The Lowdown – Week 8

<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-size: 10pt"><em>(Cover Photo: Drew Herron/MN Football Hub)</em></span></p> <strong><u>X Factors</u></strong> <strong>RB Nas Borden – Robbinsdale Cooper (at Irondale)</strong> With 25 yards against Irondale, Borden will surpass the 1,000-yard mark for first time in his career after falling only 10 yards short as a junior. He’s been more consistent this fall for <strong>Willie Howard’s</strong> Hawks, rushing for 110 yards or more in six of the seven contests. The Hawks senior is listed at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds – size more common for a freshman running back than a varsity standout. Borden’s combination of quick feet and excellent backfield vision more than makes up for his stature, however, giving Cooper another dynamic playmaker in the backfield. With a win, Borden and the Hawks will finish the regular season unbeaten for the second-straight year. <strong>RB Payton Madison – New London-Spicer (vs Albany) </strong> Since the Wildcats season-opening loss to Holy Family Catholic, the Wildcats have rattled off six-straight wins to climb back into the discussion of Class AAA title contenders. Madison, <span style="text-decoration: underline;color: #800000"><strong><a style="color: #800000;text-decoration: underline" href="http://www.wctrib.com/sports/football/4515020-prep-football-madison-adds-punch-nls-attack">who returned to the program after playing junior hockey</a></strong></span>, has added even more fuel to the Wildcats potent offense. The senior leads the team with 580 rushing yards, averaging 10 yards per carry with seven rushing touchdowns. He’s also been an effective pass catcher out of the backfield, giving quarterback <strong>Brandon Adelman</strong> another target through the air. Can Madison and the Wildcats extend their winning streak against Albany? <strong>WR Jake Boltmann – Edina (at Eden Prairie)</strong> Edina is a run-first, throw-when-you-have-to kind of offense, but the 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver will need to be a huge part of the Hornets attack against the Eagles. <strong>Mike Grant </strong>will undoubtedly try and shut down <strong>Matt Cavanagh</strong> and the Edina running game, giving Boltmann a shot at building on his seven-catch, 86-yard average through the two games in which he’s played. Boltmann, who committed to play hockey at the University of Minnesota before his sophomore year at Edina, joined <strong>Derrin Lamker’s</strong> squad when the calendar turned to October. He’s the son of former Hornets coach <strong>Reed Boltmann</strong>, and younger brother of former quarterback <strong>Brock</strong>, who’s now playing at North Dakota. <strong>QB Andrew Wenstrom – Randolph (vs Grand Meadow)</strong> What will the Rockets senior do for an encore against the Superlarks after last week’s nine-touchdown effort? Wenstrom threw for a school-record seven touchdowns and ran for two more to lead Randolph to a 61-24 win over Mabel-Canton. What’s even more remarkable is that he achieved the feat playing in only the first three quarters of the game. Prior to the record-setting performance, Wenstrom had been having a solid season for the Rockets (5-2). He was averaging over 363 total yards per game, including nearly 220 through the air. He’d also accounted for 33 touchdowns (18 pass, 15 rush) before the Week 7 game. <strong>RB/LB Joe Janke – South Ridge (vs Cook County)</strong> Janke’s amassed some of the top rushing numbers in the state with 1,544 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. He’s gone over the 200-yard mark in four games, including a 334-yard outburst to open the season against Isle. Janke’s Panthers take on Cook County in one of the few matchups of the week featuring two top-10 teams around the state. Both teams are unbeaten with 7-0 records. It will be his toughest test of the season this week against the Vikings, which have allowed only one team to score double digits this fall. [caption id="attachment_4923" align="aligncenter" width="324"] <span style="font-size: 10pt">Senior running back David Cornelius will try and end Hermantown's three-game losing streak to Cloquet. (Clint Austin/Duluth News Tribune)</span>[/caption] <strong><u>O/D Matchups</u></strong> <strong>Chanhassen Rush O vs Waconia Rush D</strong> It will be strength versus strength on Wednesday night in Chanhassen – the Storm’s physical ground game against the Wildcats physical defense. The Storm have three times more rushing attempts than passing attempts, gaining almost 1,800 yards on the ground this season compared to just 769 through the air. Quarterback <strong>Jacob Miller</strong> is the team’s leader with 769 yards and seven touchdowns, but running backs <strong>Rolando Alvarez</strong> and <strong>Matthew Boyum</strong> are also integral parts to the offense. Waconia’s run defense has been one of the best in Class AAAAA this season. The Wildcats are surrendering just 2.6 yards per carry and have allowed only one team, Holy Angels, to rush for more than 100 yards in a game. Linebackers <strong>Cade Mueller</strong> (47 tackles, 10 TFL) and <strong>Eric Groenveveld</strong> (52 tackles, 3 TFL) are the anchors of the suffocating run defense. <strong>Hermantown RB/WR vs Cloquet LB/DB</strong> There’s plenty more than just bragging rights on the line between the Hawks and Lumberjacks on Wednesday night. The winner should earn the top seed in Section 7AAAA, avoiding North Branch in a section semifinal. Senior <strong>David Cornelius</strong> is the player that could singlehandedly take over Wednesday’s game. He’s rushed for nearly 1,000 yards already this season, helping the Hermantown offense to almost 24 points per game. The Hawks haven’t used quarterback <strong>Tate Hansen</strong> much this season, but he has been able to connect with <strong>Elliott Peterson</strong> for multiple touchdowns through the air. Cloquet’s back seven is the strength of its defense. Cornerbacks <strong>Alex Leuzzo</strong> and <strong>Riley Leslie</strong> form a solid tandem on the outside. Linebackers <strong>Markus Pokornowski</strong> and <strong>Andre Peters</strong> are two of the best in northeast Minnesota too. Will the Lumberjacks skill positions be up to the task of shutting down Cornelius and the rest of the Hawks at home? <strong>Jordan Pass O vs Marshall Pass D</strong> The Hubmen rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 64-6 trouncing of New Ulm last week. They’ll look to make it two straight against unbeaten Marshall, who will secure a first-round bye in Section 2AAAA with a victory. This game will likely be decided on Marshall’s ability to slowdown Jordan’s passing game. Quarterback <strong>Bryce Sievers</strong> is one of the top passers in the state with more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. The junior has thrown 10 interceptions, however, including four in the Week 6 loss to Waseca. His top receivers, <strong>Marlon Wiley</strong> (50 receptions, 719 yards, 6 TDs) and <strong>Ryan Samuelson</strong> (26-762, 12 TD), are as dynamic of a duo as any in Minnesota. <strong>Terry Bahlmann’s</strong> Marshall teams have traditionally been sound defensively and this season is no different. The Tigers are allowing less than seven points per game in 2018. They have not faced a prolific passing team like Jordan to date, though, which will put the pressure on defensive backs like <strong>Andrew Mulso</strong> and <strong>Josh Deines.</strong> <strong>Edina OL vs Eden Prairie DL </strong> Check out some film of the Edina offense and you’ll notice<strong> Quinn Carroll </strong>sets the tone for the entire Edina offense. The Notre Dame commit is typically the player the running game gets behind, but he isn’t the only player on the Hornets o-line. Center<strong> Ben Moss </strong>is also a solid lineman, while guards<strong> Zach Luedtke </strong>and<strong> Croix Wilde</strong> are mobile pieces in the trenches. Eden Prairie’s defensive line is undersized by its historical standards, but has still been very active this fall. All of the starters up front weigh between 210-225 pounds, meaning they’ll be giving up significant size to Edina. Seniors <strong>Felipe Izumi</strong> and <strong>Kyle Akins</strong> are the best at getting off blocks quickly, making them the most active players on the line. They’ll need to be at their best against Carroll and the Hornets on Wednesday. <strong>Fridley O vs Providence Academy D</strong> Providence Academy boasts the top scoring defense in Minnesota, allowing six points to Academy Force in Week 2. That’s it. One touchdown in seven games, good enough for an average of 0.9 points per contest. The Lions have forced 19 turnovers, too, including 15 interceptions, led by <strong>Hakim Daniels</strong> with five and<strong> Bryce Lovcik </strong>and <strong>Justin Mason</strong> with three each. The Tigers are predicated on running the football, led by dual-threat quarterback <strong>Kaleb Blaha</strong>. Blaha has gained more than 700 yards passing and rushing this fall, totaling 20 touchdowns in the process. Receiver <strong>Casey Fisher</strong> could be a key against the stifling Lions defense. The 5-foot-10, 155-pounder is Fridley’s best athlete and top pass catcher with 473 yards and nine scores.