2026 Team Preview: Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm

While the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm struggled at times last season, going 2-8, they did manage to find themselves in the section semi-finals and get a postseason win over the Brainerd Warriors. They've had a lot of talent on their rosters over the years, and it would be a massive mistake to count them out going forward. We've got high-tier returning starters and a bunch of athletes on breakout watch!! Take a look at the 2026 Storm!!   Schedule:   Week 1: @ Monticello   Week 2: Vs Elk River   Week 3: Vs Brainerd   Week 4: @ Bemidji   Week 5: @ Alexandria   Week 6: Vs Sartell   Week 7: @ Cambridge-Isanti   Week 8: Vs Waconia   Key Returning Starters    The honor of being the highest-ranked member of the Storm heading into the 2026 season falls to wide receiver standout [player_tooltip player_id='1633906' first='Connor' last='Winkelman']. Holding 1 D1 and 3 D2 offers from schools such as SMSU, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Bemidji State, and St. Thomas, Winkelman has been a hot commodity on the recruiting trail this summer. The MSHSL 100 and 200M finalist racked up over 500 receiving yards and 3 TDs in 8 recorded games as a junior. A number he's hoping to improve upon this fall. It's been talked about before, but easily one of his best attributes is Winkelman's speed. The kid is fast and is notably faster than most people on the field. With this speed, not only is he a legitimate return man on kickoff, but Winkelman proves to be a high-level deep threat. Boasting a nasty double move as well, Winkelman does a great job of creating space from the DB before gashing them deep. He has no issues extending and bringing down a tough pass, even if it means taking a big hit in the process. Once he truly unhooks the plow, he's gone and is often only limited by the arc of the pass. Expect Winkelman to be a massive factor in the Storms' offensive success in 2026.     How Remer hasn't garnered more attention is beyond me. He was the most productive member of the Storms' defense last year by a landslide, amassing a stunning 116 total tackles, 7 TFLs, and an INT in 9 recorded games. This dude is built like an MLB, standing at 5'11" but clocking in at 200 lbs ahead of last season. He moves pretty well for his size, and although he doesn't have a lot of tape, the raw building blocks are there for Remer to evolve into a sought-after athlete. He spends some time on offense as well, and although it wasn't a lot, I really liked the intensity with which he carried the rock. The potential is there for him to take a larger workload on the offensive side of the ball this season, but expect the Storm product to be the driving force of that Sauk Rapids-Rice defense in a couple of weeks.     Pesta is one of my personal prospects from this Sauk Rapids-Rice squad, and the state-entrant wrestler really validated that opinion by putting up some solid tape and numbers last year. He finished the season with 57 total tackles and a fumble recovery in 9 games. On his film, Pesta proves to be a hard-nosed safety who's more than capable of laying the wood while being physical, and is plenty adept at defending passes as well. He moves very well on his feet, touting some rapid acceleration and closing speed that serves him well when he's breaking up passes. I really liked how he's able to move alley to alley with ease, and Pesta doesn't hesitate to use his arms to make reeling in passes more difficult for receivers. When he comes down into the box, he can function as an additional linebacker too, further adding to the value he brings to the defense. I'm a really big fan of Pesta, and right now his recruitment appears to be wide open, so if any coaches want a hungry DB, I've found one.     Standing at 6'2" and weighing in at 175 lbs prior to last season, [player_tooltip player_id='2264121' first='Tylee' last='Rudolph'] made a massive impact as a sophomore defensive athlete in 2025. The accomplished basketball player put up some great numbers last year, finishing the season with 42 total tackles and a TFL in 7 recorded games. In his tape, although there isn't a lot, Rudolph proved to be an agile OLB with quick hips and the ability to make split-second decisions in key moments. I'd love to see some more film on this kid, but the frame and numbers make him appealing enough as a prospect already. With two more seasons yet on varsity, the sky is the limit for what he can produce.     A three-sport athlete (Football/Track/Swimming) who stands at 5'10" and 165 lbs, Scapanski recorded 42 total tackles and 2 TFLs throughout the 10-game season as a junior. On his tape, he really shows off how much he can offer to a collegiate program. Although he's listed as a DB, Scapanski has a ton of tape at a variety of positions. He's got film as both an inside and outside linebacker, where he showcases some elite utility in the run game. He does a great job of colliding with lead blockers and throwing the ball carrier off his path, but also shows off fantastic pursuit and can force the ball carriers to move horizontally rather than vertically. Sometimes he'll even walk down to the LOS and function in an edge-rusher role, where despite his size, he's still able to make a massive impact and disrupt the offensive gameplan. He's a massively underrated prospect heading into 2026.     