at a glance

Two-sport tag-team: The Totino-Grace offense is powered by a pair of talented wrestlers in quarterback Lance Benick and running back Kez Flomo. Last season Benick won his third consecutive Class 2A state title on the mat. He was ranked No. 1 in the country at 195 pounds. Maple Grove football coach Matt Lombardi said the duo’s tenacity stands out on film. “Wrestlers are tough kids,” he said.

Battle of the backs: Flomo and Maple Grove running back Clark Wieneke, workout partners in the summer, put bragging rights on the line for Friday’s game. Each talented running back is gunning for more yards and touchdowns than the other.

Playing big: Totino-Grace has won six state titles in the second-largest football class since 2003. The Eagles opted up to the largest class in 2011 and to newly created Class 6A in 2013 and lost in the semifinals each time to Eden Prairie. Still, Lombardi said, Totino-Grace’s place among the state’s best is assured. “They are one of the most undervalued great teams in the state,” he said.

David La Vaque