Totino-Grace; 6-2, 229; senior lineman
Big and strong and athletic. Closes on the ball well, tough to block.
Farmington; 6-4, 240; senior lineman
Broke through constant double-and triple-teams for 49 tackles, 16 for loss, 3½ sacks and six pass deflections.
Eden Prairie; 6-2, 220; senior lineman
Standout on the metro area’s most disruptive defensive line. Made 27 tackles, five for loss. Versatile enough to play end, tackle and linebacker.
Cretin-Derham Hall; 6-2, 220; senior lineman
Opposing offenses called plays depending on where the athletic and physical Jackson lined up. Finished with 64 tackles, eight for loss and one interception.
Eden Prairie; 6-0, 215; senior linebacker
Leading tackler (50 total) on a defense with an incredible seven shutouts. Tormented Cretin-Derham Hall in the playoffs with a blocked punt, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Totino-Grace; 5-11, 192; senior linebacker
Smart, always around the ball and plays bigger than his size. Tallied more than 90 tackles heading into the Prep Bowl.
Elk River; 5-9, 170; senior linebacker
Opposing teams avoid running his way. No matter, still posted 56 tackles, 10 for loss and added two sacks and three forced fumbles. The Elks’ most dynamic player. Also leads team in rushing.
Minneapolis North; 6-3, 220; senior linebacker
Anchored the defense and led the Polars in tackles (78) for a third consecutive season. Stopped 11 plays for a loss and picked off three passes. Crushing hitter.
Rosemount; 6-3, 186; senior defensive back
Diagnosed plays and flew to the ball. Led team with 87 tackles—23 against Lakeville North running back Wade Sullivan. Intercepted five passes (one for a touchdown) and broke up six passes.
Burnsville; 6-2, 205; senior defensive back
Listed as a defensive back but played nearer to the line of scrimmage and hit like a linebacker. Finished with 52 tackles, six for a loss and one interception. Also ran for 1,133 yards, nine touchdowns.
Totino-Grace; 6-3, 186; senior defensive back
Considered the top player on a talent-loaded Eagles team. Physical and ferocious competitor also excels as a punt returner and receiver.
Mound Westonka; 6-0, 205; senior defensive back
Catalyst for transforming the White Hawks' program. Made 46 tackles, intercepted two passes and returned a fumble for a score. Also led team in rushing and receiving yards.
East Ridge; 6-4, 206; senior kicker
Connected twice from more than 50 yards out, giving the Raptors a long-distance weapon most teams could not match. Went 36-for-38 on extra points, averaged 39 yards per punt. Committed to Minnesota.
Defensive Linemen
Sam Byrd, Centennial
Graham Devore, Mahtomedi
Jermaine Johnson, Eden Prairie
Ben Kemp, Henry Sibley
Linebackers
Kolade Amusan, Woodbury
Shea Gerrety, Blaine
Boye Mafe, Hopkins
Steph Olson Jr., Burnsville
Defensive backs
Levi Brown, Roseville
Tyler Knutson, Prior Lake
Malik Lofton, Hopkins
Ryan Wesp, Anoka
Kicker
Austin Solors, Elk River
*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.
David La Vaque • 612-673-7574
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