Road to Prep Bowl XXXIX

Road to the Prep Bowl: 2021

Prep Bowl: Two words that pack powerful meaning for football programs within the Minnesota State High School League.

To reach the Prep Bowl means an opportunity to end a season on a magical note. Since 1982, the Prep Bowl has been the League’s culminating event in football, a post-Thanksgiving feast of games and championships in various enrollment classes. The League’s two-day Prep Bowl event is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium.

While all Prep Bowl Championship games are special, in 2021, there is extra reason to celebrate. After a year hiatus, the football state tournament has returned and will be completed. Had it not been for the global pandemic, this weekend would have been Prep Bowl XL. Instead, it is the 39^th edition of the football championship series.  

All games will be televised live by 45TV, the League’s broadcast partner. As well, 45TV will stream the games live on www.prep45.com

Here is a look at the championship game matches:

Friday, Nov. 26

Class A, 10 a.m.

Minneota Vikings (13-0) vs. Mayer Lutheran (12-1)

Meet Minneota

• Nickname: Vikings
• School colors: Blue and Gold
• State tournament appearances: 15
• Prep Bowl appearances: 1986 Class C Champion; 1987 Class C Champion; 1988 Class C Champion; 1993 Class C runner-up; 2009 Class A Champion; 2013 Class AA runner-up; 2014 Class A Champion; 2015 Class A Champion; 2017 Class A Champion.

Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Mahnomen/Waubun 34-0 in the quarterfinals; defeated Rushford-Peterson 28-8 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Minneota’s defense has surrendered just 33 points this season.
• Senior running back Conner Sik averaged 9.1 yards per carry in the Vikings’ 28-8 victory over Rushford-Peterson in the semifinals.
• The word Minneota is derived from the Dakota language meaning “much water.”

Meet Mayer Lutheran

• Nickname: Crusaders
• School colors:  Black, Red andWhite
• State tournament appearances: 7
• Prep Bowl appearances: First
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Murray County Central 34-8 in the quarterfinals; defeated New York Mills 41-6 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Mayer Lutheran won the Class A volleyball championship earlier this month.
• Teigan Martin, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end/defensive end, accounted for two touchdowns in the Crusaders’ victory over New York Mills in the semifinals. He caught a touchdown pass and moments later returned a blocked punt 40 yards for another TD.
• Mayer Lutheran’s only loss was to Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop in the season-opener. Since, the Crusaders are on a 12-game winning streak, including a victory over G-F-W in the section final.

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 Class AA, 1 p.m.

 Chatfield (12-1) vs. West Central Area/Ashby (11-1)

 Meet Chatfield

•  Nickname: Gophers
•  School colors: Maroon and White
•  State tournament appearances: 9
•  Prep Bowl appearances: 1994 Class C champion; 1995 Class C champion; 1996 Class C champion; 2013 Class AA champion.
•  Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Minneapolis North 50-20 in the quarterfinals; defeated Barnesville 22-18 in the semifinals.

 Did you know?

• Sophomore quarterback Parker Delaney had seven completions for 175 yards and two touchdowns in Chatfield’s 22-18 victory over Barnesville in the semifinals.
• Chatfield’s only loss this season is a 31-6 setback to Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the season-opener. P-E-M is playing for the Class AAA crown.
•  Chatfield, located in southeastern Minnesota, is known as “The Gateway to Bluff Country.”

 Meet West Central Area/Ashby

•  Nickname: Knights
•  School colors: Red, Black and Silver
•  State tournament appearances: 4
•  Prep Bowl appearances: 1999 Class AA runner-up.
•  Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Moose Lake/Willow River 14-6 in the quarterfinals; defeated Maple River 8-7 in the semifinals.

 Did you know?

• Sophomore linebacker Nasir Dotts-Wakemup had 11 tackles in the Knights’ 8-7 victory over Maple River in the semifinals. Afterward, he performed in the school’s musical production of “Guys and Dolls.”
• West Central Area High School is located in Barrett.
• Barrett’s motto is “The Little Town with Big Dreams!”

