Nine '22 Early Season Undefeated Surprise Teams

It was another excellent week of MN prep football, and with expected heavyweights such as Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Rocori, Chatfield, Esko, Rochester Mayo, and Detroit Lakes getting multi-TD victories and cementing themselves as class contenders, I wanted to take some time and highlight some pleasant surprises through 3/4 weeks of the season in the form of undefeated teams grinding out tough and sometimes dominant wins PrepRedzoneMN didn't necessarily see coming, but are still amped about nonetheless! We found a team from just about every class in the state that is off to a strong start in 2022, break down some players key to their success, and check out the rest of their season. From the depths of St. Paul to the Iowa border, get to know some 2022 Early Season Undefeated Surprise Teams and the Studs that make up their roster. Thanks for reading! Also, thanks to MNFootballHub for some of these stats.   St. Paul Harding/Humbolt   One of the best storylines of this 2022 prep football season is undoubtedly the St. Paul Harding/Humbolt Knights who are in their second year as a co-op after years of struggles separately playing in the St. Paul City Conference and now Twin City Districts. Building on a 2021 season that resulted in a 4-5 finish, the Knights are off and rolling to a 3-0 start with wins over Como Park (39-6), Columbia Heights (42-6), and MPLS Roosevelt (53-0) in three more-than-stellar offensive outputs. The 5A competitor Knights are home to a talented, tough, and dynamic 2023 senior class with a ton of two-way contributors and a despite being relatively undersized, they fly around and bring a ton of physicality to the table, especially on defense. Led by Preseason All-State pick Robert Htoo, a 5'10, 190 lb. RB/LB who has 38 carries for 288 and 2 TDs through three games, Harding/Humbolt also has another beast in the backfield in fellow senior Jorge Irizarry, a 5'10, 175 lber. who has rushed 19 times for 215 yards and 6 TDs from the QB position. He also is the team's punter and has 7 passing completions for more than 150 yards and a TD. Defensively, it's truly a team effort, with 10 players recording more than five tackles and 29 players tallying a tackle overall. Leading the charge is 2024 LB/ATH Dominic Hardy, who has 11 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks with a FF under his belt through three games, as well as 2024 6'4, 190 lb. DL Jeremiah Bryant, who has recorded 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 2 TFLs early into this 2022 season. Julius and Jod'e Trice are two other defensive standouts to know, same with Zane Sheire and Neyo Chea. Ai'Jhon Douglas also has taken a punt back to the crib.   With MPLS South, MPLS Patrick Henry, MPLS Edison, Brooklyn Center, and St. Paul Johnson left on the schedule, I could realistically see them going undefeated the rest of the regular season, but since they're competing in Class 5A, sections may be a whole different beast, so they need to make sure they're improving game-to-game in preparation for an uptick in competition. Their game with Patrick Henry on September 30th is going to be the biggest game of the season. Keep it up, fellas!   Forest Lake   Another exciting surprise thus far into 2022, the Forest Lake Rangers have seen a big-time resurgence under Head Coach Brad Beeskow and are sitting at 3-0 after last night's 28-19 win over Osseo. This follows their major Week 1 win against St. Michael-Albertville 35-20, which put 6A as well as the whole state on notice. They also beat Anoka 35-29 in Week 2 at Anoka. The 3-0 Rangers are finding a lot of balance on both offense and defense, starting with their 125 passing YPG and 283 rushing YPG average as well as 7 sacks spread throughout five players. The rushing attack in particular is going off, with 2024 RB Leyton Patzer sitting at 55 rushes for 422 yards and 5 TDs and senior QB Keegan Zeidler rushing for 244 yards and 2 TDs and a 21-35 for 375 yards and 4 TDs. Senior Westin Hoyt has also rushed 14 rushes for 131 yards and 2 TDs, 6 catches for 113 yards and 2 TDs, a kick return for a TD, and 18 tackles and a TFL.   Defensively is where the Rangers really have some stat-stuffers as well, with 2024 LB Mark Rendl forging ahead with 32 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks with a PBU to boot. Colby Christenson (2024-LB), Nolan Dumonceaux (2023-DB), and Sam Mills (2023-DL) are all sitting at over 20 tackles, with Jake Aho coming in at 18 and a FF as well. Eric Knies Jr. also has two sacks! Forest Lake still has yet to play Mounds View, @Hopkins, Stillwater, @Roseville, and @Lakeville North, so they do have some big tests upcoming, but with Lakeville North somewhat reeling they are still very much in the running for an 8-0, 7-1 regular season. Stillwater is looking dangerous and will be most likely the biggest game of their 2022 regular season matchups. Keep an eye out for Forest Lake, 6A fans, we got some history potentially in the making!   