It’s already the last week of the regular season in high school football, and it’s finally acting like it when it comes to weather. Tonight, it should be damp and a cool 55 degrees, still perfect weather for the players, but it’s starting to feel like the playoffs are near! Last week I went 6-3 to improve my overall record 39-18 on the season. Good luck to all the teams this week and enjoy the games!
All games are scheduled for Wed., October 15th at 7 PM, unless noted.
Dassel-Cokato (5-2) @ Litchfield (4-3).
The Chargers are on fire, winning three straight while avg. 47 ppg! Last week DC upset #8AAA Holy Family, 42-35 behind a powerful running combo of Jackson Nyquist, Isaac Salmen and Elijah Torola. For Litch it’s been an up and down season, but it’s not the offense\s problem, as Litch has hit 50 points three times, including last week in 62-7 win over Sauk Centre. Anthony Taylor who is being recruited by the Gophers rushed for 185 yards and two TDs in the Dragons win last week.
The Pick: Both these teams have dominant running games but lack defense. The difference I think will be Litch QB Alex Medina, who can do it with both his arms and legs. Litch in a shootout, 41-35.
Anthony Taylor, above, hopes to lead the Dragons to a win over their rivals from DC on Wed.
#5AAAA Stewartville (5-2) @ Delano (5-2).
Delano is for real! They have a stout defense and a dominant running game, and both showed up big last week in their upset over #AAAA Orono, 26-21. Bryce Beyer rushed for 131 yards and three TD’s as Delano piled up 273 yards rushing in the win. Stewartville after back-to-back AAA Championships moved up to AAAA this season but are still potent. Their best game was a loss! That’s right if not for a 40-yard TD with one second left, they would have upset #1AAAA Byron last week.
The Pick: This should be a great game, but Stewartville has a too many weapons led by RB Malik Abdi to be contained for the whole game. Going with the more balanced Tigers team from Stewartville, 20-14.
Stewartville, above in maroon, moved up to AAAA this season after winning the last two AAA titles.
#1AAA Annandale (8-0) @ Jordan (5-2).
Example of how dominant and explosive Annandale is. There avg. margin of victory is 40! Last week Michael Kovall hit Colton Purcell for a 99-yard TD on 3rd and fourteen, and they unleashed 6’1 215 So. running back Rylan Horsch. Every week they seem to find another way to dominant. For Jordan, they have an exciting QB, who can scramble and hit the deep ball. Their defense is very aggressive, and the Hubman have played very well down the stretch.
The Pick: This is a good test for the Cards going into the playoffs. With a few injuries on the front line, and a dangerous Jordan offense, the Cards will be ready to go. They always are, and they have too many weapons…. again. Cards, 38-16.
Jordan, above in gold, will need this kind of team D to keep up with Annandale.
Bemidji (4-3) @ #6AAAAA Monticello (6-1).
The Magic came in rolling on offense last week, but Elk River was up to the challenge as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead just eight minutes into the game. After that the Magic offense got into gear, and their defense stepped up to stop the high scoring Elks as Monti won at home. Garrett Bauer had an incredible 23 tackles in the game for Monti. Bemidji has won three of four and have avg. 40 ppg the last three, led by RB Miles Gish, who is avg. over 115 ypg on the ground for the Lumberjacks.
The Pick: Bemidji is a lot like Elk River as they run the ball basically every play and have a ton of RBs to choose from. That’s good news for Monti who shut down the Elks after the first quarter last week. In a game where both teams like to run the ball, the Magic do it better, 32-16 Magic.
Miles Gish, above, leads a very deep and talented running back room for Bemidji.
Hopkins (4-3) @ STMA (2-5).
October is STMA time! Jerad Essler is a master this time of year and the Knights are headed in the right direction. Last week STMA held off Moorhead, 29-27 on a two-point conversion stop in the last minutes. The key has been the improved play of QB Ty Haring, four TD’s last week, and RB Wyatt Mosher who rushed for 154 yards last week. Hopkins is fun to watch! After an 0-3 start the Royals have won three straight, albeit against very easy competition. Tre and Jayden Moore are both being recruited at the Division one level in both football and basketball.
The Pick: The Moore-to-Moore combination is lethal for Hopkins, but STMA has a better team and is prepared for this game because of its much tougher schedule. Knights win, 30-21.
Jayden Moore, above, is one of the top recruits in the state in both basketball and football.
Rockford (1-6) @ Holy Family (5-2).
The Rockets defense just keeps getting better behind Ian Faber (72 tck), Bradley Graunke (67 tck, 8 for loss) and Benton Blanchard (2 INT). The problem is the offense lacks playmakers and the defense gets worn down after the first half. Holy Family after a hot start has lost two of three and is starting to show some leaks on defense, giving up 42 to DC last week. Ethan Ryan QB for the Fire still has a solid RB in Levi Trout and a bunch of weapons to throw to on the perimeter.
The Pick: It’s been a murderers row the last two weeks for Rockford with #1AAA Annandale and #3AAA Pierz, and although Holy Family might not be at the same level as those two, they are still a potential top ten team in AAA. Fire, 28-12.
Levi Trout, above, will try and get the Fire back on track this week vs. Rockford.
Buffalo (4-3) @ Park Center (2-5). 6 PM. You can hear this game at AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app. Pregame begins at 5:30 PM.
The Bison played a really good second half last week, unfortunately the first half ruined their chances to upset Spring Lake Park, as the Panthers held on, 21-7. There was also bad news after the game as Buffalo found out they would not be with DE/OL Hans Pederson who is headed to the Army to play football next year for at least this week and maybe more. For Park Center, they basically had to start all over again this year as they lost a ton of players to graduation. The Pirates can score against lesser competition, but struggle against higher quality competition.
The Pick: Buffalo is licking its wounds after last week’s loss to Spring Lake Park and should be motivated for this one. At some point the Bison will have to find a running game besides Benson, but it won’t matter tonight. Bison, 35-13.
Park Center, above, hopes it’s skill players can cause problems for the Bison.
Maple Lake (5-2) @ Browerville (3-4).
The Irish have won four out of their last five and bounced back from a loss to Upsala two weeks ago to dominant West Central Area last week 46-16. Danny Reilly has been a dominant back for the Irish, and the defense is aggressive and forces turnovers. For Browerville they have had a hard time scoring. Five times this year they have been held to eight points or less, including last week in an 8-6 win over Benson. The Browerville defense isn’t bad led by Evan Adonze, and Maverick Dereheim.
The Pick: The Irish behind Reilly will keep the Browerville defense on the field for long periods of time and the Irish will wear out Browerville, 30-12.
Browerville, above in black and orange, will look to finish the regular season, 4-4 if they can defeat the Irish on Wed.
Howard Lake WW (5-2) @ Montevideo (0-7).
Finally, a true breather for the Lakers! HLWW has had one of the toughest schedules in the state and they get a layup this week before the playoffs start. The one two punch of Raydon Graham and Jaxon Ewert, plus a dominant front seven on defense has led the Lakers to an outstanding season. For Montevideo, oh let’s see…. They have been held to one TD or less in a game five times, have been shut out twice and its defense has given up thirty points or more seven times!
The Pick: The closest game for Montevideo this season was last week’s 34-6 loss to Minnewaska. After today, it will still be their closest game. Lakers, 47-0.
Montevideo, above, enters the field before their homecoming game this season.
