THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HAS CANCELLED THE NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL GAME

The University of Minnesota has canceled the Dec. 5 football game against Northwestern due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the University of Minnesota, “COVID-19 outbreak that has affected 47 players and staff.”

This is the second game in a row that the University of Minnesota has been canceled because of the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

The University of Minnesota is scheduled to play at Nebraska on Dec. 12, 2020.

MINNESOTA HAS MOVED SOME FALL SPORTS TO THE SPRING DUE TO COVID-19

One Aug. 4, the Minnesota State High School League announced that high school football and volleyball have been moved to the spring due to Covid-19. 

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Starting Aug 17, is the first day of practice for boys’ and girls’ soccer and cross-country, girls’ tennis and girls’ swimming and giving, with 20 percent shorter in duration and with 30 percent fewer competitions, limited to one or two per week. Postseason plans to be determined later. Cross-country meets cannot exceed three teams; tennis and swimming can only hold dual competitions.”

Starting in mid-March: Football season of six-regular season games, no scrimmages. Volleyball season will be reduced by 20 percent in length and with 30 percent fewer games, no multiteam invitationals. For both sports, fall practice permitted, postseason plans are to be determined.” 

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HOLDS PUBLIC SCRIMMAGE

The University of Minnesota men’s football team held an open scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday Aug. 9.

The scrimmage was a chance for the team to go through different plays and set up different situations. The scrimmage started out with a full team warm up and stretching.

Then it was all situations as the team was broken up into different groups and there was an offensive and a defensive group.

The offensive group worked on the offensive plays and the defense went through defensive drills.

Then there was a time for special teams drills.

This was a chance for fans to come together and watch the team go up against themselves.

One of the stipulations of the scrimmage was that the quarterback couldn’t get touched.

Overall I thought that the Gophers looked good as a whole.

ELY TOOK ON UNDERWOOD IN THE 9 MAN STATE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Ely and Underwood went up against each other in the semifinals of the Minnesota State High School League’s state football tournament.

 

Ely kicked off to start the game.Underwood got the ball on their own 33 yard line. Underwood looked to keep the ball on the ground on their first drive. Underwood’s Noah Thompson was all over the field. He was able to run past the Ely defenders. Underwood was not able to get a first down and they turned it over on downs.

 

Ely got the ball on their own 31 yard line. Ely’s quarterback Sean Jordan was able to get the ball to his receivers. Mark Heiman rushed 27 yards for a touchdown. Akira Inomata’s extra point attempt was good.

 

With 3:33 left in the first quarter the score was Ely 7, Underwood 0.

 

Underwood got the ball back on their own 40 yard line. The Ely defense stepped up and was able to stop the Underwood offense. They punted on fourth-and-14.

 

After one quarter of play the score was Ely 7, Underwood 0.

 

Ely punted on fourth down. Underwood kept the ball into the hands of Thompson. Thompson found the end zone on a six-yard run. The extra point attempt was good.

 

With 7:04 left in the second quarter the score was tied at 7.

 

Ely got the ball on their own 35 yard line. Ely was picked off by Adam Creek. That gave Underwood the ball back. Creek found a hole and ran 61 yards for a first down. Matt Biegler found the endzone on a four-yard run with 1:15 left in the second quarter.

 

That made the score Underwood 14, Ely 7.

 

Ely fumbled the kickoff and Underwood got the ball back. Thompson found the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was good.

 

With 18 seconds left in the second quarter the score was Underwood 21, Ely 7. That was the score at halftime.

 

Underwood kicked off to Ely to start the third quarter. Ely got the ball on their own 18 yard line.  Ely was not able to move the ball so they punted. Underwood also was not able to move the ball on their drive so they punted the ball back to Ely.

 

Both defenses stepped up big early in the third quarter. Ely’s Louis Gerzin rushed 75 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was good. With 6:40 left in the third quarter the score was Underwood 21, Ely 14.

 

Underwood fumbled the ball and Ely took over.  Ely’s Gerzin picked up a first down as Ely looked to get into the endzone. Ely turned the ball over on downs.

 

Thompson found the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was no good.

 

With 54 seconds left in the third quarter the score was Underwood 27, Ely 14.

 

Ely got the ball as they looked to get into the endzone in the fourth quarter. Sean Jordan found

 

Michael Lah in the endzone on a 15-yard reception.

 

With 8:24 left in regulation the score was Underwood 27, Ely 20.

 

Underwood got the ball deep in the Ely zone as they looked to chew up yardage. On fourth-and-two,

 

Underwood was picked off and Ely took over.

 

Underwood’s Collins found the end zone on a 13-yard run. The extra point attempt was good.

 

With that touchdown the score was Underwood 34, Ely 20 with 54 seconds left to go. That was the final of the game.

 

After the game I was able to talk to Underwood’s head coach Chuck Ross about the victory.

 

OSSEO'S WILL JOHNSON TO WEST VIRGINA

Osseo football and basketball player Will Johnson has accepted a football scholarship to West Virginia.

