Recruiting – Page 78 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Defense, Special Teams Impress But…

Posted on August 29, 2014August 29, 2014 by David Shama

In today’s column analysis of last night’s Gophers-Eastern Illinois game, high school football tales from long ago, and a few notes including about the Lynx, prep basketball rankings and (surprise) wiener dog races.

Well two out of three isn’t bad for an opening game. The Gophers impressed on defense and with special teams but the offense struggled in the 42-20 win over Eastern Illinois.

The defense tackled with authority and the secondary was as athletic as advertised. The Gophers, leading 42-0 in the fourth quarter, gave up late touchdowns when reserves couldn’t stop the Panthers from getting in the end zone, including the closing seconds as time expired.

Former Gophers coach Glen Mason, doing game analysis on the Big Ten Network last night, gave the defense a B+ grade. He credited the Gophers with not allowing any big plays when the game was yet to be decided. He also said the Gophers were effective in containing an offense with varied looks led by a new Panthers coaching staff that had the Gophers coaches wondering what to expect before the game.

The Gophers stopped drives by the Panthers with efforts by defensive end Alex Keith who recovered two fumbles, and an interception by safety Antonio Johnson. But they weren’t the only Minnesota players making dramatic plays. Early in the third quarter, with the Gophers leading 14-0, Eric Murray blocked a punt and Logan Hutton recovered the ball for a touchdown.

High level special teams play like that characterized Jerry Kill’s teams when he coached at Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. With the Gophers, Kill is doing the same and there was more to applaud last night than the efforts by Murray and Hutton. Placekicker Ryan Santoso, playing in his first college game, sent ball after ball into the end zone on kickoffs, preventing the Panthers from even thinking about a return. Punter Peter Mortell, who averaged 43.3 yards last season, had a gaudy average of 51.2 last night.

Minnesota knows it has to make more explosive plays offensively and Berkley Edwards made a significant contribution last night in his first game as a Gopher. In the fourth quarter his second touchdown of the period was a 42 yard run down the sidelines where he showed the speed that makes him nearly the fastest player on the team.

Quarterback Mitch Leidner threw a big play 35-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to wide receiver Donovahn Jones, another guy the Gophers are counting on to change their reputation as a sputtering offense against elite teams. Leidner, though, struggled with his passing and the offensive line sometimes didn’t give him enough time to throw and at other times was ineffective at opening holes for runners. Plenty of room for improvement and fans are advised to show patience with the offense for awhile.

Mason told the TV audience Leidner played only limited minutes last year and can’t be viewed as an experienced returning starter. “It’s going to be a work in progress,” Mason said.

Leidner completed nine of 17 passes for one touchdown and also ran for two scores. Mason gave Leidner a C grade for his work last night. “I expected more out of him. His decision making…at times he got away with a couple of passes that were dangerous that he threw into a crowd of people. I know that he can run.

“He depended on the supporting cast. I would think that it was just a very, very average performance against Eastern Illinois.” …

Ron Stolski, 75, is the state’s all-time winningest prep football coach and he will lead the Brainerd High School Warriors into their opening game tonight at home against FergusFalls. Just for a moment today Stolski—with a career record of 355 wins, 156 losses and five ties—might watch his mind wander back to his first game as a high school coach.

The year was 1962 and Stolski was coaching eight-man football at Kensington High School, located near Alexandria, Minnesota. To say there was apathy in Kensington regarding football was an understatement. The team hadn’t scored a point at a home game in five years and at Stolski’s first practice only three boys came out for the team.

Stolski remembers the three lads. “One became a pilot for American Airlines. One sadly died of a heart attack, and the third ended up teaching here at Brainerd. He’s retired now.”

Contrast the player turnout at Kensington with Brainerd where the Warriors welcomed 90 to 100 players this month. Brainerd has been in the state semi-finals four of the last seven years and was 12-1 last year. “Not bad for a country school,” Stolski told Sports Headliners.

In that first year at Kensington Stolski was able to boost the roster to 13 players before the first game—or so he thought. “We had 11 for the opener because two (players) got a job mowing hay and didn’t show up,” the coach said.

Marietta High School defeated Kensington on its home field in that opening game. A year later Kensington travelled to Marietta for another opening game and that memory made Stolski chuckle. He not only coached but drove the team bus, and en route to the game got lost.

“Pretty soon I realize we’re going to be late so I tell the kids to dress in the bus. ‘You gotta change while I am driving,’ ” Stolski instructed. “We finally get there and we’re like 10, 15 minutes late.”

