PrepRedzoneMN All-State Semifinal Defensive Team

The 2025 Minnesota state semifinals held at U.S. Bank Stadium somehow exceeded expectations in terms of excitement. Kicking off with the walk-off overtime thriller between Orono and Marshall, the three day prep football extravaganza saw three one-point finishes, one two-point difference, one three-point difference, two one-TD finishes, a nearly 100% onside kick success rate, and a comeback by Edina in which they were down as much as 35-7, just to name a few of the highlights. Between the 14 games and 28 semifinalists, we saw some unbelievable individual efforts in all three phases of the world's greatest game, and PrepRedzoneMN has your no-nonsense, prospect-driven, analysis-heavy, most comprehensive roundup of the top performers from all 28 games all jammed into one loaded All-State Semifinal Team. First up: defense! Meet the best of the best DL, LB. DB, ATH, and Specialists from Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's action. No one does it better!   --   Defensive Line   First Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='924336' first='Sawyer' last='Jezierski'] (Edina) 2026. 6'4, 280 lbs. 4 tackles, 4 solos, and started at LT, in Edina's big win over Minnetonka.   [player_tooltip player_id='615314' first='JR' last='Vierstraete'] (Marshall) 2026. 6', 240 lbs. Committed to Southwest Minnesota State. - 9 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1.5 sack. One of the best pass rushers of the entire tournament. Recorded his 29th career sack during the state semifinal with Orono.   [player_tooltip player_id='348673' first='Josh' last='Bergan'] (Lakeville South) 2026. 6'2, 255 lbs. 5 tackles. MN All-Star proved why at U.S. Bank Stadium. Beast up front who was personally stifling Moorhead's powerful rushing attack at times. Reich had his worst rushing day of the season and Bergan was a big reason why.   [player_tooltip player_id='1580586' first='Ethan' last='O'Reilly'] (Goodhue) 2027. 6'2, 230 lbs. 14 tackles, 1 TFL in smothering win over Holdingford. O'Reilly was an animal under the bright lights of U.S. Bank Stadium. Playing like his hair was on fire, O'Reilly posted an eye-popping amount of tackles from his OL position, personally destroying the Huskers offense at times, and his hand usage, motor, play speed, and physicality made for a fun watch when his team needed him most in win-or-go-home playoff football. Was eating up screens, rushing the passer consistently, and living in the Huskers backfield.   Second Team:   Brody Riess (Marshall) 2028. 6'2, 220 lbs. - 5 tackles, 2 TFLs. There were stretches of the Orono vs. Marshall semifinal that seemed like the Brody Riess Show. Nearly unstoppable for the majority of the game in both run and pass defense, Riess has impressive pursuit speed for his size, highlighted by an especially impressive individual effort where he stayed assignment sound, forcing the pitch, and then running down the RB at the hash for an awesome TFL. Also stayed home and made a PBU on a throwback trick play attempt from Orono. Can't wait to kid this dude on the rankings.   Braedyn VanMeveren (Marshall) 2028. 6'2, 280 lbs. - 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack. Big #75 was a force from the interior of the defensive line, with a huge frame, obvious lateral agility, and some already-noticeable juice as a pass rusher for an iDL.   [player_tooltip player_id='1602726' first='Simon' last='Vinton'] (Orono) 2026. 6'5, 225 lbs. Plays with such great angles and has an awesome get-off.   [player_tooltip player_id='1602672' first='Kyson' last='Arndt'] (Minneota) 2026. 6'5, 225 lbs. 4 tackles, blocked punt in the 2nd quarter.   Lennox Charley (Moorhead) 2026. 5'9, 230 lbs. 8 tackles.   Third Team:   Omar Helal (Grand Rapids) 2027. 6'2, 220 lbs. 11 tackles, 4 solo, in loss to Kasson-Mantorville.   Jackson McGrath (Edina) 2026. 6', 210 lbs. - 8 tackles, 6 solos, in win over Minnetonka.   [player_tooltip player_id='1534070' first='Wyett' last='Shimp'] (Hills-Beaver Creek) 2026. 6'3, 225 lbs. 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT in win over Fertile-Beltrami.   Kyle Fielder (Holdingford) 2026. 6'3, 205 lbs. 14 tackles, 6 solo, 1 TFL in loss to Goodhue.   Griffin Grover (Kasson-Mantorville) 2026. 6', 250 lbs. 7 tackles, 1 TFL.   Honorable Mention:   Kaden Garza (Waseca) 2026. 6'3, 260 lbs. 4 tackles, 1 TFL   Brady McKenna (Waseca) 2027. 5'11, 205 lbs. 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack   Henry Slettedahl (Breckenridge) 2026. 5'10, 205 lbs. 13 tackles in win over Murray County Central.   Kai McDonald (Breckenridge) 2026. 6', 190 lbs. 8 tackles.   Tegan Abel (Breckenridge) 2026. 6'1, 210 lbs.   Quinn Weis (Kasson-Mantorville) 2026. 6', 230 lbs. 9 tackles, 2 solo, 1 TFL.   Linebacker   First Team:   Lucas LaBelle (Orono) 2027. 5'10, 180 lbs. 17 tackles, 8 solo. Orono's fearless junior linebacker was all over the field Thursday morning at U.S. Bank Stadium. With sideline-to-sideline pursuit speed, LaBelle did a great job of squaring up larger Marshall RBs for 1v1 tackles at the second level, and he was able to blitz with some serious pace as well. Thanks to his speed, LaBelle made some memorable plays that included a 4th and 1 solo stop and a huge stick in the redzone for one of the game's biggest hits.   [player_tooltip player_id='2049860' first='Cannon' last='Craigmile'] (Marshall) 2027. 6'3, 200 lbs. - 4 tackles, 1TFL, 1 sack. Sack came at one of the biggest moments of the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='2005361' first='Rylan' last='Horsch'] (Annandale) 2028. 6'3, 210 lbs. 1 tackle, 1 INT. Great frame, eye-catcher physically, had a key interception in the biggest game of his career so far.   Logan Olson (Moorhead) 2026. 6', 210 lbs. 17 tackles, 6 solo, 1 TFL in win over Lakeville South   Second Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='1651480' first='Grant' last='Eslinger'] (Orono) 2028. 6', 210 lbs. - 11 tackles, 1 TFL, .5 sack, 1 FF. Instinctive young sophomore 'backer with a nose for the football and the size and strength to win 1v1 collisions against the majority of opposition RBs.   [player_tooltip player_id='1524474' first='Jake' last='Dunbar'] (Spring Lake Park) 2026. 6'1, 185 lbs. 9 tackles, 3 solo, in win over St. Thomas Academy. Nose for the football and a thumper in space.   [player_tooltip player_id='1261422' first='Chase' last='Warner'] (Spring Lake Park) 2026. 5'9, 170 lbs. 10 tackles, 5 solo.   Kristian Cercioglu (St. Thomas Academy) 2026. 5'11, 200 lbs. 14 tackles, 5 solo, 1 TFL in defeat to SLP.   Third Team:   Kallen Glynn (Waseca) 2027. 5'10, 170 lbs. 13 tackles, 6 solo, 1 TFL. Rangy, productive, tough junior LB who made a great TFL on the goal line for his Bluejays defense.   Aaron Dinukar (Moorhead) 2028. 6'2, 200 lbs. 8 tackles, 2 solo.   Joe Dick (Grand Rapids) 2027. 6'1, 200 lbs. 11 tackles, 4 solo tackles, in loss to Kasson-Mantorville.   Eli Walkup (Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) 2029. 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT. Had some very clutch TFLs as well, including a TFL on 4th down to give his offense the ball back, a goal line PBU to end the half, and a TFL late in the 4th quarter on a carry from a 6'3, 200 lb. ball carrier. What a freshman!   Track Folland (Kittson County Central) 2027. 6'2, 200 lbs. 12 tackles, 2 TFLs in loss to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. Younger brother of former UND Fighting Hawk Isaac Folland, Track was an impactful blitzer with impressive play speed who was all over the field in both run and pass defense. Multiple TFLs on great reads and a near INT in the second half as well.   Honorable Mention:   [player_tooltip player_id='1695558' first='Randy' last='Sorensen'] (Minneota) 2028. 6', 195 lbs. 6 tackles.   Lucas Selthun (Waseca) 2026. 5'11, 205 lbs.   Lucas Kuball (Murray County Central) 2026. 