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Minnesota high school football Power 25: Maple Grove begins title defense at No. 1
Let’s take a closer look at some of the top returning defensive lineman in high school football for the 2023 season in Minnesota.
Plenty of worthy names are on this list, so be sure to read through the nominees and vote in our poll for who you think will be the top returning defensive lineman for the upcoming season.
Voting will close on August 30 at 11:59 p.m.
Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player who may not be mentioned in our poll.
If you are a coach and you'd like to add a nominee before the poll closes, please email butler@scorebooklive.com.
Easton Suess, senior, Kasson-Mantorville
Put simply, Suess is a “playmaker” for Kasson-Mantorville at defensive end, according to coach Joel Swanson.
“He understands the game and his length and quickness creates issues for opposing teams,” Swanson added. The scariest part? Suess is just starting to fill out his frame. A long wingspan allows him to bat down and tip passes and the line of scrimmage.
In eight games last year, he recorded eight sacks, nine tipped passes, one interception and 21 tackles for loss with two blocked punts.
Wyatt Gilmore, senior, Rogers
Gilmore is rated a 4-star recruit and the second best player in Minnesota’s class of 2024, according to 247Sports. Gilmore is a well-built edge rusher at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, who also operates at tight end, at times.
Gilmore helped the Royals to a 9-4 record in 2022 and is an Oklahoma commit.
Photo by Jeff Lawler
Fella McConnell, senior, St. Paul Central
Coach Scott Howell said the rising-senior was a pleasant surprise for the team last year. He helped solidify both sides of the ball en route to an honorable mention all-district season.
“He is very versatile and is quick and dominant,” Howell said.
Adrian Onyiego, senior, Rogers
Onyiego is another standout along Rogers’ defensive front. The rising-senior edge is a 2-star and the state’s No. 20 player in the 2024 class. Onyiego committed to Wyoming over St. Thomas in late June.
Howie Johnson, sophomore, Forest Lake
Johnson made a splash last season, starting as a freshman among an upperclassmen-laden defense.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive lineman is rated as the No. 1 player in the 2026 class and should be a standout for the Rangers defense in coming years.
Bode Roberts, senior, New York Mills
Roberts is a returning all-district player who plays two ways. His ability, on both lines, helped guide Matt Radniecki’s program to a 8-2 year.
At 6-foot, 210 pounds, Roberts plays defensive end on defense — where teams “run away from him” — and guard on offense. In addition, he is an exceptional long snapper.
Jide Abasiri, senior Prior Lake
Abasiri collected a series of high-level Division I offers, but has been locked in on Minnesota for some time, committing in late March.
Abasiri is the top-rated pure defensive lineman in the state, according to 247Sports. At 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, Abasiri is a 3-star who should continue to wreak havoc for the Lakers this season on the interior of the line.
Joe Hager, senior, Lakeville South
Hager was a disrupter for the Cougars’ defense last season. As a junior in 2022, the defensive end was third on the team in total tackles (65), tied for first in tackles for loss (seven) and sacks (three), in addition to recording one interception.
He returns in 2023 to bolster a Cougars team on the heels off a trip to the Class 6A semifinals.
Mo Saine, senior, Eden Prairie
Saine is right behind Abasiri in the 2024 state rankings. A fellow 3-star, Saine, a 6-foot-4 260-pounder helped the Eagles to a 9-3 year last season.
Along with several other Division I offers, Minnesota granted Saine a scholarship in early April. A week later, Saine finished his recruiting process, committing to the in-state Gophers.
Photo by Jeff Lawler
Zach Vanderpool, senior, Byron
Vanderpool is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end and North Dakota State commit, who had a “breakout” year in 2022 as a junior.
“Zach is long, strong and exceptionally athletic for a lineman,” coach Ben Halder said. “He has great closing speed and really gets after the quarterback and opposing offenses.”
A three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track, Vanderpool “excels” in all three.
Sam Macy, senior, Chanhassen
Macy is a top-10 player in the state, according to 247Sports. The 3-star Minnesota commit, an edge rusher who stands at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, appeared in eight games last season for the 8-2 Storm, who fell to Mankato West in the playoffs.
Macy recorded 44 tackles, five tackles for loss and a pair of sacks as a junior.
Antonio Menard, senior, Lakeville North
Menard started three games as a freshman before turning out all-district seasons in each of the last two years.
