The Annandale Cardinals are back in the Class AAA state football tournament for the third straight year and are looking to win their first state championship, while their opponent the Waseca Blue Jays are also seeking their first state championship. Below is a preview and a prediction for the Blue Jays vs. Cards state championship game.
Who: The Waseca Blue Jays vs. The Annandale Cardinals.
What: The 2025 Class AAA MSHSL Prep Bowl State Championship game.
When: Saturday, November 22nd, 1:00 PM.
Where: US Bank Stadium, downtown Minneapolis, home of the Vikings.
Where can I listen? KRWC Radio. Pregame begins at 12:30 PM. (Should this time change, check our Facebook page for updated times!)
The Teams:
Waseca Blue Jays.
How they got here: Waseca went 8-0 in the regular season and won Section 1AAA with a 21-0 shutout of Tri City, and a 31-12 win over Luverne in the Section finals. At state the Blue Jays shut out Holy Family, 14-0 and won a nail biter over Dilworth Glendon Felton, 14-13 in the semifinals.
State Appearance: 5th, last time the Blue Jays played in state was in 2023. All of the Blue Jays appearances in state have come after 2009.
Key Players: WR/DB Deron Russell, QB Kellen Klingler, and RB Jordan Johnston.
About Waseca: The Blue Jays rely on a stellar defense and getting the ball to North Dakota St. recruit, Deron Russell anyway they can. The Blue Jays haven’t allowed more than two touchdowns in a game this season! Not only that, but Waseca has allowed one or less TD’s six times. At state the Jays have relied on their defense to get them to the championship. In the quarterfinals, the Jays shutout Holy Family, 14-0, and last week limited DGF to thirteen points and blocked an extra point which was the difference in the game.
Did you know? Kallan Glynn a Sr. linebacker for Waseca is the grandson of Gene Glynn. Who is Gene Glynn? No he’s not an astronaut, that would be John Glenn, but Gene is the most famous person in Waseca for sports, just ahead of legendary baseball coach Tink Larson. Glynn graduated from Waseca in 1975 and was the first “Mr. Basketball” award winner in the state of Minnesota. Glynn went to Mankato St. to play baseball and was signed by the Montreal Expos in 1979. Glynn then coached for many years in the majors, including being the Minnesota Twins third base coach from 2015-18. Glynn is now retired.
Gene Glynn, above, was the first “Mr. Basketball” recipient in the state of Minnesota back in 1975.
2025 Waseca scores:
@ St. Peter, 7-6, Belle Plaine, 37-6, @Fairmont, 21-14, Norwood Young America, 21-0, Tri City, 49-6, @Worthington, 42-13, @Albert Lea, 35-10, New Ulm, 21-14. Section 3 playoffs defeated Tri City, 21-0 and Luverne, 31-12. At state, defeated, Holy Family, 14-0, and DGF, 14-13.
William Mansfield, above, #6 in blue, blocks an extra point against DGF last week, and that was the difference in the game as Waseca won, 14-13.
Waseca Starting Lineup:
All stats are from last week’s game vs. DGF.
Offense:
WR: #7 Deron Russell, 6’1 175, Sr. 6 rec for 67 yards and a TD.
LT: #56 Kaden Garza, 6’3 256, Sr.
LG: #60 Shakeem Brwon, 6’0 245, Jr.
C: #55 Lucas Selthun, 5’11 205, Sr.
RG: #52 Julius Oviedo, 6’0 205, Sr.
RT: #57 Sean Noble, 6’0 245, Sr.
TE: #5 Ethan Hiller, 6’1 185, Sr. 2 rec for 41 yards.
QB: #15 Kellen Klingler, 6’0 195, So. 13-23-163 yards with one TD and one Pick.
RB: #2 Jordan Johnston, 5’9 160, Sr. 15 carries for 67 yards.
RB: #3 Devin Parpart, 5’9 160, Sr. 1 rec for 6 yards.
WR: #1 Cyett Long, 5’10 170, Sr. 3 rec for 38 yards.
Deron Russell, above, is up for the “Mr. Football” award in Minnesota, which will be given out the day after the Prep Bowl.
Defense:
DL: #52 Julius Oviedo, 6’0 205, Sr. 5 tackles.
DL: #56 Kaden Garza, 6’3 256, Sr. 4 tackles, on TFL
DL: #60 Shakeem Brown, 6’0 245, Jr. 1 tackle
DL: #58 Brady McKenna, 5’10 205, Sr. 5 tackles, 1 TFL.
LB: #6 William Mansfield, 6’1 175, Sr. 4 tackles, 1 TFL, blocked extra point.
LB: #22 Kallen Glynn, 5’10 170, Jr. 13 tackles and 1 TFL.
LB: #55 Lucas Selthun, 5’11 205, Sr. 6 tackles.
DB: #30 Jacob Root, 5’10 160, Sr. 5 tackles.
