Elk River prepares to host a special TOC 2016-17 ceremony where the football team will be nationally recognized by MaxPreps.
MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Elk River Elks have officially been named to the 12th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its 12th year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for the top 100 teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the
MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams. This puts the Elks ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
The Elk River football team was an unstoppable force the entire season. The rushing attack was so dominant the forward pass could be considered a trick play in their wing-T offense. The rushing attack averaged 449 yards per game, and scored an average of 45 points per game. The Elks did not let up all season, only having one game decided by less than 20 points.
After beating Otawonna (19-7) in their closest game of the year, the Elks were ready to put on a clinic against Spring Lake Park in the
MSHSL Class 5A State Championship Game. The offense was going to rely on their star running backs Nick Rice and Sam Gibas who ran for a combined 3,484 yards for the year. Spring Lake would have
no answer for Rice and Gibas who took advantage of blocking up front and used their speed and elusiveness to combine for 347 yards. The Elks ran for an average of 11.7 yards per carry and didn't even attempt a pass the entire game. Spring Lake scored in the third quarter to make it 27-7, but the Elks would pull away after that to win the state championship 42-14.
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Spring Lake Park 42-14 on Nov. 26 marked the completion of an incredible 13-0 season — and earned Elk River an invitation to the Tour of Champions.The Elks were the
No.1 team in the state, and
No.51 in MaxPreps National Rankings.
These incredible season achievements have earned the Elk River Elks an invitation to the 12th Annual Tour of Champions.
Please join us as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Feb. 17 at 12:45 p.m. in the Gym.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
