Football recruits start finding homes

The signing date for college football is Wednesday, and the commitments are starting to come in.

Mankato West quarterback Philip Nelson will sign with the University of Minnesota. He committed last fall, and he's already enrolled at Minnesota and is working out i preparation for spring practice.

Blue Earth Area tackle Jonah Pirsig, who is 6-9 and 290 pounds, also will sign with the Gophers on Wednesday.

West receiver Hunter Friesen has committed to Minnesota State. Friesen suffered a broken leg in the state semifinals but said this week that he's healing well. It will be interesting to see what position he plays. He was an all-state defensive back as a junior and all-state receiver last season.

Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial's Nate Meixell will sign with South Dakota State. He played quarterback at LCWM, but that won't be his college position.

BEA tackle Sam Lee is still trying to decide on a college. He has several Division I offers, including Minnesota, but he has two older brothers playing at Augustana so that might lure him to the Division II program.

Haven't heard much else about Minnesota State's recruiting class. Coach Todd Hoffner can't discuss recruits until he receives a signed letter of intent.

You can bet he'll have plenty to say about his incoming freshman next Wednesday night when Minnesota State hosts a signing-day gathering at downtown BW3.

High-school football begins

With the exception of Mankato Loyola, area prep football teams began practicing Monday. Of course, any program with a hint of success has been working out all summer, either at camps or led by captains.

Loyola started a week early, taking advantage of a new rule that allowed teams to schedule a game the last Friday of August, then take a week off during the rest of the season.

Loyola should be in a better place this season, with numbers up to 43 from 27. Last season, the Crusaders won just two games, often times practicing with less than 22 players. But those younger players gained a lot of experience.

At Mankato West, all eyes will be on senior quarterback Philip Nelson, who has committed to the University of Minnesota. Other teams will measures themselves against Nelson, who will likely collect many of the program's passing records by season's end.

But don't forget Hunter Friesen, who caught 50 passes and made nine interceptions to earn some all-state recognition.

Mankato East won three games last season and should be able to build on that. There will be a new quarterback, but there are some veterans in the backfield and on the line.

You should always keep an eye on Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, which has a lot of players returning but must replace all-state quarterback Conrad Masberg.

At Blue Earth Area, 6-9, 290-pound lineman Jonah Pirsig has also committed to the University of Minnesota.

New Ulm Cathedral returns as the defending Class A champions, though there were a lot of seniors on that team. Senior running backs Eric Hauser, Ted Skillings and Nick Simon each played key roles in that championship season.

Surely, many other cool stories will emerge as the season gets rolling. Check back here or keep an eye on the print edition for some of those.