Matt Lombardi is back in his element, teaching attacking defense to willing pupils.
Minnetonka, powered by quarterback Caleb Francois, rolls against Wayzata in high school football
Caleb Francois rushed for three touchdowns for the second game in a row, propelling Minnetonka toward a victory over Wayzata.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 7, 2024 at 5:19AM
The results haven’t been perfect, but they’ve been getting closer to what the Minnetonka defensive coordinator is preaching.
Minnetonka, behind the running of junior quarterback Caleb Francois and a defense that was lights-out save for a few big plays, routed rival Wayzata 28-14 on Friday at Minnetonka.
For the second straight week, Francois, elusive with the ball in his hands, ran for three touchdowns; he rushed for 134 yards Friday.
“It’s been a pretty good start,” Francois said in a huge understatement.
Backfield mate Chase Conrad, a workhorse of a running back, was nearly Francois’ equal, putting up 94 yards, but he did not score.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Conrad said. “It’s all about the ‘W’.”
While the Tonka runners get the love, the Skippers defense carried the show. Minnetonka shut down Wayzata’s offense pretty much all game,, save for four big plays the Trojans compiled that accounted for most of their offense.
The had pass completions of 47, 88 and 37 yards and a run of 39 yards with just over a minute remaining. That was the extent of their offense.
“I’m really proud of these kids,” said Lombardi, the Skippers’ new defensive coordinator. “I like to play movement defense. We come from a lot of different angles. There’s a lot of little intricacies. There’s been a lot of learning going on. I think by Week 8 we’re going to be really good.”
Minnetonka senior linebacker Dylan Hudgens could not stop smiling after the game. He simply loves this defense.
“This is amazing,” Hudgens said. “It’s just really fun to fly around with all your boys and gang tackle every person. We’re just going at that line of scrimmage and trying to take anyone’s head off who comes out there. Just flying around, making plays.”
The victory secured the Bay Bell Trophy for Minnetonka. It was clutched with pride after the game by senior defensive players Caleb Taylor-Brown and Aidan Becker. They were willing to get their picture taken with the prize, but they weren’t willing to let it go.
With one exception, Taylor-Brown noted. “This isn’t the biggest thing we want. Our goal is to make it to the Bank [U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Prep Bowl] this year.”
As the semifinals begin, fans can follow live scores of all state semifinal games on MN Football Hub, our online source for Minnesota high school football stats, scores, schedules, stories, rankings and more.