DB: #7 Deron Russell, 6’1 175, Sr. 5 tackles and 1 PBU.
DB: #9 Riley Mitchell, 6’1 170 Sr. 1 tackle.
DB: #23 Jett Rohl, 5’11, 160 Jr. 2 tackles.
Kallen Glynn, above, notched 13 tackles in the Jays semifinal win over DGF.
Three Keys for Waseca to win.
- Mr. Football Candidate. Deron Russell the Sr. dback and Wide Receiver is up for the Mr. Football award, handed out every year to the top football player in the state of Minnesota. Russell can do it all on defense and offense. On offense they line him up all over the place, even in the backfield. At times they just throw it up for him and he goes and gets it. On defense, he can either cover the other teams top receiver or roam the middle of the field at free safety, looking for errant passes. Next year Russell will play for North Dakota St., but he has one more big game to play.
- Suffocating defense: When you haven’t allowed over two touchdowns to any team all season you are a dominant defense. This team can either blitz and force turnovers, or stay patient and wait for their opponent to make a mistake. They have playmakers at every level in Oviedo, Glynn and Russell, and play a fundamentally sound style of defense that doesn’t give up many big plays. You have to earn your points against Waseca.
- Special Teams: Not only is Russell a great dback and Wide Receiver, but he is also an exceptional kick and punt returner. With his presence back there, you can either take your chances and kick it to him or kick it away from him. Either way, the Jays usually start with good field position. Another area to watch on special teams is their field goal and extra point defense. Last week the difference in the game was a blocked extra point by William Mansfield, who came right up the middle to block the DGF extra point, in the Jays, 14-13 win.
Waseca, above, will give Annandale a lot of different set and looks on offense in Saturday’s championship game.
The Annandale Cardinals
How they got here: 12-0, #1 ranked team in Class AAA, defeated Pine City, 66-0 in semifinals of Section 5AAA, then defeated Foley in the Section finals, 37-14, and advanced to the state semifinals with win over Litchfield, 19-7. In last week’s state semifinal, the Cards survived a shootout with Minneapolis North, 36-20.
State Appearance: 8th. 2023 runner up.
Key Players: WR/CB Gabe Westman, RB/LB Cam Ergen, and OL/DL Ben Walter.
About Annandale: Went 8-0 in the regular season and finished as the #1 ranked team in the state in AAA, outscoring their opponents by almost 40 points per game. The Card’s starting defense has only given up three TD’s all season. The only time the Cards trailed was against #3AAA Holy Family, 10-9 at the half in week five, but outscored the Fire, 21-0 in the second have for a 30-10 win. In the sections, the Cards shutout out Pine City, 66-0, and didn’t allow a first down the entire game!
In the 5AAA finals, the Cards led Foley, 37-0 in the fourth before but the Falcons scored two TD’s late to end the shutout. In the state quarterfinals the Cards faced their rivals form Litchfield and survived a 19-7 slugfest to reach the state semifinals. In the state semifinals the Cards defeated North, 36-20. The key play in the game came with Annandale up 29-14, but North was on the doorstep of the Cards end zone but never got they’re thanks to an interception by Sophomore Rylan Horsch that was returned to the 50 yards line. The Cards scored on that drive, punching their ticket to the state championship game.
Did you know? The Annandale Cardinals went undefeated and finished ranked #1 in the state, but still have never won a state championship? Huh? In 2020, Annandale went 7-0, and defeated Milaca, 34-0 in Section 5AAA final. Unfortunately, that was it for the season due to the Covid pandemic. The Cards finished the season ranked #1 in AAA but never got a chance to prove it in the Prep Bowl. Landon Jones was the QB that year, while Riley Niedzielski avg. 146 yards per game on the ground and Brady Spaulding led the team in receptions.
Colton Purcell, above #6, with one of his two touchdowns in last week’s semifinal win over North.
2025 Annandale Cardinals Scores
Little Falls, 54-6, @ Glencoe SL, 46-0, @ Foley, 40-6, Watertown-Mayer, 49-0, @ Holy Family, 30-10, Rockford, 35-7, Milaca, 56-6, @ Jordan, 38-7. Section 5AAA: Defeated, Pine City, 66-0, and Foley, 37-14. State, defeated Litchfield, 19-7, and last week defeated North, 36-20 in the semifinals.
Rylan Horsch, above #34 in red, is corralled by a whole host of Polars in last week’s game.
Annandale Cardinals Starting Lineups:
All stats are combined from two state games vs. Litchfield and last week against North last week.
Offense.
WR: #1 Gabe Westman, Sr., 4 rec for 155 yards and one TD.
WR: #3 Cooper Broman, Jr. 1 rec, 12 yards.
LT: #72 Kane Fobbe, Jr. 6’2, 240.
LG: #74 Charlie Peterson, Sr., 6’0, 210.
C: #52 Ben Walter, Sr., 6’0, 200.
