Section Strength: 5A

This is the second story of the Section Strength series covering the second largest class in Minnesota. Class 5A also has many great football teams with almost as many great athletes. With the playoff setup being different from 6A determining section strength will be a little different. For 5A, I chose Section 5 based on the spread of competition and the closer scores amongst the teams in them. Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks The Hawks was the number one seed going into the Section tournament with a record at 8-2, averaging 39 points on offense while defensively surrendering 18 points a game. Cooper looks like a team that will spread the field and use their speed to win the game, while on defense, seems like they like their speed too. The Hawks will be losing a good chunk of their team both ways, but they will return a few key players such as: Wide Receiver- Cornelius Wooten, shifty and sure handed, makes the catch and is hard for the defense to corral and bring down. Defensive End- Kellen Andler, strength, speed, and awareness, will fight through and speed past blocks, but also remembers his job to contain and makes the sure tackle. Spring Lake Park Panthers The Panthers were the number two seed, but they were able to win the Section tournament and punch a ticket to the State Tournament. Averaging 28 points and game offensively and giving up 15 points defensively. Spring Lake Park likes the run game with their two backs and big line, really physical on both sides of the ball. In 2019 they will be returning a platoon of senior key players such as: Tight End/Defensive Lineman- Donald Toner III, physical blocker and defender, engages the opponent on both sides of the ball and controls the line, and can catch a pass too. Offensive Lineman- Eric Amundson, grit, stays low and drives off the snap to make the hole for his backs. Irondale Knights The Knights clinched a home playoff game with the third seed in the Section tournament. Finishing the season at 7-3, averaging 32 points a game on offense and giving up 20 points a game on defense. Irondale liked their double wing set with the misdirection plays they could run out of it, keeping the opponent guessing. The Knights will be another team that will have a lot of spots to fill for the 2019 season, they will return a handful of players such as: Wide Receiver/ Defensive Back- Jakobe Bass, speed, turns on the jets when he gets in the open field and keeps his feet moving during contact with a defender. Defensive Back- Diego Hernandez, technician, plays and reads in his corner spot, makes receivers work to catch every ball and makes a sure tackle, wraps up. St. Louis Park Orioles The Orioles were the fourth seed in the Section tournament, finishing the season 5-5, averaging 26 points a game on offense and giving up 24 points a game on defense. St. Louis Park will be returning a good group of seniors for 2019 and the key players include: Offensive Lineman- Josh Smith, strong, uses his size to control the defender and drives them off the ball to finish the block. Running Back- Sajid Nathim, physical runner, he's very patient, lets his blocks develop and accelerates into the open field and will fight for every yard. Minneapolis Southwest Lakers The Lakers got the fifth seed in the Section tournament, finishing 3-6, dropping some close games that could have gotten them to .500. They love their power run mentality with their Wishbone and Power I formations. They will look to have a turnaround season in 2019 returning a huge core of key players including: Running Back- TK Marshall, versatile, takes the handoff and gets into open space and turns on the jets, is used as a vertical receiver as well. Linebacker/Running Back- Nate Mertes, power, gives Southwest a good balance with his power along with his speed. Makes a good 1-2 punch for the Lakers. Park Center Pirates The Pirates rounded out the Section 5 playoff bracket at the sixth seed, finishing at 2-7, they showed tons of explosive offensive potential. They too will also have a comeback season in 2019 returning plenty of experienced athletes on both sides of the ball such as: Wide Receiver- Raymond Andrews, shifty, when in open space he is hard to get ahold of, he has tons of big play potential. Linebacker- Manny Garcia, awareness, has great read and react instinct, flies around the field and makes the play.