The Kensington players were now in their uniforms but when they arrived in Marietta there was no time for preparations. The Marietta coach insisted that “we gotta play right now.”

Kensington got its revenge, though, from the 1962 loss to Marietta. “We ended up kicking the living hell out of them,” Stolski said. …

The Lynx has its opening Western Conference Finals game tonight in Phoenix against the Mercury beginning at 9 p.m. (NBA TV). In franchise history the defending WNBA champion Lynx are 22-9 overall and 15-2 for home postseason games—winning percentages of .709 and .882, and the best in league history. …

Grand Rapids native Alex Illikainen, a forward who will play his senior season at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, is ranked No. 130 in the Rivals.com top 150 list of best high school basketball prospects for 2015 released on Wednesday. DeLaSalle point guard Jarvis Johnson, a top 100 player earlier in the year, wasn’t ranked on Wednesday. …

Canterbury Park holds its annual Minnesota Festival of Champions on Sunday—a day devoted to races involving only Minnesota born and bred thoroughbreds and quarter horses. This is a racing calendar highlight as Canterbury celebrates the state breeding industry.

Among the promotional highlights of the summer at the Shakopee racetrack are the “Wiener Dog Wars” scheduled for Monday. In the biggest Dachshund race day of the year at Canterbury, 72 dogs are expected to compete in multiple races to determine a champion.

The fifth annual Camden’s Concert at the Hopkins Center for the Arts last month—featuring The Wright Brothers—generated over $52,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The record amount increased the five year total from the event to more than $200,000. A record crowd of 471 attended the concert named after Dave and Linda Mona’s six-year-old grandson Camden Mona.

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Iowa Safety Rogers to Visit Gophers

Posted on August 4, 2014August 4, 2014 by David Shama

Former Iowa State defensive back Charlie Rogers, now at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, may become a Gopher, according to Scott Strohmeier.

Strohmeier, the Iowa Western head coach, told Sports Headliners his safety’s top two Division I college choices are Minnesota and Illinois. He also said Rogers is making plans to visit the University of Minnesota.

Rogers chose Iowa State over the Gophers as a high school player at Iowa City West where he was better known as a quarterback than defensive player. He was a Rivals.com three-star prospect and considered one of Iowa’s best prep recruits in the class of 2012.

As a redshirt freshman last year at Iowa State, Rogers was one of seven freshmen to play for the Cyclones. He participated in 12 games, starting two at cornerback and nickelback. He was second team All-Big 12 academic.

Rogers, 6-1, 195 pounds, wouldn’t be the first Iowa Western alum to play for the Gophers. Mike Henry, a senior fullback on last year’s Gophers, first attended Iowa Western after graduating from Mahtomedi High School. Linebacker Cody Poock, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, transferred to Minnesota after playing for Strohmeier last fall.

Strohmeier is from Watkins, Minnesota. He has been head coach of the Reivers since 2008 and won the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.

Strohmeier’s relationship with the Gophers is enhanced by his friendship with Gophers associate athletic director Dan O’Brien who oversees the U football program and is a former head coach at Concordia of St. Paul. “Dan gave me my first coaching job at Concordia,” Strohmeier said. “He got me in the profession.”

Iowa Western is a possible destination for former Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones, the Rivals.com four-star recruit who is trying to become NCAA eligible this summer so he can join the Gophers who started practice last Friday in preparation for their season opener on August 28 at home against Eastern Illinois. “I would love to have a guy like Jeff but he deserves to play Division I,” Strohmeier said. “We’re here if he needs to be.”

If Jones were to become a Reiver, he would play in the same backfield with Eden Prairie High School alum Anthony Anderson, a power back who will have major college recruiters watching him in Council Bluffs. Strohmeier lost his top two tailbacks from last year’s No. 2 nationally ranked team and he expects Anderson to help fill the void.

What would it be like to have a backfield with the elusive Jones and powerful Anderson? “I could sleep a lot better at night. I can tell you that much,” Strohmeier said.

Worth Noting

After reporting on Jones for months and following his story, I will be surprised if he isn’t admitted to the University of Minnesota soon, even if he isn’t NCAA eligible to play for the Gophers this season.

Among the Gophers’ best chances for a road upset this season could be September 27 at Michigan. The Gophers have only won twice in Ann Arbor since 1986 and have lost five consecutive games to Michigan, but the Wolverines have been faltering the last two years with a 15-11 record.

