High School Football Lookahead: Byron -- K-M rematch highlights opening night matchups

Sep. 1—Ben Halder knows what his Byron football team is up against.

In hosting Kasson-Mantorville to open its season on Friday, the Bears face a KoMets program that has been nothing but stellar since Joel Swanson took over in 2019.

That includes K-M getting all the way to the Class AAAA state championship game last year, having beaten Byron twice along the way, 31-21 in the season-opener and 42-14 in the section final.

"Kasson-Mantorville is fantastic," Halder said. "The proof is in them finishing runner-up at state last year. This will be a huge challenge for us. But our kids are excited and confident about it. Only one team gets to play the state runner-up, and that's us."

Halder is also aware of something else: This is a new year, with all of the inherent changes that come with it for every high school football team.

That includes K-M. Gone are a slew of graduated playmakers from that state runner-up outfit, including magician quarterback Matt Donovan. He was a huge cog for K-M, rushing for more than 2,000 yards and passing for more than 800.

Now, the quarterbacking will be done by Kyle Nelson. The junior gained some experience there a year ago as a reserve. Just as Donovan did, Nelson will direct an option attack.

"Some people are going to have to step up and take on those rolls of playmakers," Swanson said. "But I like (junior) Kyle Nelson at quarterback for us. He understands the game and has a good head on his shoulders. He was our starting free safety on defense all of last year, so he directed traffic back there. He understands situations."

Nelson will have a strong offensive line in front of him led by Reese Tripp, a 6-foot-7, 325-pound senior who'll play next season at the University of Minnesota. Tripp will start along both lines of scrimmage. K-M's most featured running back figures to be Broc Barwald. The 6-foot, 190-pound senior got extensive action through the first seven games last year before being lost to a concussion.

"He breaks tackles," Swanson said. "He's not going to end up with negative plays. He's made for this kind of offense, a guy who can gain 3 yards when it looks like there's just 1 yard there."

Byron is a team that comes in feeling good about itself. That's partly related to how the Bears finished last season. After starting with five straight losses, Byron won four of its last six games. One of those wins was a stunner, the Bears topping previously spotless Stewartville 22-21 in overtime in the Section 1AAAA semifinals. Byron used a wild final-minutes comeback in regulation to get it done.

While Halder likes what that win did for his team's off-season mindset, what he likes even more is the togetherness this Bears edition is showing.

He says it possesses as many quality leaders as he's ever coached.

"I like our team, top to bottom, and I like our athleticism," Halder said. "But what I like best is that we have leaders everywhere, in grades 9-12. All of these guys respect each other and love each other. We have more natural leaders than I've ever had in the seven years I've been on this staff. That excites me a lot."

Halder hopes to be balanced on offense and believes that quarterback Kale Robinson will allow Byron to be. A dynamic runner and a solid passer, the junior figures to be a constant threat.

"He is dynamic," Halder said. "He has the ability to be a real threat on the edge and he also throws a nice ball. Kale can hurt you."

—Rushford-Peterson at Medford, 7 p.m.: R-P was unbeaten until the state semifinals a year ago, finishing the 2021 season with a 12-1 record. The Trojans lost some talented seniors from that team, but that season is over and R-P is ready to see what the 2022 version of its team will look like. It will begin to find out in the season opener at Medford, a team they beat 24-6 last season.

—Lanesboro at Grand Meadow, 7 p.m.: It's the season opener for two teams that had their seasons ended by Section 1 9-Man champion LeRoy-Ostrander last fall. Lanesboro lost to L-O in the section final; Grand Meadow ended its season 8-2 after losing to L-O in the section semis. That was also the last game for long-time Superlarks head coach Gary Sloan, who retired after nearly three decades. That makes Grand Meadow's season opener this year the beginning of a new era, the debut of 2007 G.M. grad Josh Bain as the team's head coach.

—Mayo at Owatonna, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Huskies and Spartans are a matchup that always seems to deliver. And boy, did it come through a season ago. The two combined for 160 points in what was a pair of Mayo victories. That included a 38-33 victory in the Section 1AAAAA championship, which ended the Huskies six-year run as section champs. It's an intriguing test for a Spartans team with new faces in key places being put to the test right away. It helps to have all-district lineman Ethan Kramer, who leads a group that is strong in the trenches, which pairs nicely with talented offensive weapons for new quarterback Rees Grimsrud. That includes all-district receiver Carter Holcomb (823 yards receiving, 46 receptions, 9 TDs) as well as a deep running back room in Tore Pappenfus, LeBron See-Stadstad and Rudy Lozoya. It could lead to another shootout with the Huskies week one.

"I'm sure both us and Owatonna are looking forward to it," Holcomb said. "To be able to go out and just kind of see where we're at week one against a great opponent. How we respond to it and the ups and downs that are definitely going to take place in a first week. It's a good opportunity."

—Lourdes at Chatfield, Friday, 7 p.m.: The Eagles will find out what they're made of quickly, going on the road to face the defending Class AA state champ. Chatfield has approximately eight starters back on both sides of the ball, including standout DB Drew Schindler (7 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 39 total tackles) and star RB Sam Backer (2,384 yards rushing last fall, 34 touchdowns; 3,117 all-purpose yards, 51 TDs.), a Minnesota State University, Mankato commit. Lourdes coach Mike Kesler said the Eagles will look to control the ball and win the field position battle, behind the leg of one of the state's best kicker/punters, senior Aidan Jahns.

—Century at New Prague, 7 p.m., Friday: Century opens the season with just seven seniors on the roster. The Panthers are most experienced at wide receiver and defensive back. Junior Jacob Wills led the team in receiving a year ago (22 catches, 10.9 average) while senior Justin Berg was third in receptions (13 catches, 19.5 average) and junior Eli Thompson was fourth (10 catches, 10.3 average). Century lost the 2021 opener 28-6 against New Prague. "They're a physical team and they should be an improved team," Century coach Jon Vik said. "They have a lot of kids coming back from this past year as starters. I think it's going to be a good test for us to start the year."

—Mankato West at John Marshall, 7 p.m. Friday: There is a palpable feeling of excitement within the John Marshall football program this season. That is saying something, since the Rockets won just a combined three games the last two years. But JM has unmatched speed on its side as well as a new head coach, Kyle Riggott, who has invigorated things. Riggott and his players have a ridiculously tough first test, facing defending state Class AAAAA champion Mankato West. The Scarlets, who finished 13-0 last year and have gone a combined 26-3 the last three seasons, are expected to be great all over again. The two words best describing West under coach JJ Helget are "fast" and "physical."