Preseason Preview: Mayer Lutheran

After publishing the 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, and AA preseason previews on Minnesota's defending prep football champions, we're into the A classification and the Crusaders of Mayer Lutheran High School. If you remember my 2021 Preseason State Champion Predictions last summer, I pegged Mayer Lutheran as the favorite to take home gold in Class A based on the amount of talent they had going into last season and I was relieved to see the projection pay off in what culminated in a 13-1 campaign and a thrilling 20-14 victory in the state championship game against perennial contender Minneota. The numbers still don't lie, and our wonderful PrepRedzone subscribers enjoy reading the Preseason Preview series, and although they are only specific to one team, when you look at the number of teams we cover week to week I think it proves we're more detailed and invested in Minnesota prep football than anyone in the game. Also, the first PrepRedzoneMN Preseason All-State feature is incoming and set to go live this weekend, so make sure you stay refreshing the home page. Now, let's get into the returning A champs. Go Crusaders!   Team Review   It must have been a stress-inducing start to the season for Mayer Lutheran. In their Week 1 matchup against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, they left the town of Winthrop without a victory, but the 27-32 score line would their tightest until 12 games later in the state championship contest. Sometimes thing just click after a Week 1 loss and a team collectively sharpens up, and this must have been the case for the Crusaders, as they dominated some small school teams that were far from light on talent with highlight, multi-TD wins against NRHEG, St. Clair/Loyola, JWP, and United South Central. This also included a revenge win against GFW in a 48-12 beatdown in the Section 2A championship game. They really didn't see a competitive matchup (scoresheet wise) until the state championship game, which is another testament to the already gaudy 2022 class that included heavyweight prep prospects and college football commits such as: Teigan Martin (Liberty), Ty Hoese (UW-Stout), Dylan Nelson (UW-Stout), Abram Jopp (UMary football), Elijah Jopp (Northern State), Sam Dennis (Sioux Falls), Cole Neitzel (Concordia-St. Paul), and Tyler Neitzel (Southwest MN State). If that didn't already blow your mind, I'll just be frank: that is an immense amount of talent for a Class A Minnesota program, and one that I'd be surprised to see replicated in the next half decade. Those college commits don't include the contributions of fellow 2022s such as Conner Olsen (QB), Isaac Hahn (OL), Caleb Olsen, Chris Corrigan, Chad Heinlein, Nate Pawelk, and Mathias Loder, so I think it's safe to say the Crusaders have an inordinate amount of talent to replace for this upcoming season. There is however, a lot of room for new players to assert themselves as players and prospects, so that's where this PrepRedzoneMN Preseason Preview comes into play. Let's get to know the returning roster below!   Players to Step Up   Mason Neitzel - TE. C/o 2024. 6'2, 210 lbs.   Also a stud basketball player and younger brother (I'm assuming) of the 2022 Neitzel twins, 2024 Mason carries good size and is light-footed and agile laterally thanks to that basketball background. That size, two-sport background & athleticism, and family tradition should all help him step up as an upperclassman and forefront contributor.   Jordan Taylor - CB. C/o 2023. 5'9, 140 lbs.   Possessing only a game of highlights from '21, Taylor still was able to convey that he can ballhawk from the secondary, especially on missed throws, and is able and capable with the ball in his hands and comfortable on offense and defense. It'll be a big year from Taylor and if he can step up big time on either or both sides of the ball it'll be a major aid to Mayer Lutheran's 2022 campaign.   Blake Aurich - DB. C/o 2023. 5'7, 150 lbs.   In two games of 2021 game highlights, Aurich proved himself to be an efficient tackler in space in both defense and special team settings. There will be a lot more opportunities for the spotlight and a lot of workload available if Aurich wants to take it!   