Top 25 Minnesota high school football rankings (9/11/2023)
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Minnesota high school football was full of upsets in week two.
Then No. 1 Maple Grove and No. 2 Rosemount fell to Champlin Park and Lakeville North, respectively.
Defending Class 5A champion Elk River also fell for the second time this season, and defending Class 4A champion Simley was shut out 17-0 by Totino-Grace.
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SBLive's Minnesota Power 25
No. 1 Eden Prairie (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Next game: Sept. 14 at No. 12 Prior Lake (1-1)
Ranking rationale: The Eagles got off to a slow start offensively before turning it on for the final three quarters in a 36-14 home win vs. previous No. 24 Edina (1-1). Eden Prairie broke a scoreless tie after one quarter with a couple touchdowns to make it 15-0 at halftime.
The Hornets pulled within a possession two different times in the second half but a couple touchdowns in the final six minutes helped the Eagles pull away. Eden Prairie’s defense came up with three interceptions and held Edina to 44 rushing yards on 14 attempts.
No. 2 Lakeville South (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Next game: Sept. 15 at No. 3 Lakeville North (2-0)
Ranking rationale: Like the team above them in the Power 25, Lakeville South was locked in a scoreless ball game through 12 minutes. Also like Eden Prairie, Lakeville South scored a couple touchdowns before halftime to pull away in a 35-14 victory at Farmington (0-2).
The Cougars’ methodical run game produced five rushing touchdowns. Jonah Shine found the end zone from 67 and 22 yards and quarterback Gaven Dean added two touchdowns from inside the red zone.
Next week will be a measuring stick game for Lakeville South, but perhaps more so against an upstart rival that will sure to provide a great atmosphere for the crosstown matchup.
No. 3 Lakeville North (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 15
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. No. 3 Lakeville South (2-0)
Ranking rationale: It might be extreme to move Lakeville North from the depths of the unranked to the top three in a couple weeks. With that said, the Panthers have two of the more impressive wins of the young season over two 2022 Class 6A state tournament teams.
Week 1 saw a 35-14 pounding of current No. 13 Stillwater on the Ponies’ home field. That was followed up with a 14-11 win at a Rosemount squad that went undefeated last year until a close loss in the Prep Bowl. The Panthers set the tone against the Irish with a 94-yard kick return by Ayden Forsgren to open the game.
North took a 14-0 lead after one quarter and proceeded to take the air out of the ball to hang on to a 14-11 win in enemy territory. The Panthers once again have a chance to prove themselves with their crosstown rivals coming to their house this week.
No. 4 Mankato West (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Next game: Sept. 15 at Waconia (1-1)
Ranking rationale: Mankato West was tested against one of its best Class 5A brethren in a 35-21 win at previous No. 13 Andover (1-1). The Scarlets never led until going ahead 21-14 midway through the second quarter as the two teams traded touchdowns.
It was tied at 21 at halftime before quarterback Bart McAninch helped put the game out of reach. He finished with two rushing touchdowns, including a 47-yarder to give the team a 35-21 cushion late in the third quarter.
He also threw for two more to Brody Koberoski, including one for 56 yards. The Scarlets defense showed weakness at times while also proving it can bow up when it needs to.
No. 5 Centennial (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Next game: Sept. 14 at No. 10 Maple Grove (1-1)
Ranking rationale: A year after leaning heavily on the defense, Centennial’s showing it can put up some points. A week after downing Coon Rapids (1-1) 48-22, the Cougars won big again at home with a 45-20 win vs. Blaine (1-1).
Centennial raced out to a 21-7 lead after one quarter and never let the Bengals draw any closer. The defense did its part in the first half to build a lead before Blaine got on the board with a couple third-quarter touchdowns.
Centennial can validate its top-five spot by beating a hungry Maple Grove team coming off its first loss since 2021.
No. 6 Chanhassen (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Next game: Sept. 15 at Rochester Century (1-1)
Ranking rationale: Owatonna isn’t the same juggernaut it was in the 2010s, but a dominant 35-14 win for Chanhassen is still a feather in the cap. A 91-yard touchdown run by Maxwell Woods gave the Storm a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
The advantage swelled to 28-7 at halftime. The Huskies scored a touchdown with three seconds left in the game to make the score a bit more respectable.
Chanhassen also owns a 34-28 win at defending Class 5A champion Elk River, so there’s a lot to like for the blue and gold.
