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.

Weber, Freisen earn all-state honors

The Associated Press' al-state football team finally came out Thursday, and Mankato West's Drew Weber and Hunter Friesen both earned second-team honors.
Weber, a senior linebacker, was named the Big Nine Conference's defensive player of the year, making 25 solo tackles and 131 assists. Freisen, a junior cornerback, had nine interceptions, including three in the playoffs.
Several area players received honorable mention, including Nick Kaus, Philip Nelson and Adam Athey from West.
Other local honorable-mentions were defensive lineman Michael Kroells of Belle Plaine; running back Zach Tvedten of Blue Earth Area; running back Mario Arroyo of Le Center; defensive end Cole Brown of Minnesota Valley Lutheran; lineman Dan Simon of New Ulm Cathedral; quarterback Sean Murphy, receiver Jamie Fischer and defensive back Nick Mans of Nicollet; lineman Teddy DuFrane of Sibley East; and quarterback Conrad Masberg and receiver Jordan Gregor of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown;
The player of the year was De La Salle running back Reggie Gandy, whom Le Sueur-Henderson fans might never forget from the state quarterfinals.

Final thoughts on Cathedral championship

Now that there's been some time to digest what happened during New Ulm Cathedral's run to the Class A football championship, there's a few thoughts that remain.
Obviously, the Greyhounds had a special streak, losing the season-opener against Springfield before rattling off 13 straight victories. The rematch against Springfield in the section championship was the first hurdle to clear, then came an easy victory over Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in the state quarterfinals.
The 34-33 semifinal victory over Minneota was the most memorable. Two evenly matched teams, with the outcome decided by quarterback Kevin Larson, who wasn't asked to throw much during the regular season.
The championship game seemed like it would be anticlimactic as Cathedral jumped ahead early. But Barnesville responded, and when Larson was unable to play in the second half, the outcome was in jeopardy.
However, Cathedral adjusted, using a running back at quarterback and trusting in an inexperienced junior quarterback later, and the defense stuffed any momentum as the program claimed its first state title.
As I pondered nominations for The Associated Press' all-state team, I figured Cathedral must have players worthy of that honor. But it was hard to single anyone out. This team was truly greater than the sum of its parts.
Cathedral has had some good runs at the state championship in the past, and this one finally was finished.
It's a great accomplishment, one that might be overdue for coach Denny Lux and a talented group of players.

And then there was one; Cathedral still standing

Four area high-school football teams made it to the state tournament, but New Ulm Cathedral is the only one to make it out of the quarterfinal round.
Mankato West lost to Mahtomedi, though that outcome might have been different had the Scarlets added to their 14-7 lead with the first drive of the third quarter.
Nicollet lost to Underwood, which definitely benefitted from poor weather. Nicollet's spread offense struggled in the cold, snow and wind, but that's the deal you make when you choose that offensive style in Minnesota.
Le Sueur-Henderson was rolled by DeLaSalle, but the Giants might have preferred to play outdoors, as scheduled Saturday. Instead, the game was moved Monday to Metrodome, which highlighted DeLaSalle's speed and size.
Cathedral disposed of Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City in the quarterfinals, but the Greyhounds' challenge is tougher in the semifinals Saturday against Minneota, which was rated No. 1 for most of the season before taking a loss. Minneota has won four state championships, including last season.
Cathedral will need to rely on its tested formula of a ground game that controls the ball and the clock and a stingy defense that rarely gives up more than one score per game.
Cathedral has only advanced to the championship game once, in 2006, but lost in the finals. Another trip to the championship game wouldn't be out of the question.
You can follow my live blog from Saturday's game.

What to watch for in high-school playoffs

The high-school football tournament begins Friday, with four local teams playing this week.
Mankato West takes on Mahtomedi at 7 p.m. Friday at Chanhassen. You can follow the game by clicking on the Cover It Live icon on this page or on the Free Press home page.
West hadn't been challenged until last week's Section 2AAAA championship game against Marshall, and its a testament to the team's preparation that the first tight game wasn't the last. West will need to play better to beat Mahtomedi.
Le Sueur-Henderson survived a four-game losing streak to rebound oin the postseason. The Giants were seeded fifth in Section 2AAA and defeated St. Paul Highland Park (4), Waseca (1) and Minneapolis Washburn (2) to advance to the state tournament for the third time in four seasons.
In Class A, New Ulm Cathedral lost the season-opener at Springfield, then waited nine game to get revenge, defeating Springfield in the championship game. Cathedral has a lot of state-tournament experience but haven't got out of the quarterfinals in the last two seasons.
Nicolle has been runner-up in Class Nineman three times since 1999, including last season's loss to Stephen-Argyle in the championship game. But Stephen-Argyle, which has seven state titles in the last 11 seasons, was eliminated in section play.
If Nicollet could get to the championship game, the oppponent might be Edgerton/Ellsworth. Those teams tied for the Southern Confederacy title but didn't play each other this season.

