's honestly very stupid. Stewartville and Hutchinson have far and away been the two best AAAA teams this year, and you place them both in the same quarterfinal? Or is it predetermined to match certain section champs against each other? Again, forgive my ignorance. View attachment 21619

I’m not positive Stewartville was that good and hutch lost to Becker…who didn’t make state. Could rematch with Rocori in the final.

 

[State of Football]

Thats not good for the growth of football. Teams would not play if they’re eliminated from post season.

Plus, it’s not what the coaches want.

There is no way of objectively rankings the best X teams in the state in our current scheduling model

t

 

[short ornery norwegian]

HS Football Scores - Friday, Nov 11

6A:
Maple Grove 24, East Ridge 17
Lakeville South 37, Stillwater 14

5A:
(all games being played Saturday)

3A:
(2 games being played Saturday)

1A:
Springfield 28, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg 6
Deer River 26, Mahnomen-Waubun 14
Fillmore Central 18, Lester Prairie 16
Minneota 35, Breckenridge 7

9-Man:
Mountain Iron-Buhl 42, Kittson County Central 28
Fertile-Beltrami 22, Ogilvie 6

 

[Gopher 461]

6AAAAAA semis are set. EP/Rosemount and Lakeville South/Maple Grove. I think the Final will be EP/Lakeville South. For those GopherHolers who follow and are interested in high school football, your thoughts?

 

[MNVCGUY]

6AAAAAA semis are set. EP/Rosemount and Lakeville South/Maple Grove. I think the Final will be EP/Lakeville South. For those GopherHolers who follow and are interested in high school football, your thoughts?

Not surprised that this is the final 4 left standing. I thought they would all have to work a little harder to get to this point but most of the lead up games were pretty lopsided. Maple Grove is the only one I haven't seen live yet.

Could really see any of these teams coming out on top, think it will all come down to who makes the fewest mistakes.

I will go with a Rosemount/South rematch in the finals. But there really isn't a combo that could come out of these games that would surprise me as all 4 teams have been up near the top all year.

 

[FUBAR]

6A teams remaining:
Gold North: Maple Grove, Centennial
Maroon North: Stillwater
Gold South: Rosemount, Eden Prairie, Lakeville South, Shakopee
Maroon South: East Ridge

Against .500 or better records:
Shakopee (1-3): Wins EP 31-14; Losses PL 16-24, LS 10-28, Eagan 21-23
East Ridge (3-2): Wins Wbry 28-0, Eagan 31-24, PL 28-27; Losses EP 7-34, Stwtr 17-45
Centennial (3-2): Wins Tonka 8-7, Wbry 17-14, Wyzta 18-14; Losses Stwtr 28-29, MG 17-24
Lakeville South (3-2): Wins PL 21-17, Shak 28-10, WBL 30-0; Losses EP 6-21, RSMT 7-10
Stillwater (4-1): Wins Cent 29-28, ER 45-17, WBL 35-28, Brnd 38-21; Losses EP 14-35
Eden Prairie (5-2): Wins ER 34-7, LS 21-6, PL 28-14, Stwtr 35-14, Wbry 55-14;
Losses RSMT 7-14, Shak 14-31
Maple Grove (4-0): Wins Tonka 41-27, Cent 24-17, Wyzta 28-21, FL 54-21
Rosemount (5-0): Wins Eagan 39-7, EP 14-7, LS 10-7, PL 27-17, Wyzta 42-14

