TODAY'S PREP FOOTBALL GAMES
ST. FRANCIS AT DULUTH EAST
What: SEASON OPENER
WHEN: 5:15 P.M.
WHERE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS STADIUM
2009 RECORDS: ST. FRANCIS 3-6; EAST 4-5
OUTLOOK: BOTH TEAMS ARE CLASSIFIED IN CLASS AAAAA THIS SEASON, THOUGH EAST'S CLASSIFICATION IS BEING REVIEWED BY THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE AND WILL BE DETERMINED LATER THIS MONTH. THE FIGHTING SAINTS' THREE VICTORIES A YEAR AGO WERE THE SCHOOL'S MOST SINCE WINNING FIVE IN 2005. ... THE GREYHOUNDS WERE SHUT OUT TO START 2009 AND ENDED IT WITH A SHUTOUT LOSS IN THE PLAYOFFS AS WELL. EAST IS YOUNG, PERHAPS STARTING AS MANY AS SIX UNDERCLASSMEN TONIGHT. SENIOR QB ZACH FARMER RETURNS AFTER THROWING FOR 1,027 YARDS AND 14 TDS AS A JUNIOR. THE REST OF THE BACKFIELD IS EXPECTED TO BE RUN BY COMMITTEE, WHILE RECEIVERS NICK CARLSON AND ANDREW FLORESTANO ARE RETURNEES.
HERMANTOWN AT DULUTH CENTRAL
What: SEASON OPENER
WHEN: 8 P.M.
WHERE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS STADIUM
2009 RECORDS: HERMANTOWN 6-3; CENTRAL 1-8 (DENFELD 7-4)
OUTLOOK: THE PAST THREE MEETINGS BETWEEN HERMANTOWN AND DENFELD WERE DECIDED BY A TOTAL OF SEVEN POINTS, INCLUDING DENFELD'S 14-13 AND 18-14 VICTORIES THE PAST TWO SEASONS. THE HAWKS EARNED A SHARE OF THE 2009 SEA-RANGE CONFERENCE TITLE, THEIR FIRST IN ABOUT 10 YEARS. HERMANTOWN BOASTS 16 SENIORS, BUT COACH DARYL ILLIKAINEN SAID HE PLANS ON PLAYING MORE SOPHOMORES THAN EVER. ... THE TROJANS, WHO DIDN'T WIN A GAME UNTIL THE PLAYOFFS LAST SEASON, RECEIVED A YEAR'S REPRIEVE BEFORE CLOSING NEXT SPRING. MORE THAN 100 PLAYERS TRIED OUT FOR THE TEAM, DUE TO THE PROGRAMS MERGING, AT LEAST 40 MORE THAN CENTRAL HAD BY ITSELF LAST YEAR. FB C.J. HAM RUSHED FOR MORE THAN 1,000 YARDS AND 15 TDS AND ADDED THREE MORE SCORES ON DEFENSE AT DENFELD.
QUOTES: "THE MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF THOSE LOSSES THE LAST TWO YEARS WAS THAT WE DIDN'T PLAY A COMPLETE GAME. WE CAN'T PLAY ONE HALF VS. THESE GOOD FOOTBALL TEAMS. WE HAVE TO PLAY A FULL GAME." -- HERMANTOWN COACH DARYL ILLIKAINEN.
"FOR PEOPLE TO ASSUME THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE A COMBINED POWERHOUSE IS NOT ACCURATE. THESE KIDS ARE ALL LEARNING EVERYTHING FROM SCRATCH. HERMANTOWN'S RUNNING ITS WING-T OFFENSE THAT IT'S RUN FOREVER FROM THE YOUTH LEAGUE UP AND THOSE KIDS ARE WELL-VERSED IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WE SUSPECT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME GROWING PAINS AND NOT BE PERFECT." -- CENTRAL COACH CHRIS VOLD.
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D.C. EVEREST AT SUPERIOR
What: NONCONFERENCE GAME
WHEN: 7 P.M.
WHERE: OLE HAUGSRUD FIELD
RECORDS: D.C. EVEREST 0-1; SUPERIOR 0-1
OUTLOOK: THOUGH THESE AREN'T CONFERENCE FOES, THIS MARKS THE TEAMS' FIFTH MEETING IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS. THE EVERGREENS WON 50-20 IN THE 2007 DIVISION 1 PLAYOFFS, SQUEAKED BY 16-14 AND 24-21 IN TWO 2008 MATCHUPS AND WON 15-13 LAST YEAR. HOMESTEAD DEFEATED D.C. EVEREST, A FIVE-TIME STATE CHAMPION, 36-22 IN THE SEASON OPENER LAST WEEK. SAM MEYERS RUSHED FOR 79 YARDS AND A TD AND QB LUKE HELLER WAS 7-FOR-18 FOR 125 YARDS. ... STEVENS POINT ROLLED OVER SUPERIOR 44-7 LAST WEEK THANKS TO THREE RUSHING TDS AND A HALFBACK OPTION PASS FOR ANOTHER SCORE BY TANNER KOLBECK. COLE SCHORR PROVIDED THE SPARTANS' LONE HIGHLIGHT WITH AN 80-YARD TD OFF A SCREEN PASS FROM ROB DEMBROSKI (9-FOR-15, 144 YARDS).
RICK WEEGMAN, NEWS TRIBUNE
