40TH ANNUAL MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL COACHES ASSOCIATION ALL STAR FOOTBALL GAME WAS A DANDY

Husky Stadium on the campus of St. Cloud State University was the place to be on June 29 for the 40th annual Minnesota State High School Coaches Association All Star Football Game. High school football coaches nominate players who they think are deserving to play in this game. A week before the game there is a training camp for players to quickly learn the offense and defense. Then, on Saturday afternoon they have a game. The teams are broken down into North and South teams.

 

The South kicked off to the North to start the game. Wyatt Schmidt kicked off for the South, resulting in a touchback.

 

North got the ball on the 20 yard line. On their first series they looked to keep the ball on the ground. Ashante Payne for North did a good job of keeping his feet moving while he was trying to fend off defenders while trying to get first downs. North was not able to get a first down on their first drive so they punted it away. Tucker Forsren kicked it to the South All Stars.

 

South got the ball on their own 26 yard line.  South looked to the pitch game as the North defenders rushed the line of scrimmage. South was not able to get a first down on their first drive of the game either, so they had to kick it back to the North on fourth and 17.

 

North got the ball on their own 47.  Nate Ricci kept the ball as he looked to gain yards on the ground.  South did a good job of getting to the North players and bringing them to the ground and stopping their drive.  North was able to get a first down.  North continued to pound the ball down the field on the ground. Jordan Hein for North found holes in the defense and he was able to get short yards as the North threatened to score late in the first quarter.  The North picked up another first down. Jordan Hein found Jake Wienke in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point attempt by Daniel Sargeant was good.

 

After that touchdown the score was North 7, South 0.

 

North kicked off after the touchdown.  South went back to the running attack as they tried to beat their defenders down the field. South was not able to get a first down, so they punted the ball back to North.

 

North got the ball near their own 30. Payne was able to pick up some big yards on offense as the defense was not able to bring him to the ground.

 

At the end of the first quarter the score remained North 7, South 0.

 

North’s drive extended into the second quarter, though they punted on fourth and six.. South took over on their own 18.

 

South looked to get a first down on the first drive of the second quarter, as Eric Birth came up with a nice run and picked up a first down. South kept on getting the ball to Birth, as North had a hard time getting their hands around him.

 

South threatened to score midway through the second quarter.  The South kept the ball in the air as they looked to score on 5-10 yard hook routes.  The South looked to add three points as Schmidt attempted a 29 yard field goal.

 

South called a timeout with 8:10 left in the second quarter.  

 

Schmidt’s 36 yard field goal was good with 8:10 left in the first half. The North was able to step up on the defensive end and move South for the yardage. The score after the field goal was North 7, South 3.

 

North got the ball back to after the field goal and was able to march down the field as they were able to get into the end zone but they were unable to score.

 

Daniel Sargant for the North attempted a 39 yard field goal, but it was no good.

 

South took a timeout with 3:55 left in the second quarter.

 

South looked to go deep down the field and get a first down, and did just that. North was able to step up their defense and made it difficult for South to complete passes. South, however, was able to come up with some big plays in clutch situations throughout the game.  

 

Nick Waldvogel for South was all over the field, coming up with some nice catches and keeping his offense on the field.

 

Riley Donovan found Waldvogel near the end zone for a first down. Birth found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run. Schmidt attempted the point after attempt and it went through.

 

With 11 seconds left in the second quarter the score was South 10, North 7 -- which is how the half would end. North got the ball on the 35 yard line, but the clock ran out on a long passing play to wrap up the first half of action.

 

North kicked off to South to start the third quarter, with South taking over at their 38. South’s Riley

Donovan came up with a nice catch to get a first down. North’s defense came up big as they were able to slow down the South’s run and pass game in the middle of the third quarter.

 

Donovan came up with another big reception to get a fresh set of downs. South threatened to score as they got into the red zone. John DenHartog came up with a good run and kept the South in the game.  

 

DenHartog carried the ball two yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt by Schmidt was good.

 

With 6:42 left in the third quarter the score was South 17, North 7.

 

North fumbled the ensuing kickoff and gave the ball right back to South. South attempted a field goal and Schmidt was not good.

 

With 4:37 left in the third quarter the score was South 17, North 7.

 

North got the ball back after the failed field goal attempt, and looked to keep the ball on the ground as they continued to chew up yards and look for holes in the defense.

 

North was able to come up with a first down. North switched between passing and running plays as they looked to confuse South’s defense.

 

South’s defense came up and stopped the North on fourth down and they got the ball back late in the third quarter.

 

At the end of the third quarter the score was South 17, North 7.

 

South was on offense at the start of the fourth quarter. They were not able to get a first down and they attempted a field goal. Wayatt’s field goal was short.

 

North got the ball back on their 17 yard line. North looked to pass to get first downs in the fourth quarter, but Danny McManus intercepted a pass to give the ball back to South.

 

South got the ball on their own 21 yard line. North looked once again to slow down both the running and passing attacks of South in the red zone.  On fourth and 7 yard South went for it, and were able to get a first down as Donovan came up with a nice catch from DenHartog.

 

The South threatened to score late in the fourth quarter, and made good as DenHartog found Donovan for a touchdown. Schmidt’s extra point was good..

 

With 8:23 left in regulation the score was South 24, North 7.

 

North got the ball back and looked to march down the field. South got the ball back on downs and Jordan Hine found Wieneke for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

 

The South came away with the 24-14 victory over the North. I thought that the game was a very good game. Both teams played hard and neither team gave up.

 

For the players this was a learning experience for them. They got to learn new football plays and meet different players from across the state. All of the players and coaches had fun in the week before the game and during the game.

 

I think that the Minnesota State High School Football Coaches Association does a great job of finding good players from across the state to partake in this game.