Will Section 1, Class 5A football once again belong to Owatonna?

Aug. 30—(Editor's note: This article is part of the 2023 Pigskin Preview, which will appear in the Saturday, Sept. 2, Post Bulletin print edition. A full list of articles that will appear on PostBulletin.com this week is at the bottom of this article.)

That 5-5 record that Owatonna finished with? Don't expect that to happen again this season.

The Huskies, who for so long had been among the most dominant teams not only in southeastern Minnesota but the state, figure to settle back into that this season.

But Owatonna longtime coach Jeff Williams says good things will only happen if his team can make a large leap up front from a year ago.

"You can have the best quarterback and the best receivers, but it doesn't matter if you can't block," Williams said. "A lot of it is going to fall on our (offensive and defensive lines). If those guys mature and buck up, we can be very good. But last year, our troubles on the line led us to being in dogfights with teams that we aren't usually in dogfights with."

One lineman who gives Williams confidence is Grant Lower. A Bemidji State University commit, Lower is 6-foot-4, 260 pounds. He plays tackle on offense and tackle and nose guard on defense. Another strong lineman will be Jack Beneguzzo, a junior center who is a returning stater. Williams says he's become much stronger thanks to his work in the weight room.

The Huskies have an excellent quarterback in Jacob Ginskey. The senior began playing varsity games as a sophomore and has a cannon for an arm. He's got excellent receivers to choose from, led by younger brother Nolan Ginske, an electric slot receiver. Owen Beyer is another standout athlete who plays receiver for Owatonna.

Defensively, Owatonna has one of the state's better linebackers in Mitch Seykora. The senior has great pursuit to the quarterback and plays with extreme aggression. Torrin Smith is another linebacker who stands out. He's 6-1, 230.

Jon Vik isn't sure what to think of this season's Century football schedule. It's different, that's for sure.

This year's realignment has the Panthers not playing traditional Big Nine Conference rivals Mayo and Austin. But it has them taking on some new blood, including Twin Cities powers Chanhassen and Waconia.

"I guess the advantage of playing metro schools is it is a measuring stick for where we are at and finding out what teams are like at the state level during the regular season," Vik said. "But there is a little bit of uncertainty of what to expect. We'll be playing in some new venues, against new coaching staffs."

Century has some measuring-stick players on its roster. Receivers Eli Thompson and Jake Wills, and offensive lineman Miles Prochnow(6-feet-2, 270 pounds) all figure to be playing college football next season. Century's receivers, with Jose Mares also in that mix, look like the offensive strength of this team.

Dylan White gives the Panthers another sturdy offensive lineman and one who, like Prochnow, will play on both sides of the ball. Both players have spent oodles of time in the weight room over the summer.

Vik likes much of this team and that most of last year's starters return.

"We've got an experienced wide receiver core," said Vik, whose Panthers finished 3-7 last season. "We've also got an experienced quarterback (Harrison Esau) and some experienced guys on the line of scrimmage. Those are all positives."

Century will have many of the same faces on defense as it does on offense. That includes Wills and Thompson both lining up in the secondary.

Some are tagging the Raiders as the team to beat out Section 1, 5A.

There is plenty to like here. Northfield finished 6-4 last year, including a couple of narrow losses to Owatonna and a 41-0 defeat of Century.

"I think we have an interesting team," Northfield coach Brent Yule said. "We have some returning skill-position players that are good players and a couple of kids up front who return. The most intriguing part, like a lot of years, is seeing how our underclassmen have grown and if they've improved enough and developed enough."

Kam Kaiser gives Northfield an experienced and talented quarterback who can beat teams with his arm and legs. He threw for about 700 yards last season and also ran for about 700.

"He is a competitor; that is the No. 1 thing about him," Yule said. "He just competes. And he is a three-sport athlete, which we love at Northfield."

Jake Geiger is a top receiver and about to begin his third year as a starter. Austin Koep (6-3, 210) gives the Raiders a big and athletic tight end/linebacker and Kyan Rauk is a star and monstrous lineman (6-7, 275) who moves well. Rauk has committed to Division I program South Dakota State University. John Newberg is another standout lineman (6-2, 225).

All of the previously mentioned Raiders players are seniors.

The Rockets and their first-year coach Kyle Riggott had a tough time in 2022. JM finished winless, which wasn't a complete surprise as the Rockets' lineup was loaded with sophomores.

Expect a sizable step to be taken this year with so many starters returning and all of them presumably bigger, stronger, faster and better. Riggott has raved about the commitment he has gotten from the team since last season ended.

"There is great excitement from our staff and players," Riggott said. "It's been a really productive offseason in training and development."

The Rockets' biggest issue a year ago was their line play. JM's offensive line was particularly overwhelmed, which allowed its quarterbacks so little time to throw. Riggott expects much better results in the trenches this time, with as many as seven blockers back who received playing time a year ago. Allowing time for its quarterbacks will be crucial, as JM's strength is its fast and athletic receivers.

