Week 1 Preview: Biggest Impact Games (6A-4A)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the 2023 season approaches, I've decided to dive deeper into power rankings, as well as bring all of our readers a preview of what is to come this upcoming Thursday and Friday. Over the next 5 days, 170 football games will be played across the state of Minnesota, and I'm pleased to present to you what games I think will have the biggest impact!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>AAAAAA:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Rochester Mayo (0-0) vs. Burnsville (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rochester Mayo was a dominant force last season in AAAAA, but with the recent move up a class, it'll be interesting to see how they handle what was an improved Burnsville team from last season. Mayo has some serious impact players in <strong>Rees Grimsrud</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='105365' first='Carter' last='Holcomb']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1583318' first='Isaiah' last='Beale']</strong>. Burnsville brings back QB <strong>Jeremy Sherlock</strong>, WR <strong>Markeese Howard</strong>, and <strong>ATH Chase Classen</strong>. Burnsville should provide a nice test to see where Mayo stands heading into 6A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Coon Rapids (0-0) vs. Centennial (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coon Rapids returns what is possibly the best-receiving cores in the state, headlined by stud three-star<strong> Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman</strong>. They also have breakout stars <strong>Lofton O'Groske</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242379' first='Jerid' last='Fearing']</strong>. They have an extremely underrated signal-caller in <strong>Jacob Mattick</strong> and a recent runningback transfer in <strong>Kayshawn Green</strong>. Centennial however is fresh off a season that saw them advance to the state quarterfinals, and they return QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='105383' first='Daylen' last='Cummings']</strong>, ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242424' first='Ty' last='Burgoon']</strong>, and dominant LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='105389' first='Timmy' last='Ball']</strong> who is fresh off a 100-tackle season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Forest Lake (0-0) vs. Prior Lake (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Forest Lake enters 2023 following an insane breakout season that saw them reach the section finals, and they'll start their season with a heavyweight bout against Prior Lake, a perennial state contender. Forest Lake returns 1000-yard rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='348771' first='Leyton' last='Patzer']</strong>, an offseason breakout WR in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1140806' first='Reid' last='Olson']</strong>, wrestling state champion and preseason All-Metro LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='704468' first='Mark' last='Rendl'],</strong> and one of the top sophomores in the state with DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='592117' first='Howie' last='Johnson']</strong>. Prior Lake is no slouch however, they have Gophers commit DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='368529' first='Jide' last='Abasiri']</strong>, breakout OL <strong>Aidan Horel</strong>, a crazy RB duo in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242455' first='Hunter' last='MacGillivray']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='930598' first='Levi' last='Eiter']</strong>, and speedy recent Mavericks commit DB <strong>Josh Marcinkevich</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Wayzata (0-0) vs. Lakeville South (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Very few teams have as much hype surrounding them heading into 2023 as Wayzata, and they start their season with the always-dangerous Lakeville South. Wayzata is led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='246255' first='Cole' last='Heilbrun']</strong>, WR <strong>Tyler Milkes</strong>, RB <strong>Omar Madkour</strong>, and OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='551387' first='Manny' last='Wilson']</strong>. Meanwhile Lakeville South is fresh off a state semifinals appearance and they look to continue their frequent dominance in 2023. They bring back ATH <strong>Jay Winters</strong>, a recent RB transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='429419' first='Bo' last='Bokman']</strong>, and dominant DL <strong>Joe</strong> <strong>Hager</strong>. Should be a solid test for both teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>AAAAA:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Brainerd (0-0) vs. Mahtomedi (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of two 6A schools to drop a class, Brainerd starts they're schedule off with Mahtomedi, a team fresh off making the state semifinals. Brainerd is headlined by the monster ILB<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='242494' first='Dylan' last='Gross']</strong>, WR <strong>Nolan Johnson</strong>, and QB/WR <strong>Eli Hoelz</strong>. Meanwhile, Mahtomedi is ready for the challenge. