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Nelson's 374 yards lift Scarlets

By MN Football Hub staff, 10/07/11, 9:25PM CDT

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U recruit sets team single-game passing record in victory over Rochester Mayo

Undefeated Mankato West dominated Rochester Mayo, a fellow Big 9 conference undefeated team in an unseasonably warm and windy Homecoming matchup on Oct. 7 in Mankato.

The wind proved to be a non-factor in the passing game as Mankato West quarterback Philip Nelson, a University of Minnesota commit, broke the school record for most passing yards in a single game with 374. A record that was previously held by Dan Dobson who threw for 356 yards against Willmar in a playoff game back in 2005.

"To be honest, (the wind) didn't change anything," said Nelson. "Once you get in the game, you don't even notice it."


Many of Nelson's passing yards were racked up on yards after the catch by lightning-quick senior wide receiver Hunter Freisen who torched the Spartan defense with 196 receiving yards.

"Philip will be the first one to tell you that his offensive line and athletic wide receivers are a huge part of his success," Mankato West coach Mark Esc said.

"He's one of the best, if not the best," said Esch."He is extremely talented, he can play at the next level, but he wants to focus on a state title."

The Scarlets are still vying for the No. 1 seed in the state tournament, and Nelson isn't losing focus on the ultimate prize because of his future plans.

"We definitely expect to win the state championship, nothing less," said Nelson. "We have to do whatever it takes to win."

That goal is a very realistic possibility with Philip Nelson leading the offense. Esch and the Scarlets are not overlooking any opponent on their way to the state title.

"We have to keep getting better," said Esch. "We're going to prepare hard and play hard, if you do that, then good things usually happen on game night."

-- Eric Thorson, MN Football Hub staff

Scarlets doing it with defense, too

Mankato West’s prolific pass-catch duo of seniors quarterback Philip Nelson and wideout Hunter Friesen are putting up the sort of head-spinning numbers normally reserved for an out-of-control arcade game or traveling salesman’s odometer.

They score the touchdowns. They make the headlines.

Psssst. Don’t tell anyone, but the Scarlets have something of a secret: They can play a bit of defense, too.

Junior linebacker Tyler Jakes says it is the defense’s job to get the ball to the offense. Sounds simple enough. Looks that way, too, when the 5-foot-10, 195-pound Jakes is unleashed on opposing quarterbacks.

“We did a lot of blitzing,” said Jakes, who registered a quarterback sack among his seven tackles in Mankato West’s 49-14 rout of previously unbeaten Rochester Mayo on Friday, Oct. 7. “We tried to put pressure on the quarterback, and it worked out pretty well.”

The Scarlets weren’t just playing against any quarterback. Nate Penz holds most every single-season and career Spartans passing record. Penz had piloted Mayo’s offense to point totals of 35, 28, 41, 40 and 61 points in five straight victories to open the season. The Spartans, after looking sharp early against the Scarlets, were shut out in the second half.

“That’s definitely a step up from all the other defenses we’ve seen,” said Penz, who was intercepted by Friesen on what appeared to have been a perfectly placed long ball. “They are much quicker, faster, smarter. They have better athletes. It was a good test for us.”

Jakes even got involved in the scoring, smothering a blocked punt in his midsection before rumbling 40 yards for a touchdown.

“I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess,” Jakes said. “It hit my stomach. I just ran in there and took it all the way.”

-- Loren Nelson, MN Football Hub staff

Game Recap

Senior quarterback Philip Nelson passed for a school-record 374 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for four more touchdowns to power No. 1-ranked Mankato West (Class 4A) over previously unbeaten Rochester Mayo 49-14 on Friday, Oct. 7, in a Big 9 Conference showdown at Mankato West High School.

Nelson, who has committed to play at the University of Minnesota, eclipsed the single-game mark of 356 passing yards set by Dan Dobson in a 2005 playoff game against Willmar.

The 6-foot-3, 216-pound Nelson entered the night with a state-best 21 passing touchdowns. Nelson's favorite target, senior wide receiver Hunter Friesen, pushed his state-leading touchdown reception total to 13 as he grabbed a 53-yard scoring toss from Nelson in the first quarter.

Friesen finished with 7 catches for 196 yards. His total fell 4 yards short of the school single-game record of 200 set by Ben Spiegler against Faribault in 1995.

Mankato West (6-0) led 28-14 at halftime, and the Scarlets pulled away on Nelson touchdown runs of 9 and 5 yards.

The Scarlets also got a 40-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown from Tyler Jakes. A junior linebacker, Jakes also had six tackles, including a sack.

Rochester Mayo (5-1) had scored at least 28 points in its first four games.

-- Loren Nelson, MN Football Hub staff

Statistics, Summary

1. Philip Nelson, Mankato West
Nelson’s strong arm almost was overshadowed by his quick feet, as the senior quarterback and Gophers commit rushed for four touchdowns. Oh yeah, he also set the Mankato West single-game record for passing yards with 374. The only surprise is that he didn’t already own that mark.

2. Hunter Friesen, Mankato West
The senior wide receiver caught one scoring pass and came inches away from hauling in another long touchdown strike as he totaled 196 receiving yards. He also used his blazing speed to make a key interception on a deep ball in the second quarter.

3. Drew Burt, Rochester Mayo
A junior defenseive back with breakaway speed, Burt was seemingly involved in most every Spartans stop. Twice he made longs runs to chase down Scarlets receivers and trip them up just before they reached the end zone. Burt finished with a team-best seven tackles.

-- Loren Nelson, MN Football Hub staff

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