Lakeville North vs. Stillwater: Recap and Top Performers

What a weekend it's been! On Thursday, despite numerous adjustments, reschedules, and delays, all thanks to some good ol' fashioned unpredictable Minnesota weather forecasts and predicaments, Week 1 of the prep football season kicked off across the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Of the dozens of matchups between the seven classes of football here in the Great State of Minnesota, I wasted no time in getting into the 6A mix, braving wind, rain, and a solid drive from my Minneapolis homebase to check out 6A title contenders Lakeville North and Stillwater. The weather turned this game on its head, playing into the strengths of one of Minnesota's most consistent 6A presences of the last decade+, and one player came out hotter than all the rest and took over the ball game in impressive fashion. Check out the recap and top performers from Thursday night's 6A heavyweight matchup between the Panthers and the Ponies below!   --   Recap   With serious 6A implications on the line, things were very much up in the air when the Week 1 matchup between Lakeville North and Stillwater kicked off. The two Metro-area heavyweights were coming off strong offseasons that included a lot of returning talent and two of the better QBs the state had to offer. Things got off to a hot start after Lakeville North received the opening kickoff of their 2024 season, as senior RB [player_tooltip player_id='348783' first='Sam' last='Ripplinger'] carried the opening play of the season for a massive 70+ yard run down to Stillwater's 1-yard line, slashing and cutting laterally before sticking his cleat in the ground and getting vertical and leaving a couple of missed tackles in his wake. The senior took the ensuing play to the house, and with less than a minute into the 1st quarter your home team was up 7-0. However, things cooled quickly, as the summer rain began to pour in with vigor, stalling one of the better passing attacks in the state in Stillwater, who lean on their superstar 2026 QB [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'] offensively. The Ponies were out of rhythm and clunky in their passing attack, and Lakeville North didn't look much better, and a fumble by Stillwater's RB at the end of the 1st was recovered by the Panther's [player_tooltip player_id='924226' first='Roman' last='Johnson'] to set up the second quarter.   Sadly, after another exciting run by Ripplinger to move the chains and a big carry by 2025 Panther QB and UMD commit [player_tooltip player_id='234766' first='Riley' last='Grossman'] that ended with an emphatic truck stick, North's offensive series stalled out and the Panthers turned it over on downs at the 26 of Stillwater. The Ponies couldn't get out of the territory issue, as they had to punt from their own 10 the following series, and Lakeville North took over at Stilly's 48 in the middle of the 2nd quarter. Ripplinger continued to rip the Ponies defense, despite the best efforts of productive defenders like [player_tooltip player_id='945901' first='Cal' last='Nitti'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1277505' first='DK' last='Gora'], and he converted a 4th and 3 deep in Stillwater's territory to set up a Grossman to [player_tooltip player_id='234837' first='Lane' last='Johnson'] QB toss on a fade route for six. With 2:28 in the first half, North looked firmly in control up 14-0, and the half ended with the same score after yet another punt by Stillwater. It's worth being said as well, Lakeville North's defense was another excitingly chaotic 11-man group that draws comparisons to so many of their defenses of the past. Many plays they didn't have a single defender in a three-point stance, and they were doing a great job of bottling up Stillwater as well. Halftime adjustments were needed on both sides as we headed into the final two quarters of football.   Stillwater's coaching staff did a good job of pivoting during their halftime adjustments, and the Ponies came out swinging after receiving the 2nd half kickoff and immediately took to the ground. 5'7, 200 lb. 2026 RB Emilio Matias was up for the challenge, taking over the opening drive of the game and churning out chunk yardage plays behind his burst, quickness, and contact balance. After a few big runs, and a sack by Lakeville North's 2025 6'3, 255 lber. [player_tooltip player_id='348768' first='Braden' last='Owens'], Matias found paydirt on a 48-yard scamper that put the visiting Ponies within 7 around halfway through the 3rd. The two sides traded punts for the rest of the quarter, with Matias sadly fumbling again and the massive 6' 280 lb. DT Kamari Drepaul-James begin to assert himself in the interior for the Panthers. At the end of 3, the score remained 14-7.   The 4th quarter was all Lakeville North, who used a suffocating team defense, led by their front-seven and especially their defensive line, and [player_tooltip player_id='348783' first='Sam' last='Ripplinger'] continuing to do [player_tooltip player_id='348783' first='Sam' last='Ripplinger'] things. He put North up 21-7 with 2:54 left in the 4th, and to put a cherry on top for the home team, North's 6'2, 230 lb. OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1216090' first='Reece' last='Hunt'] forced a fumble on the second-to-last possession of the game, which was recovered by senior DB [player_tooltip player_id='348786' first='Ethan' last='Rozmarin'] in the endzone to get the Panthers up 27-7 with 2:39 left in the game. The ensuing PAT was blocked, and Stillwater couldn't muster up another score on the final drive of the game to inch closer. Final Score: Lakeville North 27, Stillwater 7   Next week is going to be a big test for Stillwater. A consensus Top-10 6A entering the fall, they are going to need a serious bounceback to reassert themselves in the 6A title race. Weather played a role here, but the passing attack in particular is going to need to step it up and find some grit to prove they are the real deal. Interesting Week 1 showdown in what was the top 6A matchup of the opening kickoff of MN football. Lakeville North is a serious contender an looked like an easy pick for a Top 5 team in the state. Good luck to both teams the rest of the season!   