Two high school football games will be played at TCO Stadium this season

The Vikings' practice facility will host Hopkins vs. East Ridge and Chanhassen vs. Bloomington Jefferson, running the total of prep games played there since 2018 to a dozen.

August 24, 2022 at 5:30PM
Eagan and Farmington played under the lights in the first high school football game at TCO Stadium in 2018.
Eagan and Farmington played under the lights in the first high school football game at TCO Stadium in 2018. (Anthony Souffle, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Four more teams will get the chance to play in TCO Stadium this season, running the total to nearly two dozen.

On Sept. 15, a Thursday, Hopkins will play East Ridge, and on Oct. 18, a Tuesday, Chanhassen will play Bloomington Jefferson.

The games are part of a series the Vikings call Vikings Prep Spotlight that began when TCO Performance Center opened in Eagan in 2018. Five prep games, including three playoff games, were played at TCO Stadium the first year.

This season's TCO Stadium games will raise the total to a dozen. Twenty-two prep teams will have played there; Lakeville North and Chaska have played there twice.

Parking is free, and the admission fee will match the usual rate of the designated home team. This season that means $8 for adults and $5 for students for the Sept. 15 game because that's what East Ridge charges and $7/$5 for the Oct. 18 game to match Jefferson's usual rates. Walk-up tickets will be sold, and tickets also are available through Ticketmaster.

The past scores of TCO Stadium prep football games:

2018

Sept. 28: Farmington 41, Eagan 28

Oct. 12: Lakeville North 38, Prior Lake 3

Nov. 9: Lakeville North 35, St. Michael-Albertville 8

Nov. 10: Owatonna 42, Chaska 27

Nov. 10: Elk River 23, Spring Lake Park 21

2019

Sept. 20: Eden Prairie 14, Shakopee 6

Sept. 27: Chaska 21, Apple Valley 0

Sept. 28: Mankato West 58, Rochester Mayo 21

2021

Sept. 10: Waconia 20, Robbinsdale Cooper 14

Sept. 17: St. Thomas Academy 41, Cretin-Derham Hall 14

Rostberg Stadium coming

The Hutchinson football field will be dedicated and renamed Rostberg Stadium on Sept. 23 in honor of the father and son who have coached the program for more than 50 years.

"Grady Rostberg provided the blueprint for the success, and Andy has carried on the tradition with a focus on doing things the right way and helping players become better young men," Hutchinson principal Jennifer Telecky said.

Grady Rostberg began coaching at Hutchinson in 1970 and went 250–63-1 in 29 seasons, winning state titles in 1983, 1984 and 1998. Son Andy Rostberg took over in 1999 and is 206-48 since. He was quarterback for the 1983 and 1984 state champions and was offensive coordinator for the title run in 1998. He coached state champions in 2012, 2013 and 2021.

Early starters

Hutchinson, the defending Class 4A champion, is among teams getting a head start on the season. The Tigers will open the season at 7 p.m. Thursday at home against St. Cloud Apollo.

Zero Week play will continue Friday, when Coon Rapids hosts Brainerd and Becker plays at Rocori.

The season opens with a full schedule Sept. 1 and 2.

about the writer

about the writer

Kevin Bertels

High school sports team leader

Kevin Bertels has led the Minnesota Star Tribune’s high school sports coverage since fall 2021. Before that, he spent 23 years as the newspaper’s night Sports section coordinator, placing him in charge of the Sports copy desk.

See More

More from High Schools

card image

Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.

card image
card image