“It was a low energy program a year ago,” said Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo last Monday on BTN’s coverage of the conference’s Media Day.

The Wolverines’ problems include having lost five of their last six games against Michigan State. Spartans’ coach Mike Dantonio was asked at Media Day how MSU can keep up the intensity for the in-state rivalry. “I continue to live in (the state of) Michigan,” he answered. “That ought to do it.”

Eighteen attendees paid $2,000 each for the “Boys of Fall Elite Camp” that coincided with the opening of Gophers training camp last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Participants received an inside look at the Gophers program, attending team and position meetings and eating with players. The camp raised money for the football program.

Senior redshirt wide receiver Devon Wright is now on the Gophers’ 105-man roster, after replacing injured redshirt sophomore tight end Duke Anyanwu. Wright is a former Tim Brewster recruit as a running back from Florida. He played on special teams last year.

Former Gophers linebacker Jon Leverenz is teaching science at Bloomington Jefferson High School and is the head boys track coach. His 162 tackles in 1987 ranks second for a single Gophers season behind linebacker Bill Light’s 172 in 1970.

Former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness will be part of the inaugural hall of fame class at his old Chicago area high school, Proviso East, on August 30.

It might be a matter of when—not whether—U.S. Bank is announced as the naming rights choice for the new Vikings stadium.

Wasn’t that Tom Lehman looking at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course last week with the possibility of helping with renovations?

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Next Stadium Could Be for MLS Soccer

Posted on July 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by David Shama

The future of pro soccer in Minnesota might be more a question of who will own the franchise and where the team will play, rather than whether this area will be granted membership in North America’s best league.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has said MLS will expand by four teams within six years and Minneapolis is on a short list of potential new franchises. Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire wouldn’t confirm to Sports Headliners he will pursue an MLS franchise but it’s believed he is open to doing so—and leaving the North American Soccer League where the United play. A Minneapolis MLS team, if owned by McGuire, would likely play in a new soccer-specific stadium in Hennepin County.

The Wilf family, owners of the Vikings, have made it known they are interested in owning a Minneapolis MLS franchise. The Vikings have exclusive five-year rights to pursue an MLS team in their new downtown multipurpose stadium once it opens in 2016.

A source told Sports Headliners McGuire has interest in potential stadium sites near Mall of America and downtown. At either location an open air stadium seating about 20,000 would most closely approximate the facility model favored by the MLS, where playing in a domed facility isn’t the norm. The new Vikings domed stadium will have a capacity of about 65,000 for football but seats could be covered to create a more intimate setting for soccer. A partially transparent roof and facades will allow natural light into the Vikings stadium and create an outdoor viewing feel for spectators.

At first consideration it might seem doubtful there would be much public support for a soccer-specific stadium. But perhaps Mall of America interests would join McGuire in financing a stadium near the mega shopping center in Bloomington. A privately financed stadium at that location would provide a major outdoor venue that could be used for soccer, concerts and other attractions.

Before the MOA was built, Met Stadium in Bloomington hosted the Minnesota Kicks, a popular NASL team that drew large crowds because of the party environment fueled by tailgating. Combining the marketing power of the MOA with the lure of a new stadium and revived tailgating could create a lot of awareness about a new soccer product in Bloomington.

At least two sites near the Farmers Market downtown are being talked about for a soccer stadium. Proponents of the Farmers Market area fought to have the Vikings stadium there, arguing the location could be a financial stimulus to the neighborhood and even boost the city’s north side economy. It’s also said that a soccer stadium in that area—near Target Field and Target Center—further enhances the city’s entertainment district. The greater area is a transit hub that includes light rail and train service.

Hennepin County, the public partner in financing Target Field, might be a supporter of a Farmers Market soccer stadium. The county, unlike the city, is in a better financial position to help back a stadium and both public entities would profit from taxes and increased business activities.

Could the Twins also be a partner with McGuire in the team and facility? McGuire was in Kansas City, Kansas last December with a group that included Twins president Dave St. Peter. The purpose was to look at the local MLS’s stadium—Sporting Park, a facility that seats 18,467 for soccer and 25,000 for concerts. The outdoor stadium opened in 2011 and cost $200 million.

A soccer-specific stadium either at Mall of America or downtown would be expected to create event revenues beyond those generated by an MLS team. Whether the stadium is a public-private partnership, or privately owned, a 20,000 seat open air facility fills a void in the Twin Cities market and might interest various investors including the Twins who have staged concerts at Target Field.