6'2, 165 lbs. Forced a fumble on Erlandson thanks to one of the cleaner sticks of the weekend, but it was called back to a flag separate of Kuball's action.   Jace Baumgartner (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton) 2027. 5'11, 200 lbs. - 21 rushes for 82 yards and 1 TD, 1 tackle, 1 sack   [player_tooltip player_id='1648447' first='Keagan' last='Grube'] (Annandale) 2026. 6', 205 lbs. 11 tackles.   Parker Richards (Kasson-Mantorville) 2027. 6', 195 lbs. 9 tackles, 5 solo.   Defensive Back   First Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='591730' first='Jeremiah' last='Peterson-Gordon'] (Kasson-Mantorville) 2026. 5'10, 200 lbs. Committed to St. Thomas. 9 rushes for 21 yards and 1 TD, 2 catches for 48 yards, 8 tackles, 4 TFLs in win over Grand Rapids. Spectacular ability as a blitzer, where he could drop his hips, bend the end, and beat blockers with quickness. Did a good job of setting the edge as well. Strong tackler, dynamic athlete, clutchest player of the game and one of the top performers of the entire semifinal rounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1452174' first='Camryn' last='Tottingham'] (Kasson-Mantorville) 2027. 6'4, 195 lbs. 1 catch for 77 yards and 1 TD. 6 tackles, 2 TFLs. Great size and was living in the backfield of the Grand Rapids offense. Incredibly rangy, both in his frame and defensive ability, and was able to get downhill especially quickly from his safety spot. Tottingham was also a strong tackler who played with good defensive angles, and he picked off a 2pt conversion attempt for good measure as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1506853' first='Micah' last='Bush'] (Hills-Beaver Creek) 2026. 6'1, 195 lbs. 7 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 catches for 26 yards, 4 rushes for 23 yards and 1 TD. Obviously the most athletic player on the field. Too fast, too dynamic, too strong, too instinctive. It was simply too easy for Bush at U.S. Bank Stadium.   [player_tooltip player_id='1602768' first='Bryer' last='Strem'] (Fertile-Beltrami) 2026. 5'10, 150 lbs. 12 tackles, 1 INT, 6 catches for 54 yards in loss to Hills-Beaver Creek. One of the state's biggest ballhawks, Strem was once again impactful at the familiar turf of U.S. Bank Stadium. Effective in 1v1 coverage against stud [player_tooltip player_id='1506853' first='Micah' last='Bush'], INT came on a hitch & go, and a good tackler with obvious instincts in the middle of the defensive backfield. Comes downhill fast from his SAF spot and closes with pace, runs the alley effectively, and great ball skills.   Second Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='579559' first='Marcus' last='Snyder'] (Spring Lake Park) 2026. 6'1, 180 lbs. 10 tackles, 1 INT in win over STA. Was all over the field. Instinctual ball hawk.   [player_tooltip player_id='1243485' first='Marcus' last='Thiel'] (Grand Rapids) 2026. 5'11, 160 lbs. 3 rushes for 27 yards, 2 catches for 33 yards, 7 tackles, 3 solo, 2 punt returns for 34 yards, 3 kick returns for 56 yards. High energy, ultra-physical, showed up all over the field and in a variety of different ways. Energizer Bunny type of football player.   Max Zagorski (Lakeville South) 2026. 5'10, 175 lbs. - 5 tackles, 1 PBU. Up and down day overall but I liked the kid's stuff overall. Had a couple near picks on some great reads and breaks. Good 1v1 tackler in the open field, able to beat blocking attempts at the perimeter, and I believe he forced a fumble on [player_tooltip player_id='1694135' first='Zak' last='Walker'] in the 1st quarter. Got beat a couple times but that happens when you're playing man coverage against D1 athletes for 4 quarters. Zagorski did a good job of flushing it, trusting the technique, and continuing to battle.   Peter Vidmar (Chanhassen) 2026. 6 tackles, 1 INT against Elk River.   Easton Johnson (Minneota) 2026. 5'11, 160 lbs. - 5 tackles, 1 INT, 2 rushes for 10 yards and 1 TD   Third Team:   Jonah Cummings (Minnetonka) 2027. 