2013 MINNESOTA MR. FOOTBALL AWARDS BANQUET

The Double Tree Hotel in St. Louis Park was the site to the 2013 Minnesota State Mr. Football awards banquet on Sunday Dec. 8. 

 

The criteria for the award: graduating senior, Head Coach of all nominees must be a current member of the MFCA, Nominee must not have any MSHSL violations. Each player must be nominated by their conference/MFCA representative.

 

 1.  Class 6A, 5A and 4A conferences will be allowed to nominate two players.

2.  Class 3A, 2A, 1A and 9 man conferences will nominate one player.

3.  Independent schools will be classified as "one conference".

 

Minnesota 2013 Mr. Football Finalists

 

The 10 finalists for the 2013 Mr. Football Award in alphabetical order are:

 

Tory Adams, Hutchinson, RB/S, Wright County Conference, 4A

 

Matt Christenson, Nicollet, OL/RB/LB, So Confederacy East Conference, 9M

 

Ejodamen Ejiya, Spring Lake Park, LB/RB, North Suburban Conference, 5A

 

Jeffrey Jones, Minneapolis Washburn, RB/Slot/S, Minneapolis City Conf., 5A

 

Robert Olson, Eden Prairie, OL, Lake Conference, 6A

 

Jacques Perra, Roseville, QB, Suburban East Conference, 6A

 

Andrew Stelter, Owatonna, DL/OL, Big 9 Conference, 5A

 

Michael Strand, Barnesville, RB/DB/K/Ret, Prairie North Conference, 2A

 

Ezra Szczyrbak, Moose Lake/Willow River, OL/DL, Great Polar White Conf., 2A

 

Blake Weber, Prior Lake, LB/RB, South Suburban Conference, 6A

 

The program featured introductions of all the players.

 

The winner of the 2013 Minnesota Mr. Football was Jeffery Jones from Minneapolis Washburn.  

According to a press release sent out by the MFCA: Jeffrey Jones, a running back, slot back and safety from Minneapolis Washburn High School (Minneapolis City Conference) was named Mr. Football for 2013 by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA). The award was presented at the Mr. Football Banquet on Sunday December 8 at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park.

 

First presented in 2004, the Mr. Football Award is an annual award recognizing Minnesota’s best high school football player. The Mr. Football Award is sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Minnesota Vikings.

 

Jeffrey Jones is the tenth player to receive the Mr. Football Award and the first from the Minneapolis City Conference. His head coach at Minneapolis Washburn was Giovan Jenkins.

 

Here are some highlights from Jeffrey Jones’ outstanding high school football career:

 

• Four-year Letter winner 
• Four-year starter 
• Four-year All-Conference selection - Minneapolis City Conference
• Two-time Minneapolis player of the year
• Two-time Offensive player of the year - Minneapolis City Conference
• Career rushing: 532 attempts for 4,668 yards, 77 touchdowns
• 92 career touchdowns (77 rushing, 13 receiving, 2 returns)
• 2013 Associated Press First Team All-State selection
• 2013 Star Tribune All-Metro First Team selection
• 2013 KARE 11 All-Metro Offensive Team selection
• 2013 Minnesota Vikings All-State selection

 

Selected to play in the 2014 Under Armour All-American Game (a national high school all-star game) in Tampa, FL

 

After the event I was able to speak to Jones and he talked about what it was like to win the award.

 

NORTH TOOK ON WASHBURN IN A FOOTBALL GAME

On a bright, sunny, crisp afternoon, Minneapolis North went up against Minneapolis Washburn in a football game on Sept. 13. North entered play 1-1, while Washburn entered 2-0. Both teams looked focused and intense in their warm-ups.

North kicked off to Washburn to start the game.  Washburn got the ball on their own 33 yard line. Washburn looked to get the ball into the hands of Jeff Jones. Jones was Washburn’s main running back. Washburn got a first down on a Jones 35-yard run. Quarterback Morley Mathewson did a good job of getting the ball to his receivers. Washburn was not able to convert on fourth and six, so North took over on downs.

 

North got the ball on their own 30 yard line. North tried some short passing routes that they not able to convert on. On fourth down they punted the ball back to Washburn. Jones returned the ball to the North’s 34 yard line.

 

Jones continued to get the ball in clutch situations. Washburn continued to pick up first downs. The North defense didn’t give Washburn any easy plays. They were able to slow down the Washburn running backs. Mathewson was not afraid to keep the ball himself. If he thought that he saw a hole he was not afraid to penetrate the gaps and looked for yards.

 

Jones scored a touchdown on an 11 yard run with 4:40 left in the first quarter. The extra point attempt was good.

 

With 4:40 left in the first quarter the score was Washburn 7, North 0.

 

Washburn kicked off after the touchdown. North fumbled it and Washburn recovered it on the 30 yard line.

 

North called a timeout with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

 

Washburn threatened to score late in the first quarter. They got within the red zone often in the first quarter. Mathewson carried the ball on short yardage for a touchdown. The two point conversion was unsuccessful.

 

With 58 seconds left in the first quarter, the score was Washburn 13, North 0. That was also the score after one quarter of play.

 

North quarterback Tyler Johnson had difficulty getting the ball to his receivers.

 

Johnson was not able to find his receivers early in the second quarter. On their first drive of the quarter they had to punt the ball on fourth and long.

 

Washburn got the ball back on their own 48 yard line. North’s defense stepped up again and they had to punt the ball on fourth and long.

 

Laquan Carter came up with a long reception for a Washburn touchdown. The extra point attempt was good. With 11:22 left in the second quarter the score was Washburn 20, North 0.

 

Washburn kicked off after the touchdown. North got the ball back on their own 47 yard line. North continued to keep the ball on the ground. North running back Kevin Harris looked to gain yards after he was slowed down by the Washburn defenders. North punted the ball back to Washburn.

 

Jones once again got the ball in his hands and he was off to the races as he was able to pick up 25  yards that gave Washburn a first down. Mathewson came up with a huge run which set up a Jones touchdown with 5:27 left in the second quarter. The extra point attempt was good. That made the score Washburn 27, North 0.

 

Washburn kicked off after the touchdown. North kept the ground attack going late in the quarter. That was good for them as they found holes in the defense and they attacked them. North got the ball into the red zone late in the quarter and they looked to score. They did just that, as Tyler Johnson found the end zone with 1:34 left in the second quarter. The two point pass conversion to Marcus Jackson  was good.

 

With 1:34 left in the second quarter the score was Washburn 27, North 8.

 

North kicked off after the touchdown. They did an onside kick and they recovered the ball and got the ball on the 47 yard line.

 

North had trouble moving the ball and they were not able to get a first down as they turned it over on fourth down.

 

At halftime the score was Washburn 27, North 8.

 

Washburn kicked off to North to start the third quarter. North picked up a first down on their first drive of the quarter.  North looked to get into the end zone on their first drive of the quarter. Nate Hampton caught a pass from Johnson for a touchdown. The two point conversion was no good.

 

With 9:38 left in the third quarter, the score was Washburn 27, North 14.

 

North kicked off after the touchdown. Mathewson got the ball on the kickoff and was able to high step over his defenders as he picked up another first down for his team. On the next drive Washburn was not able to convert and they gave the ball back to North.

 

North switched off between running and passing plays as they were able to move the ball down the field late in the third quarter. Johnson fumbled the ball and Washburn recovered.

 

Washburn took over on their own 15 yard line. Mathewson picked up 15 yards for a first down that kept the clock and the chains moving. Jones got the ball into his hands and picked up another first down. On the next set of downs North slowed the offense down so Washburn punted the ball on fourth down.

 

North got the ball on their own 35 yard line and they ran out the clock.

 

After three quarters of play the score was Washburn 27, North 14.

 

Washburn got the ball as the fourth quarter got underway. Mathewson found Jones for a 40 yard touchdown reception. The extra point attempt was good.

 

With 10:21 left in regulation the score was Washburn 35, North 14.

 

Washburn kicked off after the touchdown. North got the ball on their own 20 yard line. There was a penalty on North that backed them up five yards. The Washburn defense stepped up and was able to slow the North’s offense.