No. 7 Shakopee (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Next game: Sept. 14 vs. No. 24 Wayzata (0-2)
Ranking rationale: A case could be made for the Sabers to be higher in the Power 25, but they still make a sizable five-spot jump this week. Shakopee rolled up 72 points in a Week 1 at Hopkins before defeating previous No. 6 Prior Lake (1-1) 28-7 in the home opener.
It was a tightly contested game through three quarters with the Lakers knotting it up 7-7 late in the third quarter. TJ Clark accounted for all four Saber touchdowns with one by air and three by land.
He found the end zone with touchdown runs of 28 and 37 yards to seal the game in the final four minutes.
No. 8 Minnetonka (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 16
Next game: Sept. 14 at No. 25 Edina (1-1)
Ranking rationale: Minnetonka was a team perhaps overlooked in the preseason that has impressed in the early going. They throttled a seven-win team from last year, White Bear Lake, 38-7.
Minnetonka backed it up with a 22-21 win at previous No. 19 Wayzata (0-2), which remains in the Power 25 despite a couple tough losses. Minnetonka showed resilience against its familiar rival, coming back from 14 points down and taking its only lead on the final score of the game, a 5-yard touchdown pass from Milos Spasojevic to Hudson Poole.
No. 9 Rosemount (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Next game: Sept. 15 at Eagan (1-1)
Ranking rationale: On a night filled with upsets, Rosemount was one of the victims. The Irish lost to a much improved Lakeville North team, 14-11. Rosemount hadn’t lost a regular season game since 2021.
It was in unfamiliar territory down 14-0 after one quarter as the Panthers housed the opening kick. Rosemount didn’t fold, scraping across a field goal before halftime and getting a touchdown and two-point conversion with seven minutes, 44 seconds left in the contest. This was the second ranked win for North, so this could prove to be a respectable loss for Rosemount.
No. 10 Maple Grove (1-0)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Next game: Sept. 14 vs. No. 5 Centennial (2-0)
Ranking rationale: Both of the 2022 Class 6A Prep Bowl teams went down on Friday. The Crimson were stunned 25-24 at Champlin Park, which goes from unranked to No. 17 this week. Speaking of 17, that’s the lead Maple Grove built in the first half against Champlin Park.
It looked like business as usual for the defending state champs, particularly when Charles Langama rushed for a 54-yard touchdown midway through the quarter to push it back to a two-score game. The Rebels scored the final 10 points of the game to pull off the upset.
Maple Grove lost a lot of talent from a year ago, but there’s still enough on the roster to turn this season around.
No. 11 Brainerd (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 21
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. Sartell (0-2)
Ranking rationale: It’s time to show some love for a team outside the Twin Cities metro. The Warriors pulled off the 39-35 upset at home over defending Class 5A champion Elk River (0-2), which remains in the Power 25 at No. 16 this week.
Brainerd led for much of the first half before Elk River scored a late touchdown to lead 21-14 at the half. The Warriors looked to be in dire straits down 10 after three quarters, but a 10-yard touchdown run by Eli Hoelz with 1:19 to go helped cap the comeback.
The Warriors still allowed the Elks’ vaunted offense to rush for over 400 yards at 7.1 yards a pop, but pitching a shutout over the final 12 minutes was a thing of beauty.
No. 12 Prior Lake (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Next game: Sept. 14 vs. No. 1 Eden Prairie (2-0)
Ranking rationale: The Lakers survived a ranked matchup in Week 1 but couldn’t duplicate it on Friday. After edging current No. 19 Forest Lake (1-1) 7-6, Prior Lake succumbed 28-7 to Shakopee, which climbs to No. 7 this week.
The final score fails to tell the story of a game that was deadlocked at 7 heading to the fourth quarter. Prior Lake’s stingy defense through seven quarters this year finally relented. Things don’t get easier for Prior Lake next week with No. 1 coming to town.
No. 13 Stillwater
Last week’s ranking: 18
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. No. 18 East Ridge (1-1)
Ranking rationale: The Ponies got the bounce back win they were craving. After getting trounced 35-14 in Week 1 to what’s now a No. 3 Lakeville North (2-0) squad,, Stillwater got off the mat to win a 28-25 thriller at previous No. 8 Woodbury (1-1).
