Posted By: Jason Iacovino

Time flies in high school football and after Friday night we will be at halftime of the regular season.  This week we have a monster showdown in Owatonna, a chance for Medford to pick up its first win in Lake Crystal, Blooming Prairie hitting the road to continue its great season, and NRHEG with its first home game against a tough rival.

No. 4 Owatonna (3-0) hosts No. 1 Mankato West (3-0) in this week's headliner (KRFO-AM 1390 will have the coverage with Roy Koenig and Brad Fischer on the call).  Who could forget last year's battle in Mankato, where Owatonna kicked a late field goal to beat the Scarlets by 3 in a back and forth affair (Owatonna went on to an undefeated State Championship season).  This year it's West with the No. 1 ranking and the target on its back.

But the game is in Owatonna.  And the Huskies are still defending Big 9 and State champions.

Owatonna has found a new running back this year in senior Julius Franklin, who had over 200 yards rushing in the Huskies' 35-14 win over Faribault last week.  Franklin backed up senior Alex Holcomb's big performance a week earlier against Rochester Century, so coach Jeff Williams may have something working as he reverts to a power ground game that was the staple of Owatonna football until a couple years ago.

A lot of eyes will be on West quarterback Ryan Schlichte, a D-I recruit who has been lighting up the scoreboard this year.  If the Huskies are to pull off the upset on Friday night, their secondary will have to come to play and they also will need to get pressure on Schlichte.

No. 8 Blooming Prairie (3-0) had a dominating performance against Lester Prairie / Holy Trinity last week and now hits the road to take on a struggling St. Clair (0-4) team in our Kat Kountry 105 Game of the Week.  BP was able to get its running game going a bit more against the Bulldogs (Although quarterback John Rumpza did throw for 6 touchdowns as well), and that should be the focus again this week against the Cyclones.

I don't like the term "trap game," but it's worth pointing out that the Awesome Blossoms are facing a last place team a week before they will take on Bethlehem Academy in Faribault (The Cardinals ended BP's season in the Sec. 1A title game each of the last two years).  I don't expect there to be any rust from coach Chad Gimbel's squad, but at the same time, no opponent should be overlooked.

Meanwhile, Dan Stork's New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Panthers (1-2) are anxious to finally play at home after starting the season with 3 straight road games, and Friday they will have a tough one as Maple River (3-0) comes to town.  You may recall this was an instant classic last year as the two teams took two days to battle to a 10-7 overtime win for the Eagles (The game was suspended due to lightning late in the 3rd quarter).  Maple River went on to win the Gopher Valley AA title, while the Panthers finished second at 4-1.

The Panthers have suffered two tough losses (At Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial and at Bethlehem Academy) since beating Sibley East in week 1.  The home schedule for NRHEG is loaded (Waterville-Elysian-Morristown comes to town on Sep. 26, followed by Medford and Blooming Prairie in weeks 7 and 8), so the Panthers will need a lot of support from their fans.

Medford (0-3) is no ordinary winless team and Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial (3-0) is no ordinary undefeated team.  The Tigers will be hungry for their first win, and don't let the records fool you, they have a very good chance to get it in Lake Crystal on Friday.  The Knights squeaked by St. Clair, 35-26, in Week 3, while Medford lost 28-14 to WEM.

Finally, the Triton Cobras (2-1) have arrived.  They have a big week in store at their beautiful new field at the Snake Pit and their rivals Kenyon-Wanamingo (1-2) are in town.  It's Hall of Fame week at Triton as they will honor several athletes from the Dodge Center, West Concord, and Claremont area and some great teams from decades past as well.  On the field, I expect the Cobras to roll against the Knights and continue the run for a second straight Southern Football Alliance White division title.

Halfway home? Enjoy it while you can!

Jason Iacovino can be heard Tuesdays and Fridays at 3:50 p.m. Leave a comment below and follow him on Twitter @JasonIacovino.

 

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