 

Washburn got the ball on North’s 15 yard line. They looked to score midway through the fourth quarter.  LaQuan Quarter picked up a 14-yard run that set up a Jones 1-yard touchdown run. There was a penalty that nullified the touchdown. The penalty put Washburn back 10 yards but on the next play Jones found the endzone for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good.

 

With 7:23 left in regulation the score was Washburn 40, North 14.

 

North fumbled the kickoff and Washburn took over near midfield.

 

Washburn got the ball on North’s 29 yard line. Jones found the endzone for a 29-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was not good.

 

With 4:13 left in regulation the score was Washburn 46, North 14.

 

Washburn kicked off after the touchdown. North fumbled the ball and Mitchell Stentrum came up with the touchdown. The extra point attempt was not good.

 

It was a very fun game to watch. Both teams played hard. In the end Washburn came away with the 52-14 victory over North.

ST PAUL CENTRAL TOOK ON MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN IN THE TWIN CITIES CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE GAME

St. Paul Central came into the game with a conference record of 5-0 and an overall record of 5-2. Minneapolis Washburn came into the game with a conference record of 5-0 and an overall record of 5-1.

Washburn kicked off to Central to start the game. Central got the ball near midfield. They looked to keep the ball on the ground. Central started off with short gains. Centrals quarterback Seamus Walsh made some nice throws to his receivers. Central punted to Washburn on fourth down.

Washburn used both the run and passing game. Central intercepted the pass and they recovered the ball. Montrell Williams picked up some good yards and set up a Gabril Walker touchdown. The extra point attempt was good.

With 6:46 left in the first quarter the score was Central 7 and Washburn 0.

Central kicked off to Washburn after the touchdown. Washburn was not able to get a first down and they punted it back to Central.

Central called a timeout with 3:19 left in the first quarter.

Central's Seamus Walsh picked up a few good yards to get a first down. Central looked to go Walsh in short gain situations. Central was able to pick up a first down.

Central's Theo Haslow caught a pass in the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was good.

At the end of the first quarter the score was Central 14 and Washburn 0.

Washburn got the ball to start the second quarter. Washburn was picked off by Michel Smith who scored a touchdown after he intercepted the ball. The extra point attempt was no good.

With 10:20 left in the second quarter the score was Central 20 and Washburn 0.

Washburn got the ball back and they were able to get a first down. Washburn went three downs and were faced with fourth and 12 and they punted it back to Central.

Central's LaDra Kilgore Hodges picked up a nice run for a first down. Central burned a lot of time off the clock late in the quarter.

Central's Montrell Williams caught a pass for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the second quarter. The extra point attempt was good.

The score at halftime was Central 27 and Washburn 0.

Central kicked off to Washburn to start the third quarter. Washburn looked to keep the ball on the ground in the first series of offense. Washburn was not able to get a first down and they were fourth down and 28 to go so they punted it to Central.

Central's Gabriel Walker picked up a first down on a nice run. Central tired a field goal 2:00 left in the third quarter. It was blocked.

At the end of the third quarter the score was Central 27 and Washburn 0.

Central got the ball to start the fourth quarter. 

Gabriel Walker picked up a first down early in the fourth quarter. Theo Haslow scored a touchdown for Central with 8:34 left in the fourth quarter. The two point conversion was good.

Central kicked off to Washburn after the touchdown. Washburn was not able to get a first down and they punted the ball on fourth down and 14 to go. They were not able to get a first down and turned it over to Central.

Central came away with the 35-0 victory over Minneapolis Washburn to win the Twin Cities championship game.

After the game I was able to talk to St. Paul Central head coach ScottHowell and LaDra Kilgore Hodges about the victory. 

 

WASHBURN TOOK ON RIVAL SOUTHWEST IN A FOOTBALL CONTEST

The Minneapolis Washburn Millers took on their rival Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in a football game. It was the first time that Southwest has hosted a night football game on its home field. Southwest plays their home games at Pershing Park which is located a few blocks away from the school. These two teams are rivals. They are located 2.5 miles from each other. It has become one of the heated rivalry games in the Minneapolis City Conference. Southwest came into the game with a record of 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference. Washburn came into the game with a record of 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference and are atop of the Minneapolis City Conference.

