St. Thomas Academy is off to a dominant start this season having outscored opponents 135-7 in three blowouts. But the No. 6-5A Cadets should have a tougher task against No. 3-5A Mahtomedi in a tilt that comes with a rich history of low-scoring, close games.
The teams have split their last 10 meetings, with a 9.1-point average margin of victory. The largest point margin came in a 19-0 Cadets shutout in 2015, but the Zephyrs (3-0, 2-0) won last year's matchup 21-14.
This year, the Cadets (3-0, 2-0) have leaned on running back Brendan McFadden, a senior who has run for 346 yards and seven touchdowns. But he's not the only one driving the run game, as St. Thomas Academy has three other running backs who have found the end zone twice.
The Cadets’ defense hasn’t been scored on since North St. Paul found the end zone on a 10-yard pass on Aug. 30. St. Thomas Academy won that game 50-7.
Mahtomedi has plenty of weapons to counter St. Thomas Academy's stingy defense. Led by senior quarterback Jake Arlandson’s 445 passing yards and seven touchdowns, the Zephyrs will look to find production from the junior wide receiver duo of Tyler Tangwall and J'vonne Hadley. The two have caught a combined 25 passes for 356 yards and six touchdowns this season.