Mahtomedi, Albany and Minneapolis South get big wins

Heading into week five of the Minnesota high school football season, there are some pretty interesting developments going on. Teams are positioning for conference championship runs and statistical leaders have emerged. There have already been a number of big games and wins throughout the state.

Last week, two defending state champions lost for the first time in 17 games. Totino Grace, the defending Class 4A state champion, was defeated by Mahtomedi 30-20. The Zephyrs were led by quarterback Dan Ferrazzo, who rushed for 237 yards and a touchdown and also passed for three touchdowns in the win. Totino Grace entered the game 3-0 and had outscored opponents 112-9.

Mahtomedi meanwhile, was coming off a heartbreaking 22-21 loss to No. 2-ranked St. Thomas Academy the week before. The game was a wild one in the first quarter, as the teams combined for 37 points - with Mahtomedi leading 23-14 after one and 30-14 at halftime. The lone score in the second half came in the fourth quarter when Alex Kreuser scored on a 5-yard run.

The Mahtomedi win resulted in a major shakeup in the Associated Press 4A state rankings this week. St. Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights) moved into the No. 1 spot, with Mankato West No. 2 and Mahtomedi ranked third. Totino-Grace fell to No. 6. There are three Classic Suburban Conference teams in the top in 4A. In addition to STA and Mahtomedi, South St. Paul (4-0) is ranked No. 7.

There was a similar shakeup in Class 3A last week as Albany defeated defending state champion New London-Spicer 28-6. Bryan Schlangen led Albany, rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Luke Evans passed for one touchdown and ran for another in the convincing win. Albany vaulted to No. 1 in the 3A rankings, while NLS fell to No. 6 in the latest poll.

While these games featured some of the top teams in the state, the biggest win last week may have come from a team that hadn't experienced a conference victory in some time. In fact, Minneapolis South's 24-20 win over Minneapolis Washburn was the first Minneapolis City Conference win for South since 2002. That's right - 2002, a span of 47 games.

Lamarr Sullivan led South with 21 carries and 90 yards rushing while Soly Senaphanh scored two touchdowns and Taylor Hickman and Andrew Jones-Harris one touchdown each in the streak-ending win.

Here is a look at some other big games and top performances from another week of Minnesota high school football:

GANDY IS DANDY
Reggie Gandy ran 24 times for 312 yards and five touchdowns in a 46-13 win for DeLaSalle (Minneapolis) over St. Croix Lutheran. It was the third-straight week Gandy ran more than 300 yards. Gandy totaled 358 yards and 359 yards in his two previous games.

RECORD BREAKER
Zach Kinny is only a sophomore, but the Litchfield quarterback has already broken a school record. Kinny completed 16 of 20 passes for 333 yards in a 43-20 win over Watertown-Mayer Sept. 24 to set the Dragons record for most passing yards in a single game. Kinny has completed 68.9 percent of his passes (42 of 61) and has passed for 706 yards in four games for Litchfield, which is 2-2 heading into Friday's game at home against No. 9-ranked Dassel Cokato. Litchfield has also had some pretty stellar performances from players like Isaac Northquest, who returned fumbles 33 and 67 yards for touchdowns in that win over Watertown-Mayer, and Jordan Godejahn, who ran for four touchdowns in that same game.

EDEN PRAIRIE PLOWING ALONG
It's old news but it's still impressive no matter which way you look at it. Eden Prairie is 5-0 this season (they played two games in Canada Sept. 3 with a split squad) heading into Friday's home game against Hopkins. Mike Grant's Eagles have outscored opponents 167-16 and have three shutouts. Eight players have more than 10 carries each this season with junior Andrew Larson leading the way with 81 carries for 668 yards and eight touchdowns. The Eagles are primed for another strong postseason push.

PONY EXPRESS
Stillwater running backs Jerome Hamilton and Corey Petersen combined for 292 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Ponies' 34-7 drubbing of Roseville in Suburban East Conference action. Peterson rumbled for 186 yards and Hamilton 106 in the win. Petersen has rushed for 643 yards and three touchdowns for 3-1 Stillwater.

GRAND RAPIDS GETTING IT DONE
Grand Rapids is off to a 3-1 start thanks to a potent passing game led by quarterback Austin Pohlen and a bevy of talented receivers. Pohlen, a junior, has completed 67 of 125 passes for 1,082 yards and 10 touchdowns through four games. He has passed for 330, 269, 244 and 239 yards in those four games and has found a way to spread the ball around as four receivers have 12 or more receptions. Patrick Flaherty leads the way with 16 catches for 423 yards and five touchdowns, while Jacob Sutherland has 14 catches for 279 yards and three touchdowns. Tyrel Cournoyer has 14 catches for 216 yards and Matt Dorholt has 12 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns.