MFCA All-Star Game
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – A program-record 10 incoming Saint John's football student-athletes will participate at training camp June 23-29 at Clemens Stadium in preparation for the 40th Annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game, sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA).
The players are scheduled to report Sunday, June 23. The first practices begin with the North squad at 6 p.m., followed by the South team at 7:30 p.m., in Clemens Stadium.
The 40th annual North versus South All-Star game is at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at Husky Stadium on the campus of St. Cloud State University.
The 10 All-Stars eclipsed the previous mark of nine that participated in the 1997 All-Star game.
The 93 players and 16 coaches will practice in Clemens Stadium and will once again utilize SJU's field house, the Donald McNeely Spectrum, during inclement weather.
Centennial running back Michael Diggins, Melrose Area defensive lineman Mitch Niehaus, North Branch quarterback Zack Sundly and Aitkin defensive back/wide receiver Peter Zasmeta will suit up for the North team. Prior Lake linebacker Parker Anderson, Blue Earth Area linebacker Carter Hanson, Prior Lake defensive/offensive lineman Ryan Landherr, South St. Paul linebacker Jack Pietruszewski, Lester Prairie-Holy Trinity offensive lineman Peyton Thiry and Eden Prairie offensive lineman Tony Yost will play for the South team.
Hanson, Pietruszewski and another incoming Johnnie, defensive lineman Mike Beckmann of Faribault Bethlehem Academy, were named to the Associated Press' All-State second team. Diggins, Landherr and linebacker Bryan Bowar of St. Cloud Cathedral were named honorable mention. Incoming kicker Alexi Johnson of Shakopee was also named to KARE-11's preseason All-Metro team.
Hanson totaled 124 tackles, four fumble recoveries, three sacks and one interception as the Bucs went 13-0 to claim the state's Class 3A title in November.
Pietruszewski was a three-year starter at South St. Paul and ended his senior season with 83 tackles, nine for a loss and over 225 total tackles in his career. A member of the 2012 KARE-11 All-Metro defensive team, Pietruszewski posted three interceptions and recovered three fumbles, while adding six touchdowns as a running back last fall. – Video Highlights
Diggins rushed for 1,352 yards and 17 touchdowns on 197 carries (6.9 avg.) in nine games (150.2 avg.) for Centennial, and also caught 10 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in 2012. – Video Highlights
Niehaus collected 47 tackles and nine sacks for the Dutchmen last fall, was a key member of Melrose's 29-2 basketball team and earned All-Conference honors as a track and field student-athlete in the shot put and, untraditional for a defensive lineman, as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team.
Sundly directed North Branch's run-oriented offense and led the Vikings with 1,886 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, while throwing for 364 yards and added 40 yards receiving. He totaled a school-record 312 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns against St. Louis Park, one of five games of over 200 rushing yards, in 2012.
The speedy Zasmeta excelled at both wide receiver and defensive back for the Gobblers. In baseball, Zasmeta set the Minnesota high school state record for career stolen bases, shattering the old record of 95, this spring. – Video Highlights
Anderson led the Lakers with 67 tackles and 2.5 sacks as the team's captain in 2012. – Video Highlights
A teammate of Anderson's, Landherr starred on the offensive line for Prior Lake and may play on the defensive front at SJU. – Video Highlights
Thiry followed a 94-tackle season as a junior with 85 tackles (53 solo), two forced fumbles and an interception in 2012. Although he will participate in the All-Star game on the offensive line, Thiry is projected to play at either linebacker or defensive line for the Johnnies. - Video Highlights
A two-year starter at center, Yost was the centerpiece of the Eagles' back-to-back state championship teams (Class 5A in 2011 and Class 6A in 2012). Outside of football, Yost finished third at the state meet in the shot put (12-pound) with a toss of 16.74 meters. – Video Highlights
The 10 All-Stars and the rest of the 2013 SJU team report to Collegeville on Tuesday, Aug. 13, with the first practice scheduled for the following day. Head coach Gary Fasching officially begins his first season on Friday, Sept. 6, at Wisconsin-River Falls.
