GGF football this week: Red River offensive line could be difference in Cushman Classic

Sep. 14—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks Red River looks different at running back and wide receiver than it did a season ago, but the Roughriders have the same look where it's expected to matter most in the 27th annual Cushman Classic.

Red River's big, experienced offensive line — led by 6-foot-3, 285-pound all-state senior center Lawson Lotysz — will be a handful for Grand Forks Central in the annual rivalry game on Friday at 7 p.m. at Cushman Field.

The Roughriders are strong up front, despite playing without starter JB Walters, who suffered an injury in Week 1 at Williston and is expected back soon.

"Lawson gets a lot of things done in the middle," Red River coach Vyrn Muir said. "We also have Logan (Wasylow) next to him. They understand who to block and fix problems on the field, so there's not a lot of fixing for us as coaches. Those two solve it on the field. I think that's a big benefit for us with those guys."

Red River, ranked No. 2 in Class AA, is 4-0 for the first time since 2012 and has a chance to move to 5-0 for the first time since 1983.

The Riders have lost just two Cushman Classics since 2009 (2017 and 2020).

Grand Forks Central enters the game amid a brutal portion of its schedule. The Knights are 1-3 with losses to No. 1 Fargo North, No. 3 Fargo South and No. 4 Jamestown.

A year ago, the Knights led the Riders 9-0 at halftime before Red River scored 19 unanswered in the second half.

Central coach Jake Schauer knows Red River's size is a concern.

"They're a big team," he said. "When you get a big team in the trenches with Lotysz and Walters, you worry about how you match up. We're going to have to bring it every play. Our guys work hard. The other team is going to know they're playing Grand Forks Central."

The Knights have been experimenting with how to use standout Jack Simmers this season, with Central losing record-setting quarterback Dylan LaMont to graduation.

Simmers can play at quarterback, running back or wide receiver.

Muir said Simmers is his biggest concern.

"It's what they'll do with Jack," Muir said. "They did some quarterback sharing last week but the second half he was their guy. I think Jack makes that team go. If he plays quarterback, they've still got Tray (Kuntz) as a deep threat, Leo (Strandell) as a deep threat and Erick (Paye) is a great athlete, too."

Red River quarterback Pearce Parks leads the EDC in passing yards with 705 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Hayden Hong is the EDC's top receiver with 12 catches for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Zach Oehlke adds 11 catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns.

Central is led by running back Caden Johansen, who has 242 rushing yards on the season, which ranks fourth in the EDC.

Strandell has nine catches for 155 yards (fifth-best in the EDC) and two touchdowns.

East Grand Forks' next opponent is no stranger to the Green Wave.

East Grand Forks played Perham twice late in the 2022 season, with the Yellowjackets winning the regular-season matchup and East Grand Forks winning in the posteason.

The two teams meet again at 7 p.m. Friday in Perham.

"It's a lot of the same players from last year," East Grand Forks coach Ryan Kasowski said. "These were two really good games last year. The QB (Blaiz Schmidt) is a good player for them. They have a lot of talented players who pose some challenges."

Both teams enter the game coming off losses. Perham lost 42-21 to Detroit Lakes, while the Wave missed a last-minute field goal in a tight loss to Little Falls.

"We watched film a lot this week," Kasowski said. "We watched more this week than in the past because there were so many little things that if we're able to correct we'd benefit as the season goes on. We took a lot of mental reps this week."

Polk County West will be looking for its first win of the season at 7 p.m. Friday in East Grand Forks against Bagley.

Bagley enters with an 0-2 record and has been outscored 86-26.

PCW is looking to put a lopsided loss to Mahnomen-Waubun in its rear-view mirror.

"They took the kickoff back and that set the tone for the day," PCW coach Darrin Byklum said. "They beat us up front on both sides of the ball. We need to be more consistent up front. We have to tackle and block better."

Byklum said he's been encouraged by the team's passing attack, led by junior quarterback Will Zavarol with top targets in tight end Greg Downs, fullback Mike Gapp, tight end Kaven Rohrich and running back John Speicher.