Although Hardy spent most of last year holding down the RB2 role for the Storm, openings due to graduation mean that he should slide right into that starting job for a big senior season. He finished 2025 with 171 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD, 93 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD, 18 total tackles, and an interception. On his tape, Hardy proves to be an incredibly explosive runner. He does a great job of accelerating through the hole, and once he hits daylight, it seems to be a near-automatic chunk play. This goes hand in hand with the sick testing results he displayed at the PRZ combine in 2025, and he only appears to be getting faster. On defense, he provides a ton of value as a safety. He flashes quick hips and good instincts, leading to several unrecorded PBUs. This jack-of-all-trades was everywhere last season, and with only more usage, I wouldn't be shocked if he became a massive breakout performer during his senior season.    Breakout Potential    A true WR/DB who I'm excited to see more of this fall, Lambaere had an impact on both sides of the ball last season. As a sophomore, he caught 5 balls for 55 yards, touting a solid 11.0 YPR. But he really made his mark on defense. As a corner, Lambaere brought down 19 total tackles-15 of them being solo- and also snagged a game-winning INT in the end zone against Cambridge-Isanti in week 7. He touts quick hips and solid timing on his albeit limited tape, but his 5'11", 160 lb frame is intriguing, and with two more years to develop, Lambaere should be someone to watch.     Although he didn't have the production level you'd like to see from a junior last season, there is a lot to be interested in when regarding Gales as a prospect. He totaled 18 tackles last season in 5 games, amassing a third of them against Waconia in Week 8. But his 6'2", 180-lb frame makes him very appealing at a variety of positions. With the Storm having graduated their TE1, I think there's a possibility that his usage explodes during his senior campaign, on both sides of the ball. Don't be surprised if he manages to put up some solid tape during 2026.     Thiele is a defensive lineman who managed to record 13 total tackles in 4 games last season. Standing at 5'8" and 190 lbs, the best game of his junior year came against Monticello in Week 1, where he recorded a fantastic 9 total tackles, 5 of them solo. On his tape, the defensive end showcased an explosive get-off and a high motor that always has him hunting down the ball carrier. He does a great job of colliding with blockers using his inside shoulder and staying low to the ground. Keep an eye out for this DE going into his senior season.     Hovanes is an absolute UNIT of a prospect with the potential to make waves on either side of the ball. That 6'3", 300-lb frame is no joke, and he had some success as a varsity defender, tallying 7 tackles in 5 games last season. He doesn't have any sophomore tape out right now, but that frame alone makes him tough to ignore. Sauk Rapids-Rice has produced mammoth prospects in the trenches before, and with two years left to garner more experience, Hovanes might be an early name to know.     Spoden only recorded stats in one game during his junior campaign, but he LIT UP the box score in Week 7 against Cambridge-Isanti. He recorded 10 receptions for a stunning 180 yards and a TD to boot, really piquing my interest about where he may fall in 2026. With no recent tape to mention, and not a huge social media presence to speak of, Spoden could emerge out of seemingly nowhere as a legit prospect if he's able to recreate that success he saw late last fall.     Standing at 6' and coming in at 185 lbs, Miller doesn't have any tape from last year, but the OLB/DB was able to put up some solid numbers throughout his junior year. In 8 games, Miller racked up 29 total tackles, including a 10-tackle performance against Brainerd in the regular season. I'd love to come up to a Storm practice before the season starts to get a look at a lot of these guys, but don't be surprised if Miller's name pops up as a top performer throughout the season.

While the Sauk Rapids-Rice Storm struggled at times last season, going 2-8, they did manage to find themselves in the section semi-finals and get a postseason win over the Brainerd Warriors. They've had a lot of talent on their rosters over the years, and it would be a massive mistake to count them out going forward. We've got high-tier returning starters and a bunch of athletes on breakout watch!! Take a look at the 2026 Storm!!