Walch once again on the broadcast team for Prep Bowl
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Nov. 28—ROCHESTER — Elgin native Travis Walch will be working on television broadcasts during the Prep Bowl for the third time when the Minnesota state championship football games air this weekend from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Walch will do the color commentary on the television feed for the Class A and AA championship games, the first two contests on Friday. The Class A game will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the Class AA title game between Chatfield and Barnsville at 1 p.m.
The games will air on 45TV KSTP out of the Twin Cities. They can be seen on Spectrum cable in the Rochester area on channel 192.
On Saturday, Walch will be an on-set analyst for the entire day with Chris Long. Three games are scheduled that day, starting with the Nine-Man title game between Spring Grove and Mountain Iron-Buhl at 10 a.m.
"It certainly makes it nice when there's a couple of local teams with Spring Grove and Chatfield," Walch said.
Walch had to do a lot of prep work leading up to the seven-game event, watching film and interviewing coaches prior to the games.
"I'm trying to get down to where I think it's presentable this week and then just sit back and wait to see what happens during the games," Walch said. "And hopefully there will be some things to comment on."
As a color commentator, he provides inside game information and aids the play-by-play man during the broadcast.
As an on-set analyst, he is paired with a partner down by the field. In that role, Walch and Long will preview the game, do the halftime show, wrap up the game and then do the pregame for the next contest.
Walch worked as an on-set analyst in 2019 and then there was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID.
"I think you always feel like it's going to be a lot more planned out than it is," he said. "So I was really nervous the first year."
He did color commentary and on-set work in 2021. He really enjoyed doing the color commentary work, he said, and jumped at the chance for an expanded role this year.
"I hope I can do a good job and keep doing it," Walch said. "I really like doing it, but it's a lot of work."
Walch, who now resides in White Bear Lake, also runs national football combines for a Minnesota company. He has to attend one in South Dakota the day after he is done with his work in the Prep Bowl.
"It's all good stuff, and a lot of football stuff," he said.
—Darrell Thompson, a 1986 John Marshall grad, will also be working during the Prep Bowl. He will do color commentary for the Class AAAAAA title game.
Thompson, a former University of Minnesota standout running back, does Gophers football radio broadcasts during the college football season.
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Mabel-Canton grad Drew Wyffels is having a strong season for the nationally ranked Wartburg College football team.
Wyffels is a senior defensive back and he was named honorable mention All-American River Conference for his play in 2022. He has made 32 tackles, 3.5 for loss, this season with an interception, five pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
The highlight of his 2021 season was a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Jaydon Boynton, a Lewiston-Altura grad, is a freshman offensive lineman for Wartburg while Austin Griffin, a Winona Cotter grad, is a fifth-year senior running back.
Griffin is fifth on the team with 251 yards rushing and he has ran for five touchdowns. Boynton has not appeared in a varsity game.
Wartburg is still alive in the NCAAA Division III playoffs. Wartburg is a perfect 12-0 and ranked No. 12 in the nation. It defeated St. John's 23-20 this past weekend to advance to the national quarterfinals. Wyffels had four tackles and a pass breakup in the win over the Johnnies.
Guy N. Limbeck is a sports writer for the Post Bulletin. His Local Notebook appears each Tuesday. He can be reached at
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