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 Class AAAA, 4 p.m.

 Kasson-Mantorville (9-3) vs. Hutchinson (11-1)   

 Meet Kasson-Mantorville

•  Nickname: KoMets
•  School colors: Blue and White
•  State tournament appearances: 11
•  Prep Bowl appearances: First
•  Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Fridley 42-7 in the quarterfinals; defeated Becker 24-20 in the semifinals.

 Did you know?

• Senior quarterback Matthew Donovan is a triple threat. In the KoMets’s 24-20 victory over Becker in the semifinals, he rushed for 134 yards, threw for a touchdown and averaged 19 yards per return on punts. His TD strike with nine seconds remaining in regulation lifted the Knights over the Bulldogs in the semifinals.
• Kasson-Mantorville was the Class AAA runner-up in the volleyball state tournament earlier this month.
• Tony Boldt, the high school’s band director, serves on the Minnesota State High School League’s Music Advisory Committee.

 Meet Hutchinson

•  Nickname: Tigers
•  School colors: Black and Gold
•  State tournament appearances: 24
•  Prep Bowl appearances: 1983 Class A champion; 1984 Class A champion; 1998 Class AAAA champion; 2003 Class AAAA runner-up; 2012 Class AAAA champion; 2013 Class AAAA champion.
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Simley 40-0 in the quarterfinals; defeated Orono 36-6 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• The Tigers have scored 40 or more points in six games this season.
• In the past 54 seasons, there have been just two football coaches at Hutchinson High School. Grady Rostberg led the Tigers to a 277-89-1 record until he retired in 1998. His son, Andy, has been there ever since and led the Tigers to titles in 2012 and 2013.
• Carlos Avery, an 1887 graduate of Hutchinson High School, was the state’s first commissioner of the Minnesota Game and Fish Commission.

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Class AAAAAA, 7 p.m.

Maple Grove (11-1) vs. Lakeville South (12-0)

Meet Maple Grove

• Nickname: Crimson
• School colors: Crimson and Gold
• State tournament appearances: 9
• Prep Bowl appearances: First
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Woodbury 31-12 in the quarterfinals; defeated Eden Prairie 35-3 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Senior running back Derrick Jameson averaged 9.6 yards per carry in the Crimson’s victory over Eden Prairie in the semifinals. He is a finalist for the Mr. Football Award.
• This is the highest-scoring Maple Grove team with 10 games scoring at least 31 points. The Crimson had a 56-18 win over Totino-Grace in Week 2.
• Maple Grove’s mascot is named “Leafy,” a crimson and gold maple leaf.

Meet Lakeville South

• Nickname: Cougars
• School colors: Cardinal Red and Vegas Gold
• State tournament appearances: 7
• Prep Bowl appearances: 2006 Class AAAAA runner-up
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Shakopee 42-28 in the quarterfinals; defeated St. Michael-Albertville 40-14 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Junior running back Carson Hansen has rushed for 1,959 yards and scored 23 touchdowns.
• Senior linebacker Zach Juckel has 115 tackles and 7 ½ sacks on the season.
•  In 2020, in the absence of a Prep Bowl because of a global pandemic, Lakeville South was declared the Class AAAAAA state champion by the Associated Press.

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Saturday, Nov. 27

Class Nine-Man, 10 a.m.

 LeRoy-Ostrander (11-2) vs. Fertile-Beltrami (13-0)

Meet LeRoy-Ostrander

• Nickname: Cardinals
• School colors: Red and White
• State tournament appearances: 14
• Prep Bowl appearances: 1993 Class Nine-Man runner-up
• Road to the Prep Bowl:  Defeated Wheaton/Herman-Norcross 57-26 in the quarterfinals; defeated Kittson County Central 49-0 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Senior quarterback Chase Johnson had 321 all-purpose yard in LeRoy-Ostrander’s victory over Kittson County Central in the semifinals.
• Johnson has rushed for 2,599 yards this season averages 10.8 yards per carry.
•  During the five-game postseason, the Cardinals have outscored the opposition 242-42.