Washburn kicked off to Southwest to start the game. Jeffery Jones kicked the ball off for Washburn. Southwest got the ball on the 35 yard line. Southwest was not able to get a first down on their first drive so they punted the ball to Washburn.

Washburn got the ball on their 24 yard line. Washburn's Kyle Hughes found a hole and was able to pick up a first down. Washburn went for it on fourth down and was able to pick up a first down. Jeffery Jones picked up a first down. Washburn threatened to score midway through the first quarter. Washburn was not able to convert on fourth down so they turned the ball over to Southwest.

Southwest got the ball on their 19 yard line. Southwest called a timeout with 3:54 left in the first quarter.

The Washburn defense stepped up and was able to slow down the Southwest offense. Southwest punted the ball back to Washburn on fourth down. Jeffrey Jones was able to find holes in the Southwest defense and was able to find the end zone with 1:21 left in the first quarter for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good.

With 1:21left in the first quarter the score was Washburn 6 and Southwest 0.

Southwest got the ball back after the Washburn touchdown. Southwest was not able to get a first down so they punted the ball back to Washburn.

Washburn called a timeout with 32.3 seconds left in the first quarter.

Southwest punted the ball back to Washburn. Washburn's Raymonte Maynard found the end zone for a touchdown with 9.7 seconds left in the first quarter. The extra point attempt was no good. Southwest was penalized on the play so Washburn retried the two point conversion again and that also failed.

With 9.7 seconds left in the first quarter the score was Washburn 12 and Southwest 0.

Washburn kicked off to Southwest after the touchdown.

After one quarter of play the score was Washburn 12 and Southwest 0.

Southwest got the ball to start the second quarter. Camden Knuckles caught a pass for a touchdown with 9:25 left in the second quarter. The extra point attempt was no good.

With 9:25 left to go the score was Washburn 12 and Southwest 6.

Southwest kicked off to Washburn after the touchdown. Washburn threatened to score and they found the end zone with 6:26 left in the second quarter on a Jeffrey Jones for a 20-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was not good.

The score with 6:26 left in the second quarter the score was Washburn 18 and Southwest 6.

Washburn kicked off to Southwest after the touchdown

Washburn called a timeout with 5:53 left in the second quarter.

Washburn called a timeout with 3:52 left in the second quarter.

Southwest Dantavian Sears found the end zone for a touchdown. The two point conversion was not good. There was a flag that went against Washburn. Southwest retried the extra point attempt after a Southwest timeout and the two point conversion was not good.

With 3:13 left in the second quarter the score was Washburn 18 and Southwest 12.

Southwest kicked off to Washburn after the touchdown.

Southwest took a timeout with 3:02 left in the second quarter with the score being Washburn 18 and Southwest 12.

Washburn called a timeout with 13.0 seconds left in the second quarter.

At halftime the score was Washburn 18 and Southwest 12.

Southwest kicked off to Washburn to start the third quarter. Washburn had it third and 14 yards to go. They were not able to get a first down and they had fourth and 9 to go and they punted the ball to Southwest.

Southwest got the ball back. Washburn's defense was able to hold the Southwest defense. Southwest had the ball on fourth down and 15 yards to go and they were not able to get a first down so they turned the ball over on downs back to Washburn.

Washburn looked to push the ball down the field as quickly as they could. They used short running plays to get past the Southwest defense. Southwest was able to pin Washburn deep in their zone and made Washburn punt the ball on fourth down and 22 yards to go. Southwest got the ball on Washburn's 11 yard line.

At the end of the third quarter the score was Washburn 18 and Southwest 12.

Southwest got the ball to start the fourth quarter.

Washburn took a timeout with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter.

Washburn continued to look for ways to score. They found the end zone again with a short run by Jeffrey Jones for a 20-yard gain   The two point conversion was no good.

With 3:07 left in regulation the score was Washburn 24 and Southwest 12.

Washburn kicked off to Southwest after the touchdown.

In a very good competitive contest Washburn came away with the 24-12 victory over Southwest.

After the game I talked toWashburn's Jeff Jones and head coach Giovan Jenkins about the game. I also talked to Southwest's Camden Knuckles and head coach John Biezuns about the game and playing at home under the lights for the first time.

