Football University Team of the Week Nominees: Round of 16
St. Louis Park – W, 13-12 over Robbinsdale Cooper
The Orioles secured their first state tournament berth in program history with a stunning upset of No. 2 (5A) Cooper.
Senior quarterback Johnny Sorenson accounted for both his team's touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a short touchdown run in the first quarter, then with Cooper leading 7-6, found McCabe Dvorak for an 11-yard strike with less than two minutes to play to give the Orioles the advantage. The Hawks came right back to cut SLP's lead to 13-12 and decided to go for the win.
St. Louis Park's defense stopped the rushing attempt short of the goal line, securing the upset win. The unit held the high-powered Hawks to less than 230 yards of total offense and just a dozen points – a huge contrast from the teams' regular-season matchup, when Cooper scored 40 of the game's final 43 points in a 40-17 rout.
Minneota – W, 35-22 over BOLD
Minneota remained unbeaten with a sound victory over previously-undefeated BOLD, advancing to its 14th state tournament in program history.
The Vikings start was disastrous, but their finish was spectacular in the matchup between a pair of Top-10 teams in Class A. Minneota fumbled twice and threw an interception in the first 10 minutes of the game, which led to a 14-0 BOLD advantage early in the second quarter.
Chad Johnston's crew responded in a big way with the next 35 points of the game to secure the victory. Isaac Hennen did it all for the Vikings in the win. The senior rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns, while also notching five tackles and an interception on defense. Linebacker Shawn Buysse recorded 14 stops to lead the Vikings defense, which held the Warriors more than 30 points below their season average.
Prior Lake – W, 49-14 over Blaine
Matt Gegenheimer's Lakers qualified for the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2014, and got a bit of revenge too, by drubbing Blaine at home.
The Lakers punished Blaine's defense with 288 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Preston Jelen led the attack with 103 yards and two scores, and
Jordan Johnson
Jordan
Johnson
6'1" | 180 lbs | WR
Blaine | 2024
MN
gained 73 yards, while also finding paydirt twice. Prior Lake's defense was equally as dominating, holding the Blaine offense to just 240 yards and 14 points.
A year after being ousted by the Bengals in a playoff thriller, PL exploded for 36 first-half points to remove any suspense about the outcome. Quarterback Colin O'Connor tossed three touchdowns in the opening half and finished with 145 passing yards in the game.
Ada-Borup/Norman County West – W, 33-14 over Ottertail Central
The Cougars are going to state in their first year as a cooperative program after trouncing Ottertail Central in the Section 6A final at the Fargodome.
Senior running back Zach Pelzman was an absolute workhouse for Ada-Borup/Norman County West. He carried the ball 37 times for 276 yards and four touchdowns – finding the end zone in every quarter, including a 77-yard jaunt on the Cougars' third offensive play.
The 31 points were the most allowed by OTC this season. Cougars defense was stout in the win as well, holding the Bulldogs to their lowest point total since the season opener. A-B/NCW takes on fellow unbeaten Braham on Saturday.
Caledonia – W, 35-7 over Triton
The Warriors turned the highly-anticipated rematch with Triton into a coronation. Caledonia outscored the Cobras 29-0 after halftime en route to an impressive victory in Rochester.
Jordan Burg's blocked punt was the catalyst for the onslaught. The senior got his hands on the third-quarter kick, then grabbed the ball for a 30-yard return for a touchdown to put the Warriors ahead for good. Burg also led Caledonia defensively, recording two of the teams four interceptions, along with three tackles.
Quarterback Owen King kept his record as a starter perfect at 38-0, totaling four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) to lead the offense. Senior Mason Staggemeyer added 115 yards rushing for the Warriors, which play 2016 Class A champion and No. 2 (AA) Minneapolis North on Friday.
