By Chad Courrier
Free Press Staff Writer
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By this time next week, many high-school football teams will have already played a game, and the rest will be getting ready to do so tonight.
Here’s a few things to be looking for this season.
Mankato West looks like the clear-cut favorite to repeat in the Big Nine Conference and Section 2AAAA.
There’s a lot of offensive firepower back with quarterback Philip Nelson, who threw 23 touchdown passes last season, and receiver Nick Kaus, who scored 16 touchdowns. The defense is led by linebackers Drew Weber and Adam Athey, who combined for 58 solo tackles and 273 assists, making it nearly impossible to run against the Scarlets.
The questions concern the offensive and defensive lines. If West gets quality play up front, it’s certainly possible to repeat last year’s run to the state semifinals.
Another team that seems loaded is Waterville-Elysian-Morristown. Who can forget the gutsy 2-point conversion in overtime of the Bucs’ 21-20 semifinal victory against Eden Valley-Watkins, propelling the Bucs to the state championship a week later against Moose Lake/Willow River?
Behind Nelson, WEM’s Conrad Masberg is probably the next best quarterback in the area, and the Bucs have several targets at receiver. WEM always seems to have a scrappy, undersized line that makes it possible to run a diverse offense.
At New Ulm Cathedral, there’s aren’t many down seasons so you can never rule out another trip to the state tournament. Dan Simon is the leader on the lines, and Kevin Larson is a two-year starter at quarterback.
However, Section 2A is always highly competitive, and Le Center has a lot of key people back to make a run.
The nine-man football in this area should be interesting. Nicollet, which reached the state finals last season, lost all-state quarterback Jordan Rudenick, but most of his supporting cast is back. The Raiders won’t be real big, but they’ll have speed.
The Raiders’ biggest threat might come from Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, a program that seems on the rise after a few down seasons.
A week from now, the first results of the season will be in, and some teams will have already taken a step toward conference, section or state championships. It should be a lot of fun to watch.
Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com or check out his local sports blog.
