Maple Grove; 6-4, 200; senior quarterback
Has all the attributes of a Division I QB: Poise, arm strength, size, athleticism, leadership. Passed for 2,418 yards and 23 TDs, rushed for 891 yards and 15 TDs. Selected Wisconsin for basketball.
Lakeville North; 5-9, 179; senior running back
Metro’s best combination of strength and speed. Always gets positive yards. Rushed for 1,787 yards, 31 touchdowns.
Mahtomedi; 5-7, 160; senior running back
Explodes through holes and runs through arm tackles. Has speed to pull away from defenders. Ran for nearly 1,700 yards, scored 20 TDs.
Monticello; 5-10, 181; senior running back
Enviable amalgam of power, speed and elusiveness. Rushed for 1,281 yards, 16 TDs. Owns school yardage records in rushing (3,302) and kickoff returns (1,091).
Buffalo; 6-0, 160; senior receiver
Instinctive player with football smarts, amazing hands and better-than-expected speed. Set a state record for receiving yards in one game with 345 in a loss to Blaine. Finished with 65 receptions for more than 1,000 yards.
Farmington; 6-3, 190; senior receiver
A matchup nightmare for opposing coaches because he has the size to fend off defenders and the athleticism to run by them. Wins the 50-50 battles. Caught 10 TDs.
Lakeville North; 6-4, 255; senior lineman
The leader of the quickest offensive line Panthers coach Brian Vossen has had. Relentless and driven. Vossen called him “the hardest working lineman I’ve ever had.”
Eden Prairie; 6-6, 310; senior lineman
Sheer size is imposing, allows him to control defensive linemen with his bulk. Heady and smart, committed to Harvard.
Rosemount; 6-4, 273; junior lineman
Coach Jeff Erdmann called him “our best offensive lineman.” Others agreed, with one opposing coach calling him “gritty and tough.”
Robbinsdale Cooper; 6-5, 310; senior lineman
A mauler with a commitment to Minnesota. Plays with a strong base, dominates defenders. Incredibly strong. Said one coach, “We lost our defensive end. I think he’s inside him.”
Elk River; 6-4, 305; junior lineman
A lithe athlete with quick feet trapped in a lineman’s body. Had 62 pancake blocks before the state tournament. Also excels on defense.
Edina; 6-1, 197; senior quarterback/defensive back
Possesses exceptionally quick feet, ability to change directions without stopping. Great defensive back, but will play QB at North Dakota. Passed for 1,376 yards, rushed for 543.
Quarterback
• Brandon Alt, Park of Cottage Grove
• Zach Ojile, Spring Lake Park
Running backs
• Ivan Burlak, Totino-Grace
• Ricky Floyd, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
• Chase Harper, Blaine
Wide Receiver
• Parker Rickert, Edina
• Joe Hird, Bloomington Jefferson
Linemen
• Gavin Blomberg, Providence Academy
• Aaron Moore, Minnetonka
• Nick Neumann, Cretin-Derham Hall
• Joshua Ojile, Spring Lake Park
• Eric Wilson, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Athletes
• Mitchell Kartes, St. Michael-Albertville, jr.
• Alex Spillum, Chanhassen
*All players are seniors unless noted.
The Star Tribune’s All-Metro teams and Metro Player of the Year were chosen based on nominations from metro-area coaches, conversations with a panel of coaches and staff observations.
Tag(s): Featured Star Tribune MSHSL Districts 9-Player North Blue Cook County Ely Mesabi Academy Mountain Iron-Buhl Silver Bay Gold Hill City/Northland Isle Nevis Ogilvie Onamia Red Bigfork Kelliher/Northome Lake of the Woods Littlefork-Big Falls Northeast Range North Woods White Carlton/Wrenshall Cromwell-Wright Floodwood McGregor South Ridge Wrenshall South East Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons Grand Meadow Houston Lanesboro Lyle-Pacelli Mabel-Canton Randolph Spring Grove West Lutheran West Cleveland Edgerton Fulda GHEC/Truman Heron Lake-Okabena Hills-Beaver Creek Madelia Mountain Lake Area Nicollet Westbrook-Walnut Grove West North Clearbrook-Gonvick Goodridge/Grygla-Gatzke Kittson County Central Northern Freeze Stephen-Argyle Central Warren-Alvarado-Oslo North 2 Ada-Borup West Cass Lake-Bena NCE/UH Norman County West Waubun Win-E-Mac South Bertha-Hewitt Hillcrest Lutheran Laporte Park Christian Rothsay Underwood Verndale South 2 Ashby/Brandon-Evansville Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley Hancock MACCRAY Renville County West Wheaton-Herman-Norcross Big Southeast Blue Austin Faribault Mankato East Mankato West Red Wing Winona Red New Prague Northfield Owatonna Rochester Century Rochester John Marshall Rochester Mayo East Central North Albany Becker Foley Little Falls Milaca New London-Spicer St. Cloud Cathedral Zimmerman South Annandale Dassel-Cokato Delano Glencoe-Silver Lake Holy Family Hutchinson Litchfield Watertown-Mayer Metro East Cretin-Derham Hall East Ridge Forest Lake Mounds View Roseville Stillwater Woodbury White Bear Lake Maroon Hastings Two Rivers Hill-Murray Mahtomedi North St. Paul Park of Cottage Grove