Football University Team of the Week Nominees: Week 8

Cretin-Derham Hall – W, 19-14 over No. 5 (6A) Roseville

Cretin-Derham Hall scored two touchdowns in a two-minute, 10-second span late in the first quarter to build a 12-0 lead, then held off Roseville’s late charge to earn the victory.

Sophomore Tony Underwood rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown to lead CDH. Quarterback Danny Callahan completed only four passes, but two of them went for touchdowns. His second scoring pass extended the Raiders lead to 19-7 just before intermission.   

CDH’s defense stood tall in the second half, stopping Roseville twice inside the red zone in the fourth quarter. Jackson Crawford’s strip sack with less than three minutes to play provided the final dagger to give the Raiders their fourth-straight win and first over a winning team this season.

Kingsland (Spring Valley) – W, 35-14 over Hayfield

After more than five years and 50 consecutive games, Kingsland ended its losing streak by throttling Hayfield in Spring Valley on Friday. It was the program’s first win since September 2012.

The Knights stormed to a 28-0 halftime lead over the Vikings, which was more points than the team had scored (26) in the last 16 games combined since the beginning of the 2016 season. Brent Stinson’s squad also outgained Hayfield 315-141 in total yards, dominating from the opening kickoff.

Senior quarterback Ethan Fenske paced the offense with 131 yards and three touchdown passes, two of which went to Reid Kreugel. Matthew Woods led the team in both rushing yards with 100, and total tackles with eight, while Kruegel also added three interceptions defensively.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown – W, 32-7 over No. 3 (3A) Sibley East

Jon Bakken’s Buccaneers dominated the previously-unbeaten Wolverines, making a big statement on senior night in Waterville.

Taylor Glende rushed 28 times for 154 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bucs. It was the senior’s fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game and fifth of the season. Tanner Ranslow caught five receptions for 49 yards, while Brandt Melchert scored added a rushing touchdown that helped the Bucs to a three-possession lead in the first half.

The W-E-M defense frustrated Sibley East’s running game throughout the entire contest, holding the Wolverines to negative yardage until the final play. The Wolverines finished with only 128 total yards of offense in the loss.

Shakopee – W, 19-14 over No. 6 (6A) Rosemount

The Sabers registered their biggest victory under third-year coach Ray Betton, upsetting the Irish by five on the road in Rosemount. The win evened Shakopee’s record at 4-4, which is the program’s best mark since district football began in 2014.

Quarterback Tony Monroe threw for a season-high 122 yards in the win. His 30-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Katona opened the scoring in the first quarter. The senior also ran for another score to give Shakopee a 19-7 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Katona was effective as a punter, too, averaging 44.2 yards per kick, which helped flip field-position throughout the contest. The Sabers run defense was stout as well, limiting the Irish to just a 2.0 yards per carry average.   

Robbinsdale Cooper – W, 41-34 (2 OT) over Irondale

The Hawks finished the regular-season with a perfect 8-0 record by outlasting Irondale in two overtimes to win the Suburban Gold subdistrict title.

Senior linebacker Onte Burns was the star of the game for Cooper. He totaled a season-high 25 tackles and an interception on defense – his sixth of the season. Burns also took the opening kickoff of the second half 74 yards for a touchdown, and scored on a short rushing touchdown late in the third quarter.

Irondale rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to send the game to overtime. Both teams were scoreless in the first extra session before Nate Hill went into the end zone from 10-yards out in the second overtime to put the Hawks ahead by seven. Cooper’s defense then stopped the Knights twice inside the five-yard line for the victory.