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='241903' first='Charlie' last='Brandt']</strong> leads the team, with last year's WR1 <strong>Michael Barry</strong>, and a two-headed backfield monster in <strong>Alec Mahoney</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1146296' first='Cole' last='Saenger']</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Chanhassen (0-0) vs. Elk River (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We rarely get a battle of two true heavyweights, especially in week 1. Chanhassen fell just short of the state tournament last season, but they boast the top RB in the state in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='105374' first='Maxwell' last='Woods']</strong>. They also have underrated OL/DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='431388' first='Dominic' last='Castagnetto']</strong>, Gophers DL commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='105369' first='Sam' last='Macy']</strong>, and do-it-all defender <strong>Tyler Smith.</strong> Their opponents, the reigning state champions the Elk River Elks. They bring back a dominant RB duo in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='743260' first='Gavin' last='Schmidt']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='629433' first='Logan' last='Bunker']</strong> and I also expect to see RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='348733' first='Brecken' last='Keoraj']</strong> take an elevated role on the team. Keep your eyes out for new QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='923833' first='Levi' last='Harris']</strong>, who is rumored to be a freak athlete fitting seamlessly into the Elk Rivers offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Andover (0-0) vs. St. Thomas Academy (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Andover and STA round out my top 5A games, and this one should be a barn burner. Andover is led by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='652799' first='Chase' last='Pemberton']</strong> and D1 DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='241915' first='Obe' last='Eyafe']</strong>. They also have possible breakout RB <strong>D'mario Davenport</strong> as well as LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='945922' first='Kaleb' last='Weikel'] </strong>who amassed over 115 tackles last season. St. Thomas Academy is led by recent MSU commit QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='607249' first='Maximus' last='Sims']</strong>, and RB <strong>Love Adebayo</strong> who holds multiple D1 offers. They also have OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242492' first='Robbie' last='Wollan']</strong> who generated a ton of offseason hype. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong>AAAA:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Fridley (0-0) vs. Totino Grace (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fridley starts their season by taking on former 6A school Totino-Grace. Fridley is led by ATH Lex Kori who had an explosive recruiting trail this offseason. They also have junior DB <strong>Ousman Miller</strong> and senior OL/DL <strong>Myer Sonkarley</strong>. Totino however, has giant TE <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='704466' first='Adam' last='Molitor']</strong> and new junior QB <strong>Jake Person</strong>. I also expect senior RB <strong>Justin Kuharski</strong> to take an elevated role. Fridley should be a great test for the Eagles to see where they stand in their new class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Delano (0-0) vs. Kasson-Mantorville (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Delano should provide an ample test for Kasson in week 1. In a section that just saw its winner get bumped down to AAA, Kasson should look to take the immediate spot as the top dog. Delano however, is no slouch. They have stud WRs [player_tooltip player_id='551436' first='Teague' last='Collings'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1201982' first='Jake' last='Schultz']. A duo that can cause immense problems for any secondary. Defensively they bring back DB <strong>Caden Connor </strong>as well. The Komets however, have built a reputation as one of the toughest teams in AAAA. Headlined by Winona State commit DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='368530' first='Easton' last='Suess']</strong>, they look to chase down those state title aspirations. Also looking to make a big impact is QB <strong>Kyle Nelson</strong>, and DB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='541228' first='Caisen' last='Thome']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Detroit Lakes (0-0) vs. Rocori (0-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams primed for big years, Prep football fans are treated to a powerhouse matchup in week 1 of the Lakers vs. the Spartans. Detroit Lakes is headlined by QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='481570' first='Caden' last='Strand']</strong>, Gophers commit LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242433' first='Mason' last='Carrier']</strong>, and UND commit OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242435' first='Isaac' last='Cariveau']</strong>. Rocori does boast one of if not the best secondaries in the state. DBs <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='392533' first='Grant' last='Tylutki']</strong> and NDSU commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='242378' first='Will' last='Steil']</strong> will provide a commanding presence in the secondary. They also have fearsome DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='706018' first='Grady' last='Minnerath']</strong> and LB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='706022' first='Jackson' last='Primus']</strong> who is fresh off of a 100-tackle season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Full game slate on MNFootballHub.com</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->