Meet Fertile-Beltrami

• Nickname: Falcons
• School colors: Scarlet Red and Dark Navy Blue  
• State tournament appearances: 6
• Prep Bowl appearances: First
• Road to the Prep Bowl:  Defeated Mountain Iron-Buhl 44-22; defeated Hills-Beaver Creek 30-22

Did you know?

• Senior running back Everett Balstad accounted for 202 all-purpose yards in the semifinal victory over Hills-Beaver Creek.
• The Falcons have outscored the opposition 553-117 in 13 games this season.
• To earn a Prep Bowl berth, junior linebacker Tucker Bolstand had 2 ½ sacks and senior linebacker Tyler Stuhaug chipped in two during the victory over Hills-Beaver Creek.

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Class AAA, 1 p.m.

Plainview-Elgin-Millville (11-2) vs. Dassel-Cokato (13-0)

Meet Plainview-Elgin-Millville

• Nickname: Bulldogs
• School colors: Black and Gold
• State tournament appearances: 5
• Prep Bowl appearances: 2002 Class AAA champion
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Breck 37-14 in the quarterfinals; defeated Annandale 28-6.

Did you know?

• Senior wide receiver/defensive back scored two touchdowns in the span of a minute in the Bulldogs’ victory over Annandale. Moments after scoring on a 68-yard passing play, he intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards for another score.
• In 2012, the Plaiinview-Elgin-Millville boys basketball team won the Class AA championship, 99 years after playing in the first-ever state tournament.
•  Katie Ohm, a 2006 graduate of Elgin-Millville, is one of the most prolific scorers in Minnesota girls basketball history with 3,301 career points.

Meet Dassel-Cokato

• Nickname: Chargers
• School colors: Navy and White
• State tournament appearances: 4
• Prep Bowl appearances: 2019 Class AAA runner-up (1972 Class B runner-up in the first-ever state tournament, but non-Prep Bowl Era)
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Fairmont 41-13 in the quarterfinals; defeated Esko 21-14 in the semifinals.  

Did you know?

• Senior running back Eli Gillman has 2,061 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns.
• The Chargers have scored 41 or more points eight times this season.
• The school districts of Cokato and Dassel combined in 1972.

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Class AAAAA, 4 p.m.

Mahtomedi (10-2) vs. Mankato West (12-0)

Meet Mahtomedi

• Nickname: Zephyrs
• School colors: Blue and Gold
• State tournament appearances: 15
• Prep Bowl appearances: 2002 Class AAAA runner-up; 2005 Class AAAA champion; 2007 Class AAAA runner-up.
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated Rochester Mayo 42-20 in the quarterfinals; defeated Robbinsdale Cooper 34-7 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• What is a Zephyr? It is a soft breeze from the west, but in Mahtomedi lore, it is the east wind because of the school’s location in the east metro.
• Mahtomedi has outscored the opposition this season by a margin of 527-202.
• Mahtomedi gymnastics coach Debbie Driscoll and former standout Mindy Myhre Shannon will be inducted into the Minnesota State High School League’s Hall of Fame in April 2022.

Meet Mankato West

• Nickname: Scarlets  
• School colors: Scarlet and White
• State tournament appearances: 13
• Prep Bowl appearances: 1999 Class AAAA champion; 2002 Class AAAA champion; 2008 Class AAAA champion; 2014 Class AAAA champion.  
• Road to the Prep Bowl: Defeated St. Thomas Academy 21-14 in the quarterfinals; defeated Rogers 42-7 in the semifinals.

Did you know?

• Mankato West is 4 for 4 in Prep Bowl championship games.
• The Scarlets have surrendered just 61 points this season while scoring 561.
•  Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a former teacher and football coach at Mankato West High School.