“Antonio Menard is arguably the hardest working athlete our program has ever had,” coach Brian Vossen said. “His greatest competition was his brother (Greg Menard, ‘15).”
Menard’s brother started for four seasons at North Dakota State and is on their list of top five all-time sack leaders. Menard, himself, has offers from every FCS school in the area, along with Colorado State, Wyoming, Army and Air Force. He plays both defensive end as well as outside linebacker and tight end.
“He is fast, explosive, strong, athletic, and relentless,” Vossen said of the three-sport athlete. “This kid is special.”
Logan Schleeter, senior, Orono
A two-way starter for the past two seasons — including as a sophomore during Orono’s state semi-final run — Schleeter plays along the defensive line and at offensive tackle.
Standing at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, the lineman, who was a 2022 all-district player, has helped pave the way for impressive Orono offenses in recent years while helping anchor the defensive line.
Remington Gau, senior, Rochester Mayo
Last year, during Gau’s first varsity season with coach Donald Holcomb’s program, he made “huge strides” leading the line as well as developing this offseason.
An offensive guard and defensive end, he holds an offer from Dordt University. He has impressive weight room numbers including a 485-pound squat, 260-pound clean and 280-pound bench.
“[He’s] going to have a huge senior season,” Holcomb said.
Jack Kapenga, junior, Pelican Rapids
Kapenga has started for coach Eli Beachy since his freshman year. As a freshman, he moved wherever he was needed, from an “undersized, scrappy” defensive end, to a speedy outside backer.
Last season, he manned the middle of the defense where he “used his speed and strength to get in on almost every tackle,” Beachy said.
For his career, Kapenga has recorded 78 solo tackles, 53 assists, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions and a defensive score.
He joined track and field this last spring and led a 4x100 meter and 4x200 team to school records and a trip to state. He also qualified for state in wrestling.
Trent Page, senior, Minnehaha Academy
Another top-20 2024 recruit state-wide, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge, Page, is a Yale commit. Yale was one of 14 Division I offers he collected throughout the past years.
Last season, Page accumulated 42 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and four passes defended.
Zach Bentler, senior, Two Harbors
Bentler can “change the game defensively,” according to coach Tom Nelson.
The two-time all-conference honoree recorded 60 tackles, 14 for loss, last season and has picked up multiple offers from both Division I and II colleges. The defensive end and tight end also punts for Two Harbors.
“[He’s] strong and tough with a very focused and level demeanor,” Nelson said.
Aidan Adamski, junior, Two Harbors
Adamski is another of Two Harbor’s most physical players. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, he plays defensive end, will be moving from offensive line to fullback, and is a “very athletic kid for his size,” Nelson said. A three-sport athlete who ran a 12.4 second 100-meter dash this year, Adamski turned in 64 tackles and 16 tackles for loss in an honorable mention all-conference season. “[He] has a ton of upside…,” Nelson said. “[He] was our most valuable lineman last year.”
Cadman Foley, senior, St. Agnes
Foley, a 6-foot-2 defensive lineman, was last year’s Most Valuable Lineman of the Year in his district.
”He is extremely physical and is a violent edge rusher,” coach Sam Thompson said.
Foley was a key cog in a defense that helped lift the Aggies to a conference championship in 2022.
Marcus Whiting, senior, Centennial
Centennial largely rode its defense enroute to a Class 6A quarterfinals appearance in 2022. It’s top pass rusher? The 5-foot-10, 195-pound defensive end Whiting.
Whiting led his team with nine sacks and seven tackles for loss while adding 46 tackles. Whiting’s sack mark was tied for fourth state-wide and was the top among the 2024 class.
Melvin Wallace, senior, Centennial
As Whiting worked the outside, Wallace worked along the interior of Centennial’s defensive front. The 6-foot, 190-pound nose tackle used his sturdy build and speed to accumulate 52 tackles (tied for third on the team), five tackles for loss (tied for second) and three sacks (behind only Whiting.
Wallace joins Whiting and others in returning in 2023 to form what could again be a formidable unit.
Andy Becker, senior, Kimball
Becker is one of the state’s top running backs, but has been building quite the resumé on the other side of the ball, too.
A nose guard for coach Clay Anderson’s group, Becker has 208 career tackles and 10 sacks, with 84 tackles and 3.5 of the sacks coming in 2022. He was the team MVP last year.