Shakopee - Signature win over EP. When this team hears the drums start beating it is lights out and opponents better hang on; however, they give up a lot of penalties on procedural stuff and the emotions run both ways. If healthy, and the drum beat starts, they could challenge EP again. If those hurt are out and EP scores early...they've had a good run.
East Ridge - The "Maroon" mantra doesn't stick to this team. Very athletic across the board and a team again that plays with emotion. They will need to control the ball more agains MG and not trade quick possessions...somehow.
Centennial - Ultra tough, ultra controlling and always a team that plays better as the season goes on. They match opponents regardless of who they are playing. They will need 10 minute drives and then force 3 and outs so Rosemount can't figure out how to attack them. They will enjoy the punch in the face contest...but as anyone from St. Paul knows...so does anyone Irish.
Lakeville South - The cougars have figured out they don't have the horses they did last year and that is leading to success late in the season. They still have great athletes and a smart coach, just not in all the spots on offense. If Stillwater cannot stop the T then this game may be over, because South's defensive unit is just as good as last year if not better.
Stillwater - Incredible group of athletes across the board. Still can't figure out how the EP game got away from them like it did; however, their coach used it to improve his team and they are better for it. The games they have to win now will take all the ponies can play to and adjust to. They have the players and the coach to do it.
Eden Prairie - The MOST tested team, the best post-season team, and a nightmare for any coaching staff to face...a second time. The eagles drew the mildest quartile, but need to beat the team that beat them to get to the show. And then might have to do it again in the first round. Mike Grant really enjoys these types of challenges and his players always respond to them.
Maple Grove - The team that is the most complete package. Top to bottom, and another team with a phenomenal coaching staff. The diversity of their offense will cause their next two opponents fits and that is why they could blow past them. The ONLY question is if they get to the championship their defensive front could face an opponent that is in a higher weight class and just as athletic.
Rosemount - It's obvious, a bunch of young men who really love to play football. It is hard to figure out who the starters are. They send a #2 in at anything from QB to OL to LB and the kid lights it up. A team that would play all night long whether up or down after 4. Good coach that has not won a state championship. We will find out if that is an asset or a liability to a group of players every coach on this page would love to have.

6A teams remaining:
Gold North: Maple Grove
Gold South: Rosemount, Eden Prairie, Lakeville South, Shakopee

Against .500 or better records:
Lakeville South (4-2): Wins PL 21-17, Shak 28-10, WBL 30-0, Stwtr 37-14;
Losses EP 6-21, RSMT 7-10
Maple Grove (5-0): Wins Tonka 41-27, Cent 24-17, Wyzta 28-21, FL 54-21 ER 24-17
Eden Prairie (6-2): Wins ER 34-7, LS 21-6, PL 28-14, Stwtr 35-14, Wbry 55-14, Shak 28-12
Losses RSMT 7-14, Shak 14-31
Rosemount (6-0): Wins Eagan 39-7, EP 14-7, LS 10-7, PL 27-17, Wyzta 42-14 Cent 27-0

Lakeville South - If an opponent is not able to stop the T, then the Cougars will win. LS has learned some diversity in their offense this season. They have done this to prepare for EP or Rsmt, we will see if they need it with MG. Defensively they are a very strong team and have played good teams but not the most physical teams in the playoffs. MG will be the ultimate test for the defense. Strange statement, but it might actually benefit the Cougars if MG was kind-of good at stopping the T so that drives would last longer. Trading scores with MG may not be the best strategy, but REALLY fun to watch if you like offense.
Maple Grove - The athletes on this team are taking play to another level. Coach Lombardi has been putting the time in already to stop the T I'm sure. Have some of the more athletic players been asked to play a larger role both ways? I don't know the answer, but that might be the only solution. It will take everything the Crimson have to stop LS. Completely respect this team, and maybe they had an average night in cold conditions, but honestly I did think that their game would have the highest margin of victory out of the quarter-finals. Get them in the BANK and we will find out for sure.
Eden Prairie - As stated before, the MOST tested team, the best post-season team, and a nightmare for any coaching staff to face...a second time. The eagles drew the mildest quartile which means they should be healthy, they beat one of the teams that beat them and now have a chance to beat the other. Mike Grant loves this challenge and his players always respond to him, again as stated. The Eagles will have an exceptional game plan and the players will be prepared. It will be interesting to see which direct Coach Grant decides to go with the game plan; will he plan a pinpoint and precision plan offensively (for sure some trick plays), will he just keep the punch in the face contest going, or a combination?
Rosemount - Completely shocked by the outcome of the Centennial game. Some of the players have to be part machine. Thought they just loved to play, but now wondering what the talk is in the locker room? Are the Irish angry because they were not ranked at the beginning of the year? Do the players take it personally when sports reporters and media pick against them? There has to be something I am missing. 1 pass...1 PASS! AND for a score!?!? Back-up running back scored the 2nd touchdown and played knockout offense on two tough linebackers...as a back-up. I'm intrigued.
---
MG vs. LS - My prediction is a high scoring game that will be fun to watch. We will see highly athletic players asked to play a larger role, which is nothing new at this stage of the season.