FATE OF FOOTBALL IN ST. CLOUD IS UP IN THE AIR

Officials at St. Cloud State University have a big decision on their hands. They must decide if they should continue supporting the football program or the football program should be shut down.

The football program like many other sports on campus gets a portion of their funding from student fees. In order to keep the program running the school would have to raise student fees to help support the football program.

St. Cloud State is a NCAA Division 2 program. They are a member of the 14 team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Football is a required sport to be apart of the conference. If a team does not field a football team they can no longer be a part of the conference. 

RAY BETTON NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AT HOLY ANGELS HIGH SCHOOL IN RICHFIELD MINNESOTA

Ray Betton has been named the head football coach at Holy Angels High School in Richfield Minnesota. Betton was an assistant coach at Holy Angels from 1996 to 2000 and was the associate head coach there in 2004. Holy Angels.

CONCORDIA ST PAUL TOOK ON WINONA STATE AT THE NEW SEA FOAM STADIUM

It was the opening night for Concordia St Paul when they took on Winona State. This was the first game on their new stadium. It was also Military Appreciation Day.

Concordia got the ball to start the game. Concordia got it going early as Paah Zeah made a huge run for a first down. Concordia was able to march down the field as their running game was right on. Quarterback Spencer Ohm kept the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was good. With 10:22 left in the first quarter, the score was Concordia St Paul 7 and Winona State 0.

After the touchdown Winona State got the ball back but Karl Pope intercepted the ball so Concordia St Paul got the ball back. Concordia St Paul was inching to score again as they got it inside the twenty yard line. Ohm found Taylor Ferrtly in the end zone for a Concordia St Paul touchdown. With 5:51 and that touchdown the score was Concordia St Paul 14 and Winona State 0.

Winona State wanted to get something going late in the first quarter but they were not able to do that was they ended up going four and out.

At the end of the first quarter the score was Concordia St Paul 14 and Winona State 0.

Concordia St Paul got the ball to start the second quarter.

Winona State was able to make a field goal with 9:20 left in the second quarter.

Concordia got the ball back and they were not able to convert. They had to punt the ball way.

Winona State found the end zone for a touchdown. With that touchdown the score was Concordia St Paul 14 and Winona State 10.

Winona State wanted to get things going at the end of the second quarter as they went to a hurry up offense that started on the fifty yard line. They wanted to punch it in at the end of the second quarter.

In an action packed first half the score at half time was Concordia St Paul 14 and Winona State 10.

Winona State got the ball to begin the third quarter. Winona State was not able to convert on their first drive. Concordia St Paul got the ball back and they were looking to score. They just grounded up yards. Concordia also wanted to find the end zone in the third quarter. Concordia St Paul tried a field goal with 4:58 in the third quarter but missed. The score remained Concordia St Paul 14 and Winona State 10.

Concordia St Paul got picked off late in the third quarter. Winona State got the ball on the 29 yard line. Drue Alexander came on a fade route and caught a pass for a Winona State touchdown with 31 seconds left in the third quarter. At the end of the third quarter the score was tied at 17.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter Winona State scored a touchdown and the extra point attempt was good.

The score was Winona State 24 and Concordia St Paul 17.

Winona State was also able to find the end zone again with another touchdown plus the extra point. The score became Winona State 31 and Concordia St Paul 17.

Winona State’s Rayon Simmons scored a touchdown with 7:17 left in the fourth quarter, making it Winona State 38 and Concordia St Paul 17.

Winona State’s Ryan Jirgi intercepted a pass deep in Concordia St Paul’s territory and reached the 10 yard line. On the next play Winona State found the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was good. It was Winona State 45 and Concordia St Paul 17.

Concordia St Paul looked to score late in the fourth quarter on a drive where they got into the red zone with 3:40 in regulation. Concordia was able to punch it in on a quarter back keeper with 3:32 in regulation. The extra point attempt was good. The score was Winona State 45 and Concordia St Paul 24.

The final score of the contest was Winona State 45 and Concordia St Paul 24.

HOPKINS VS MINNETONKA SQUARE OFF ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD

Hopkins traveled to Minnetonka to take on the Skippers in a Thursday evening match up. Coming into this game, Hopkins was ranked number 5 in class AAA in the current Star Tribune poll. Fox Sports Net North was also here covering the game. This was a huge game for both of these teams. There was also a lot of other media members covering this game.

Hopkins received the opening kickoff and looked to air it out early in the early goings of the game. Dammi Mafe took off on a run from about the 49 yard line and found the end zone quickly with 11:07 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point attempt was good and the score was Hopkins 7 and Minnetonka 0.

Minnetonka looked to make short running drives as they were able to make a first down early in the first quarter. Minnetonka’s Austin Harrington came out ready to play and made some nice caches early in the contest.

There was a lot of energy and intensity displayed by both teams in the early going. These two teams are regarded as two of the top programs in the area.