It looks like a free for all among the east suburb teams with a lot of 1-1 records going around. A scoreless game in this Thursday night matchup gave way to fireworks. Stillwater led much of the way but Woodbury took a 17-14 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Nick Kinsey had a big day to lead the Ponies back late, finishing 28-for-48 for 357 yards, four touchdowns and just one pick. He had to do it all with the run game totaling just 13 yards.
No. 14 Rogers (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: 18
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. No. 18 East Ridge (1-1)
Ranking rationale: Rogers’ schedule is very backloaded, but the Royals are taking care of business early on. They thumped Sartell (0-2) in Week 1 and stayed at home to beat Moorhead (1-1) 51-28. The Spuds scored a late touchdown to make the score a little tighter.
Kalvin Eull rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns and Reece Dawson passed for two more. Moorhead managed just 36 rushing yards on 12 carries. Rogers allowed four touchdown passes to Jett Feeney while also intercepting four passes.
No. 15 Woodbury (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. White Bear Lake (0-2)
Ranking rationale: Woodbury wound up on the wrong end of a 28-25 thriller Thursday vs. Stillwater (1-1), which rose five spots to No. 13 in this week’s Power 25. The Royals made the Ponies one-dimensional with just 13 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Quarterback Nick Kinsey was hard for Woodbury to stop with more than 350 yards through the air. George Bjellos racked up 268 yards of his own, but two interceptions proved costly.
The receiving duo of Charlie Jacobson with four receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown and Quentin Cobb-Butler with four catches for 87 yards give the Royals hope to turn it around against a struggling opponent in Week 3.
No. 16 Elk River
Last week’s ranking: 10
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. St. Francis (0-2)
Ranking rationale: Elk River joins Wayzata as one of the tough-luck kids through two weeks. The Elks are better than an 0-2 record would indicate, but they were unable to pull out a couple one-score games against perhaps their two toughest opponents on the schedule. Elk River fell 34-28 to current No. 6 Chanhassen (2-0) in Week 1.
A bounce back looked in order when Elk River twice led host Brainerd by double digits in the third quarter. Its patented run game ended with over 400 yards but couldn’t find the end zone in the fourth as Brainerd scored the final 14 points of a 39-35 upset.
Brainerd rose 10 spots to No. 11 this week. The defending Class 5A champs should finally get to recoup this week and will have more tough games down the road to ascend back up the Power 25.
No. 17 Champlin Park (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: N/R
Next game: Sept. 15 at Osseo (0-2)
Ranking rationale: Trailing 17-0 to the defending Class 6A state champions and No. 1 in the Power 25, Maple Grove, some Champlin Park students may have hit the exits. Could you blame them? The Crimson were coming off a 13-0 season while the Rebels were 0-1 off a rivalry ross at Anoka and finished 4-5 in 2022.
Maple Grove won last year’s matchup by 29. A 54-yard touchdown rush to go up 24-15 in the third quarter looked to be the backbreaker in favor of Maple Grove. Champlin Park got back within one score on an Evan Swanstrom 29-yard field goal.
Preston Thielke hit Arthur Russell with under eight minutes to go to tie it up. Swanstrom booted the extra point in what proved to be the game-winning kick. It remains to be seen if this game says more about Maple Grove or Champlin Park. For now, the Rebels are riding high.
No. 18 Andover (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 13
Next game: Sept. 15 at Cambridge-Isanti (1-1)
Next game: A five-spot drop may be a bit drastic after Andover pushed its fellow Class 5A title contender, No. 4 Mankato West (2-0), for three quarters in a 35-21 home loss. It’s more a product of several teams spring boarding into the Power 25.
The Huskies went blow for blow trading touchdowns with the Huskies but didn’t quite have the answer for three-year starting quarterback Bart McAninch.
Andover can take solace in rolling up over 350 yards of offense, including 113 through the air to receiver Cameron Begalle who caught two touchdowns.
No. 19 Forest Lake (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 22
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. No. 23 Mounds View (2-0)
Ranking rationale: Forest Lake’s had a tough early season schedule with trips to ranked foes Prior Lake and East Ridge. The Rangers lost 7-6 in a Week 1 heartbreaker before stemming the tide in a big Thursday spotlight matchup.
They took down previous No. 11 East Ridge (1-1) by a 35-29 final. A 35-yard fumble return touchdown for Reid Olson with 1:38 left in the third quarter gave Forest Lake its first lead up 28-21 after trailing 21-7 at halftime.