Three of its top interior lineman are expected to be junior Amir Omrani (6-2, 255), senior Nolan Laack (6-0, 265) and senior Ivinn Mom (5-10, 210).

JM is stacked at the wide-receiver position, with brothers Zach (6-4 senior) and Eli Ladu (6-0 junior), Darius Jordan (5-10 senior) and LeeAndre Harvey (5-10 junior). All run the 40-yard dash in the 4.6 range.

Deciding on a quarterback is a work in progress. Frontrunners are junior Rylan McCreary-Kujawa and sophomore Savy Vath. Ty'Shawn Beane returns as the featured running back. He is a physical 185-pound junior.

JM's defense looks stacked in the back end with speedsters Zach and Eli Ladu, Jordan, senior Colin Ness and Harvey filling out the secondary. Beane and standout senior Nolan Radtke give JM two excellent linebackers.

New Prague doesn't have loads of returning starters. But among the ones who are back, there are some impressive athletes.

That group — which includes three starters on offense and four on defense — is led by Will Seymour. The 6-1, 165-pound senior quarterback is known for his intangibles as much as his arm and legs.

"He's the kind of guy who can keep a play alive and then have success with it," New Prague coach Jake Norby said. "He can move around and make plays."

Seymour threw for about 700 yards last season. He's got some nice targets again this season, almost all of them between 6 feet and 6-5.. Henry Novak, a 6-4, 220-pound tight end, might be the best of those options. He also plays defensive tackle for the Trojans.

"I think he's going to have a standout year for us," Norby said. "He played quite a bit for us last year."

The fastest player on the team is likely Jack Hennen. a 6-0, 155-pound senior, Hennen was a member of New Prague's excellent 4x100 relay team in track and field. He's known for his elusiveness and ability to seldom take a big hit, sliding off of would-be tacklers.

Defensively, New Prague will be looking toward Michael Beckius and Chuck Ambroz to have big years. Beckius is a defensive back (also a wide receiver) with great leaping ability. Ambroz is a linebacker who goes 175 but plays much bigger than that. He's also a guard on offense.

"Ambroz is a throwback," Norby said. "We like to have him pull and move as a lineman. He's fantastic at it."

(All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted)

Aug. 31 — Waconia at Century; Northfield at Mankato West.

Sept. 1 — Apple Valley at John Marshall; Hastings at Owatonna; New Prague at Bloomington Jefferson.

Sept. 8 — Century at Irondale; Owatonna at Chanhassen; Faribault at Northfield; New Prague at Chaska.

Sept. 9 — John Marshall at North St. Paul.

Sept. 15 — Chanhassen at Century; New Prague at Owatonna.

Sept. 16 — Northfield at John Marshall, 5 p.m.

Sept. 22 — Century at New Prague; Owatonna at Northfield.

Sept. 29 — Century at Owatonna; New Prague at John Marshall.

Sept. 30 — Chaska at Northfield.

Oct. 6 — John Marshall at Century; Owatonna at Mankato West; Northfield at New Prague.

Oct. 13 — Century at Northfield; John Marshall at Owatonna; New Prague at Waconia.

Oct. 18 — Winona at Century; Bloomington Jefferson at John Marshall; Owatonna at Apple Valley; Northfield at Tartan; New Prague at St. Cloud Tech.

SUNDAY, AUG. 27

—Plainview-Elgin-Millville's "hit man" is southeastern Minnesota's top tackler

—Column: The Pigskin Preview turns 50

—Why the chase for the Section 1, 9-Player championship could be wide open this fall

MONDAY, AUG. 28

—How and why the Winona State University coaching staff is prioritizing southeastern Minnesota as a recruiting hotbed

—Defending champ Fillmore Central is among the favorites in a loaded Section 1, Class 1A

—Who will challenge Chatfield in Section 1, Class 2A this season?

—Stewartville star will be a problem for opposing linemen

TUESDAY, AUG. 29

—Donovan family has led La Crescent-Hokah's quick turnaround

—Chicago native Martell Williams returned to RCTC this fall for one reason

—One powerhouse has moved out, another has moved into Section 1, Class 3A

—Is Section 1, Class 4A a three-horse race again?

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30

—Section 1, Class 5A could be up for grabs

—The Post Bulletin names its "Dangerous Dozen" for the 2023 season

—College coaches have eyes on John Marshall's Ladu brothers

THURSDAY, AUG. 31

—John Marshall graduate Deontae Veney is making a "big" impact at Minnesota State University, Mankato

—Mayo's Holcomb a rare five-year varsity player — and a rare athlete

—Rochester Mayo to tackle the state's biggest class, moving up to Section 3, Class 6A

FRIDAY, SEPT. 1

—Why are teams schedules so different this fall? We find out why local teams will face unfamiliar foes

—Kingsland's dynamic backfield duo has Knights dreaming big in '23

—As the Pigskin turns 50, we look back at every southeastern Minnesota team that has won a state title since its inception in 1974