St. Paul City schools will collide Thursday afternoon at Central, when the Minutemen host Johnson. That’s nothing new, as the two programs have maintained their rivalry in recent years.
But the St. Paul clashes will be a far more frequent sight the rest of the season, and – finally – they will again feature heavy stakes.
St. Paul Johnson’s wide receiver Sher Her (5) and outside linebacker Michael Xiong (78), celebrate after their team completed a first down at Harding High School in St. Paul on Sept. 5, 2025. (Claudia Staut / Pioneer Press)
For the first time since conference football was done away with by the Minnesota State High School League at the start of the 2015 campaign, St. Paul public programs will again battle for City supremacy this fall.
All five programs – Johnson, Central, Highland Park, Como Park (which co-ops with Washington) and Harding/Humboldt – are grouped together in the Skyway TC-Red subdistrict, meaning they will all play one another and compete amongst themselves for a subdistrict title.
The Minneapolis public schools, with the exception of Edison, will compete in the TC-Blue subdistrict.
Over the next five weeks, the St. Paul programs will play four games against their fellow St. Paul foes, with one crossover game against a Minneapolis team mixed in.
Whoever emerges on top of the subdistrict will meet the Minneapolis champ in the reincarnation of the Twin Cities Championship game Oct. 15 to close out the “regular season” before section play begins.
Schools from St. Paul and Minneapolis worked in conjunction with one another and the MSHSL to reconfigure the setup of old.
Highland Park coach Dave Zeitchick noted he’s “pumped” about the new subdistrict setup, adding “the MSHSL got it right.”
“It’s great when kids that grew up playing each other get to play each other again,” Zeitchick said. “I have great friends coaching in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it will be awesome to play against them again. Most of the players in St. Paul and Minneapolis don’t know anything about the football Twin Cities Championship.”
It’s time to get reacquainted with the past, while also providing a path forward.
St. Paul public school programs are a combined 1-9 through two weeks, accruing losses against a number of suburban programs. The lone win is Johnson’s season-opening victory over St. Agnes.
On the Minneapolis side, perennial power North is 2-0, but the other programs in the TC-Blue subdistrict are a combined 2-6.
Harding/Humboldt coach Tim Daniels noted there are “a lot” of talented athletes in the community. But football is a sport of attrition. Declining participation numbers in St. Paul make it difficult to compete with larger programs, particularly over the course of a season.
It’s why as excited as Central coach Scott Howell is to renew rivalries, he also appreciates “the opportunity to play teams who have the same struggles and problems we all face in the inner city.”
Johnson reached the Class 4A state semifinals in 2018, but that represents the only St. Paul public school state appearance since 1981. That’s still an ultimate goal for programs, but a City championship is something players can potentially set their sights on year after year.
“Something awesome to shoot for,” Zeitchick said, “and a real shout out to city schools.”
“I love it,” Johnson coach Richard Magembe said. “It’s time to bring back city pride. Give the youth in our communities something to aspire to and keep the private and suburban schools out of our backyards.”
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