TWIN CITIES CHAMPIONSHIP: IT WAS ST PAUL HIGHLAND PARK AGAINST MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN

Washburn got the ball to start off the game. They were picked off by Highland Park. Highland punted the ball back to Washburn.

Both teams started out playing aggressively. Myint Mang from Highland made a long running play to set up Tarell McDuffe for the touchdown. The two point conversion was good.

Both teams really went after each other in the first quarter. The Millers were able to make first downs in the second quarter and they threatened to score midway through the second quarter.

With 1:39 left Tyler Morrow caught a touchdown reception for Highland Park. The two point conversion was no good.

Washburn’s Montrell Wade found the end zone for a touchdown. He made a nice rushing touchdown. With 9:22 left in the third quarter the score was St Paul Highland Park 14 and Minneapolis Washburn 6.

Minneapolis Washburn elected to do an onside kick and Washburn recovered. Washburn looked to keep their running attack going. Highland Park tried to figure out what Washburn was going to do.

Darius Flowers caught a pass for a Highland Park touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good.
At the end of the third quarter the score was Highland Park 20 and Washburn 6.

Washburn went to a hurry up offense and it went well as Chdric Chapell was open in the end zone for a touchdown. The two point attempt was no good.

The final in this game was St Paul Highland Park 20 and Minneapolis Washburn 12. With this victory Highland Park is the 2009 Twin Cities boys football champion.

MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN EXCAPES IN OVERTIME TO BEAT MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST

The Minneapolis Washburn Millers took on the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers in a heated rivalry. Southwest got the ball to begin the game. Southwest was able to use the pass and the run game early in the first quarter. Southwest was on fourth down with 17 to go for the first down and lined up like they were going to go for the first down. But Aryton Scott the quarterback punted the ball away into an empty backfield where Washburn took over.

Washburn was not able to convert on fourth down and they punted it back to Southwest. Southwest looked to get the ball into Evan Gray’s hands. Gray is a quick running back and he is best when he can get into the open field and run. He also can juke around his defenders and make long runs easy. Classic.

The Washburn defenders did a good job of covering Southwest in the first quarter. They made it difficult for Southwest to complete passes.

At the end of the first quarter the score was tied at 0.

Both teams played very aggressively. They were looking to get at each other the whole first half.

Aryton Scott’s passes were a little off in the first half. He was over throwing his receivers. Southwest was not able to convert on third downs and that forced them to punt the ball more often than they would have liked.
Both of the defenses have put on a good showing in the first half. Neither team was able to go for the big play yet at this point in the game.

Southwest kicked off to Washburn to begin the third quarter. And they were off running as Cedric Chappell found big holes in the Southwest defense.

Washburn’s Montrell Wade found the end zone to score a touchdown with 9:09 left to go in the third quarter. The extra point was no good. With that touchdown the score was Washburn 6 and Southwest 0.

Southwest threatened to score late in the third quarter. They got the ball inside the 20-yard line. Washburn’s defense stood strong though as they were able to wrap the Lakers up. The Lakers went for it on fourth down and 6 yards to go. Southwest was not able to convert the fourth down and they turned the ball over to Washburn.

At the end of the third quarter the score was Washburn 6 and Southwest 0.

As the fourth quarter started Southwest threaded to score. Southwest was not able to convert on fourth down and they turned the ball over on downs.

Southwest’s Evan Gray was able to find the end zone with 8:41 left to go in regulation to tie the score at 6 apiece. The extra point attempt was no good.

Southwest marched down the field again and they were determined to find the end zone.

With 3:42 left in the fourth quarter back Aryton Scott was able to find the end zone for a Southwest touchdown. The extra point was no good. With that touchdown the score was Southwest 12 and Washburn 6.

With 32 seconds left in regulation, Washburn’s Marchea Wade scored on a running touchdown. The extra point was no good.

At the end of regulation the score was tied at 12. Each team got four downs and they started on the 10 yard line to either score a touchdown or a field goal.

Washburn got the ball first and they made touchdown on a Montrell Wade running play. The two point attempt was good making the score Washburn 20 and Southwest 12.

On Southwest’s attempt Aryton Scott scored the touchdown. The two point conversion was no good. The final was Washburn 20 and Southwest 18.