Improving upon last season's 3-6 record, the North St. Paul football team has continued to exceed the expectations of coach Eric Longtin. In his fourth year leading the Polars, Longtin and his staff have groomed the core group of juniors and seniors through the entirety of their high school careers.
“They’re a group of kids who’ve done everything for us,” he said. “They have played that underdog role all year, and we said we’re going to keep playing until we can’t anymore.”
Having seen the team grow and develop over the years, Longtin gave the Polars an industrial sized chain as a symbol for how every member is interlinked to each other.
“Coach gave us the chain so we have to be a team now. It shouldn’t break ever, it’s a bond between us all,” North St. Paul senior defensive back Bishop McDonald said.
The No. 2-seeded Polars weren’t ready to sever ties with this year’s senior class as they shut out No. 5 seed Mahtomedi in the final half of a 16-10 win in Saturday’s Class 5A, Section 6 finals, clinching their first section title since 1988.
“This group is our second renaissance,” Longtin said of his seniors. “There was a lot more of them when they were freshmen, and the ones who have stuck it through are going to do real well in life.”
North St. Paul (8-2) has put together one of the best seasons in recent memory, thanks to a stout defense that has held the opposition to a single touchdown or less five times this season.
An anchor of the Polars secondary -- a group that picked off Zephyrs quarterback Anthony Praml twice -- is McDonald, whose interception in the fourth quarter halted Mahtomedi’s best scoring drive of second half on North St. Paul’s 1-yard line.
“I just seen the ball in the air and wondered if I should just bat it down or get the interception,” he said. “I told myself, 'You might as well get it.’”
McDonald leads the state with 12 interceptions on the season. Longtin claims it’s McDonald’s competitive drive that’s allowed him to win those one-on-one battles with opposing wideouts.
“We tried to bring him off the field last week to give him a little rest and he sends his backup off,” Longtin said.
Facing a fourth-and-5 with 1 minute, 35 seconds left to play, Praml threw a short pass to T.J. Tumbleson. Tumbleson shook two defenders before he was met by three more Polars, including McDonald, who was pushing Tumbleson backwards to relinquish any forward momentum the Zephyrs running back could conjure.
“Both teams battled to the end, it was a good game,” Mahtomedi coach Dave Muetzel said. “They’ve had some ups and downs through the season, but they kept with it the last few games.”
“That had to have been the best stop we’ve ever had,” McDonald said.
Mahtomedi safety Andy Voyen breaks up a pass intended for North St. Paul's Thomas Acquoi in a 16-10 loss on Saturday. Photo by Rick Orndorf
First Report
Second-seeded North St. Paul shut out No. 5 seed Mahtomedi in the second half of the Class 5A, Section 4 finals Saturday afternoon, leading to an eventual 16-10 home victory over the Zephyrs and advancing the Polars to the state tournament for the first time in 27 years.
Senior defensive back Bishop McDonald made a game-saving interception on North St. Paul’s 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. His 12th pick of the season, McDonald is the state’s leader in interceptions.
Mahtomedi (6-5) lost starting quarterback Jared Johnson in last week’s upset of No. 1 seed SMB. Sophomore Anthony Praml, who replaced Johnson under center in the win, got off to a rough start in the section final, fumbling on the Zephyrs' opening drive.
The Polars (8-2) took possession and pieced together a 13-play drive, capped with a 6-yard touchdown run by senior running back Isaiah Koran.
Praml bounced back, finding tight end Graham Devore for a 33-yard TD in the second quarter. Chase Sullivan’s 27-yard field goal gave the Zephyrs a 10-9 lead at halftime.
Koran took a run outside 12 yards to the end zone late in the third quarter for the second half's lone score.
Deep in North St. Paul territory, Praml got outside the pocket and threw on the run to his receiver, but McDonald picked off the pass - Praml’s third turnover of the afternoon.
The Polars chewed significant time off the clock and then stopped Mahtomedi on its final drive, keeping the Zephyrs from converting on a fourth-and-5 to end the game.
Bishop McDonald (22) in motion during North St. Paul's final offensive drive. Photo by Trevor Squire