6', 170 lbs. 7 tackles, 1 PBU in loss to Edina. Great deep coverage reps on some outstanding Edina wideouts, solid open field tackler, and fills gaps in the run game impressively.   Michael Roschen (Goodhue) 2026. 6', 170 lbs. 3 catches for 20 yards, 2 tackles, 1 INT in win over Holdingford.   Xander Rasmussen (Edina) 2026. 6'2, 185 lbs. 10 tackles, 7 solos.   Charlie Kratcha (Breckenridge) 2026. 5'9, 160 lbs. 2 tackles, 1 PBU. I saw a couple of good reps of man coverage coming out of Breck's #18 at the cornerback position. Quick breaks, smooth hips, physical.   [player_tooltip player_id='1653240' first='Keymoni' last='Bent'] (Kasson-Mantorville) 2028. 5'10, 175 lbs. 2 tackles, 1 INT in win over Grand Rapids.   Fourth Team:   Ian Myhre (Minneota) 2027. 6'3, 150 lbs. 6 tackles, 5 solo, and 1 PBU.   Sean Berge (Hillcrest Lutheran Academy) 2026. 6'2, 180 lbs. 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT in win over KCC. INT came on one of the best zone drops I've seen all season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1257257' first='Brock' last='Scalese'] (Kittson County Central) 2026. 5'9, 155 lbs. 2 rushes for 16 yards, 10 tackles, 8 solo, 1 PBU in loss to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. Great goal line PBU on a slant, generally played with aggression, and showed some chain-moving burst as a tailback and ball carrier.   David Balisidya (Elk River) 2027. 6'1, 165 lbs. 2 tackles, 1 INT against MN All-Star Ramler and the Chanhassen Storm.   Coleman Zielinski (Chanhassen) 2026. 5'11, 185 lbs. 12 tackles, 7 solo, 1 TFL in win over Elk River.   Honorable Mention:   Camden Leichtenberg (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton) 2027. 6', 180 lbs. - 1 INT   Cordae Williams (MPLS North) 2026. 6', 185 lbs. - 1 INT   Cooper Roberts (Breckenridge) 2026. 6'5, 195 lbs. 3 tackles.   Blake Glenz (Eden Valley-Watkins) 2026. 6'1, 170 lbs. 7 tackles, 4 solo, to highlight his effectiveness as an open field tackler. Also 10 rushes for 35 yards and was 9-20 for 56 yards and 1 INT passing.   Athlete   First Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='212362' first='Roman' last='Voss'] (Jackson County Central) 2026. 6'4, 230 lbs. 4 rushing TDs, 2 passing TDs, 1 INT in the first half in 38-0 shutout win over Eden Valley-Watkins. 14-21 for 163 passing yards and 2 TDs, 15 rushes for 107 yards and 4 TDs, 1 tackle, 1 INT total.   [player_tooltip player_id='1575668' first='Nolan' last='Verdi'] (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton) 2026. 6'3, 250 lbs. - Maybe my favorite find of the entire tournament. The 6'3, 250 lb. jumbo athlete was everywhere as a TE/EDGE hybrid, proving himself to be one of the pound-for-pound most dynamic players in 11-man football as well as maybe the biggest sleeper in the 2026 class. Verdi had the defensive range to pursue and tackle out on the edge, lined up at nearly more than a handful of different positions throughout the ball game, including fullback in DGF's wishbone rushing attack, and had some huge plays throughout the game. Opening big holes thanks to his lead blocking, beautiful TD catch, and rocked [player_tooltip player_id='592119' first='Deron' last='Russell'] on a major individual defensive effort.   Colton Purcell (Annandale) 2027. 6'3, 200 lbs. 5 catches for 125 yards and 2 TDs + 4 tackles and 1 INT. One of the best WRs of the weekend. Huge frame, speed to burn, and was lethal after the catch. Balanced, explosive, dynamic skillset with a strong basketball background to sweeten the pot.   [player_tooltip player_id='591735' first='David' last='Erlandson'] (Breckenridge) 2026. 5'10, 195 lbs. 23 rushes for 123 yards and 3 TDs, 1 catch for 8 yards, 11 tackles, 1 TFL. One of the best players of the entire tournament. Erlandson is the epitome of a "football player." Tough, versatile, productive, and a playmaker. Line him up anywhere and let him go. The power stood out the most. Overall play style, the power in his hits, the power in his cuts - this dude plays with some "oomph."   