Week 7 Recap and Recruiting Roundup: SMB vs. Providence Academy
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In what seemed like the snap of a finger, the 80+ days were gone and we were in the midst of a beautiful fall in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. When I’m referring to “fall” I also mean that it’s…
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Continue ReadingIn what seemed like the snap of a finger, the 80+ days were gone and we were in the midst of a beautiful fall in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. When I’m referring to “fall” I also mean that it’s getting cold, and with it being MN, that also meant there was some sleeting rain, aggressive winds, and a dark night to set the stage for high school football last Friday night. However, nothing besides the ’91 Halloween blizzard could have prevented me from seeing the SMB Wolfpack take on Providence Academy in a private school battle in Plymouth. With nothing but their parents and a small crown of PA Lions superfans making up a row or two of a student section, the two squads fought tooth & nail for a victory, and I came away impressed with the players & prospects that led their teams on that cold Friday night in the suburbs. With victories hard to come by for both teams in 2022, the play-to-play combat was especially gritty, and don’t let the team’s records fool you, there is talent in spades between the two squads as well. Below, PrepRedzoneMN has a comprehensive recap and recruiting-focused breakdown of the game, its biggest players, and its most important players. Thanks for a great Friday night, fellas.
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Game Recap
First Half:
Providence Academy came out swinging, and after receiving the opening kickoff they stormed down the field for a beautiful 4+ minute drive which saw equal success in the run and pass game. Despite the wet conditions, Lions junior QB Magnus Hansen seemed in control of both the ball and his offense and was slinging the ball around the field when his RBs weren’t gutting SMB between the tackles. To cap the drive, Hansen found stud 6’5, 200 lb. senior WR Charlie Willihnganz for six, and with 7:59 left in the first PA found themselves off to a hot 7-0 start.
In the theme of the 2023 season for SMB, the Wolfpack couldn’t get out of their own way, and after finding themselves inside their 10-yard line after the kickoff and a play or two, SMB fumbled the snap and the Lions recovered to get the ball back before they knew it. Things were looking trying, but the Wolfpack’s defense held out for a nail-biting turnover on downs that included emphatic and physical tackles from LB Finn Woerner Finn Woerner 6'2" | 205 lbs | LB SMB | 2025 State MN (2024 – 6’2, 205) and senior DL Oliver Mann Oliver Mann 5'10" | 180 lbs | LB SMB | 2024 MN . It was quite exciting, and momentum seemed to be shifting back to SMB, but after an outstanding offensive drive on the backs of exceptional RBs Landon Dillon Landon Dillon 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN (2024 – 6′, 225) and Steph Gustafson Steph Gustafson 6'2" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN (2024 – 6’2, 210) that included the Wolfpack converting a 1st and 25 and a 4th and 13 excitingly, but they ended up fumbling deep in PA territory and the Lions recovered.
Providence Academy then fumbled the ball back to SMB with 11:16 left in the 2nd on a failed jet sweep attempt, but SMB couldn’t capitalize and had to give the ball back to the Lions, who then drove the ball down the field and scored on a goalline run inside the 10-yard line from junior RB/LB Colin Capouch. 14-0 Providence with 5:05 left in the half. Again, the Wolfpack couldn’t get out of their own way and fumbled with a little less than 3 minutes left in the half inside their 40, and after Providence converted a massive 4th and 3 with 40 seconds left, Hansen found another stud WR in Maximilian Klassen (2024 – 6’4, 205) to give the home team a 21-0 lead going into halftime. Still a lot of ball game left, however!
Second Half:
SMB wasn’t ready to throw in the towel and came out of the second half with a bang, as senior QB Merrick Woods Merrick Woods 6'1" | 190 lbs | QB Minnehaha Academy | 2024 MN threw a beautiful deep shot to sophomore standout WR Shyam Patel, who played the ball well and let the rock teardrop into his breadbasket for nearly a 50 yard gain. However, the drive ended a few plays later after a 4th down drop halted the once-promising offensive drive for the Wolfpack. The two squads then traded possessions, which included another PA Lion fumble, another failed conversion on 4th down for SMB, and then a stop by the Wolfpack on a PA 4th down which was the opening play of the 4th quarter.
Things opened up shortly after, as the exceptional senior RB Steph Gustafson Steph Gustafson 6'2" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN took a run 81 yards to the house for a massive burst of speed and much-needed energy for his SMB squad, and suddenly we had life back in the ball game. On an awesome play call from the Wolfpack, SMB called and converted a gorgeous onside kick to follow up the TD run, it looked like the game was about to turn into a nail-biter, but again, SMB shot themselves in the foot and Woods threw an INT the next offensive play. It was tough sledding after that, and although the Wolfpack clawed back at the end of the game for a Landon Dillon Landon Dillon 6'0" | 215 lbs | RB SMB | 2024 State MN TD run and 2pt conversion by Patel to bring the score to 21-14, it wasn’t meant to be, and SMB jumped offsides to give Providence Academy that game-ending first down to put things away.
Final: Providence Academy 21, SMB 14
Recruiting Roundup: Standouts and MVPs
it’s worth noting that two of the top prospects I wanted to see in SMB’s Princeton commit Dane Borene Dane Borene 6'6" | 240 lbs | DL SMB | 2024 State MN and Providence Academy’s 2025 P5 offeree Abu Tarawallie Abu Tarawallie 6'4" | 260 lbs | DL Heritage Christian Academy | 2025 State MN were injured and didn’t suit up for the game. Otherwise, I’m positive they’d be mentioned in the standouts from the contest.
SMB
MVP:
Stephan Gustafson
Stephan Gustafson
This MVP award could have gone to either SMB running back, as seniors Landon Dillon (we’ll get to him in a sec) and Stephan Gustafson are a tremendous duo and individually sensational, with differing skillsets that combine to give defenses fits and left to prepare for a real-deal thunder & lightning combination. Gustafson – who I’ve heard good things about all fall – was having himself a night last Friday and is my MVP for the ball game on SMB’s side. Besides his explosive 81-yard TD run, Gustafson was physical when needed, slippery through tackle attempts, and could create splash plays as well as physical reps to power through multiple Providence Academy defenders and set a tone of physicality they had to respect. He’s got burst, can break tackle attempts in many different ways, and has great size at a legit 6’2, 200+ and a lot more room to grow. With the size and athleticism, I’m surprised he only has two DIII roster spots right now. Someone is going to get a monster of a commit with the senior.
More Standouts:
Truck stick, bowling ball, runaway train, or Ford F150, all of these descriptors fit the play and running style of SMB’s destructive and accomplished 6′, 220 lb. RB Landon Dillon. Not only is he one of the hardest RBs in the state to tackle 1v1, Dillon was a tremendous blocker last Friday night and opened a ton of holes for his fellow RBs while leaving the Providence Academy defenders who were helplessly in his way shaking in their boots. Powerful at the point of attack and impressively balanced through contact, Dillon had some ridiculous runs that involved 5-6 broken tackles and piles of bodies left in his wake. Dillon does possesses quickness and lateral agility, with keeps would-be tacklers on their heels before he lowers the boom, and he does such a great job of keeping his legs pumping and fighting for as much possible yardage as possible each and every run. Providence Academy needed every pound and every defender possible to corral Dillon last Friday night. He’s an exceptional powerback and played up and above my excited expectations against Providence.
Highlights
Experienced SMB safety Grady Rannow balled out last Friday night in Plymouth but was very fun to watch in my defensive-centric eyes. He was all over the field and did a ton of things well, which included stepping in at RB for some productive carries through the teeth of the Lions‘ defense. He did his best work at safety however, where he broke up a handful of Providence Academy attempted passes on second level throws and showed a quick ability to process and break on the football as a third level defender. Additionally, he brought the boom in a ton of different scenarios, which included coming up to enforce the run, big hits in the middle of the field to break up passes and/or make WRs pay, and even on one of his own team’s INTs, where he cracked the returner and crumpled him to the ground. The physicality, range, and ability to impact both the run and pass game for the Lions was a big part of SMB’s defense holding the Lions to 21 points and zero second half scores.
Yale commit Trent Page was a force at times from his DE spot, and showed off some natural pass-rushing skills that gave the Providence Academy OL trouble throughout the night of action. At a stout 6’4, 250, Page was able to bend the edge and used some quality pass rush moves to beat blocking attempts and get in the QB’s face for multiple hurries and a sack or two. He also was disruptive in run defense at times and also filled in as a TE, where he put his head down and moved bodies all night against the Lions DL and LBing corps.
The owner of some impressive sophomore tape that got me very excited to watch this fall, now-junior Jeffrey Ratliff weighs in at a solid 6’3, 215 lbs. and has moved from an off-ball LB spot to a standup EDGE outside of opponents OTs at the LOS. It was hard not to miss Ratliff when he put his pads on ball carriers, and he was the hardest hitting prospect in a matchup filled with hard hitters last Friday night. Heavy hands, able to tackle in space or through contact in the box, and able to execute twists and stunts effectively, Ratliff was an impressive run defender who made sure the Providence Academy offense and ball carriers felt him every hit. He set the tone for his defense last Friday and all season long.