Simley South St. Paul St. Thomas Academy Tartan South Apple Valley Burnsville Eagan Eastview Farmington Lakeville North Lakeville South Rosemount Midwest Blue Frazee Long Prairie-Grey Eagle Osakis Otter Tail Central Staples-Motley Sebeka Wadena-Deer Creek Red Detroit Lakes East Grand Forks Fergus Falls Park Rapids Pequot Lakes Perham Roseau Thief River Falls White Barnesville Breckenridge Crookston Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Hawley Pelican Rapids Warroad Mid Southeast White Fillmore Central Goodhue Hayfield Kingsland Lewiston-Altura Rushford-Peterson Southland Wabasha-Kellogg East Bethlehem Academy Blooming Prairie Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Kenyon-Wanamingo Mankato Loyola Medford St. Clair/Loyola United South Central Mid State Sub 1 Eden Valley-Watkins Holdingford Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Maple Lake Melrose Paynesville Pierz Rockford Sub 2 Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City Benson BOLD Minnewaska Montevideo Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta Sauk Centre Yellow Medicine East Sub 3 Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa Browerville Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Kimball Parkers Prairie Royalton Upsala/Swanville West Central Northeast Blue Aitkin Esko Crosby-Ironton Moose Lake/Willow River Mora Pine City Red Cloquet Duluth Denfeld Grand Rapids Hermantown Hibbing Proctor Silver Barnum Braham Chisholm Deer River East Central Hinckley-Finlayson Mesabi East Rush City White Eveleth-Gilbert Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin International Falls Two Harbors Virginia Northwest West Lake Park-Audubon Polk County West Badger/Greenbush-Middle River Fertile-Beltrami Fosston Mahnomen Red Lake County East Bagley Blackduck New York Mills Pillager Pine River-Backus Red Lake Walker-Hackensack-Akeley North Central Blue Buffalo Cambridge-Isanti Elk River Rogers St. Francis St. Michael-Albertville Red Alexandria Bemidji Brainerd Moorhead Rocori St. Cloud Apollo St. Cloud Tech Sartell Sauk Rapids-Rice Willmar White Big Lake Chisago Lakes Duluth East Monticello North Branch Princeton Southeast Red Cannon Falls Byron Kasson-Mantorville Stewartville Plainview-Elgin-Millville La Crescent-Hokah Lake City Rochester Lourdes White Caledonia Chatfield Dover-Eyota Pine Island St. Charles Triton Winona Cotter Zumbrota-Mazeppa Southwest North Ortonville Lakeview Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Murray County Central Tracy-Milroy-Balaton Adrian/Ellsworth Canby Dawson-Boyd Minneota Lac qui Parle Valley South Cedar Mountain Minnesota Valley Lutheran New Ulm Cathedral Red Rock Central Sleepy Eye Sleepy Eye St. Mary's Springfield Wabasso South Central Blue Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial Lester Prairie Le Sueur-Henderson Maple River Mayer Lutheran NRHEG Norwood Young America Sibley East Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Red Albert Lea Belle Plaine Fairmont Jordan Marshall New Ulm St. Peter Tri-City United Waseca Worthington White Blue Earth Jackson County Central Luverne Martin County West Pipestone Redwood Valley St. James Windom Suburban Red Benilde-St. Margaret's DeLaSalle Irondale Park Center Robbinsdale Armstrong Robbinsdale Cooper St. Louis Park Spring Lake Park White Bloomington Jefferson Bloomington Kennedy Chanhassen Chaska Holy Angels Orono Richfield Waconia Twin City City - Blue Brooklyn Center Minneapolis Edison Minneapolis North Minneapolis Roosevelt St. Agnes Spectrum Suburban - Gold Minneapolis South Academy Force Providence Academy St. Paul Harding St. Paul Johnson SMB Suburban - Maroon Fridley Minneapolis Southwest Minneapolis Washburn St. Anthony St. Croix Lutheran St. Paul Central St. Paul Highland Park City - Red Breck Columbia Heights Concordia Academy Minneapolis Camden Mound Westonka St. Paul Como Park West Metro North Andover Anoka Blaine Centennial Champlin Park Coon Rapids Osseo Totino-Grace West Eden Prairie Edina Hopkins Maple Grove Minnetonka Prior Lake Shakopee Wayzata Independent Minnesota Academy for the Deaf LeRoy-Ostrander St. Paul Humboldt Class 5A Class 4A Class 3A Class 2A Class 1A 9-Player Class 5A Class 4A Class 3A Class 2A Class 1A 9-Player Section 1AAAAA Section 2AAAAA Section 3AAAAA Section 4AAAAA Section 5AAAAA Section 6AAAAA Section 7AAAAA Section 8AAAAA Section 1AAAA Section 2AAAA Section 3AAAA Section 4AAAA Section 5AAAA Section 6AAAA Section 7AAAA Section 8AAAA Section 1AAA Section 2AAA Section 3AAA Section 4AAA Section 5AAA Section 6AAA Section 7AAA Section 8AAA Section 1AA Section 2AA Section 3AA Section 4AA Section 5AA Section 6AA Section 7AA Section 8AA Section 1A Section 2A Section 3A Section 4A Section 5A Section 6A Section 7A Section 8A Section 1-9M Section 2-9M Section 3-9M Section 4-9M Section 5-9M Section 6-9M Section 7-9M Section 8-9M Class 6A