Minnetonka looked for running back Parker Weinstock to carry the ball. He is quick and agile on his feet and really knows what to do with the ball. The Hopkins defense stepped up big time and they were able to stop Minnetonka on fourth down.

Minnetonka was able to capitalize on Hopkins mistakes. Minnetonka had the ball on the five yard line. Though they could not come up with the touchdown, Minnetonka made a field goal it barely through the uprights. At the end of the first quarter the score was Hopkins 7, Minnetonka 3.

Hopkins got the ball to begin the second quarter and continued to try to pound the ball up the field. Their running backs got a lot of small yard runs. Hopkins head coach John DenHartong did a good job of play calling on switching up the plays. He had the Royals run a little bit and then he chooses to pass it. He calls in the correct play and his team runs that play. Hopkins continued to pound the football up the field. Hopkins Andre Mc Donald found the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point was good. With 6:24 in the score was Hopkins 14 and Minnetonka 7.

James Farrow ran 90 yards on the kickoff return for a Minnetonka touchdown. Taylor Dawson’s extra point was good. With 6:08 left in the second quarter the score was Hopkins 14 and Minnetonka 10.

Both of these teams really went after each other throughout the first half. At the half time break the score was Hopkins 14 and Minnetonka 10.

As the third quarter got underway everyone in the stands was up for the kick off. The pace of the third quarter was quick. Hopkins was able to make steps down the field as Treyvon Smith had the ball and was able to make some huge progress up the field. Smith found the end zone on a five yard touchdown run. The extra point was good. With 7:18 in regulation the score was Hopkins 21 and Minnetonka 10.

Minnetonka came up with the ball and Parker Weinstock came through with the nice running play. He was determined to get into the end zone. On the next play Weinstock received the ball again and he again tried to get into the end zone. Weinstock found the end zone for the six yard touchdown run. The extra point was good, Minnetonka 17 and Hopkins 21.

Hopkins’ Gideon Kendrick returned a punt for a touchdown. The extra point was good with 45.2 seconds in the third quarter the score was Hopkins 28 and Minnetonka 17.

Minnetonka’s Parker Winestock came through again in the fourth quarter with a touchdown. The extra point was good. After that touch down the score was Hopkins 28 and Minnetonka 24.

Hopkins found the end zone again with a field goal with 8:12 left to go in regulation.

Minnetonka fumbled and Hopkins came up with the football. Minnetonka’s Larry Rice came up big with a pick off pass with 3:47 in the fourth quarter. There was a flag on the play so the ball was placed on the 18 yard line. Minnetonka threatened to score by giving the ball to Parker Winestock. Minnetonka’s Anthony Boyce was wide open for the touchdown reception. The extra point attempt failed.
,
This game came down to the end. Hopkins held onto the 31-30 victory.

FREAKY FRIDAY: EVERY THING WILL BE NEW AT DE LA SALLE

By JOHN MILLEA, Star Tribune

For as long as anyone can remember, the football routine at DeLaSalle has been the same: Practice on a small patch of grass behind the school and ride a bus to another school's field for every game.

This season, and every season to come, is different. After five years of planning, fundraising and high-profile struggles with forces opposed to building a stadium on school grounds, DeLaSalle's long sought-after football/soccer playground is ready to go.

It will be christened with girls' and boys' soccer games Thursday, and the big coming-out party will be Friday night, when the Islanders play host to Brooklyn Center in the first home football game in the school's 109-year history.

"It's a big honor because so many people have waited for this for so long and now we will be the first ones to enjoy the field," said senior nose guard Peter Ringham. "There were so many people who wanted to play that first game, and it's going to be us."

This week, the anticipation is at full zenith.

"Everything will be the first," said senior linebacker Scott Hillyer. ''The very first touchdown, the first sack. Everything will be the first."

The stadium has natural grass, so the only downside now is that the Islanders have to jump on a bus and travel to practice in a city park a couple of miles upstream along the Mississippi River. But that's a small price to pay for the luxury of playing real home games.

"When we first started this project, none of these guys attended DeLaSalle," said school president Brother Michael Collins. "It was really important for us to create for DeLaSalle students some of the basic amenities that most young athletes in high school in the metro area enjoy."

Collins was sitting with some of the football players as he spoke about what the stadium means to Islanders past, present and future.

There's not a kid in this room who doesn't deserve what is so basic in the high school experience of tens of thousands of high school-age kids in this metro area," he said. "This is not something that is so fantastic, but it's become that for us."

The struggle to build the facility, in Collins' words, "was long, it was arduous, it was stressful." Some nearby residents, who share Nicollet Island with DeLaSalle, threw up every conceivable legal roadblock. The school's legal fees totaled half a million dollars.

It all led to a stadium -- DeLaSalle Athletic Field -- with permanent seating for 750, but temporary bleachers brought in for Friday's game will bring the seating capacity to 1,500.

Islanders coach Sean McMenomy said he feels like the luckiest coach in the world. He accepted the job last spring, leaving Minneapolis Southwest after four years. The Islanders are a Class 3A power, finishing as the state runner-up the past two years.

