Gopher Commit Phil Nelson Shines In Season Opener

Nelson helped lead the Scarlets to 10-1 mark and a No. 2 rank in Class AAAA. They lost to Mahtomedi in the state quarterfinals 23-14. Nelson completed 162 of 241 passes (67.2 percent) for 2439 yards and 30 passing touchdowns. Nelson is also an outstanding rusher who had 117 carries for 669 yards and 13 scores. Nelson was named honorable mention Associated Press All-State and Big 9 All-Conference.

Nelson completed 121 of 232 passes for 1944 yards and 23 scores as a sophomores, leading Mankato West to an 11-1 mark losing to eventual Class AAAA state champion Totino-Grace in the state semifinals.

Nelson played backup quarterback as a freshman behind senior starter Ray Teachout on a team that finished 13-1 and won the Class AAAA title.

GopherHole.com caught up with Nelson to learn the latest behind his commitment.

GH: What things did you do to prepare for this season?

PN: Coach Esch does a great weight room program. I partook in track to get a little faster, the 100, the 200, 4 x 100 relay and 4 x 200 relay. Track helped a lot. It was my first year. The prime reason was just for football. I didn’t play basketball. I don’t have the good history with injuries in basketball, so it is not worth the risk.

GH: What were your expectations for this game?

PN: I expected everyone to come out and play hard. Play their best game. You can’t really put a score up there. If everybody plays their best game and as hard as they can, the score will take care of itself.

GH: Is it hard to stay focused on this year, knowing that you will be playing at Minnesota next year?

PN: Not really. I am so excited for my senior year. . It is the senior classes’ last chance to play together and win state. I have been thinking about this. I have been looking forward to my senior year more than anything else. This is the most unbelievable year that you can ever experience, playing with the kids that you grew up with

GH: You are a three-year starter who started one game as a freshman, the year that you won the state tournament. That has to be the goal for you this season.

PN: Definitely. We just want to try to do our best every single game. We are taking it week by week. I think that was what our problem was last year, to build off this year. Last year, we were looking too far ahead. This year, we just have to take it game by game and get better each week. The scores will take care of themselves.

GH: You had some good runs when you lowered your head and knocked down some linebackers. Do your coaches ever tell you to just go down?

PN: They don’t. Coach Esch definitely wants me to run my hardest. This will carry to my next year at the “U,” because Coach Zebrowski (Minnesota quarterback coach) says to fight for the extra yard always.

GH: You committed in February. Why then?

PN: I just knew that is where I wanted to go. The coaching staff was such a hard-nosed program. They are disciplining everyone and they are going to make me a better person and I think that they are really going to start winning sooner than what a lot of people think. That really excites me. I want to be part of my home state and help turn around the program.

GH: Have you talked to commits Jonah Prisig of Blue Earth and Mitch Leidner from Lakeville South? Have you all connected?

PN: Yes. Me, Maxx (Williams), Mitch and Isaac (Hayes). We are getting on Will Johnson (Osseo tight end). We are all just getting together.

GH: Are you going to be watching the USC game?

PN: Yes. I’ll be at every single home game.

GH: Do you have some piece of mind having made your college decision?

PN: To be honest, I’m not really sure. It would be kind of interesting to play my senior year and not knowing where I am going to go. That was something that I definitely ruled out. Me and my family made a decision. These are my teammates. I can’t be doing that to them. Get that out of the way. I wasn’t going to rush it, if I did not know, for sure, but I knew for sure that the Gophers were my home.

GH: It looked pretty easy for the passing game tonight?

PN: All throughout the offseason, we would get together and throw. It definitely pays off on the field. We have a lot of guys returning from last year, starting and seeing varsity time. That definitely helps out. We had just a great preseason training. That helped out and Coach Ash did a good job of installing the offense, so that everyone understood it. We are kind of a complex offense. We did a good job, so that everyone understood.

GH: It was a little easier than you thought tonight?

PN: We come into every game, expecting the other team to be the best team in the state. That never changes. I’m glad that we came into this game with that mentality.

GH: The offense was moving really well tonight. You had a few dropped passes, but other than that, you had to feel good, right?

PN: Yes. We are just going to keep working every week to get those little defects out of the way. We’ll be good next week.

GH: I know that you are a competitive kid. You didn’t play in the second half and didn’t even kickoff the last few times in the second quarter. You probably wanted to play a little bit longer. Was that kind of tough or did you realize that it is probably the best thing?

PN: It is just the right coaching decision to make. We don’t need anybody to get hurt. We can let some of those JV guys to prove some of their spots. I think that the coaches saw that some of us were getting a little light-headed (due to the heat). It was pretty hot at first.

GH: You have to feel good about your college decision?

PN: It is just nice to get that out of the way. That is my home for me. I knew right away, that was the best coaching decision for me. Coach Kill is going to start winning a lot sooner than later, I think. He is just a simple guy and does things the old-fashioned, hard work way. I really like that about him.

GH: You will be able to take advantage of taking part of spring practices by graduating early. How much do you think that is going to help you learn the systems and give you a head start?

PN: That is definitely an advantage. Coach Z really recommended it. I totally agree with him. I’m going to do whatever it takes to be the best college player that I can be and help my team.

GH: Quarterback commit Mitch Leidner of Lakeville South is doing the same thing, because he doesn’t want you to get too far ahead of him.

PN: That is understandable. Me and Mitch have talked. There is no tension between us. We are fine. Everybody asks me about that. It is the same answer. No matter where you go, you are going to get competition. It is nothing new.

GH: I know that you and Andre McDonald are pretty tight and you had said that one of the main reasons you committed was to play with him. He has since backed off his commitment. Have you talked to him much?

PN: He is kind of fading away a little bit. I think that he just needs some space because he has a lot on his shoulders right now. I respect that. He needs to make sure that he makes the right decision for himself. . Whatever he wants, he wants. It is not going to kill us, if he doesn’t want to come. I’d rather have somebody who wants to be here.

GH: You were at the scrimmage the other week. What was your impressions of the team?

PN: They have come a long way since the spring practices, I can tell you that. They are always going to go out there and give it a 110% and that is all you can ask for as a coach.

GH: You had a strong run in the playoffs last year and Totino-Grace, which has won six of the last eight Class 4A titles, has moved up to Class 5A, which doesn’t hurt your chances of getting back to the title game.