Top Performers   Lakeville North   [player_tooltip player_id='348783' first='Sam' last='Ripplinger'] - '25. RB. 5'8, 190 lbs.   It's going to be a breakout senior year for Ripplinger, who easily walks away with MVP status from Thursday's contest. Shifty, good burst, gets vertical with pace, and is sudden in his lateral movements. Ripplinger also possesses good vision and patience, can run behind his pads, and consistently made that free defender miss on Thursday night. Showed some hands out of the backfield as well. The senior absolutely took over the game and is going to be a name to know in this budding 2024 season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1216090' first='Reece' last='Hunt'] - '25. LB. 6'3, 220 lbs.   A PrepRedzoneMN Showcase standout and top performer, 2025 LB/EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1216090' first='Reece' last='Hunt'] had a good showing on Thursday night and was a physical presence for the Panthers defense. Able to create pressure and rush the passer, as well as move and play in space, Hunt's forced fumble at the end of the game was exciting, physical, and impressive. Still uncommitted, he's going to make a college staff very happy in the coming years.   Caleb Pedersen - '25. 5'11, 180 lbs. DB.   Senior DB Pedersen made a couple important PBUs and coverage wins throughout the night, doing his part in shutting down what is supposed to be one of the most prolific passing attacks in Minnesota. Good technique, disruptive at the catch point, and will stick his head into run defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='924226' first='Roman' last='Johnson'] - '26. DL/OL. 6'3, 240 lbs.   Heckuva day on the defensive line for the junior. Johnson recovered a fumble and pulled off some impressive TFLs throughout the night, winning 1v1 battles and tackling in space and in 1v1 settings. Uses his hands well, can make the play when given the opportunity, and displays some good strength in his game as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='348768' first='Braden' last='Owens'] - '25. DL. 6'3, 250 lbs.   Another well-built Panther defensive lineman, Owens posted an impressive sack that halted a Ponies drive in its tracks and owns a good balance of speed, quickness, hand usage, and power. He's ready-made for the college game and is going to be a heckuva force in the 6A Metro ranks this fall. Wish I got to watch him a little closer.   Kamari Drepaul-Jones - '25. DT. 6', 280 lbs.   A massive, can't-miss presence in the middle off the Panthers defense, Drepaul-Jones put in a good shift on Thursday evening and had the crowd chanting his name during the second half of the ball game. Little bit of lateral ability in the big boy, who can easily clog up running lanes around the interior of the line and shed blocks to tackle ball carriers at or around the LOS. Always have to like an athletic DT/NG!   Stillwater   [player_tooltip player_id='1256225' first='Emilio' last='Rosario Matias'] - '26. RB. 5'7, 200 lbs.   The juice and beating heart of the Ponies, who were lacking in playmakers on Thursday, Matias had a couple of unlucky breaks regarding his fumbles, but really showed his offseason had been productive and he owns some splash play ability as a ball carrier. Good vision, noticeable contact balance, and significant burst helped him slice up the Panthers defense on more than a few occasions. Showed a lot of fight and grit in competing all game long against some less than ideal conditions and showed why he is one of the top RBs in 6A, despite the loss.   [player_tooltip player_id='945901' first='Cal' last='Nitti'] - '25. LB. 6'1, 190 lbs.   Nitti came ready to play and ready to hit on Thursday, squaring up and overpowering Ripplinger and a few other Panther backs throughout the night. He made some impressive 1v1 dominant tackles, and showed he could read his keys and trigger on the ball with pace, resulting in TFLs and some extra gains negated. Played like a returning All-District LB and asserted himself in run support early and often.   [player_tooltip player_id='1277505' first='DK' last='Gora'] - '25. DB. 6', 165 lbs.   The Lakeville North passing attack was struggling on Thursday, and the Ponies stud CB1 [player_tooltip player_id='1277505' first='DK' last='Gora'] was a big reason why. As we saw this camp season, Gora can maintain phase on short, intermediate, and deeper routes downfield and uses his length to stay in receivers hip pockets throughout a route. Didn't get to watch him as much as I'd like, but he showed why he was a summer camp szn favorite on Thursday.

What a weekend it's been! On Thursday, despite numerous adjustments, reschedules, and delays, all thanks to some good ol' fashioned unpredictable Minnesota weather forecasts and predicaments, Week 1 of the prep football season kicked off across the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Of the dozens of matchups between the seven classes of football here in the Great State of Minnesota, I wasted no time in getting into the 6A mix, braving wind, rain, and a solid drive from my Minneapolis homebase to check out 6A title contenders Lakeville North and Stillwater. The weather turned this game on its head, playing into the strengths of one of Minnesota's most consistent 6A presences of the last decade+, and one player came out hotter than all the rest and took over the ball game in impressive fashion. Check out the recap and top performers from Thursday night's 6A heavyweight matchup between the Panthers and the Ponies below!