One day last week, McMenomy and several of his players walked around the new field before heading to practice. With the downtown Minneapolis skyline framing the scene, the Islanders' shoes left fresh imprints on the thick, green grass.

"This is a dream," McMenomy said.

ODIM, BULLDOGS RUSH PAST GOLDEN BEARS

In the 2009 season opener, the visiting Concordia University football team had no answer for the #3 Minnesota Duluth running game as the Bulldogs rushed for 461 yards in a 56-0 victory for the defending champs at Malosky Stadium on Saturday evening in front of 3,025 fans. UMD scored two touchdowns in each quarter while the Golden Bears were shutout for the second straight season by the Bulldogs. UMD extends their Division II-leading winning streak to 17 games with the victory.

BOX SCORE

The bright spots for the Golden Bears were not committing a turnover, something they did only once last year in the final game of the season, giving them a turnover free streak of eight quarters.

Additionally, junior specialist T.G. Schoenberg (right, Woodbury, Minn.) started off the season hot by punting a career-high nine times for a 43.9 yard average. He forced seven fair catches, placing four inside the 20 with two punts over 50 yards including a long of 60. His net average of 41.7 indicates the punt coverage was stout while he provided excellent hang time with his kicks. UMD did not have an opportunity to return a punt against him.

But CU didn't have an answer for the Northern Sun's Preseason North Division Offensive Player of the Year, running back Isaac Odim, who started off as the undisputed best back in the league by rushing for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries while taking three receptions for 75 yards and two more scores. He scored the first five touchdowns of the game with the fifth being a 92 yard kickoff return score to open the second half.

He scored from 42 and 86 yards on runs in the first quarter before seven and 60 yard TD receptions in the second.

Brian Hanson, his second half replacement, scored on rushes of one and four yards out in the third and fourth quarters and finished with 144 yards on 13 attempts.

The scoring was completed with a two yard plunge by Nate Bauer with just under eight minutes to play.

The Golden Bears managed eight first downs and converted just one of 15 on third down. They did produce first downs on both of their fourth down conversions but were unable to get in the red zone in the contest while UMD was 4-4 inside the 20.

Their top two scoring chances both resulted in missed field goals. With under a minute to go in the first half, CU took over on their own 32 yard line and drove to the UMD 26, a six play, 42 yard drive that resulted in a missed 43 yard field goal with 15 seconds to play in the half.

In the third quarter, CU went on their longest drive of the game, taking it 50 yards in 15 plays in just under a six minute span. The drive started on their own 27 and they got to the UMD 23 before failing to convert a 40 yard field goal.

In the end, UMD out gained CU 634 to 135, a near 500 yard deficit in total offense.

Sophomore Sam Campbell (left, Cary, Ill.) led CU in yardage with five receptions for 30 yards and six rushes for 14 yards. Sophomore Jerry Shaw (Oak Creek, Wis.) led CU in rushing with 23 yard on eight carries.

Receiving duo Calvin Simon (Jr., Shakopee, Minn.) and Jordan Schultenover (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn.) were not held silent, but were contained. Simon had three catches for 20 yards and keeps his streak of a reception in every collegiate game in tact at 22 games. Schultenover had a 33 yard reception, CU's longest play from scrimmage, and finished with two catches for 41 yards to lead CU in receiving yardage.

Sophomore quarterback Spencer Ohm (Blooming Prairie, Minn.), who made his colleagiate debut a year ago against the Bulldogs, got the start under center and completed 12-34 for 93 yards.

Concordia's secondary held UMD to just 10 completions through the air for 173 yards and forced nine incompletions.

Senior defensive back Christian Even (Pierz, Minn.) led the defense with seven tackles while sophomore linebacker Al Quaye (Champlin, Minn.) pulled down six UMD ball carriers with seniors Travis Meyer (DB, Champlin, Minn.) and Will Brown (right, DL, Shoreview, Minn.) making five tackles along with newcomer Trevor Glomski (Jr., LB, Wabasha, Minn.).


Brown had CU's only tackle for loss while junior defensive lineman John Borchert (Champlin, Minn.) and senior defensive back Joe Butler (Kansas City, Minn.) each had pass breakups in aiding the defense limiting the Bulldogs through the air.

Last year, UMD ended Concordia's streak at 90 games without being shutout and have now held CU scoreless two straight games, both in season openers. It's the third time in the last 12 games Concordia has been shutout since the streak ended.

The Golden Bears will look to turn things around on the road next week at NAIA foe Minot State for a 1:00 p.m. contest in Minot, N.D. The Beavers are 0-1 after losing to Bemidji State on Thursday and are provisional NCAA Division II members. The game will feature a CU audio broadcast with Dan Flanagan calling the play-by-play via Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network (MSBN) online at www.mnsportsnetwork.com along with road live stats provided by Concordia.

IAN JOHNSON WANTS THE VIKINGS TO KEEP HIM AROUND

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Ian Johnson rarely goes a day without someone asking him about the play and the proposal. In fact, he can't remember a day the past two years when it hasn't come up.