Second Team:   Carson Lewis (Murray County Central) 2027. 5'11, 185 lbs. 16 rushes for 105 yards and 2 TDs + 8 tackles, 2 TFLs. Sticking kids on defense. Good tackle, bruising two-way play style, and had a "get off me" run style led by his stiff arm, contact balance, and physicality.   Luke Roschen (Goodhue) 2026. 6'2, 170 lbs. 8-13 for 93 yards and 1 TD, 13 rushes for 141 yards and 1 TD, 4 tackles, 1 INT in win over Holdingford. With his gazelle-like strides, Roschen is the heartbeat of the Goodhue 2025 roster, with big play speed, excellent game awareness, and the confidence to bet on himself and the athleticism to back it up. Great scrambler who was lethal in space. Great instincts defensively as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1633390' first='Nolan' last='Roach'] (Spring Lake Park) 2027. 6', 170 lbs. Quarterback. 6-9 for 43 yards, 15 rushes for 190 yards and 2 TDs in SLP's win over previously undefeated St. Thomas Academy. Roach saved his best rushing and overall individual performance of his career for its brightest moment, putting up an awesome individual stat line in the Panthers split-back veer offense. Always seemed to make the right reads, tough, physical ball carrier who could run with an attitude, and great vision. Confident and effective decision maker who was smooth and twitchy in space. Made some great fakes with the pitch ball when given the opportunity and is really making the most of the 2025 season in his second year at the helm of the offense.   Specialists   First Team:   Carter Strain (Grand Rapids) 2028. 5'4, 130 lbs. Kicker. 2/2 onside kick attempts in near miraculous comeback against Kasson-Mantorville.   Milo Swenson (Marshall) 2026. 5'10, 195 lbs. Punter. - 4 punts for 144 yards (36 yard average), including his final punt of the ball game where he landed the ball at the 1 yard line with 1 minute left in the 4th.   Trevor LeBaron (Lakeville South) 2026. 5'9, 195 lbs. Punter. Honestly, fantastic showing from the Big School specialist. Booted a gorgeous punt that bounced backwards, in bounds, and out at the 6 late in the ball game, then booted another down to the 7 the a few drives later. Clutch, accurate, built like a brick too.   Second Team:   Sam Wolde (Spring Lake Park) 2028. 6'3, 165 lbs. K/WR. 3-4 PATs, 0-1 FGs, 1-1 onside kick attempts.   [player_tooltip player_id='1602672' first='Kyson' last='Arndt'] (Minneota) 2026. 6'5, 225 lbs. Punt Block. Committed to Augustana. Blocked punt in the 2nd quarter in what turned out to be a huge momentum play in the win over Mahnomen/Waubun.   Clay Clay (Marshall) 2030. K. Didn't miss a kick all year for Marshall.   Third Team:   [player_tooltip player_id='1371692' first='Jamin' last='Metzger'] (Hills-Beaver Creek) 2026. 6'5, 210 lbs. 2 punts for 79 yards in win over Fertile-Beltrami.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288313' first='Taye' last='Reich'] (Moorhead) 2027. 5'10, 185 lbs. Kickoff Coverage. - forced a fumble on kickoff coverage   --

The 2025 Minnesota state semifinals held at U.S. Bank Stadium somehow exceeded expectations in terms of excitement. Kicking off with the walk-off overtime thriller between Orono and Marshall, the three day prep football extravaganza saw three one-point finishes, one two-point difference, one three-point difference, two one-TD finishes, a nearly 100% onside kick success rate, and a comeback by Edina in which they were down as much as 35-7, just to name a few of the highlights. Between the 14 games and 28 semifinalists, we saw some unbelievable individual efforts in all three phases of the world's greatest game, and PrepRedzoneMN has your no-nonsense, prospect-driven, analysis-heavy, most comprehensive roundup of the top performers from all 28 games all jammed into one loaded All-State Semifinal Team. First up: defense! Meet the best of the best DL, LB. DB, ATH, and Specialists from Thursday, Friday, and Saturday's action. No one does it better!