Minnetonka’s surge to victory, Hopkins’ first win since 2020, Hancock’s return home spice high school football weekend

A bouncing football can quickly change directions. Much like a football game.

Minnetonka experienced both over the high school football weekend.

The Skippers recovered a fortuitous pooch kick and fumble in the fourth quarter Thursday, leading to their final two touchdowns in a come-from-behind, 35-28 victory over Class 6A No. 1 Edina (2-1). The No. 5 Skippers (3-0) trailed 28-7 midway through the third quarter.

“We stayed calm and just focused on doing our jobs,” Minnetonka coach Mark Esch said.

The Skippers got back into the game with a run of 28 points that began in the first half. Senior running back Chase Conrad scored three touchdowns in the run, first on a 3-yard run with 54 seconds remaining in the first half. He scored again on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, and his third touchdown, a 4-yard run, left the Skippers behind 28-20 with 10 minutes, 46 seconds remaining.

Conrad’s third touchdown came after junior quarterback Caleb Francois scrambled out of the pocket and hit senior wide receiver Duke Richardson with a long pass to keep the drive alive.

That was when everything started to unravel for the Hornets.

Minnetonka’s Chip Scott executed a pooch kickoff. The ball bounced away from the Hornets’ deep man and was recovered by Minnetonka senior Brady Botten. Two minutes later, Francois was scoring on a 5-yard run and senior Vincent May was connecting with Richardson in the back of the end zone on a two-point conversion pass to tie it 28-28.

The Hornets’ next possession resulted in a fumble, recovered by junior Alex Schneider near midfield. After Francois found May with a huge fourth-and-5 completion, he scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run with 3:35 remaining. The Skippers defense made the lead stand up.

“There were about five to six key plays down the stretch that led to our victory,” Esch said. “A few key defensive stops, obviously the pooch kick we recovered and the fumble at the end was key. We also had some key conversions on third and fourth down where Caleb used his feet and created some key completions.

“We really didn’t make major adjustments. We just focused on execution.”

After playing an entire season on the road, Hancock played its first home game since Oct. 29, 2022. The Owls (3-0) responded with a 60-6 triumph over Ortonville in Nine-Player action.

“It was a special night for us,” Owls coach Chad Christianson said. “The school is truly the center of the community. When there is a game going on with the lights on most of the town is in attendance.”

Hancock’s field needed to be rebuilt because of flooding, forcing the team on the road for the entire 2023 season. Its first two games this year were also on the road.

“Last season we had to take a bus to every game and as the athletic director I also had to make sure that everything was at the site that we played our home games as we could not simply run back to the school if we forgot something,” Christianson said. “Morris Area High School in cooperation with the University of Minnesota-Morris and Minnewaska Area High School were wonderful hosts, but there is something special about being home.”

Christianson made it a reunion for players and parents with a Dad’s Night tradition. Fathers of players were invited into a classroom to watch film and hear the scouting report. They went to the locker room to help their athletes put on their uniforms and then made the five-block walk from the school to the field with the team.

“One other thing is the home winning streak we have. The last time we lost a game in Hancock was Oct. 5, 2018,” Christianson said. “Having our fans come to town, the smell of burgers being grilled, the pep band playing, and the simple things of getting back to normal are things that have been missed. There is also something special about having your seniors playing at home. This is something that our seniors last year did not get to experience.

“The support of the community to help give us this opportunity of playing on a beautiful field shows the strong bond between the community and the school.”

Hopkins’ 29-game losing streak came to an end in dramatic fashion Friday. The Royals (1-2) beat Eastview (1-2) with a two-point conversion in overtime for a 22-21 victory.

After both teams scored on their overtime possession, the Royals elected to go for the win with a two-point conversion. Junior quarterback Dylan Caspers rolled to his right and found eighth-grader Cordell Givance wide open in the end zone. It touched off a wild celebration on the Royals’ sideline, and fans streamed onto the field.

Hopkins’ last win was 38-14 over Park Center on Nov. 11, 2020.

2: Points allowed per game by Class 2A, No. 9 Norwood Young America and Class 1A, No. 8 Parkers Prairie.

3: No. 1-ranked teams that lost in Week 3. Class 6A Edina fell to No. 5 Minnetonka 35-28, Class 4A Hutchinson fell to No. 4 Totino-Grace 21-20 in overtime and Class 2A Caledonia lost 20-13 to No. 6 Chatfield.

4: Schools that remain undefeated (3-0) in Class 6A. They are No. 2 Lakeville North, No. 3 Maple Grove, No. 6 Shakopee and Minnetonka.

14: Touchdowns scored by Duluth Denfeld senior running back Taye Manns in the first three weeks of the season. He has rushed for 688 yards on 52 carries — an average of 13.2 yards per attempt — and 13 touchdowns. He has also returned an interception for another score.

38: Tackles made by Delano 5-10, 150-pound senior Caden Rock the first three weeks of the season.

336: Rushing yards for Houston senior running back Maddox Rodriguez in a 60-20 victory over Nine-Player No. 9 Mabel-Canton. He scored on runs of 58, 78, 81 and 95 yards.

369: Rushing yards for Minneota, ranked first in Class 1A and the defending state champion, against No. 3 Bold in a 42-14 victory. Senior Ryan Meagher led the way with 206 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns.

585: Total offensive yards for LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli senior quarterback Cam Hungerholt in the Nine-Player No. 7 Cardinals’ 46-26 victory over Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons. He passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 282 yards and a score.

“It’s tough to kill the clock with an eight-man box. When they sell out like that and we’re trying to block six to their eight, it doesn’t work.” — Chatfield coach Jeff Johnson to the Rochester Post Bulletin after his Class 2A No. 6 Gophers held on to beat No. 1 Caledonia 20-13