He had no idea he would become part of college football lore, but Johnson's overtime heroics and post game marriage proposal to his cheerleader girlfriend in Boise State's wildly entertaining upset of Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl brought him national celebrity that continues to this day.

"If I see anyone outside of my family, I get asked about it at least once a day," Johnson said.

The streak continued Monday, after Johnson signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Vikings. The running back went undrafted this past weekend and, after hearing from 18 NFL teams Sunday night, signed with the Vikings and will participate in the team's rookie mini camp starting Friday at Winter Park.

Johnson, who rushed for 4,183 yards and a Western Athletic Conference-record 58 touchdowns in his career, said the fact that the Vikings have Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor did not discourage him.

"The Vikings couldn't justify taking a running back [in the draft] with what they have already," he said. "But it's a place I can definitely fit in if I come through free agency. I'm going to be the hardest-working guy out there. I'm going to learn this offense as fast as I can so I will be an asset for this team. I will be the best pickup the Vikings made this year."

Johnson is the most notable of the Vikings' 14 rookie free agents, largely because of his role in one of the greatest college football games ever. After the teams combined for 22 points in the final 86 seconds of regulation, Johnson scored a winning two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play in overtime to give Boise State a 43-42 victory over the Sooners.

Then, during an interview on national television after the game, Johnson got down on one knee and proposed to girlfriend Chrissy Popadics, a Boise State cheerleader.

"It was a great game, the perfect finish to a game and the perfect way for me to propose to my wife," he said. "I didn't think about any of the repercussions that would come of it, and they're all good repercussions. But I did not think that moment would still be living on in other people's minds today."
The two got married on July 28, 2007.

"I will always cherish the fact that I can show my kids, 'Hey, this is how I proposed to your mother,' " Johnson said.

One Vikings player who probably won't ever forget is Peterson, who had given Oklahoma the lead in overtime on a 25-yard touchdown run in what turned out to be his final college play. Corner back Marcus Walker, a Vikings practice squad player last season, had a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:02 left in regulation.

Johnson said he probably won't break the ice with Peterson by reliving that classic.

"I'm going to try and hold that in my back pocket until I have something better to say," he said.
Instead, Johnson said he wants to watch and learn from Peterson and Taylor.

"There's just so much that those guys do right, I'm going to sit back and be a student of them for a while," he said.
Johnson faces an uphill climb in his bid to make the team, but it's not impossible. Three undrafted rookies made the active roster last season -- Husain Abdullah, Erin Henderson and Darius Reynaud -- and a fourth, Drew Radovich, was in the mix before he got injured.

Johnson hopes to make an impression on special teams initially, but he plans on sticking around. He graduated in December with a degree in business management, but he isn't ready to join the corporate world just yet.

"It's nice to have my degree, but I won't need it for a while," he said. "I'm not done playing football. My job now is to make this football team and to do everything I can to help this organization. That is my No. 1 focus right now."

MARESH'S HEART IS CLEARING IN THE GAME

THIS IS FROM ADAM RITTENBERG FROM ESPN.COM


For Sam Maresh, life decisions and football decisions blend together. Everything always traces back to the game.

Maresh epitomizes the eat-sleep-breathe cliché. He's described by those who know him best as born to play football. And given what he's been through to play linebacker at Minnesota, it's hard to argue with them.

Faced with the daunting reality of open heart surgery in June 2008, Maresh made a choice with football very much in mind. When doctors discovered a benign mass in his leg in February, Maresh stiff-armed talk of surgery and readied himself for the start of Minnesota's spring drills.

"If football or sports was a hobby, you'd be looking at it differently," said Maresh's father, Bill. "But it's part of his life. It's part of who he is. He's a physical, fighter-type guy. There was never a decision that was hard. If there was a way that he could play, he was going to take that opportunity. And it's worked out."

On the afternoon of March 24, Maresh, wearing a white No. 17 practice jersey, jogged onto the field with his Gophers teammates for the start of spring ball. He did so with a scar on his chest, a growth in his leg and a look of resolve in his eyes.

Less than nine months after heart valve replacement surgery, Maresh was back, just as he had planned. "It wasn't a question at all," Maresh said. "I'm playing football. It's what I was born to do."

But this is about more than football. A lot more.

Maresh is attempting to make medical history this fall. Other athletes with his heart condition have returned to compete, including NBA players Ronny Turiaf and Etan Thomas. But no one has returned to play top-level college football.

"We've had a number of athletes that have had this kind of problem that have gone back to playing baseball and basketball," heart surgeon Dr. Hartzell Schaff said. "I don't remember anybody who's gone back to playing football like he's playing."

Gophers coach Tim Brewster branded Maresh the "flag bearer" for the university when the heralded recruit signed in 2008. But Maresh transcends that role.

He has become a symbol for the state, a courageous figure who has received support from Duluth to Mankato, International Falls to Rochester.

Indeed, football is only part of Maresh's story.