Minneapolis North   It's not that Minneapolis North is lacking in talent, but with what they went through this offseason as a team is something no other MN program has had to deal with and I just didn't know how those young bucks would respond. However, the Polars seem to be making the best of the awful situation that is losing their starting QB to gun violence, and are playing inspired, dominant football over larger school opponents through three games of 2022. This included an impressive 34-14 victory over 4A Fridley in Week 2, and in that three game victory span the Polars have outscored opponents 138-20. The lack of opposing points in large part to North's outrageous 20.5 sacks in three games, as well as a 270 rushing YPG average that beats and keeps teams down over four quarters of play. 2024 lineman Azrie Yeager has 7 of those 20.5 sacks in addition to his 7 TFLs, with Preseason 2A DPOY Auvon Sager following closely behind with 4 sacks, 5 TFLs, and 20 tackles and Kentrell Smith sniffing around with 3 sacks, 4 TFLs, and 14 tackles. The aforementioned rushing attack is headed by the 5'11, 200 lb. bruiser Will Smith, who has rushed 37 times for 420 yards and 7 TDs, and the Polars also have five rushers over 50 yards but under 100.   Senior WR Jayland Baker is averaging 14.5 yards a catch on his 6 receptions for 2 TDs, but the Polars have a menacing ground-and-pound type playstyle that is going to fit in well in the small school ranks once playoffs roll around. North has their biggest test of the season coming up when former 4A state champion SMB hosts the Minneapolis squad, and I'd be very surprised if the Polars saw a loss in the regular season after that. This isn't anything new for the consistent North squad though, who regularly march deep into postseason competition, but have come up short of the illustrious title more often than not, sadly. If they keep playing like this, with the size and speed they possess, they are going to be a tough 2A matchup once sections and state come on deck.   Armstrong   If you would have told me that Armstrong would be 3-0 and Cooper would be 0-3 at this point in the 2022 season last spring I would have a hard time believing you, but here we sit with the undisputed 2022 champion of Robbinsdale going to the Falcons, who are coming off a 63-7 dismantling of their crosstown rivals yesterday. Before that, Armstrong beat a good Waconia team 35-14 Week 1 and conquered Irondale 27-13, but still have come challenging contests on the horizon, most notably Chanhassen on September 30th, @Chaska October 14th, and hosting Spring Lake Park on the last game of the regular season. This Chan squad is potentially looking like a state championship contender, and the rest of their season does include any slouches, so if Armstrong can make it through their regular season battle-tested, confident, and with some big wins under their belt, they are going to be primed for a strong section run and hopefully some 5A state playoff noise. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on them the rest of the regular szn.   With a different offensive spice than most teams on this list, Armstrong depends mostly on their passing attack, which is led by 2022 fall stat-monster QB Jamen Malone, who is throwing at a 50% completion clip but is over 10 yards a completion, 400 yards total passing, and 7 TDs through the air. His favorite target is by far senior Marquan Tucker, who has 6 of Malone's 7 TDs and over 270 yards receiving through three contests. The Falcons are also sitting pretty on defense, with a solid contributor on every level of the defense led in the middle by 220 lb. LB Drew Kuempel, who has 13 tackles and also has caught a passing TD as a TE this fall. On the DL, 2024 Langden College has 15 tackles, and Western Illinois CB commit Cordell Wilson adds 7 tackles and a pick to their defensive statistics. Also keep an eye out for LB Henry Smith and DB Isaiah Cotton, who both have 15 tackles and are looking like prime DIII recruits out of Armstrong. Good luck, Falcons!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/05/172-Langden-College-1024x697.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-330791" /><figcaption>Langden College</figcaption></figure>   Caledonia   It was a shock to the system - to say the least - watching Caledonia's 2021 season that ended in a 4-5 finish and the conclusion of the nation's longest winning streak and five straight AA state championships. However, it seems that the Warriors are back on the winning side of things and are 3-0 with a 129-6 point differential in that span. Pine Island, Lewiston-Altura, and Dover-Eyota have all fallen to the Warriors so far, but they still have that ultra-important matchup with the defending champs Chatfield looming on October 7th, as well as a potentially tough final game against a streak Cannon Falls squad who you will read about below. I like the new names who are stepping up for Caledonia, with two QBs getting snaps and the rushing and passing game both looking potent at this point in the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1202012' first='Ethan' last='Stendel'] and Lewis Doyle are the two gun-slingers getting reps, but the production is coming from two-headed rushing monster of Eric Mauss (35-252-3 TDs) and [player_tooltip player_id='1148641' first='Owen' last='Denstad'] (20-172-1 TD), backed up by the playmaking WR Kyle Bechtel, who has 9 catches for 218 yards and 3 TDs.   Caledonia either doesn't have their defensive stats fully updated, or their defense simply hasn't been on the field very much this season, and I'm definitely leaning towards the latter in this case. Tucker Ginther, [player_tooltip player_id='1148645' first='Mason' last='Banse'], and Ayden Goetzinger are all over double digit tackles, and four Warriors have also picked off a pass so far this season. They've also forced five fumbles! Keep at it boys, I'm very excited for that Chatfield game.   