Eden Prairie, Cretin-Derham Hall among Twin Cities teams still perfect; Relatives of those with NFL ties making an impact.
By Matt Krumrie
MaxPreps.com
First and Five
1. Albany Edges New London Spicer: In a game between highly-ranked Class 3A teams and West Central North Conference rivals, Albany squeaked out a tough 8-7 win over New London Spicer Friday. The win moved Albany to 3-0 (4-0 overall) and in to a first-place tie with Foley, while the loss dropped NLS to 2-1 in conference action (3-1 overall) and in a second-place tie with Milaca. Among the 3A teams ranked in the top 10 from the West Central North Conference: Albany (No. 2), New London Spicer (No. 5), and Foley (No. 7). Note: Rankings according to Sept. 17 AP rankings. Albany plays at Milaca in another tough test Friday.
2. Still Undefeated: The regular season is already half over and the number of undefeated teams in the Twin Cities seems to be dwindling each week. Those that are still undefeated (all 4-0): Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Mahtomedi, Cretin-Derham Hall, Rosemount, Farmington, DeLaSalle.
3. Rogers: Undefeated? Check. In first place in the Mississippi 8 Conference? Check. Ranked in the top 10 in the state in Class 4A for the first time in school history? Check. All systems are a go for the 4-0 Rogers High School Royals, who have won four games by a combined score of 130-48 heading into Friday’s contest against Zimmerman. A strong running game and efficient passing attack has been key for Rogers. Ryan Heyer leads the team with 393 rushing yards, while John Carey has 321. The duo has combined for nine touchdowns. Seven different players in all have found the end zone. Quarterback Tony Cain has completed 22-of-35 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns and added 122 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Zach Ries leads the team with nine receptions. On defense, a number of players are coming up big, including Jeremy Cole, Jimmy Dahlheimer, Zach Petzel, Joe Brunn, Cody Kielsa, Andy Mortenson, Joe Meixell, and Alex Meixell, among others.
4. Johnson Leads Mahtomedi: Mahtomedi lost in the Class 4A Prep Bowl last season in deflating fashion when Totino-Grace scored in the final seconds. The Zephyrs are 4-0 heading into Friday’s game at defending Classic Suburban Conference champion Simley, and a lot of that has to do with the running of Stephen Johnson. Johnson is second in the Twin Cities with 786 yards rushing, and paces a Mathomedi offense that averages 420.7 yards per game. Johnson for a career high 271 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries in a 46-21 win over Tartan Friday. Through four games Johnson has 10 touchdowns. As for the matchup with Simley Friday – the Zephyrs lost to the Spartans last year, but just defeated a Tartan team that Simley lost to (12-9) by 25 points. If Johnson isn’t enough, teammate Bryan Thell is averaging 11.9 yards per carry and has 261 yards rushing through four games.
5. Relatively Speaking: Throughout the country, high school players with well-known fathers are making their mark on the high school football scene. In Minnesota, three players with ties to the NFL are having success on their respective high school teams this year. One is DB/WR Cory Frazier of top-ranked Eden Prairie, who is the son of Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Frazier was a key cog on last year’s state championship team and continues to be a versatile player for Mike Grant’s undefeated (4-0) and top-ranked Eagles. At Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Mark Alt, son of former Kansas City Chiefs lineman (and current Cretin volunteer assistant) John Alt, has helped the Raiders to a 4-0 start. Alt has completed 55 of 87 passes for a Suburban East Conference-leading 639 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. At Woodbury, Ernest Dorsett is carrying on a tradition of excellence started by his great uncle, former Dallas Cowboys running back and Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett. Dorsett is the Royals’ second leading rusher with 244 yards and has caught seven passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns to help Woodbury to a 3-1 start (the lone loss was to Alt’s Raiders).
Three to Watch
1. Plainview/Elgin-Millville: The Bulldogs are off to a 4-0 start and in first place in the Three Rivers Conference. PEM leads the conference in offense with 1,436 total yards and has the two leading rushers in the conference – Blaine Miller (449 yards) and Ross Grobe (435 yards). Grobe has six touchdowns and Miller five through four games.
2. Todd Garnhardt, Jordan: The quarterback has completed 39-of-69 passes for 736 yards and eight touchdowns on the season for the 3-1 Hubmen. Jordan has scored 50, 41, 35 and 28 points in four games this season.
3. Floyd DeGroat, Waubun: Offensive players get all the headlines, but there have been plenty of defensive standouts thus far during the 2008 season. Among them is Floyd DeGroat, a senior linebacker for the Waubun Bombers. Through four games DeGroat has been in on 66 tackles (23 solo, 43 assisted). He also has one interception – which he returned for a touchdown. He gets it done on offense as well, and has ran 57 times for 465 yards and three touchdowns for the 4-0 Bombers, who are in first place in the North Tri-County Conference standings.
Two Hot Too Handle
1. Travon McKee, Arlington: McKee has been a solid two-way threat for the Phoenix all season, and had a game he won’t soon forget Friday in a 40-8 win over Harding in St. Paul City Conference action. McKee had three touchdown receptions (55, 47, 14 yards) and returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown to help Arlington improve to 2-2 on the season.
2. Ryan Hoff, Luverne: The quarterback of the Class 2A top-ranked Cardinals was in on three first half touchdowns to lead Luverne to a 35-6 win over Windom. Hoff completed 8 of 12 passes for 171 yards and threw for touchdowns of 38 and 35 yards and ran for a 13-yard score in the win.
Inside the Numbers
599 – Passing yards of Wabasha-Kellogg’s Jordan Dick through four games, which leads the Three Rivers Conference.
76 – Points scored by Minneapolis South in a 76-0 win over Minneapolis Edison.
18 – Touchdown passes through four games by Edina quarterback Anders Lee, which leads the state.
7 – Touchdowns scored by Phillip Butler of St. Agnes in a 48-8 win over St. John’s Prep. Butler ran for four touchdowns, caught two touchdown passes and returned a fumble for a score in the win.
3.8 – Average number of points allowed per game this season by Orono – tops in the Twin Cities. The Spartans are 4-0 overall and at 3-0 in first-place in the tough Wright County Conference.