It's about a single-minded star, a medical marvel and a local hero. It's about a team of doctors and a support network of family, teammates, coaches and strangers.

It's also about trust. Maresh affirmed his in Brewster by committing to the program and holding true to it through tough times. Now, he wants the same pledge from the coach as he heads down an uncharted path.

"A lot of people are anxious for me to get out there," Maresh said. "This is an opportunity for me to show the coaches that I'm ready."

It all started with a standard sports physical, required of each player entering Minnesota's program. Maresh hadn't had one since his freshman year of high school, but he had no reason to worry.

He was a three-time state wrestling champion and an all-state linebacker at Champlin Park High School in suburban Minneapolis. Two months before the exam, he wrestled at the senior nationals and felt like he was in the best shape of his life.

But on June 2, doctors detected a murmur in Maresh's heart. Further testing showed he had a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital disorder in which the valve has only two leaflets instead of three, preventing the heart from pumping blood efficiently. He also had an enlarged aortic root.

"They gave us all the measurements and said, 'You're way over [normal]. This is bad. It's severe,'" Bill Maresh said. "They kept saying, 'Are you sick to your stomach?'"

Sam's active lifestyle and sports background likely prevented symptoms from appearing earlier. But the diagnosis meant the 19-year-old would need open heart surgery.

Brewster was stunned.

"It just takes your breath away," he said. "I went directly to the kid. And Sam puts you at ease with his mindset and his attitude. He's so positive. He doesn't want any obstacles in his life.

"He immediately wanted to fix it."

Bill Maresh Sam Maresh chose the heart surgery option that would give him a chance to return to the gridiron.
At a news conference at Champlin Park High eight days after the initial exam, Maresh told reporters, "I'm going to play. With my family and everyone supporting me and praying for me, I feel like I will play again."

The first cardiologist Maresh visited held a different opinion.

"He didn't look at me as an athlete," Maresh said. "He looked at me in the long run. He said, 'I don't know if you'll be able to play football after this,' and he gave me a list of sports that I could play.

"That got pretty emotional."

The Mareshes sought a second opinion and went to Dr. Rick Nishimura, a cardiologist at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Nishimura was realistic about Maresh's situation, but he didn't entirely close the door on a return to the gridiron.

"He had significant heart disease," Nishimura said. "We told him that in most instances, not only would we not allow a person to play, but a lot of people might elect not to play because there always is a small risk after an operation.

"I said, 'If you decide that you still want to go ahead, there are a number of hurdles you have to overcome.'"
Patients have two options with the type of surgery Maresh was facing. To fulfill his dream, Maresh had only one.
If his aortic valve needed to be replaced, Maresh could have either a mechanical valve or a tissue valve installed. The mechanical valve likely would prevent another surgery but would force him to take Coumadin, a blood thinner that would prevent him from playing college football. The tissue valve doesn't require a blood thinner but necessitates a second surgery in 12 to 15 years.

"So hopefully after I'm done with the NFL," a smiling Maresh said, "I'll get the mechanical one in there, and I'll be all set."

The night before an appointment with the surgeons, Maresh and his parents watched Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The telecast featured a story about Turiaf, who underwent aortic replacement surgery three years earlier and returned to the court with the Lakers.

News of Maresh's situation soon reached Turiaf, who called the Gophers recruit days later. "He was very supportive," Maresh said. "It was pretty sweet to hear from a professional athlete who went through the same thing."

There were two big questions heading into the surgery, which took place June 26 at the Mayo Clinic. Would Maresh's enlarged aorta need to be repaired or replaced with a tissue valve? And how big of an incision would the doctors need to make in his sternum?

If Schaff could do a partial sternotomy, which he anticipated, Maresh would have an easier time healing and, hopefully, getting back to football. A full sternotomy would make things harder.

"If you don't divide [the sternum], it doesn't have to heal up again," said Schaff, who also performed Thomas' surgery in 2007. "And for Sam, that's a huge issue."

Maresh spent the weeks leading up to the surgery playing softball and hanging out with friends. Aside from a minor ear procedure as a young boy, he hadn't had any surgeries, but he wasn't intimidated until the night before.
"He asked me some questions that made me know [he was scared]," Bill Maresh said. "'Dad, so what is this heart-lung machine? So my heart won't be beating?' I said, 'No, it won't be. They take your blood and it goes through a machine that oxygenates it and brings it back in. Your heart's not doing that.'"

The Mareshes watched an educational DVD about the surgery. Then Sam went to sleep.

"It was midnight, and I had surgery at 5:30 in the morning," he said. "I woke up, and that's when I got a little jittery, like, 'This is really happening.'"

Bill Maresh A Minnesota jersey and a poster signed by the Gophers were with Sam Maresh as he started his recovery.

Schaff made the smaller incision and brought Maresh's aorta down to normal size. Unsatisfied with the repair attempt, however, he opted for the tissue replacement.

The surgery was deemed a success, and Schaff performed it needing only a partial sternotomy, much to the relief of the dozen or so family members in the waiting room.

