The first drive didn’t go the way Centennial senior quarterback Isaac Belinske-Strauss and his teammates wanted it to Friday night.

But things picked up considerably from there.

Belinske-Strauss rushed for three 1-yard touchdowns as the Cougars – ranked No. 7 in the state in Class 6A – rolled past 10th-ranked Champlin Park 31-10 at Champlin Park High School in a battle of two teams that each entered the night 2-0.

Centennial fumbled the ball away at the Champlin Park 29 on its first possession.

After that, though, Belinske-Strauss and his offense were tough to stop. The Cougars took a 7-0 lead on the quarterback’s first touchdown run on the opening play of the second quarter.

Centennial then expanded that margin to 10 when senior Justin Driver drilled a 50-yard field goal. The Rebels cut the gap to 10-3 when junior Trace Fitzgerald connected on a 21-yard field goal of his own.

But the Cougars scored on a 24-yard scoring strike from Belinske-Strauss to senior Calvin Coppersmith that made the score 17-3 with 1:33 remaining in the first half.

Belinske-Strauss had 11 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown in the first two quarters of play.

Centennial again fumbled the ball away at the Rebels’ 17 on the opening drive of the second half.

But its next possession ended on another 1-yard Belinske-Strauss touchdown run. So did the one that followed that, which started on the Champlin Park 1 after a high snap on a Rebels’ punt attempt.

Champlin Park junior Preston Nelson scored on a 22-yard touchdown run with 9:37 to play to cut the gap to 31-10. The Rebels then drove into Centennial territory on its next possession before turning the ball over on downs at the Cougars’ 40.

And from there, Centennial ran out the clock.

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Republican Tad Jude announced his candidacy for Minnesota secretary of state in 2026 on Friday.

Republican Tad Jude, center, will run for Minnesota secretary of state next year. In this Nov. 5, 2024 photo, Tad Jude is seen at the 2024 Minnesota GOP Election Party held at Radisson Blu in Bloomington. (Matt Blewett / Special to Pioneer Press)

Jude, 73, of Maple Grove,  has previously served as a state representative and senator, as well as 11 years as a district court judge for Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District. He most recently ran for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District against now-Rep. Kelly Morrison in 2024.

“After many years of service to our great state, I’m stepping forward to protect the integrity of our elections,” Jude said in a Friday press release. “Minnesotans deserve a Secretary of State who values transparency and accountability. It’s time to end the doubts plaguing our election system and rebuild confidence in every vote cast.”

Jude also ran for attorney general in 2022 but lost the Republican nomination to Jim Schultz.

No other candidates have officially announced their bid for the secretary of state’s office, which is now occupied by 11-year incumbent Steve Simon.

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DULUTH, Minn. — A 72-year-old Duluth man allegedly threatened to shoot out the windows of an elementary school to attract media attention.

Richard Joseph Neault told an officer he planned to shoot at the school across the street from his house when it was unoccupied, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in St. Louis County District Court.

Neault is charged with felony threats of violence. He remained in the St. Louis County jail Friday night.

The alleged threats followed the Aug. 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. Two students, ages 8 and 10, were killed. Twenty-one other people, mostly children, were injured. The shooter died by suicide, police said.

On Thursday evening, Neault told a bar worker to “watch the news” and he was going to shoot the windows of the school, the charges say. The worker contacted police, who responded to his house on the 5500 block of West Sixth Street, which is across the park adjacent to Laura MacArthur Elementary School. Neault allegedly admitted to making the threat.

“I know how to get the news crews here,” he allegedly recounted saying to the bar worker. “I’ll take my SKS, all loaded up, and make sure that nobody is in the school, and I’ll take out about five of them (expletive) windows.”

He told an officer he was a disabled veteran and he was upset that media outlets had not responded to his requests to do a story about him, according to the court complaint.

A SKS semiautomatic assault rifle, a homemade shotgun made from steel pipes, and ammunition reportedly were found in Neault’s house during the execution of a search warrant. Handwritten documents that included mentions of weapons and that Neault was a trained killer also were found.

Adelle Wellens, a Duluth School District spokesperson, said Laura MacArthur School students stayed inside for recess on Friday as a precaution.

“We understand that events like this can be unsettling, and we have staff available to provide support for any student or staff who may need it,” Wellens said. “We encourage everyone to remember: if you see something, or hear something, say something.”

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By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud.

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President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on allegations that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously, as he looks to reshape the central bank to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”

Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing, the first time a president has sought to remove a member of the seven-person board of governors. Cook secured an injunction Tuesday that allows her to remain as a Fed governor.

The administration has appealed the ruling and asked for an emergency ruling by Monday, just before the Fed is set to meet and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.

Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.

Claiming a home as a “primary residence” can result in better down payment and mortgage terms than if one of the homes is classified as a vacation home.

The descriptions of Cook’s properties were first reported by Reuters.

Fulton County tax records show Cook has never claimed a homestead exemption on the condo, which allows someone who uses a property as their primary residence to reduce their property taxes, since buying it in 2021.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AP writer Jeff Amy in Atlanta contributed to this report.