Introducing the Minnesota Top 20, the Star Tribune’s new statewide high school football ranking

It’s hard to imagine a first-year head coach stepping into a better situation than the one Maple Grove’s Adam Spurrell inherited. The Crimson are bursting with talent, led by running back Charles Langama, quarterback Kaden Harney and wide receiver-defensive back Dylan Vokal, and have a lot of prime beef up front.

That’s just for starters, and that’s why Maple Grove is where we start the new Star Tribune Minnesota Top 20, a statewide ranking produced by football reporter Jim Paulsen. The Crimson get the nod as the preseason No. 1 based on the sheer volume of talent.

Edina, the 2023 Class 6A runner-up, is ranked second but can make a strong case for the top spot. After a 1-3 start in 2023, the Hornets coalesced around the passing of QB Mason West and the running of RB John Warpinski. They won eight in a row before narrowly losing to Centennial in the Class 6A championship game. Warpinski has graduated, but West, a 6-6, 200-pound junior with big-time college potential, is a nice piece to build around. He has weapons to throw to in receivers Meyer Swinney and Trillion Sorrell.

No. 3 Lakeville South leans on the hard-to-stop Power-T running game and has the talent to make it scary. Expect RB Connor Cade to spend many a Friday night sprinting untouched through opposing defenses.

Here’s news: Eden Prairie is a top contender. Seriously, the real shock would be if the brawny Eagles were not one of the state’s best. Eden Prairie, ranked fourth, is led by senior RB Elijah Rumph, a downhill runner who can beat you with power or speed, but what makes the team formidable is its inevitable depth. Expect to see that depth pay dividends as the season goes on.

Don’t overlook Lakeville North or Stillwater, two teams with high-end quarterbacks (Riley Grossman at Lakeville North and Nick Kinsey at Stillwater) who give their teams a chance to beat anyone on any given night.

Just as with the big-class schools, no clear favorite shows in Class 5A. 2022 champion Elk River will be back near the top thanks to a dual backfield threat of RB Gavin Schmidt, a thumper between the tackles, and lightning-quick Brecken Keoraj. Defending champion Chanhassen doesn’t have the top-end skill players of a year ago, but plenty of talent returns.

Three teams from Greater Minnesota take their places on the Minnesota Top 20: perennial power Mankato West and two from the central part of the state that boast big names. Alexandria has 6-8 QB Chase Thompson and kicker Daniel Jackson, a Gophers commit, and Sauk Rapids-Rice trots out perhaps the best passing combination outside of the metro in QB Spencer Ackerman and WR Hudson Omoke.

Class 6A unless noted

1. Maple Grove

2. Edina

3. Lakeville South

4. Eden Prairie

5. Lakeville North

6. Stillwater

7. Centennial

8. Anoka

9. Shakopee

10. Elk River (5A)

11. Minnetonka

12. Chanhassen (5A)

13. Alexandria (5A)

14. Mankato West (5A)

15. Forest Lake

16. Rogers

17. Andover (5A)

18. Sauk Rapids-Rice (5A)

19. St. Thomas Academy (5A)

20. Stewartville (4A)