Stillwater
Returning starters: 5 on offense, 2 on defense
Impact returnees: Running back Emilio Rosario Matias, who ran for 1,207 yards and 12 touchdowns last fall and defensive lineman Khalid Afuye, an Iowa State commit who tallied 61 tackles in 2024.
Shoutout to a lineman: Nolan von Behren is a captain who played nine positions for the Ponies last season, including long snapper.
Schedule: vs. Maple Grove, at Park, vs. Shakopee, at Mounds View, at Woodbury, vs. White Bear Lake, at East Ridge, vs. Forest Lake
The skinny: Nick Kinsey’s family move means Stillwater is transitioning at quarterback a year early. But the Ponies do have another arm ready to roll. Jack Runk played wide receiver as a sophomore, but the all-state shortstop could be the latest special Stillwater signal caller.
The Ponies’ early season schedule does them no favors – Stillwater hosts defending state champion Maple Grove to open the season Thursday and welcomes Shakopee, a state semifinalist from a year ago, in Week 3.
But Stillwater again figures to be a major player in the Metro East when the subdistrict schedule begins, and Ponies coach Beau LaBore called this year’s team a “very team-centered group that loves football.”
White Bear Lake
Returning starters: 4 on offense, 5 on defense
Impact returnees: Senior quarterback Tomi Animasaun enters his third year under center. He threw for nearly 1,500 yards last season. Linebacker Vince Kazmierczak is a big, strong kid who could go both ways for the Bears.
Shoutout to a lineman: Center Josh LaPean lived in the weight room in the offseason, putting on 40 pounds to get himself into a position to play.
Schedule: vs. Park, at Coon Rapids, vs. Farmington, at East Ridge, vs. Forest Lake, at Stillwater, vs. Woodbury, at Mounds View.
The skinny: White Bear Lake is built on team speed, particularly this season. The Bears are flush with athletes, which is evident in the backfields. On defense, the Bears have the likes of ballhawking safety Lincoln Bacha and stout corners Ty Mueller and Braylon Minor.
Offensively, the skill position speed of Easton Miles and junior running back Brian White lll, who ran for 144 yards against Stillwater last year before going down with an injury the following week, should present opposing defenses with problems.
Woodbury
2024 record: 2-7 (lost in first round of Class 6A playoffs)
Returning starters: 7 on offense and 6 on defense
Impact returnees: Junior Nolan Freymiller is a tight end and safety who played H-back last year but will be all over the field this fall. Junior running back Mark Mathis is back healthy and, when that’s the case, he’s extremely explosive.
Shoutout to a lineman: Senior defensive end Ethan Olson is one of Woodbury’s two captains and, as coach Andy Hill put it, “has really embodied everything a high school football program hopes to be.”
Schedule: at Roseville, vs. Moorhead, at Hopkins, at Forest Lake, vs. Stillwater, vs. Mounds View, at White Bear Lake, vs. East Ridge
The skinny: Woodbury was a hyper-young team a year ago and, frankly, that’s still true to some degree this year, as the Royals have a strong core of juniors to complement their current senior class.
In that sense, the Royals are building something. Woodbury coach Andy Hill said the Royals recorded their sheer volume and attendance numbers in their offseason strength program were the best they’ve been in his 15 years at the helm.
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