Eden Prairie lands in the hot seat, atop the high school football Metro Top 10

Staff writer Jim Paulsen, who has covered high school football for more than 25 years, presents the 2023 season's first Metro Top 10, his picks for the top 10 teams in the Twin Cities metro area. The Metro Top 10 will be updated weekly.

Expect the Eagles to be a little surly, coming back from a three-loss season in 2022. They're blessed with size and skill on both lines, led by C Will Sather and two terrifically talented pieces of granite on the defensive line, Mo Saine, a 6-5, 265-pound Gophers commit, and Dennis Rahouski, 6-6, 265-pound brute. If the Eagles can settle on a new QB to run the offense — the great thing about coach Mike Grant's offense is that the quarterback just needs to be competent and follow the game plan, not win games by himself — Grant's team has a very real chance to win its 12^th state championship.

Maple Grove went undefeated on the way to the Class 6A championship in 2022, and that is to be respected. Expect 2023 reality to weigh in quickly, however, as the young and green Crimson go into the season as a target. They field an extremely young team with just four starters returning from a year ago, led by senior S Henry Stang and LB Cedric Buchholtz. There is reason for hope, thanks largely to a slew of talented juniors including WR/DB Dylan Vokal, LB Jacob Wrbanek, LB Bo Draheim, DE Sam Hall and TE/DE Nathan Hromadka. The starting QB is yet to be settled and is currently a competition between senior Rylee Melcher and 6-3 sophomore Kaden Harney.

The Irish have found an unsatisfying role as perennial contenders still knocking on the championship door. With a hard-hitting, pad-crunching reputation, Rosemount has played at least 10 games per year every year since 2015 (with the exception of COVID-19-shortened 2020), meaning they show up well in the postseason. But after losing the Class 6A championship game to Maple Grove last season, they are 0-3 in state finals since 2010. Reasons for optimism are plenty, however, with the return of QB Landon Danner, RB Jackson Ganser, WR Riddik Collier and do-it-all athlete Gavin Caswell and a playmaking defense led by DBs Will Peroutka and Ty Hansen.

The Raptors get the opportunity to open what could be a memorable season in a special way: Because of construction at their home field, they begin the 2023 season by hosting intradistrict rival Park of Cottage Grove at TCO Stadium in Eagan, the Vikings' training facility. Expect the offense to thrive with top-notch talent in key spots. Quarterback Tanner Zolnosky threw for 27 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards last season. Running back Isaac Walker and receiver Deontae Flemino are weapons, and Kansas commit Kene Anene is a physical, athletic tackle who elevates the entire offensive line.

It's hard to believe Ben Burk, one of the real good-guy coaches, is already into his fifth season. The Cougars lost some all-timers to graduation, but Burk sees talent stepping in and he's excited. Burk said strong-armed, fast QB Gaven Dean has the "perfect style" for his team, and he has a lot to work with. The defense is a fast, veteran group that has filled in some cracks with first-year players. Expect Lakeville South to be in the championship mix once again.

Rogers appears ready to take its place among the prep football elite. It helps to have the top recruit in the state, Wyatt Gilmore, a 240-pound defensive end who has committed to Oklahoma. And then there's offensive lineman Wyatt Bell, committed to North Dakota. And QB Reece Dawson. And defensive lineman Adrian Onyiego. And LB Palmer Willegalle. And … well, you get the idea.

Football is a numbers game at its core, which bodes well for the Skippers, who have most of their starters back from a year ago and boast 40 seniors. Quarterback Milos Spasojevic looks to have grown a couple of inches in the offseason and now stands tall in the pocket at 6-5. He has plenty of targets and a physical running back in Roman Johnson to take the pressure off. With a defense that has eight starters back and a lingering sour taste in their mouths after losing in the first round of the playoffs last season, expect the Skippers to come out flying.

Royals coach Andy Hill made a request on his season preview form. He asked that his team not be ranked early, feeling his guys needed to prove themselves worthy first. As much as I would like to accommodate, the Royals just have too many pieces in the right places to ignore, starting with 17 returning starters. Senior quarterback George Bjellos is every bit as talented as cross-district rival Tanner Zolnosky of East Ridge and threw for 1,220 yards and 14 TDs a year ago. Circle Sept. 22, when the two QBs square off.

Nice situation for first-year head coach Travis Walch to step into. Not only do the Cadets have a skilled veteran QB in Maximus Sims, but lead rusher Savion Hart is among the best in the state, giving them arguably the best 1-2 punch in the metro. The Cadets always play a physical brand of football, and I expect no difference despite the change in coaches.

Coming off a second state championship, genial Elks coach Steve Hamilton is, as is his wont, underselling his bunch, which was hit by heavy losses to graduation. But he sees talent, led by two-way senior Logan Bunker, a rugged 6-2, 200-pound running back/safety. Patience will be required. "We have the chance to be very good by playoffs. We are very athletic but very inexperienced," Hamilton wrote in his season preview form.

Also considered: St. Michael-Albertville, Centennial, Prior Lake, Shakopee, Wayzata, Stillwater, Lakeville North, White Bear Lake, Chanhassen (5A), Andover (5A).