No. 1 seeds look good in football playoffs

The No. 1 seeds in Section 2 had a pretty easy time of it in the high-school football playoffs Saturday, with the exception of Waseca in Class AAA.
The Bluejays ran into an inspired Le Sueur-Henderson team that used a power rushing attack with a couple of well-timed passes, to win 42-20 and advance to the championship game at Minneapolis Washburn. LSH has recovered nicely from a four-game losing streak in the middle of the regular season.
It wasn't a good night for the South Central Conference as Blue Earth Area lost 40-13 at Washburn and Fairmont lost to Glencoe-Silver Lake in Section 3AAA.
Mankato West dominated Waconia 43-14 in Section 2AAAA, but the game wasn't that close. West scored on its first play and had a 30-0 lead at halftime. It would be surprising if Friday's section championship game against Marshall is any closer, though a knee injury to leading receiver Nick Kaus could be a concern for the Scarlets.
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown flexed its Section 2AA muscle with a 46-16 victory over New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva. The Bucs, the top-rated team in Class AA and defending state champion, faces undefeated Triton in the championship game. It seems that this section title goes to one of these teams every year.
Nicollet hasn't been challenged much this season, and we'll see if Cleveland, the No. 6 seed in the section, can pull off the upset or if Nicollet can get back to the state tournament.
Another good game in the area will be played at Springfield, which hosts New Ulm Cathedral. Unbeaten Springfield handed Cathedral its only loss in the season-opener.

No big surprises in football playoffs

A couple of lower-seeded teams won, but the high-school football playoffs didn't produce many upsets Tuesday night. It sounded like the high winds were a factor in nearly every game.

New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva got revenge for a regular-season loss to Maple River by winning 14-8 in the Section 2AA playoffs. In the regular-season meeting, NRHEG was minus-5 in turnovers, but the Panthers were plus-5 in the rematch, which they won 14-8.
NRHEG has a tough game coming up Saturday against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, which won 46-6 the first time these teams played. Interestingly, NRHEG has won all five of its road games this season.

Waseca rolled to a 70-0 victory over Minneapolis Roosevelt in Section 2AAA and now have an interesting matchup against Le Sueur-Henderson, which handled St. Paul Highland Park 52-7.

The best game of the night was in St. Clair, where Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton rallied from a 28-12, fourth-quarter deficit to win 34-28 in overtime. Up next for JWP is Nicollet, which defeated the Bulldogs 48-20 in the regular season.

High-school football playoffs begin Tuesday

The postseason for high-school football begins Tuesday, and though not every local team is playing, there are some intirguing matchups.
In Class AAAA, Mankato East plays at Waconia, whose top player is quarterback Max Williams, whom East coach Dave Frisell descirbes as a mirror image on Cougars' quarterback Abe Kolstad. Williams is the son of former NFL lineman Brian Williams, who played the majority of his career with the New York Giants.
This game will be won in the offensive and defensive lines, which could give East an advantage. The winner gets unbeaten Mankato West on Saturday.
In Section 2AA, top-seeded Waterville-Elysian-Morristown should win easily, but unbeaten Triton awaits on the other side of the bracket.
Maple River takes on New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva in a rematch from three weeks ago. In that game, NRHEG commited seven turnovers. If the Panthers can hold onto the ball, it should be a competitive game.
In another rematch, the nine-man game between Cleveland and Truman should be interesting. The game will be played at Madelia because Truman's field is still not playable from last month's flooding. Cleveland won the first game 32-6, starting a three-game winning streak. The Bluejays have been banged up, playing the top teams in the Southern Confederacy late.
Section 2A looks pretty tough as unbeaten Springfield in the top seed, followed by New Ulm Cathedral (7-1), Le Center (7-1) and Cedar Mountain/Comfrey (6-2). If the top seeds win Tuesday, that should provide interesting semifinals Saturday.