Author: David Shama

Seantrel Henderson has been the nation’s No. 1 ranked prep football recruit this year but the Cretin-Derham Hall offensive tackle isn’t winning all the local awards including yesterday’s announcement of Rosemount’s Zach Vraa as the state’s Mr. Football.

A 10 member Mr. Football committee chose Vraa as its award winner.  Committee member Jim Dotseth, former head coach at Minneapolis Patrick Henry High School, said Henderson’s national reputation didn’t put the committee in a difficult position for selecting a winner.

Dotseth said that those who look at potential college players are making projections about them and he can understand what puts Henderson at the top of the lists.  Henderson, about 6-8, 330, has NFL size already with impressive footwork and athletic ability.  “He’s a special recruit,” Dotseth said.  “He’s the same size as the two Vikings’ tackles (Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt).”

The Star Tribune selected Wayzata linebacker A.J. Tarpley as its Metro Player of the Year.  The Pioneer Press made Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Mark Alt its Player of the Year in the state.  Henderson was honored by the Associated Press as Minnesota’s Player of the Year.

Cretin Derham-Hall coach Mike Scanlan considered Henderson his most valuable player on the state champion Raiders.  After the Mr. Football banquet Scanlan told Sports Headliners that Henderson certainly could have been the recipient of the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press and Mr. Football awards. “He was the one most deserving of these considerations, but like you saw tonight, 10 guys each one deserving in his own right,” Scanlan said.  “Only one is going to get the award.”

Henderson has been rated the nation’s No. 1 recruit by Rivals.com since last winter and other sources believe he’s the best college prospect regardless of position.  The Mr. Football committee members (other than Dotseth, all are active Minnesota high school coaches) looked at game video and other information on the 10 finalists for the award and decided Vraa was the most impressive player to them.

Vraa, 6-3, 200, was a defensive back, wide receiver, and punt and kickoff returner for the Irish.  Dotseth said Vraa, who played on a run oriented offense but accounted for nine touchdowns and 77 percent of his team’s receiving yards, has a reputation for “circus” catches.  “If you look at him on film he probably most reminds you of Eric Decker from the Gophers,” Dotseth said.

In addition to Henderson and Vraa, the Mr. Football finalists were Beau Allen, Minnetonka; Joel Bauman, Kerkohoven-Murdock-Sunberg; Jacob Brusehaver, Hutchinson; John Crockett, Totino Grace; Ben Henson, Buffalo; Brandon Marquart, Champlin Park; Ryan Tri, Eden Valley-Watkins; and Zach Zenner, Eagan.  The annual Mr. Football program is a project of the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association, an organization that works to promote football throughout the state.

Henderson was the one player among the 10 finalists not present at the Mr. Football banquet in St. Louis Park.  He was on a recruiting trip to Southern California.  Before being wooed by Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll this weekend, Henderson had a visit here a few days ago from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.

Henderson may not be collecting all the local “hardware” but nobody can match his list of college suitors.

“Which active (NFL) player is the best role model on and off the field?”  Sports Illustrated (December 7 issue) asked that question in its NFL players poll.  Kurt Warner of the Cardinals with 18 percent of the vote and Peyton Manning of the Colts at 17 percent finished one-two.

Don’t be surprised if the Vikings choose Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker in the later rounds of next year’s NFL draft.  Decker’s chances of being drafted by the home town team might be enhanced by the trust between Vikings coach Brad Childress and Gophers coach Tim Brewster.

The Wild remains interested in hosting a New Year’s Day outdoor hockey game, with TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field both being considered.  A franchise source said planning is still in the “infancy stages” and that other NHL franchises are interested in hosting New Year’s Day outdoor games.  The NHL office makes those decisions as it does the annual site for the June entry draft, another attraction that interests the Wild.

The Wolves Kevin Love, 2-19 on three point field goal attempts last season, is 4-6 in two games this season.  He’s averaging 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds since returning to the active roster following his hand injury.

The Wolves had a ticket promotion last week offering $10 lower level and $5 upper level tickets for a game against Utah.  The club has a regular Wednesday night $5 ticket promotion for college students.

Author Jim Holden has a special $30 holiday offer on his book, Tennis in the Northland.  The former Northfield tennis coach has written a comprehensive history of boys’ high school tennis in Minnesota.  More information including how to contact Holden at https://www.jim-holden.com/.

Sunday night’s game at Arizona is a benchmark for the Vikings, a team that may deserve being ranked as first or second best in the NFL.

The 10-1 Vikings have played against teams with a combined 32-49 record.  The Vikings’ only loss is on the road to Pittsburgh (6-5), one of only three teams Minnesota has played with a winning percentage above .500.  Arizona is 7-4 and played in the last Super Bowl, losing to Pittsburgh.

Sunday night’s national telecast on NBC is much anticipated including in the metropolitan area where viewership could reach 1.3 million, according to John Remes. He is president and general manager of KARE 11, the local NBC affiliate.

Remes told Sports Headliners that about 80 percent of televisions in this market will be tuned into the game.  The game will certainly have the attention of men ages 25-54, with Remes expecting about 50 percent of that group to be watching.

Among the storylines for viewers to watch is whether Arizona’s 38-year-old quarterback Kurt Warner will play after having a concussion last month.  He missed last week’s game, a 20-17 loss to Tennessee.

Like 40-year-old Brett Favre of the Vikings, Warner has been a Super Bowl winning quarterback.  The comparisons between the two are likely to come often on Sunday night’s telecast if Warner plays.  Favre has overcome a list of injuries during his career that sometimes seems as long as his game statistics.  Former Vikings assistant coach Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners that Favre is even “tougher” than Warner.

Dalton also said second year Vikings center John Sullivan has improved since the season began but he’s not as good yet as the man he replaced, 12 year veteran Matt Birk.   Favre has praised Sullivan’s intelligence and line calls.

Sunday night’s game will be the third time that Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald, who ranks with the NFL’s best wide receivers, will face his home town team wearing an Arizona uniform.  Fitzgerald said this week that the experience isn’t becoming old.  “No, it’s not old-hat,” he said.  “I’m 0-2 against the Vikings right now; 0-3 if I count the preseason. That’s not good enough.”