Leyton Patzer is emerging as one of the state’s top running backs after 36 carries for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 20 East Ridge (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Next game: Sept. 15 at No. 13 Stillwater (1-1)
Ranking rationale: It appears that there could be a lot of parity in the Metro East district. It could take all season to see how these six teams are going to shake out with perhaps no elite team, nor a poor one. East Ridge looked poised to improve to 2-0 when it staked a 21-7 lead at home vs. current No. 19 Forest Lake (1-1).
The Raptors were rolling behind Tanner Zolnosky, who finished with three touchdown passes, including a 37-yarder.
A fumble return touchdown helped the Rangers spring the upset. This could wind up being a reasonable loss as far as the ranking goes as Forest Lake also hung tough in a one-point road loss at No. 6 Prior Lake in Week 1.
No. 21 St. Thomas Academy (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 17
Next game: Sept. 15 vs. Cretin-Derham Hall (1-1) at TCO Stadium in Eagan
Ranking rationale: With so many new teams jumping into the Power 25 this week, something had to give. The Cadets drop four spots more as a lingering effect of the 55-29 drubbing they took to a top-20 Andover squad in Week 1.
St. Thomas Academy took a big stride in Week 2 with a 28-7 win at Waconia (1-1). STA broke a scoreless tie with a Maximus Sims 6-yard touchdown to Chase Young with less than two minutes until halftime. That began a 28-0 run before Waconia snapped the shutout late in the game.
Savion Hart rushed for two touchdowns, including a 46-yarder.
No. 22 Anoka (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: N/R
Next game: Sept. 15 at Blaine (1-1)
Ranking rationale: Anoka is a team that could very well be ranked higher. Its 32-26 win vs. Champlin Park (1-1) in Week 1 looked ho-hum until Champlin Park went out and stunned previous No. 1 and defending state champion Maple Grove (1-1) this week.
The Tornadoes didn’t rest on their laurels, again defending home turf with a 34-19 win vs. St. Michael-Albertville (0-2). Anoka was in a nail biter up just 21-19 in the third quarter as STMA was a 2-point conversion away from tying it up.
Peyton Podany helped clinch the game with a pair of touchdown passes
No. 23 Mounds View (2-0)
Last week’s ranking: N/R
Next game: Sept. 15 at No. 19 Forest Lake (2-0)
Ranking rationale: It’s been tough for the Mustangs to score touchdowns, but it’s been even tougher for their opponents. Mounds View won 17-7 in Week 1 vs. Farmington (0-2) and 16-6 Thursday at White Bear Lake (0-2).
The Mustang defense didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter of the season opener. It didn’t allow one at all against the Bears, whose lone score came on a pick six.
The ‘D’ also chipped in two points on a safety. A big step up in competition comes next, so we’ll see if Mounds View justifies breaking into the Power 25.
No. 24 Wayzata (0-2)
Last week’s ranking: 19
Next game: Sept. 14 at No. 7 Shakopee (2-0)
Ranking rationale: Wayzata tends to get the better of Minnetonka in the Battle for the Bell rivalry, but not this year. The tough luck Trojans never trailed until the Skippers scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to steal a 22-21 road win.
Wayzata quarterback Cole Heilbrun accounted for all 21 points with a pair of 1-yard touchdown rushes to go with a 36-yard strike to Tony Ley. The winless Trojans remain in the Power 25 as they also hung tough with current No. 2 Lakeville South (2-0) in Week 1.
No. 25 Edina (1-1)
Last week’s ranking: 24
Next game: Sept. 14 vs. No. 8 Minnetonka (2-0)
Ranking rationale: If only for one quarter, Edina was thinking upset on Friday. Eden Prairie (2-0) doesn’t go scoreless for a whole quarter often at Aerie Stadium unless it’s running out the clock in a blowout.
The Hornets defense came to play as the two border rivals were deadlocked 0-0 after 12 minutes. The dam, or should I say the hive, broke when the Eagles’ ground game got going for two short-yardage touchdowns to build a 15-0 halftime lead.
Edina found some success through the air and clawed back within eight midway through the quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mason West to Sonny Villegas.
Three picks for West and a lack of a ground game proved to be too much for Edina to overcome in a 34-16 loss to an EP squad that rises to No. 1 this week.
