Countdown to Kickoff: Preseason 9-Man Top 5
Gary Sloan’s squad is younger and less experienced to open the season than any of his previous team four teams that claimed the 9-Man state title.
The Superlarks have a solid foundation of seniors led by Zach Myhre and Kyle Oehlke, but a smaller junior class means they’ll have to depend on a bunch of sophomores to keep their 50-game winning streak rolling. New section alignments in the postseason will also be more challenging for Grand Meadow, which might have to play No. 2 Cleveland and No. 5 Spring Grove just to get to the state tourney.
The Clippers hung with Grand Meadow for most of last year’s Prep Bowl, but simply were worn down in the second half by the Superlarks physicality. Cleveland returns more than half the starters from the 2016 campaign, making the orange-and-black the strongest 9-Man challenger to Grand Meadow.
Quarterback Carter Kopet and receiver Austin Plonsky will be the best quarterback-receiver duo in 9-Man. They connected for more than 1,000 yards through the air last fall, with Plonsky catching more than half of Kopet’s 54 touchdowns.
The Clippers should be able to manage loss of their offensive linemen and tight end early in the season, but capable replacements will be needed once the Section 1 playoffs begin in October.
If there’s any team itching to begin the 2017 season more than others, it’s Nevis. The Tigers have lived all offseason with the bad taste of last year’s section final collapse against Waubun in their mouths.
Nevis has the most returning starters of any team in the 9-Man Top 5, which makes their prospects of getting to U.S. Bank Stadium very good. Quarterback Jack DeWulf is back after amassing more than 2,200 yards of total offense as a junior.
The Tigers defense will be one of the best in the state too. Linemen Patrick Kuhn and Jack Landquist will anchor that unit, while also starting on the offense.
Stephen-Argyle will lean on a big junior class to try and make its 15th state tournament appearance in 2017.
The Storm depend on a strong running game for success. They’ll bring back senior Kyler Szczepanski, who led the team in rushing last fall. Leading tackler Hunter Yutrzenka will likely assume the starting quarterback duties along with his role in the defensive backfield.
The Storm overwhelmed every opponent except Waubun in 2016. All 10 of Stephen-Argyle’s victories last season were by double digits, but their two losses to the Bombers were by a combined 58 points. This season it will be Nevis, not Waubun, that provides the biggest challenge on the regular-season schedule. The Storm and Tigers tangle in the MEA week special on Wednesday, October 18.
Spring Grove’s past four seasons have basically turned into the movie Groundhog’s Day. The Lions have won all their regular season games except for losses to No. 1 Grand Meadow in competitive contests, and advanced to the Section 1 final only to lose Grand Meadow again.
This season might follow a different script, but the Lions should again be one of 9-Man’s top teams. They play No. 2 Cleveland in a hootenanny of a season opener that has seeding implications for the postseason.
With a majority of skill players back, junior quarterback Alex Folz should improve on his sophomore campaign. His favorite receiver, Chase Grinde, is gone to graduation, but leading rusher Cullen Patterson and 6-foot-3 tight end Ethan Matzke should keep the offense humming in 2017.