Shyam Patel
Shyam Patel
Sophomore wideout Shyam Patel, a 6’1, 155 lb. pass-catcher, didn’t receive a ton of targets, but when he did he made the most of it. A deep threat who take the top off the defense, Patel was a refined route runner who could get open at multiple points of a route and showed off good hands and a playmaking mentality. He’s a fun new addition to the 2026 class in our great state.
Providence Academy
MVP:
Charlie Willihnganz
Charlie Willihnganz
The big-bodied wideout heading a talent-ridden WR room for the Providence Academy Lions, 6’5, 195 lb. Charlie Willihnganz had his way with the SMB defense and was effective all four quarters as a pass catcher. Able to recognize and cut off his routes when facing off-man coverage, Willihnganz possessed a big catch radius, strong hands that could reel in receptions through contact, some juice after the catch, and could run a variety of routes with success. The size and football IQ were a matchup nightmare for the SMB secondary and he was able to make big plays when his offense needed it most. Very fun to watch and presents a very intriguing college prospect for any potential suitors.
More Standouts:
Anthony Fahnlander
Anthony Fahnlander
A 6’1, 180 lb. safety for PA, Anthony Fahnlander played a key role in the Lions defense last Friday night. Facing two tremendous RBs for the Wolfpack, Fahnlander used his impressive tackling ability to clean up any and just about all loose ball carriers or broken plays for his Lions defense. Comfortable pursuing and tackling in space, takes good angles to the football, and strong at the point of attack, Fahnlander was consistent and crucial in keeping SMB’s points to a minimum.
Maximilian Klassen
Maximilian Klassen
Another one of Providence Academy’s big-bodied and impressive wideouts, 6’4, 205 lber. Max Klassen was a two-way contributor and did good things on both sides of the ball for the Lions. Positionally versatile and able to line up and do damage at multiple WR spots, Klassen could break down and create separation well for a bigger wide receiver and presented a big target for his QB on the night. Athletic, strong, and physical, he did a lot of good things and would be a high-quality college prospect at either WR or LB at the next level. He had a good showing and I hope he’s planning on continuing his athletic career post-high school.
Magnus Hansen
Magnus Hansen
Providence Academy’s QB1 was very impressive given the circumstances and context of the game, which was a wet, rainy, and cold affair that caused the ball to hit the turf many times for both squads. However, Hansen was outstanding given the conditions and showed a ton of confidence and control of both his offense and the rock itself. Got the ball out quick, good mechanics, accurate, and safe with the football, he was able to take what the defense gave him, not force the ball into tight windows or risky situations, and keep his offense humming. Solid athlete who could use his legs to buy time as well, I really liked watching him take control and command of the game and sling the ball all over the field. Great showing, Magnus!
Nicholas Sargent
Nicholas Sargent
A long and lean 6’3, 220 lbs., junior DL Nicholas Sargent was very stout against the run and forced the Wolfpack’s dynamic rushing attack to bounce the ball wider and out of #61’s way. Good motor that never quit, length to disengage from blocking attempts, Sargent has some impressive stops in the run game that came through contact and he thrived in the physical hand-battles of the trenches. Fun to watch and a lot of room to blow up and grow as he gets older.
Matthew Hunter
Matthew Hunter
Hunter has been showing up on film week to week for the Lions and had another strong showing last Friday night against SMB. Tons of length, an absurd motor, range, and speed in pursuit, closing speed, and an all-out, balls-to-the-wall mentality going into contact, Hunter could run plays down from the backside, impact the run and pass game, use his hands effectively, and make plays all over the gridiron and in a variety of ways. Very fun to watch and must be a coach’s dream to get hands-on, not only because of the 6’5, 200 lb. frame but because of his playstyle, effort, and production. Must-know name on the Providence Academy 2023 roster.
Peyton Bartz (2025 – 5’11, 200 lbs.) and Joe Berghult (2025 – 5’11, 205 lbs.)
The 2025 Rb tandem of Bartz and Berghult kept the SMB defense on their heels and both had productive nights for the Lions on Friday night. Both strong, powerful runners owning a low pad level and the ability to run behind their pads, Bartz & Berghult were killers between the tackles and consistently gutted the SMB defense through the A and B gaps all night long. Both show off good burst, a slashing running style, physicality at the contact point, and vision. They were fun to watch and SMB could not find an answer for their two-headed rushing attack on the cold & windy night in Plymouth.