The second half of the football season starts tonight, and there are some great matchups! In fact, it’s the best week of the regular season. Last week, I went 6-3 again and am 23-11 overall. I can’t get Buffalo right! I keep picking them to lose close games, and they keep winning! As a Buffalo Alum, I’m happy they keep winning, but apparently, I don’t have a good read on how tough they are in close games. Tonight, should be another close one with Monti. Who gets the nod? Find out below.
All games scheduled for Friday night, September 26th at 7 PM.
Annandale (4-0) @ Holy Family (4-0).
Finally, the Cards get a challenge (Not the Cards fault, they don’t make the schedule.) Annandale has outscored its first four opponents, 198-6 with the starters in! Tonight, the #1AAA Cards travel to #4AAA Holy Family. The Fire are 4-0 but needed a rally to get by Howard Lake WW two weeks ago. They have a nice one two punch at RB with Damion Komtangi, and Levi Trout. Ethan Ryan at QB avg. over 158 ypg passing. For Annandale they can do it with the run or pass, and have two excellent QBs in Michael Kovall, and Braylon Fobbe.
The Pick: Both teams have athletes all over the field, but Holy Family doesn’t have the size and athleticism of the Cards D line of Owen Pederson, Ben Walter and Nate Klatt. Cards win on the road, 31-16.
Levi Trout is one of the one two punch that leads a potent Fire offense.
Buffalo (3-1) @ Monticello (3-1). You can hear this game on AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app. Pregame show starts at 6:30 PM.
These two teams meet for the first time since Buffalo won on the road at Monti in 2023, 22-20. Buffalo has won three straight, including two nail bitters over Bemidji and Armstrong the last two weeks. Grant Benson has been unstoppable at QB for the Bison, avg. over 330 yards per game total with thirteen TDs. For Monticello, the defense has led the way, giving up only 10 ppg, and has forced 9 turnovers in four games. Cale Holthaus leads a powerful running game with 96 ypg.
The Pick: Grant Benson is the best player on the field, but Monticello is the more physical team. Good news for the Bison, I’m picking them to lose another close game, 23-21, so you can be assured Buffalo will win!
Grant Benson, #15, avg. over 300 yards of offense per game and has scored thirteen TD’s this season for the Bison.
Marshall (4-0) @ Delano (3-1).
There is dominance and then there is #2AAAA Marshall! The Tigers are winning by an avg. score of 42-6, and blasted top 10 Rocori, 28-0. Levi Maeyert is an excellent QB avg. 165 ypg, with 8 TD’s and zero picks. Defensively, LB Andrew Stelter leads a Tigers defense that has forced eleven turnovers already! Delano is a much-improved team, allowing only 10 ppg. They are solid at all three levels, Davin Clare (DE), Noah Connor (LB), and Isaac Miller (DB).
The Pick: Delano is a much better team than last year, but they will need Grant Bruett to hit some key passes in this one if they want to have a chance. Marshall is just too good! 35-12.
Marshall, above in black and orange, has steamrolled its opponents this year by an avg. score of 42-6.
Howard Lake WW (2-2) @ Litchfield (3-1).
Here we go again, another week and another top opponent for the Lakers! The Lakers are coming off an impressive home win over Morris last week, 12-6. Every game has been close, as the Lakers have outscored their opponents, 20-17 on the season. For Litch, it’s been just the opposite. After losing a close opener to Albany, 21-19, the Dragons have been dominant, winning by an avg. score of 34-7 since that game. Alex Medina is a great option QB and Jr. RB Anthony Taylor is one of the best in the state.
The Pick: It will be another close one, and I believe that the Lakers can do a decent job defending the run, but the Lakers have had some problems in the back end of their defense, and I think WR Cole Palmer (13-134-1) and the Dragons offense will hit a key deep on to make the difference, 23-17.
Anthony Taylor, above, is getting looked at by many Division one teams, including the Gophers.
Edina (2-2) @ STMA (1-3).
This is not the season the Hornets were expecting! After starting 2-0, the Hornets have dropped their last two games to Eden Prairie and Maple Grove by a combined score of 73-26. They still have one of the Top QBs in the state, not to mention one of the top hockey players in the country in Mason West, but the defense has not held up, and West hasn’t been as sharp as last year. STMA put up a great fight against Eden Prairie last week, trailing only 18-13 in the third, before falling, 37-13.
The Pick: The Hornets have given up over 600 yards rushing in the last two weeks, while STMA’s Wyatt Mosher rushed for 108 yards last week for the Knights. That’s a good start for the Knights, but they don’t have the offense to keep up with West and RB Chase Bjorgaard. Hornets, 28-16.
Mason West, above, could go in the first round of the NHL draft this spring, but is also one of the top QBs in the country.
Maple Lake (3-1) @ Belgrade BE (3-1).
It’s time to come out and say it. The Maple Lake Irish are a really good football team! Last week the Irish dominated Benson on homecoming and have outscored their last two opponents, 86-14! Meanwhile, BBE is off to a 3-1 start led by a defense that has forced five interceptions and an offense that can both run the ball and throw the ball effectively. One thing about the Jags though, is their offense bogs down at times, which should be an advantage to Maple Lake.
The Pick: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I might be picking the wrong team! BBE has dominated the Irish over the years, but not tonight. I still think the Jags win, thanks to the passing combo of Aiden Mueller to Kameron Hiltner. Jags, 19-13.
BBE, above, hopes to open up some holes from their offensive line in their matchup with Maple Lake tonight.
Dassel-Cokato (2-2) @ Morris (2-2).
Two teams that are hard to figure out. For DC they look great one week, then stumble the next week. I was really surprised DC lost to New London Spicer last week and they have to get the running game going with Jackson Nyquist and Isaac Salmen this week. For Morris, they have a very solid defense, but struggle at times on offense. They have a good RB in Grayson Gibson and a good QB in Ozzie Jerome but have struggled against top competition.
The Pick: This one comes down to the wire, and in a defensive battle I will take Morris, because they are at home. Honestly, I have no clue. You never know when two inconsistent teams meet, what’s going to happen.
Morris, above, is off to a 2-2 start this season, just like Dassel-Cokato, their opponent on Friday night.
Glencoe Silver Lake (1-3) @ Rockford (1-3).
A great opportunity for both teams. The Rockets won their first game of the year, 28-8 over Milaca last week and received good QB play from Cody Miller. The key though is the Rockets defense, which has improved throughout the year. For the Panthers it has been a brutal schedule so far, including losses to #1AAA Annandale and #4AAA Holy Family. The Panthers do have a nice young QB in Devyn Ritter.
The Pick: The Rockford defense led by Max Ladman, Brady Graunke, and Ian Faber is much improved and should take advantage of the Panthers who at times only play about twelve guys. Rockets wear them down and get a big TD from Sean Asangwe to slip past GSL, 18-12.
Glencoe Silver Lake, above, hopes its defense can rise to the occasion tonight against Rockford.
