Moorhead Set for Class 6A Prep Bowl vs. Edina
The Spuds are playing in their first Championship Game since 1987.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) – This weekend, seven teams will be crowned champions in Minnesota high school football. In Class 6A, the Moorhead Spuds are looking to be the last team standing.
Head Coach for the Moorhead Spuds Kevin Feeney is in his 16th season at the helm. He says the team is taking the same approach this week as they have for every game up to this point.
“We’ve tried to keep the schedule pretty similar to what we’ve been doing in the past. Certainly the kids understand the magnitude of the game. But overall, it comes down to our preparation. I always tell kids, if you know all the answers to the test, you’re going to do pretty well on it. So, trying to make sure that they do the same preparation that we’ve done throughout the whole season.”
In Minnesota Class 6A high school football, 32 teams began their season in August with the same goal in mind come November: a state championship. For the Moorhead Spuds, it’s the first season with the ‘Big Schools’, but they quickly proved they belong. After a season full of key injuries (QB Jett Feeney missing weeks 3-7) and overcoming a low seed in the postseason (6-seed), the Spuds are a win away from becoming state champions.
“At the start of the season we had a lot of doubters, but I’d say now we’re the sixth seed. Nobody’s ever made it this far, I don’t think,” said junior quarterback Jett Feeney. “Now we just got to go out there, prove everybody wrong, and we’ve been doing it all year, so why not do it again?”
Why not is right. Moorhead is a perfect 7-0 when Feeney starts at quarterback.
In the state semifinals versus Lakeville South, Moorhead’s defense shined, allowing just 14 points – the second lowest they allowed all season. Friday night brings a new, but familiar test, the high-powered offense of Mason West and the Edina Hornets – a team the Spuds defeated 51-44 in a thrilling regular season finale.
“Just everybody doing their job,” said senior OL/DL Genesis Kamara. “There’s 11 pieces on the board and our defense doesn’t work unless all 11 do their part. So, just by all of us doing our part and being selfless on the field, it allowed everybody else to make plays. I feel like our confidence is really boosted because our defense was underrated I feel like. By being able to prove ourselves against a big opponent last week, I feel like it’s going to carry on to next week.”
Junior defensive back/wide receiver Zak Walker added, “It’s going to be fun. I would say we have some similarities in how we play football. But yeah, they got a good QB. So we got to stop him through the air. Stop their run game. He likes to scramble, so if we can slow down his scrambling, keep him in the pocket, maybe, have him throw the ball from the pocket, and then just keep on the wide receivers. Don’t let them go nowhere, strap them down. I think we can get it done.”
Walker had two touchdowns in the semifinals vs. Lakeville South.
Friday is Moorhead’s first state championship appearance since 1987 – They won the title that year. Coach Feeney shared what the message to his team will be Friday night:
“Just take it in. I think, number one, once you first get on, I encouraged them to do that this last time. I said, just take a look around because this will be a memory that you have for the rest of your life. Ball gets kicked off it’s a football game and I you know it was it was only the second time I’ve ever been in there as far as at a football game and it felt exactly the same. I think that’s the big thing: our kids kind of just… we’ve asked them to just keep your nose down, keep playing your butt off, and then you know what, when the horn strikes at the end of the game, look up and hopefully we’re on the right side of the scoreboard.”
Moorhead and Edina kick off at 7 P.M. Friday, November 21 at U.S. Bank Stadium. KVRR Sports will be there to cover the game.
