As we prepare for another exciting Friday under the lights, we have asked Minnesota high school students to share a game preview or season recap on their football team. Find those stories - and stories from prior weeks - below.
At first, Centennial’s State Semifinal looked like a nightmare. Lakeville South made its opening scoring drive look easy, and it got worse before it got better for the Cougars from Circle Pines. Losing out on multiple scoring chances, the unsettled Centennial team entered halftime trailing 6-7.
After a devastating loss to Edina with a score of 7-28, the Eagles begrudgingly claimed their overall season record of 11-1, signifying the end of their 2023 season. While they didn’t quite reach their goal of an MSHSL championship title, the Eagles have shown extraordinary drive and determination, the very two qualities that have brought them this far. They practiced hard, keeping with the training that had led them through countless games.
Last Friday, the Prior Lake Lakers defeated Mounds View to break an 18-year on-the-road losing streak during sections. With the 17-15 win, the Lakers will rally together and move on to the section final. Pre-season prep was the key to success. All summer long, the Lakers trained as a team to build camaraderie and to perfect their game. As the season has progressed, practices for the Lakers have gotten shorter, but more challenging.
After a disappointing loss to Maple Grove last year, the Rosemount Irish hope to return to U.S. Bank Stadium. But this will be no easy task for them. Rosemount has a neutral record of 4-4 – the same as their first-round opponent, Blaine. This game comes down to who is the most aggressive and who has the biggest heart. This game will test both the offense and defense to see what they are capable of.
Last year, the Eden Prairie Eagles ended the season at U.S. Bank Stadium after advancing to the Class 6A semifinal, only two games shy of the state championship title before losing to Rosemount with a close game of 10-14. Through this misfortune, they formed a greater determination and focus than ever before. This season, the determination is clear. The Eagles are headed into the playoffs with an undefeated regular season record.
Eleven months ago, the Pioneers found themselves down 3-1 against the Richfield Spartans with 11 minutes to go in the class 2AA boys soccer state semifinal. The play on the field had taken a turn for the worse as the game progressed. Countless fouls were called, shoving matches were sparking on the field, and fans of the two sides were intruding upon each other’s sections. Despite the Pioneer’s growing concern of their undefeated season being crushed, they did what they had done so well all season: score two goals in the final minutes, with Taylor Petrich scoring the equalizer and eventually notching the winning penalty kick.
As Lakeville North is taking on Rochester Mayo for their Homecoming game today, October 6th, it is important to recognize one of its stars on and off the football field, Carter Crawford. Only a sophomore, Crawford is already making an impact for the varsity football team as the starting offensive guard for the 4-1 Lakeville North.
To compete with the “Big Dogs” in 6A football, the Mayo Spartans are working to overcome doubters and skeptics. Despite facing new teams this year, the Spartans are preparing to face the Lakeville North Panthers tonight, like they would any other game, any other year. Head coach Donny Holcomb is ready to continue to take his players into battle every week while still sticking to the basics of Mayo Football.
“Lakeville North is a really good team and they have a lot of speed, so we are going to have to try to contain that speed. We try to put a little different wrinkle in every week, something that they haven’t seen, something that we think we can distract them with or give us a little bit of an advantage,” Holcomb said.
In back-to-back seasons the Spring Lake Park Panthers have had a promising regular season only to be devastated in game two of sections, losing close games both times. This year, they hope for a different outcome, filled with frustration and dedication from the previous seasons.
Andover High School’s football team is blazing a winning streak, which continued when they faced off against Elk River in an evenly-matched home game on Friday, Sept. 22. Elk River entered the field after a victory over the Saints last week, and Andover was riding on a wave of triumph from last week’s 42-21 win over Cambridge-Insanti.
For the past two years, the Benilde-St. Margaret’s football team has struggled during the regular season but players and coaches believe this year will be a turnaround for the program. Starting off 1-0 in a blowout win against Columbia Heights, the Red Knights lost two close games back-to-back against Byron and Rocori.
These two losses have not deterred the Red Knights as they look for a crucial win against a top ranked Totino-Grace to prove that this is the year they have been hoping for.
The Two Rivers Warriors will continue their 2023 season with a new sense of determination.
This year, the football team switched up their playbook by introducing a new coach and mindset, and so far, it seems to be paying off. The Warriors split the first two games of the season, winning one and losing the other. This is already an improvement over last season when the Warriors started with two losses and ended the regular season with only one win.
If you are a student journalist, get off the sidelines and share stories about your school’s high school football game. Just post your story on TikTok and tag us #studentsonthesidelines.
Each week, we ask students to publish stories about their high school's football game on TikTok using the hashtag #studentsonthesidelines.
Not only is this a great way to get experience with video journalism, but it’s also a chance to win Minnesota Vikings tickets!
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@oliviamcnallan Rochester Mayo Spartans Pre-game song playlist @Students on the Sidelines @Vikings #studentsonthesidelines ♬ original sound - olivia
@ryker.goodland #studentsonthesidelines #studentsonthesideline #fyp #gotrojans #sections #vikings #rolltrojans #startribune #foryou #foryoupage ♬ Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
@whs.sophomore.interviews #studentsonthesidelines #studentsonthesideline #football #vikings #vikingsvssaints #fyp #foryoupage @Tyk ♬ original sound - WHS Sophomore Interviews
Students, tell your best story. We asked Star Tribune's Vikings Beat reporter, Ben Goessling, and Vikings Entertainment Network's on-air talent, Tatum Everett, and writer and editor, Lindsey Young, to share their approach to Sports journalism.
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