"They'd come in and say, 'Sam is on the heart-lung machine,'" said Julie Maresh, Sam's mother. "And then when he was done, they said, 'He's back breathing OK.' We were like, 'Whew.'"

Two days after the surgery, Brewster and Minnesota linebackers coach John Butler visited Maresh. They brought a No. 17 Gophers jersey with his name on the back and a poster shaped like the state of Minnesota that all the players had signed.

Maresh had a surprise for his coach, too.

"'C'mon, coach Brew, you wanna take a lap around the floor?'" Brewster remembered Maresh saying. "And he's dragging wires and all this stuff. They're telling him, 'Don't do it.' Sam's like, 'Watch me. I'll be fine.'"

Despite Maresh's hospital-ward display, the surgery took a toll. He struggled to sleep. He lost 15 pounds in three weeks. His athletic exploits were limited to miniature golf with friends, after which he would "just pass out."

Thomas Allison, an exercise physiologist at the Mayo Clinic who has worked with many athletes, put Maresh through a testing program to ascertain what his heart could handle during rehab. Maresh was prohibited from lifting weights or engaging in any contact exercise for six months.

When he finally got cleared to start jogging, he had to make sure his heart rate didn't go above 125.
"Nothing like a wrestling workout," Maresh said, nodding at his dad, who had coached him in wrestling at Champlin Park High.

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh's rehab program prohibited contact exercise and lifting weights for six months.

Things began to get easier, and Maresh, who originally had targeted a 2010 return, made remarkable progress. Three months after the surgery, Maresh started thinking about participating in spring ball.

He wanted to start training at the university, but the Gophers' staff couldn't work with him until he officially enrolled in January.

There also was the risk of Maresh returning too soon. Minnesota had never had a case like his before, in which the athlete played football.

"The university's very nervous," Bill Maresh said. "They've got this kid, and they don't want to be liable. Here we are, pushing, going, 'Will you start working him out? Get going, already.' It took a while to get on the same page."
Added Sam: "They were surprised at where I was, as far as a recovery standpoint. They didn't know what to do."

Cleared for running and lifting, Maresh finally started working out with the Gophers in late January. The trainers followed a plan mapped out by Nishimura, which called for gradual reintegration.

"He was a little bit out of cardiovascular shape, which was fully expected," Gophers head football trainer Ed Lochrie said. "We'd let him do half a workout and then ride the rest on the bike at a slower pace. And in the weight room, he'd do a lot less weight, and he started with the group that lifted the least amount.
"So we just watched him."

Still, a spring return, once impossible, suddenly seemed realistic for Maresh. If only the pain in his left leg would go away.

Maresh had experienced leg cramps throughout high school, but he always would ice the cramp and be fine in a day or two. The pain returned when he started running after heart surgery, and it didn't improve. A chiropractor told him he had a strained calf, but he eventually went for an MRI, which revealed a mass. "It was irritating," Maresh said. "Why am I back at the doctor? I told my dad, 'Maybe God doesn't want me to play football.'"
The growth likely was not cancerous, but Maresh still underwent a biopsy. It showed that the mass was benign, mostly scar tissue left over from a previous injury.

Surgery was once again a possibility. And although not large, the mass was located deep in the calf muscle, close to nerves and an artery.

Doctors told Maresh that if he had it removed, he'd have only a 50 percent chance of playing college football. That made Maresh 100 percent sure of what he wanted to do: play through it.

"There was a pretty big risk of taking it out," Maresh said. "I've tried to set that aside, basically told myself that it's nothing. I'm running on it now, and everything's working out."

On the morning of March 24, Maresh and his parents sat at a table inside Minnesota's Hall of Fame at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. His first college practice, a goal some thought he'd never reach, would take place that afternoon.

"We went through a lot of stuff to get him to this point," Julie Maresh said.

Almost exactly two years earlier, the Mareshes were in the same building, attending another Gophers spring practice. Minnesota had been Sam's first Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offer, but others soon followed -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Miami.

Maresh didn't grow up a Gophers fan, but the high school junior immediately clicked with Brewster, who, upon seeing him, always asked, "How's my Urlacher doing?"

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh was the first big catch by Tim Brewster's Minnesota staff.

After attending a portion of the practice that day, Maresh and his parents hopped in the car to drive home. They barely had crossed the Mississippi River bridge on Interstate 35W when Maresh told his parents he wanted to commit to Minnesota. Bill turned the car around and headed back to campus. Sam walked into the indoor facility and spotted Brewster conducting drills with a group of tight ends.

"I came up to him and said, 'You think I could still have No. 17?'" Maresh said. "He said, 'You bet your ass you can!'"

Brewster hadn't coached a game at Minnesota. The program had been mediocre, at best, under Glen Mason.
"He kind of stuck his neck out for me," Brewster said of Maresh. "It wasn't the most popular thing as an in-state kid to stay at home and go to Minnesota when you've got opportunities to go elsewhere."

