Minnesota's Cretin and Brainerd are back for more

Just like that, the Minnesota high school football season has moved into the third week. We're starting to see some trends, teams to watch are emerging and slowly but surely, teams are starting to jell.

With week three likely a cool, rainy mess across the state, let's look back at Week 2 - possibly the last mild temperature evening of the season.

That Quarterback From Cretin
Last year, if one mentioned the Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) football team you mentioned Seantrel Henderson, one of the top recruits in the nation. The mammoth lineman is now at the University of Miami. Or, you mentioned All-State quarterback Mark Alt, who will play hockey at the University of Minnesota after turning down numerous offers to play college football, including one from the University of Iowa. Those two - and plenty of other talented players - helped lead Cretin to the 2009 5A State Championship this year. With Alt gone, the big question for the Raiders was: Who will be the next quarterback to lead the Raiders?

It's a prestigious position that has included standouts such as former NFL player Steve Walsh, Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Chris Weinke and Minnesota Twins star Joe Mauer. Even those who haven't moved on to professional sports, guys like Joe Springer for example, still were always among the best quarterbacks in the state.

After two games, it's safe to say the Raiders are in good hands at quarterback. That's because junior Kevin Miley has completed 24 of 30 passes for 325 yards and 7 touchdowns in two blowout wins for the Raiders. Miley completed 12 of 17 passes for 136 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-0 win over Forest Lake in week one, and then completed 12 of 13 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-13 win over White Bear Lake. Adding to the offense is running back James Onwualu, a sophomore who is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has 205 yards and two touchdowns in two games. In the win over WBL, wide receiver Taylor Montero had four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown (18).

With a tougher schedule looming, the true test for Miley and the rest of the Raiders lies ahead, but for now, the quarterback position appears to be another strong part of a team known for its offensive output.

Brainerd (Minn.) back in rankings
Don't forget about us! That's what one of the state's top out-state programs may be saying. The Warriors quietly go about their business until they make the state tournament and try to knock of the big Metro schools. Led by Ron Stolski, the man who has more wins than any high school coach in state history, the Warriors are off to a 2-0 start and are ranked #10 in the state in 5A. The Central Lakes Conference favorites have defeated Rocori 35-17 and Willmar 32-18 through two games. A balanced running attack, led by Hayes Jordan (197 yards, touchdown) and Matt Pohlkamp (163 yards, two touchdowns) has been key and quarterback McLain Mitchell has been effective passing and running. He's completed 9 of 16 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 56 yards in two touchdowns. The Warriors average 33.5 points per game. They host conference rival Sartell-St. Stephen Friday in the toughest showdown of the season thus far.

Roseville's Cranston Comes Through in Crunch
Roseville (Minn.) pulled out a 41-40 win over Forest Lake Friday, led by Eden Cranston's 258 yards passing and five touchdowns. Cranston through touchdown passes of 6, 32, 50, 12 and 12 and also ran for a 3-yard score in the win. Forest Lake's Tommy Tyson was a one-man show himself, rushing for four touchdowns in the loss

Wayzata showdown against Florida school canceled
It was a game Minnesota fans were looking forward to. Just how would perennial power Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) do against a team from the deep and talented state of Florida? That game was scheduled to happen Oct. 1 when Wayzata was going to play Bradenton Prep Academy. But last week the school canceled the remainder of its football team in part because of the fact 20 students were thrown off the team. That matchup featuring a Minnesota team vs. a Florida school will have to wait, for now. Meanwhile, Wayzata is scrambling to find a makeup game, but this late in the season, that appears unlikely.

Hopkins and Centennial in a Shootout
The final score read Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) 36, Centennial 35 - but that only told a small part of the story. Centennial led the Royals 27-14 at halftime but Hopkins outscored the Cougars 22-8 in the second half to earn the win in this shootout. Hopkins running back Andre McDonald ran six times for 136 yards and four touchdowns and Billy Gregg passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns. On the Centennial side, quarterback Austin Malinowski passed for 157 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in the loss.