Justin Jacobson, senior, Pelican Rapids
Jacobson is a two-way, two-year starter as well as a two-time all-district player who has made a major impact in both trenches for the Vikings.
Previously, he was his district’s offensive lineman of the year, but has also made his mark on defense in his career with 64 tackles, 42 assisted tackles, 30 tackles for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown.
“He finishes through blocks relentlessly and makes a ton of plays in the backfield,” Beachy said. “He is a do-it-all athlete with the size and strength to compete at the NSIC level.”
Jacobson, however, has chosen to throw shot put and discus at Northern State next season after a third place finish in the Class A discus this past spring.
Langden College, senior, Robbinsdale Armstrong
College was the state’s second-leading sack artist among the 2024 class. He was tied for No. 7 state-wide with 8.5 sacks in 2023.
College added 63 tackles, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a safety for the Class 6A quarterfinal Falcons. He’ll star for a talented class of 2024 Falcons defense this fall.
Michael Bruggers, junior, Champlin Park
Bruggers broke out as a sophomore in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound, defensive end led his team with eight sacks (tied for No. 10 state-wide) of the team’s 18 total.
He added 29 tackles and nine tackles for loss which was second on the entire team. Bruggers has the potential to be one of the best edge rushers in the state in 2023.
Max Mogelson, senior, Two Rivers
A 6-foot-4, 265-pounder, Mogelson is a two-time conference and all-district player. He’s also an all-conference player in basketball and baseball, and, like football, started as a freshman in both — something coach Thomas Orth said he’s never seen in his 34 years.
Mogelson accepted a full-ride offer from UNLV last season after years of dominant play at tight end and along the defensive line.
“He is impossible to block or cover 1-on-1,” Orth said. “He also provides great leadership for the football program and the school community.”
Gavin Schaefer, junior, Marshall
Schaefer was a first team all-district defensive end as a sophomore for the 9-1 Tigers. Already a two-year starter entering the 2023 season, Schaefer is a “very physical player,” said coach Terry Bahlmann, who added that the defensive end will see some time at fullback this year, too.
Hans Pederson, sophomore, Buffalo
Pederson is listed at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds as a sophomore, and he has an offer from Central Michigan, according to 247sports.com. He had 15 total tackles as a freshman and one forced fumble, according to stats submitted to MNfootballhub.com.
Jackson Vierstraete, sophomore, Marshall
Vierstraete made first team all-district as just a freshman and helped the Tigers’ find success behind a talented defensive line across from Schaefer.
Bahlmann called him a “very athletic defensive end that could play multiple positions.” In fact, this season, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound end will likely play slot receiver on offense.
Owen Krueger, junior, Blooming Prairie
An all-district player last season, Krueger is a “strong, athletic” offensive lineman who plays with “great leverage” and “controlled nastiness,” according to coach Chad Gimbel.
Krueger plays guard on both sides of the ball and has been a leader for the offensive line even as a sophomore.
“He’s a weight room junky,” Gimbel said. “[He] spends endless hours working to improve his skills.”
Jeremiah Bryant, senior Harding-Humboldt
Bryant recorded seven tackles for loss and four sacks last season. His 6-foot-4 frame at defensive end is helping his garner attention from Division II colleges.
Last season was just his first playing the sport and coach Andre Creighton said they are expecting a “breakout season” this year from the former basketball player.
“He is fast, moves well, and has a great frame to be a really good college football player,” Creighton said. “That's why the colleges love him. He is the motor for our defense and was double-teamed a lot last season.”
Jonah Blackman, senior, Big Lake
Blackman plays on both the offensive and defensive lines for coach Nick Shriver’s program. Entering his final year, he’s looking to “build on an impressive career,” the coach said.
A three-year starter, Blackman led the team in tackles last season. Shriver went on to call him, “a vocal leader, who is very involved with the community.”
Davon Castro, junior, Cretin-Derham Hall
Castro is a first-year varsity player who is expected to make a “major impact along Cretin-Derham Hall’s defensive line. Last season, Castro was ineligible due to a transfer, but he’s primed and ready to go in 2023.
Graysen Schneider, junior, Stewartville
Schneider had a strong sophomore campaign with 36 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks, according to stats submitted to MNfootballhub.com.
Abu Tarawallie, junior, Heritage Christian Academy
Tarawallie is a 3-star recruit, and he's got offers from the University of Minnesota, Penn State, Kansas and Iowa State.
