St. Francis vs Robbinsdale Cooper Standouts: St. Francis

My Week 1 game this year was a slugfest between two talented teams, the St. Francis Fighting Saints and the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks, in New Hope. Both teams made big plays across all 4 quarters, but as the final buzzer sounded, it was the Saints who had pulled off a 29-21 victory on the road. Each team boasted a talented roster, so get ready to meet some of the Fighting Saints' standouts!    Dawsow just might have been the most productive member of the Fighting Saints' offense last night, and it was a true breakout performance for the rising sophomore star. He killed the Hawks on outside zone runs, and touted a unique combination of speed and explosiveness that saw him break off multiple chunk 30+ yard runs. Throughout the night, he more often than not broke the first tackle on any given play and was responsible for two of the team's four TDs. This was an electric first showing from the 2028 prospect, and I'm pumped to see what he can do in a full season.     The Saints' receiving corps had its work cut out for it on Friday night as Robbinsdale Cooper returned every starting member of their secondary from last season. But once Downs got started, there wasn't a lot of slowing down from the highly sought-after sophomore. Early in the second half, Downs broke off deep on a 40-yard fade ball, clearing the DB by a significant margin to put the Saints up for the first time all game. His athleticism and route running make him a dangerous threat across the field. This looks to be the start of Downs' breakout season.     Jordan was Mr. Do-It-All last night, as he saw tremendous success on both sides of the ball. He rolled down to the corner position for the first time in his career last night and played out of his mind. He forced a fumble early on in the game close to the red zone, which the Saints managed to recover. Later in the 4th, Jordan caught a key TD in the red zone over the middle to extend the Saints' lead to a two-score game. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Jordan caught what ended up being the game-winning interception late in the 4th when he crashed down hard and made an insane sideline catch.     The Minnesota Duluth commit showed off a ton of traits that will lend themselves well to successful play at the next level throughout the night. The kid is tough, insanely tough. Multiple times throughout the night, he would take big hits in the pocket from massive DL, and he'd always pop right back up after delivering a strike downfield. He saw a lot of success when the Saints started to push the ball deeper, and his ability to run picked up key yards for the Saints in big moments. He's improved vastly from last season and could emerge as one of the top QBs in 5A.     Becker had a two-way impact for the Saints last night. On defense, he was able to pressure several times off the edge and made a few key TFLs as well as tackles for a minute gain up the middle. However, I was more impressed with his offensive production, which extended far beyond the stat sheet. As a lead blocker, Becker was ferocious. Constantly displacing defenders on kick out blocks, and a few times burying them. He was also an effective option in the pass game; he caught a big pass on a key 3rd down to put the Saints in the red zone, and was open more often than not on his shorter routes. A great Week 1 for the Northern State commit.     If I had to pick an athlete from the Saints who vastly overperformed his expectations, it would be varsity debut MLB Bronson Markwood. Not only was he a mainstay on A-Gap blitzes throughout the night, where he was able to effectively pressure the QB, but he also picked up a key fumble recovery. Markwood also made a series of TFLs throughout the night and was a stout run defender between the tackles. Definitely a name to keep an eye out for going forward.     If I had to assign a defensive MVP from either team, it would go to none other than Saints senior captain MLB Logan Herzog. Herzog terrorized the offense through all four quarters, opening the day with an 11-yard sack in the first half and another big sack later in the game. He also reeled in an interception in the 3rd quarter. A quick LB who hits hard and also gets work in on offense as the second tight end in 12 personnel. Herzog would be a great pickup for MIAC/WIAC schools.     It's not too often that you see an athlete who makes big plays from the get-go of their varsity career, but that was the case for Jensen last night. First drive of the game, he reads a deep post perfectly, recovers well, and makes a great high-point catch that results in the first turnover of the day. Throughout the night, the junior safety could be seen performing solid coverage and was in on a number of tackles. Watch out for the 2027 athlete.     Walker has a lot of traits that you'd want from an offensive lineman at the next level. Big, quick, physical, and perhaps most important: nasty. There were many plays where Walker buried his defender in the dirt, and a few more where he was able to get low and drive bigger DTs off the ball. He showed off good pass-pro and the ability to pick up delayed blitzes throughout the game. I'm a big fan of the potential that Walker has.     Bergman is a senior captain who may be an undersized lineman, but that doesn't stop him from getting after it on both sides of the ball. On offense, he's a nasty center who gets low and bullies bigger defensive linemen. He's got stout pass-pro and works upfield quickly when he's run blocking. Bergman also made a couple of plays on defense. He fights tooth and nail through offensive linemen and plays well to the ball, often showing off excellent pursuit. He's a very underrated prospect who would make a great addition to a lot of college rosters.

My Week 1 game this year was a slugfest between two talented teams, the St. Francis Fighting Saints and the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks, in New Hope. Both teams made big plays across all 4 quarters, but as the final buzzer sounded, it was the Saints who had pulled off a 29-21 victory on the road. Each team boasted a talented roster, so get ready to meet some of the Fighting Saints' standouts!