Central claims St. Paul crown, awaits Minneapolis City foe

Here's a look at some of the top stories from Minnesota prep sports:

St. Paul City Conference Champions Crowned
St. Paul Central won the St. Paul City Conference championship - the third straight year the Minutemen have earned at least a share of the Conference title - with a 44-12 win over Humboldt Friday. Andrew Lewis rushed 14 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns (28, 27 and 53 yards) and Malike Glass scored two rushing touchdowns in the win. Central (6-0, 4-0) closes its conference schedule Friday against Harding and will play the winner of the Minneapolis City Conference in the annual Twin Cities Championship game on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Speaking of the Minneapolis City Conference...
Minneapolis Southwest can clinch the Minneapolis City Conference title with a win over Washburn Friday. Southwest is 5-0 in Conference action (5-1 overall), while Washburn (Minneapolis) and South are both 4-1. The game between Southwest and Washburn will feature many conference statistical leaders. Southwest quarterback Ayrton Scott leads the conference in passing yards with 1,517 and is third in the conference in rushing yards with 529. Rodney Pierce-Tyler and Evan Gray of Southwest are both 1-2 in receiving. Pierce-Tyler has 493 receiving yards and Gray has 439. Washburn's Kyle Hughes has 715 yards passing - second in the conference - and Cedric Chappell has 402 receiving yards, third in the conference.

A Washburn win over Southwest, combined with South winning its final game, could create a three-way tie in the City Conference. Coaches will then determine who plays in the City Championship game based on a number of factors. Regardless of what happens – St. Paul Central awaits.

Roseville Quarterback on a Roll
Roseville quarterback Eden Cranston continued his strong season Friday, leading the Raiders to a 43-42 win over Woodbury. Cranston completed 24 of 37 passes for 393 yards and four touchdowns and now has passed for 1,345 yards and 18 touchdowns for 3-3 Roseville. In three wins this year Roseville has scored 41, 37 and 43 points, with Cranston passing for more than 250 yards in each game, including 258 yards and five touchdowns in a Sept. 10 win over Forest Lake. David Stanley has been on the receiving end of many of Cranston's passes, catching 28 for 668 yards and seven touchdowns. Emeche Wells has 17 receptions for 253 yards and six touchdowns and Ted Buerkle has 11 receptions for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Cranston has also rushed for 302 and four touchdowns. David Stanley leads the team in rushing with 316 yards and a six yards per carry average. The Raiders play East Ridge (Woodbury) Friday and close the regular season Oct. 20 at White Bear Lake. With an explosive offense, look for Roseville and Cranston to be threats come playoff time.

Shakopee Continues to Cruise
Shakopee again showed why it is on top of the Missota Conference with an impressive 62-28 win over Holy Angels Friday. The Sabres, who are 6-0 overall and 5-0 in league play (tied for first with Northfield) scored 28 first quarter points and led 42-7 at halftime. Dylan Ulferts scored five touchdowns in the win, including three in the first quarter. Ulferts scored on a 28-yard run and caught touchdown passes of 28, 55 and 20 yards before closing out his touchdown barrage with a 33-yard run. Shakopee quarterback Scott Hauer completed seven of 12 passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns. Shakopee is averaging 42 points per game and giving up just less than 12 points per game. The Sabres play 1-4 Red Wing Friday before hosting Northfield Oct. 20 in a game that will decide the Missota Conference championship.

Minnesota River Clash Looms
Holy Family Catholic (Victoria) and Norwood-Young America are both 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the Minnesota River Conference. They play each other Wednesday, Oct. 20 in a game that will decide the conference championship. Friday, Holy Family hosts Sibley East (Arlington) and NYA travels to Mayer Lutheran. If teams can take care of business as expected, it will be a winner-takes-all battle between 3A's No. 5-ranked NYA and No. 7-ranked Holy Family. Holy Family quarterback Jeff Soule is a dual threat, passing for 555 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for a team-leading 684 yards and four touchdowns. Peter Vakulskas has 556 rushing yards and a team-leading 11 touchdowns. Taz Seibert leads the NYA attack, rushing for 1,020 yards and nine touchdowns while Allen Vandien has 454 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Annandale Back to .500
Annandale improved to 3-3 with a 47-7 win over Mound-Westonka Friday. Dan Dougherty tossed three touchdown passes and now has 1,200 yards passing and 11 touchdowns on the season.