Ranking the Top Players in the State Tournament

The 2019 State Tournament officially kicks off on Friday night with a hand full of first round matchups, with also some 6A quarterfinals on Thursday. This year's tournament seems to have some of the best talent throughout all six classes of any tournament in recent memory. I will go through what I believe to be the five best players in this year's tournament between all six classes, regardless of position.   1. Jalen Suggs, QB/DB, SMB, senior <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li>Regular season stats (8 games): <ul> <li>Passing: 63/133, 1,176 yds *(T34th in MN), 12 TDs, 2 INTs</li> <li>Rushing: 51 carries, 489 yds, 7 TDs</li> <li>Defense: 4 total tackles, 4 INTs *(T13th in MN), 2 TDs</li> </ul> </li> <li>Postseason stats (2 games): <ul> <li>Passing: 22/51, 418 yds, 6 TDs, 1 INT</li> <li>Rushing: 24 carries, 298 yds, 2 TDs</li> <li>Defense: 13 total tackles, 3 INTs</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul>   In last Friday's class 5AAAA section championship game against an undefeated Benilde-St. Margaret's–Jalen Suggs showed the state of Minnesota why he is one of the greatest high school athletes in the history of MN. He had arguably the best passing performance of his career, where he he went 16 of 36, for 288 yards and four touchdowns. He paired that with 99 yards on the ground on only 13 carries. The most impressive part of his performance was his late game interception that sealed the second straight State Tournament appearance for SMB. To start his senior season, Jalen got out to a relatively slow start statistically. But, his pair of dominating performances in the section tournament makes me believe that the four-star QB was saving his best performances for when it mattered most.   2. Matthias Algarin, RB/WR/KR/PR, Pierz, senior <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li>Regular season stats (8 games): <ul> <li>Rushing: 62 carries, 720 yds (11.6 avg), 13 TDs *(T21st in MN)</li> <li>Receiving: 10 catches, 290 yds, 4 TDs</li> <li>Punt returning: 11 returns, 352 yds, 1 TD</li> </ul> </li> <li>Postseason stats (2 games): <ul> <li>Rushing: 23 carries, 200 yds, 4 TDs</li> <li>Receiving: 6 catches, 125 yds, 1 TD</li> <li>Punt returning: n/a returns & yards: 1 TD</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul>   Matthias Algarin has been arguably the most electrifying player in Minnesota this season. The senior offensive-weapon has averaged a remarkable 11.9 yards per touch this season. Before his senior season even began, he put together a ridiculous junior season in track. He appeared in four events at the state tournament. He finished ninth in the 100m (11.20s), tied for seventh in the 200m (22.56s), and he won the long jump and finished second in the triple jump with distances of 23'10.5" and 45' 8.75." Algarin's all-state level athleticism, shows up consistently on the field. Every time he touches the ball he has the chance to bring it to the house, making him one of the most fun players to watch in the entire state. **Matthias has received a very rare two-sport scholarship to play football and run track at Nebraska next year. [embed]http://twitter.com/TripleJumpThias/status/1191913420427350016[/embed]   3. Terrance Kamara, RB/CB/PR/KR, Minneapolis North, junior <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li>Regular season stats (8 games): <ul> <li>Rushing: 145 carries, 1,474 yds *(2nd in MN) (10.2 avg), 22 TDs *(3rd in MN)</li> <li>Receiving: 6 catches, 141 yds, 1 TD</li> <li>Defense: 8 total tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble</li> <li>Punt returning: 6 returns, 69 yds</li> <li>Kick returning: 2 returns, 64 yds</li> </ul> </li> <li>Postseason stats (2 games): <ul> <li>Rushing: 35 carries, 384 yds, 6 TD</li> <li>Receiving: 1 catch, 7 yards</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul>   [caption id="attachment_14788" align="aligncenter" width="260"] (Photo via: Anthony Souffle | MNFootballHub) [/caption]   This season was Terrance Kamara's first after transferring from 6A powerhouse Champlin Park. Last season as a sophomore, he put up over 500+ total yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns on a very good Rebels' team. This year has been the "Terrance-Kamara-show" for Minneapolis North. His 145 carries on the season was surprisingly only 30th in the state, but Kamara was able to turn that into the second most rushing yards, making him one of the most efficient runners in all of Minnesota. His elite level of speed and strength makes him one of the hardest runners to take down in the "Northstar" state.   4. Russell Corrigan, QB/P/LB/KR, Hutchinson, senior <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none"> <ul> <li>Regular season stats (8 games): <ul> <li>Passing: 25/50, 519 yds, 4 TDs, 2 INTs</li> <li>Rushing: 111 carries, 657 yards, 24 TDs *(2nd in MN)</li> <li>Punting: 7 punts, 225 yards</li> </ul> </li> <li>Postseason stats (2 games): <ul> <li>Passing: 5/8, 127 yds, 1 TD</li> <li>Rushing: 24 carries, 143 yds, 4 TDs</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> Russell Corrigan continues to make all of my lists regarding the top players in Minnesota, and it's well deserved. The Boise State, tight end commit, has been the most efficient red-zone rusher in Minnesota this season. He has not put together the same yardage numbers as Suggs, Algarin, or Kamara, but the Hutch QB has been able to consistently find the end zone for the section 2AAAA champions. If Kamara is the toughest player to tackle in the state Corrigan is a close second. His massive 6'3" 230 pounds frame makes him virtually unstoppable in short yardage situations. Corrigan will look to lead Hutchinson over Fridley in the first round of the State Tournament in what should be arguably the matchup of the weekend. [embed]http://twitter.com/Russellpc34/status/1143297160534011904[/embed]   5. Riley Mahlman, OT/DL, Lakeville South, junior I could continue to show you some video-game like numbers that other offensive skill position players have put up, but the offensive lineman deserve some love. Riley Mahlman has been nearly perfect in his senior season. The 6'7" junior has some of the best raw skills that I have personally ever seen from a high school offensive lineman. His superb athleticism and footwork allows him to keep up with any defensive lineman thrown his way. Mahlman and the Lakeville South offensive line, led the Cougars offense to a ridiculous 2,023 yards on the ground, and they allowed an ONLY 2 SACKS in the regular season. In his junior season Mahlman has shown that he is one of the most gifted offensive lineman that the state of Minnesota has ever seen. [embed]http://twitter.com/riley_mahlman/status/1175807577692737539[/embed] **Mahlman has already committed to the University of Wisconsin to play football.   Honorable Mentions: I could've kept going on with this list forever. There are so many good players in this year's state tournaments, and it was nearly impossible to narrow it down to five players. So here is the rest of the players that I think deserve recognition. <ul> <li>Raja Nelson, QB/DB, Lakeville North, senior</li> <li>Noah King, QB, Caledonia, senior</li> <li>Kaden Johnson, LB/DE, SMB, senior</li> <li>Loshiaka Roques, DL, Wayzata, senior</li> <li>Aaron Witt, DE, Winona, senior</li> <li>Jonathan Mann, WR, Rosemount</li> <li>Terry Lockett, WR/DB, SMB, senior</li> <li>Kaleb Blaha, QB, Fridley, senior</li> <li>Jaice Miller, QB/DB, Champlin Park, senior</li> <li>Trevon Howard, DB, SMB, sophomore</li> </ul>