RG: #54, Adam Klatt, Jr. 5’11, 260.
RT: #64 Owen Pederson, Sr., 6’3, 240.
QB: #7 Michael Kovall, Sr., 9-15 for 143 yards passing, and one TD. #12 Braylon Fobbe, Jr., 12-19 for 160 yards with two TD’s and one INT.
RB: #22 Cam Ergen, Sr., 36-180-1 TD.
WR: #41 Isiah Turner, Sr., 3 rec for 27 yards, and 17 carries for 119 yards and three TDs.
WR: #6 Colton Purcell, Jr. 10 rec for 184 yards and two TDs.
Isiah Turner, above, has scored three TDs in two state tournament games.
Defense:
DL: #62 Owen Pederson, Sr. 7 tackles.
DL: #54 Adam Klatt, Jr. 3 tck, 2 TFL.
DL: #52 Ben Walter, Sr., 6 tck.
LB: #9 Cam Helget, Sr., 10 tck, 1 Int for 10 yards, and 2 TFL.
LB: #51 Keegan Grube, Sr., 22 tck, 4 TFL.
LB: #34 Rylan Horsch, So., 5 tck. 1 INT for 45 yards and a fumble recovery.
LB: #10 Dom Dircks, Jr., 6 tck.
DB: #11 Tavin Long, Jr., 10 tck.
DB: #1 Gabe Westman, Sr., 1 tck.
DB: #19 Noah Elam, Jr., 7 tck.
DB: #6 Colton Purcell, Jr., 10 tck. and 1 INT for 15 yards.
Noah Elam, above, and the rest of the Dbacks for the Cards will have to keep a close eye on WR Deron Russell on Saturday.
Three Keys for the Cards to win.
- Quit with the penalties: The Cards have been great this year at not committing penalties, until last week. The Cards had numerous holds on both offense and special teams which was very uncharacteristic for them. This week they can’t commit those penalties because that is the strength of the Waseca defense. They wait for you to make a mistake on offense to short circuit your drives. The Cards have all the weapons they need, they just have to stay clean on the penalties, and they should be able to put up some points.
- Stop the Run, stop Russell: Stopping the run is always paramount in football, but this week even more so for the Cards. DGF laid the groundwork on how to stop Waseca. DGF limited Waseca to 55 yards rushing and contained Russell, holding him to 67 total yards. This week the Cards need to do the same thing, and they have the defensive front line and linebackers to stop the run, and the playmakers in the secondary to contain Russell. If they can do that, they will be in good shape.
- Were special too! Just like the Jays, Annandale has great special teams. DeBore has made 5 of 6 extra points at state, and Helget’s punts have pinned the opposition deep twice in two state games. The return game is as dangerous as anybody in the state. Westman, Turner, Purcell and Broman can bust one at any time on kicks, while Westman and Turner can do the same on punts. One big concern, is kickoff. The Cards have allowed a lot of long returns which have set up the opposing teams in good field position. This week kicking to Russell will be dangerous, so they might squib it. Either way, they need improve in that area to give themselves the best chance to win.
Cam Helget, above, has had a great year punting the ball for Annandale, and they may need him again Saturday to pin the Jays deep in their own territory.
So what do I think about this game?
This is a matchup that seems really simple on paper. For Waseca, bend but don’t break on defense, get your running game going and find Russell anyway you can. For Annandale, it’s score as much as you can because Waseca doesn’t have the weapons they do to keep up and stop the run and Russell. Seems simple enough, but games aren’t won on paper, thankfully.
With both teams undefeated and featuring two of the best defenses in the state, penalties, and special teams will play more of a roll than they have all season to determine the winner. Also don’t be surprised if both teams have a trick play or two up there sleeves. In a game that could be low scoring, one well designed trick play could flip the script for both teams.
Keegan Grube, above, has 22 tackles in two state tournament games for Annandale.
So, who picks up their first state championship?
Both teams are playing for their first state championship in school history. Last week both teams got acclimated to playing in the Bank so there should be no surprises, and both teams should feel more at home in that environment. So it won’t come down to nerves or playing in such a big stadium. It will come down to limiting mistakes, but even more, it will come down to the team with the most playmakers that show up and make plays on the big stage.
I think Annandale will jump out early behind their dynamic offense, but I don’t expect Waseca to go away. Their defense is just too tough. On the other side of the field, I feel like Annandale’s defense will see its toughest matchup with Russell all year. The advantage for Annandale is that North had a great QB, a stud running back and three great wide receivers, and Annandale still held the Polars at bay most of the game. Stopping one guy seems easier than five. I think the Cards will have a slight lead in the second half and at some point, the Cards will force a big pick from the Sophomore QB and cash that drive in with the clinching touchdown as Annandale win’s its first state championship, 22-7.
I predict Annandale, above, celebrating their Section final win over Foley, will take home another trophy Saturday, and this time it will be a much bigger one! 2025 Class AAA State Champions.