EP vs. RSMT - Low scoring game. The team that takes advantage of an opponent's mistake will win. The mistake could be a turnover, but it could also be a coaching misstep. The winner of this game will benefit from TWO weeks off. These teams will play like they have burned the ships and there is no way home. The strongest statement I will make is this; Those who love high school football have two state championship games to watch this year. Based on head-to-head and common opponents this is the championship game. But then I get to watch another one and if I am surprised...IT'S THAT MUCH BETTER!
---
P.S. Congratulations to all the boys of fall, and thank you for playing your hearts out (for no money) and allowing us the honor of watching you. You all can't be champions, but I hope you all had championship moments that you will remember.
Thank you to all the referees and support personnel that allow these boys to play. You have chosen to put yourself into a tough situation and you do it for kids. May God bless you.

I don't believe I have picked anyone to win, just offered my observations.

 

[Gopher 461]

Great post FUBAR. I agree with you on the EP/Rosemount game. I think it's going to come down to the EP Center Sather and his two friends to his left and to his right vs a swarming Rosemount D. The game is indoors so I wouldn't put it past Coach Grant to try some funny stuff with Fazzi, but I expect grinding trench warfare to be the norm. The first game saw EP take 7 1/2 minutes on their opening drive to get the ball to the Rosemount 7 and then the offense stalled because they tried to go wide three consecutive times. After Rosemount took over, their first play went for forty to their right, a bias that they emphasized all night. Rosemount played a very effective field position game and unveiled the Power T during the game. I think EP has beefed up their left side D, the pouch kicking indoors may not be as successful, and EP will use their 3-5-3 "Lakeville South" D alignment if Rosemount goes Power T. Both teams better make sure the helmets are secure as I expect a take no prisoners type of game on blocking/tackling. It will be quite the contest.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Great post FUBAR. I agree with you on the EP/Rosemount game. I think it's going to come down to the EP Center Sather and his two friends to his left and to his right vs a swarming Rosemount D. The game is indoors so I wouldn't put it past Coach Grant to try some funny stuff with Fazzi, but I expect grinding trench warfare to be the norm. The first game saw EP take 7 1/2 minutes on their opening drive to get the ball to the Rosemount 7 and then the offense stalled because they tried to go wide three consecutive times. After Rosemount took over, their first play went for forty to their right, a bias that they emphasized all night. Rosemount played a very effective field position game and unveiled the Power T during the game. I think EP has beefed up their left side D, the pouch kicking indoors may not be as successful, and EP will use their 3-5-3 "Lakeville South" D alignment if Rosemount goes Power T. Both teams better make sure the helmets are secure as I expect a take no prisoners type of game on blocking/tackling. It will be quite the contest.

Great breakdowns from both Fubar and 461.

Power T has been huge for Rosemount on offense (stuck with it almost exclusively in 2nd half blowout of Wayzata and full game against Centennial). But the strength of Rosemount all year has been the D. They play really sound and don't let teams torch them for big plays. Averaging under a TD allowed a game and if you eliminate scores by the other teams defense or scores against the Rosemount backups in garbage time the number would be even lower. They do it with very few individual stars but they force teams to drive the length of the field and run a lot of plays.

Should be a heck of a nightcap on Friday night.

 

[xyz1]

St Thomas loses to Mahtomedi, something I did not see coming. Perhaps only playing one game that was competitive all year - first Mahtomedi game - wasn't exactly the best way for St Thomas to prepare for close games in playoffs.

 

[disco]

Does anyone know if there is a MN HS football forum anywhere? Talking off gopherhole on other sites. Always fun to hear what others are saying about their teams.

It's hard to even find really good coverage these days. Both Metro papers used to have really good prep football sections.