Proponents of playing in the Vikings stadium will insist that with $150 million invested by the city and $348 million from the state, the only place that makes sense for a local MLS franchise is the new multipurpose venue being constructed on the old Metrodome site. The Vikings are paying the balance of the cost for the near $1 billion stadium and they will argue the facility was built to house as many events as possible, including soccer, and provide the best return on investment for all concerned.

The Wilfs or McGuire would likely pay $100 million or more as an expansion fee. The fee for the New York FC team that begins play in 2015 was $100 million. “Major League Soccer franchise fees have increased twenty fold from the league’s ten charter clubs in 1996 to introduction of the twentieth franchise in 2013,” according to a June 11 story last year by Christopher Savino for Businessofsoccer.com.

But paying around $100 million could be a bargain and a smart business move. While expansion fees have increased, so has the value of franchises. Chris Smith, reporting for Forbes.com in a story November 20, 2013, wrote that cities are lining up for expansion teams and that should not be a surprise. “In 2011, average MLS attendance hit 17,872 to surpass both the NBA and NHL, and it has since increased to 18,611 fans per game. More impressively, the average franchise is now worth $103 million, up more than 175% over the last five years.”

Those numbers have to catch the attention of McGuire and the Wilfs. If trends continue, the value of the Minneapolis team will escalate—perhaps dramatically—and even prompt interest in eventually selling the franchise for a big profit.

After decades of promise, soccer in America seems to finally be fulfilling the popularity forecast for the sport decades ago. The World Cup that started last month and continues until July 13 has been a reminder to Americans that the sport most popular in so many countries stirs interest in North America, too.

Downtown Minneapolis crowds have waited outside Brit’s Pub to watch the World Cup, and Minnesota kids are playing soccer in large numbers. With more ethnic groups who love the sport moving into the state, the interest in Minnesota soccer will grow. It’s that kind of following here and in other parts of the country that is pushing the MLS into a richer and more promising future.

With a potential 24-team league by 2020, it doesn’t make sense for the MLS to pass on Minneapolis-St. Paul, the 15th largest TV market. The question is who will own the franchise and where will the team play.

Worth Noting

Jeff Jones and those close to the Washburn all-state running back aren’t giving up on him enrolling at the University of Minnesota later this summer. His latest ACT score wasn’t high enough to meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

“They are bound and determined to get him on campus,” Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins told Sports Headliners. “They don’t want him to go to junior college.”

Jones is taking two online summer classes and will know the results by July 10. There is a possibility his grades from those classes will improve his high school GPA enough—combined with his ACT score—to meet NCAA requirements.

There are potential ways for Jones to attend Minnesota this year even if he isn’t eligible to play in games for the Gophers. Among those avenues is for Jones to be admitted by the University without a scholarship but train and practice with the team during the 2014 season.

Jashon Cornell, the Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end who announced this morning he will play for Ohio State, is likely to excel as a pass rusher for the Buckeyes. Cornell, who will be a high school senior next season, likely would have started for the Gophers in 2015.

Condolences to the family and friends of Paul Najarian who lost his struggle with ALS on June 23. Paul, 52, is survived by his wife Julie and three children. He is the son of Dr. John Najarian and wife Mignette. A football loving family, Paul played at California, where his dad also played for the Golden Bears. Brother Peter played for the Gophers. Paul was the longtime and original owner of Popeye’s Chicken on Lake Street. A visitation, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and celebration of his life, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., will be held tomorrow at Mendakota Country Club.

The Wild has sold the building where the NHL team offices, according to a Sports Headliners source. A real estate developer has purchased 317 on Rice Park but the Wild will continue to office in the building and the Minnesota Swarm will, too.

Daktronics will provide a major technology upgrade to Xcel Energy Center including a new custom HD LED center-hung video board nearly six times larger than the current one, stretching from blue line to blue line.

Additional upgrades will include replacement of outdoor marquees and ribbon displays that encircle the interior arena fascia. The new elements will be installed over the summer, with the official unveiling planned for the Wild’s first home preseason game on September 27 against the Jets.

The Wild were able to sign free agent Thomas Vanek and fill a goal scoring need because he was a pro sports exception—a player willing to make less money than he earned with his old deal. Vanek reportedly will earn $6.5 million after playing last season for $7.1 million.

The June 30 issue of Sports Illustrated includes a six-page story on Darren Sharper, the former Vikings safety, who faces multiple rape charges. “Cumulatively, the accusations are overwhelming, but individually they may be difficult to prove,” the magazine speculated.

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