Maresh's choice became even less popular when Minnesota went 1-11 in Brewster's first season. "Sam had all the perspectives," Bill Maresh said. "It was, 'Wow, we're so proud of you for staying in the state,' and, 'How stupid can you be to stay on this football team?' Press people were afraid he was going to change his mind. Why would you stay in a 1-win program?"

Bill rapped his hand on the table.

"And he'd keep saying, 'I'm a Gopher. I'm not changing my mind. I'm not leaving coach Brewster.'"

As the season approaches, Sam Maresh needs Brewster to take the same leap of faith.

Doctors have green-lighted Maresh to run, hit and tackle. They have told him that with his condition, it's better to be the player delivering the blows than the one absorbing them. But if he feels symptoms like light-headedness or shortness of breath, he knows to shut it down.

"He's going to be pushing his heart to do things that most people wouldn't," Nishimura said. "It's going to be a combination of the amount of effort he's going to put out as well as the contact."

The risk is still there, but Maresh has cleared most of his hurdles.

"Most patients after surgery don't notice their incision, even if they've had a full sternotomy," Schaff said. "So once it's healed up completely, patients don't have a disability. But those are normal patients. Those aren't guys trying to stop a running back."

"His health is the most important thing," the surgeon continued, "but again, we don't see any reason he shouldn't try this."

The only reason, perhaps, is that no one else has.

Brewster has dealt with players coming back from torn ACLs, dislocated shoulders, even bigger-picture injuries like concussions. He never has had a football player come back from open heart surgery.

"I'm probably going to be more cautious with Sam than he wants me to be," Brewster said. "I'm a father of three sons, and I like to say I treat my 117 players like they're all my sons. You just can't help but take a more cautious approach, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to make 100 percent certain that he's 100 percent ready to go."

As a fellow coach, Bill Maresh empathizes with Brewster. But he also knows his son.

University of Minnesota Sam Maresh's next goal is to move up Minnesota's depth chart.

"He wants to move up the depth chart," Bill said. "That means that everybody's got to trust that he can. And think about being a coach, knowing, 'Well, what if I put him in there and something bad happens?' I talked to [Sam] and said, 'You're going to have to be kind of a driving force here.'

"That's going to take some pretty mature statements, saying, 'You need to put me in. If you don't put me in, you can't see where I fit here.'"

Sam Maresh spent Minnesota's first spring practice working with the third-string linebackers. He seemed to favor his left leg when running but participated in all the drills.

His conditioning isn't up to par yet, but he hasn't lost his football instincts.

"He's not looking at this like, 'I'm just happy to be out on the field,'" Butler said. "His goals are no different than they are for [Gophers defenders] Simoni Lawrence or Traye Simmons. He wants to play football in the NFL.
"Regardless of how his career ends up, whether he plays a down or whether he's a four-year starter and an All-American, you can't question that the kid truly wants to play football."

Brewster didn't hold back on national signing day in 2008, calling Maresh the "flag bearer for this university."
Maresh hasn't logged a play in maroon and gold, but his story has drawn interest and support from around the state and the country.

Well-wishers have flocked to the CaringBridge.org Web site the Maresh family set up to provide updates on Maresh during his comeback. His mother prints out most of the posts, which have come from places as far away as Arizona and Texas.

Some of Maresh's favorite messages have come from players and fans from rival high schools.

"I was the enemy," he said. "And it was really cool to see families from Blaine and Anoka, say, 'Hey, we're behind you. Who better to represent the state than you.'

"There are certain posts that leave you breathless. It really hits you how much support and comfort there is."
All that support will be packed into TCF Bank Stadium, Minnesota's new outdoor, on-campus facility, as it opens Sept. 12 with a game against Air Force.

Maresh thinks about the game nearly every day and admits he'll be nervous and a bit overwhelmed. But when it's time to take the field, he'll be ready.

"He's going to be out front, carrying that state of Minnesota flag into the stadium," Brewster said. "And nobody deserves it more than him."

Adam Rittenberg covers Big Ten football for ESPN.com. He can be reached at http://www.blogger.com/espnritt@gmail.com

MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST GETS PAST MINNEAPOLIS PATRICK HENRY IN A ONE SIDED GAME

Minneapolis Southwest Lakers got past Patrick Henry on Friday afternoon with a final score of 58-0. The game got off to a fast start. Reggie Gandy led things off for the Lakers with a touchdown early in the first half. Then the Lakers got another touchdown by Dominquie Dawson. The Southwest Lakers dominated the first half. They ran right through the Patrick Henry defense.

Elliot Mathiue had another great game against the Patriots. He only played a half because of the big scoring differential. But in that half he was very effective. He passed for five touch downs and he was 15 of 29 on his passes for a total of 258 yards.

Patrick Henry did go out and put up a fight in this game but the Lakers were just too much for the Patriot’s.

Next up for the Southwest Lakers are the Minneapolis Washburn Millers who they face next Friday night. It will be homecoming for the Millers when they play host to Southwest Friday night at Washburn High School at 7:00 pm.