Cannon Falls   The aforementioned Bombers had one of the biggest mystery recruits of my time scouting in 2021 6'5, 215 lb. DB/TE Camden Dicke, who was a giant, stat-stuffing DB who barely had any film and whose mystique grew larger and larger as I saw his career move forward. Two seasons later and Cannon Falls is off and rolling to a 3-0 start in 2022 and a dangerous rushing attack that they are going to need to lean on against Lake City next week, Rochester Lourdes on the 30th, and Caledonia to end the regular season on October 19th. I think their 38-33 tight victory over Goodhue really got things ignited for their 2022 roster, as they followed it up with a huge win over the defending 3A state runner-ups in Plainview-Elgin-Millville and a butt-whooping of Zumbrota-Mazeppa on Friday. If they can keep the momentum going they're going to be tough to bring down. Their stats aren't updated fully, but Dylan Banks and Derrick Bechtholdt are both 100+ yard rushers and seemingly the meat of the offense. Colten Black (WR/LB) and Drew Stachowski (DL) are two names to be aware of on the Bombers D. Keep it up, Cannon Falls!   St. Francis   The St. Francis Saints have already matched their win total from 2021 in their 3-0 start to this season, and I'm quite curious to see if they can continue the success into the meat and grind of October and November Friday Night Lights. Beginning with a huge 28-27 win over upstart Coon Rapids to kick off the 2022 season, the home of our newest PRzMN scout Hayden Lindquist in St. Francis followed it up with a beatdown of Cambridge-Isanti and a 21-7 victory over Monticello, but have a massive test coming up next Friday as Andover comes to town. They also finish the season with heavyweight Elk River, so they're going to get the chance to test their metal in 2022 as they meet Chisago Lakes, Sauk Rapids-Rice, and Big Lake ready to battle in-between those big matchups. Unfortunately, their stats are not updated, but from what I can gather it looks like QB Mike Wasche has good control of the football and the accuracy that shows up on a stat line, and captain Jaxon Skogquist has put some good things on film as well for the QB position as well, and it looks like they operate with a RB by committee approach and some productive pass-catchers to boot. Six Saints have scored TDs according to their stats so far this season as well.   Milaca   Headed by 2022 MN stat-monster Jack Schoenborn, who has rushed 46 times for 491 yards and 5 TDs with a 2pt conversion, Milaca has raced off to a 3-0 start and a crushing 240 YPG rushing average that has taken down the likes of Litchfield (44-22), Albany (20-7), and Foley (50-14) so far in 2022. They have a big matchup with Princeton on the slate for next week and see New London-Spicer and Zimmerman back-to-back in October, so their season is far from over, but I like what the Wolves are doing thus far this season and DIII MIAC and WIAC institutions should be all over Schoenborn as this season continues. The 5'8 District MVP is aided in the rushing game by 6', 195 lb. QB Dylan Greninger, who has 95 yards and a tuddy on the ground to go along with three through the air, and 2023 WR Corbin Sams has established himself as a deep threat with a 3 catches for 114 yards and 1 TD stat line. Sadly, Milaca doesn't have individual defensive stats posted, but they've posted 4 sacks and 4 INTs through three games. Go Wolves!   Spring Grove   Our 9man representation for this piece, SE MN's Spring Grove has matched their 2021 win total through three weeks and have been putting up BIG POINTS against Houston (60-30), Lyle-Pacelli (48-20), and Mabel-Canton (56-14) but sadly do not have any individual stats posted for their 2022 roster. This really shouldn't have surprised me so much, as they sport a physically large and talented roster this season led by 6'5, 170 lb. 2024 QB Jaxon Strinmoen, 6'1, 190 lbs. 2024 LB Elijah Solum, 2023 6'2, 170 lb. WR Tysen Grinde, 2024 6'5, 240 lb. lineman Josh Newgaard, and 2024 6'4, 220 lb. lineman Ethan Crouch. I got to check them out on Hudl for the Preseason All-State series and they all looked good, so I think 9man may have a darkhorse in their 2022 race. Go Lions!

It was another excellent week of MN prep football, and with expected heavyweights such as Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Rocori, Chatfield, Esko, Rochester Mayo, and Detroit Lakes getting multi-TD victories and cementing themselves as class contenders, I wanted to take some time and highlight some pleasant surprises through 3/4 weeks of the season in the form of undefeated teams grinding out tough and sometimes dominant wins PrepRedzoneMN didn't necessarily see coming, but are still amped about nonetheless! We found a team from just about every class in the state that is off to a strong start in 2022, break down some players key to their success, and check out the rest of their season. From the depths of St. Paul to the Iowa border, get to know some 2022 Early Season Undefeated Surprise Teams and the Studs that make up their roster. Thanks for reading! Also, thanks to MNFootballHub for some of these stats.