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Prep Blog: Week 2, Previewing 'The Big 4'

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Week 1 of high school football in Minnesota is in the books, and the season for some programs is already starting to take shape.

In Week 2, some teams are looking to recover from tough losses to start the regular season. Others are looking to build off early-season momentum and get off to a 2-0 start. It also marks the time of the season where a team can see its greatest improvement in a week-to-week basis. There are far less nerves going into the second game, and it's those nerves that can lead to the first-game mistakes.

After playing an opponent, players tend to learn a lot from film study and make adjustments going into the next game. There are several big games this week, but we can only choose four to preview in another exciting Friday night of high school football.

Prior Lake (1-0) at Rosemount (1-0)

A lot can happen yet this season, but there's a huge match-up south of the Twin Cities Friday night between a pair of top-10 teams that could go a long way in deciding a conference title. Rosemount hosts Prior Lake in our featured game for WCCO-TV's High School Sports Rally.

Both teams are off to a 1-0 start. The Irish beat rival Eastview 41-6 last week behind three touchdown passes and 180 yards through the air from quarterback Jackson Erdmann. He also found three different receivers on all three scores. Running back Dmitri Williams scored three touchdowns in the win, two on the ground.

Prior Lake is coming off a 43-21 win over Lakeville South in a balanced overall game for the Lakers. Prior Lake had four rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown and an interception returned for a score. The Lakers are led by quarterback Lucas Olson and running back/linebacker Alex Hart.

This week's winner has the inside track to win a South Suburban Conference title, and I'll take Rosemount with its depth and playing at home.

Cretin-Derham Hall (1-0) vs. East Ridge (1-0)

Two of the top teams in the metro and contenders in the Suburban East Conference meet Friday night at the University of St. Thomas as Cretin-Derham Hall hosts East Ridge. The Raiders got their season started with a 34-27 win over White Bear Lake and in that game, quarterback Maxwell Jackson threw for 183 yards and five touchdowns. Those five scores went to three different receivers. The Raptors are led by quarterback Seth Green, who threw for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 49-0 win over Park Cottage Grove. Dominik London also ran for close to 200 yards and a touchdown. It should be interesting to see what each defense does against these high-octane offenses.

Benilde-St. Margaret's (0-1) at Chaska (1-1)

Benilde-St. Margaret's is looking for its first win Friday night, but it won't come easy as the Red Knights travel to Chaska in a Metro West Conference match-up. Benilde lost 31-20 to Holy Angels last week. The Red Knights were led by Nate Barry's 154 yards rushing and one touchdown. Chaska is off to a 1-1 start after beating Forest Lake 27-0 last week. The Hawks are led by quarterback Justin Arnold, who is also one of their best rushers.

Edina (0-1) at DeLaSalle (1-0)

It should be a great non-conference game Friday night in Minneapolis as DeLaSalle hosts Edina. The Islanders are looking to improve to 2-0 after running over St. Croix Lutheran 62-12 last week. The Hornets are searching for their first win after falling to a tough Maple Grove squad 27-8. DeLaSalle has all kinds of weapons on offense, but it all runs through quarterback Billy Hart. He had five passing touchdowns last week and ran for another. Edina is led by quarterback Charlie Smith, who got the Hornets' lone score through the air last week.

Tune into WCCO-TV's High School Sports Rally at about 10:20 p.m. Friday as Mike Max, Frank Vascellaro and David McCoy will have all the action covered.

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