Top Dogs   Marcus Johnson - LT/DT. Class of 2023. 6'4, 305 lbs.   Johnson already holds a good list of offers going into his senior year with North Dakota, St. Thomas, SMSU, and UMD all having reached out during the spring and summer of 2022. He's the unquestioned biggest of dogs for Mayer Lutheran going into this season, and brings a massive frame and the mobility to use it destructively. As an OL it looks scary easy for him to crush opponents into the turf once he gets engaged, and as a DT he can bounce off and eat multiple blocking attempts throughout a play to give opposing offenses fits last season. His ability to fire off the ball and get upfield quickly is a big part of why he's got some exciting offers going into his senior year, and he's especially dangerous at the second level, where he can fling LBs around like rag dolls. He's strong, nasty, experienced, and tough, and should be one of the best lineman in all of Class A this season, if not the best. It's a team game, but Johnson will set the tone and be looked to as a leader in '22 thanks to his physical dominance as a senior. Look for that offer list to grow as well!   Breakout Candidates   Jack Grimsley - RB. C/o 2024. 5'9, 165 lbs.   A quick and light-footed RB and DB who clocked a blazing and verified 4.19 short-shuttle in May, Grimsley put together some good individual showings last season as a sophomore game to game as a RB, DB, and punt returner. He's dynamic, smooth, and physical through contact for his size with good speed and comfortability in space. Now that a big amount of firepower has graduated I think Grimsely is a sure-fire bet to step up and attempt to replicate that production we saw from Mayer Lutheran last season.   Gavin Lofgren - OL. C/o 2024. 6'2, 260 lbs.   Reports weight room numbers like a 275 bench, 455 squat, 215 clean, and 500 pound deadlift. Lofgren acquired valuable varsity reps as a sophomore starter on the OL during the state championship run and shows some strength as both a run and pass blocker in '21. His footwork needs to get cleaned up in pass pro, but he's got a heckuva motor and some natural pop that sent opponents flying either on the initial pop or after reengagement. I really like how he looks for more work even after blocking his first assignment, and his hand placement and effort to finish is also noticeable and impressive for a sophomore tape. He's poised to take some big steps forward as a player now that he's an upperclassman and has the potential to be a big piece of the puzzle if the Crusaders repeat as Class A champs this fall.   Team Recruiting News   Besides Marcus Johnson, the 2023 class of Mayer Lutheran recruits have yet to assert themselves in the recruiting scene and still have a lot of potential attention available to them, especially if they can go deep in the Class A playoffs again. North Dakota is off to a fast start in their 2023 recruiting class, especially among Minnesotans, so I'll be keeping a close eye on whether Johnson sees that MVFC scholarship as too much to pass up. If I was a DII, DIII, or NAIA coach who recruited Minnesota though, I would make sure to stop by the high school, as there are some promising 2024s coming up and it's never too early to make a recruiting impression. Make sure to stay refreshing the PrepRedzoneMN main page for more previews on MN programs from every class and corner of the state.   Other Players to Know   Michael Corey - OL/DL. C/o 2023. 5'11, 185 lbs.   I particularly like Corey's hair-on-fire play style on defense and willingness to find and destroy the ball carrier as a defensive lineman. Also tough and strong enough to hang in the trenches as an OG.   Jack Baumann - WR/CB. C/o 2023. 5'9, 170 lbs.   Tyler Gilb - RB. C/o 2023. 5'5, 150 lbs.   Brayden Bury - OT. C/o 2023. 6'1, 300 lbs.   Ben Bonk - OL. C/o 2024. 5'11   Danny Butcher - OL. C/o 2024. 5'7, 200 lbs.   Levi Hahn - QB. C/o 2024. 6'1, 210 lbs.   Lukas McGill - OL. C/o 2024. 6', 180 lbs.   Xavier Skilling - FB. C/o 2024. 6', 200 lbs.   Sam Shipler - OC. C/o 2024. 6'   Parker Aurich - RB. C/o 2025.   Seth Aurich - WR. C/o 2024   Lucas Baumann - C/o 2025   Kaleb DeBoer - DB. C/o 2025   Kobe Brown - RB. C/o 2025   Josh Clark - TE. C/o 2025   Nolan Hoese - QB. C/o 2025   Adam Erdman - OL. C/o 2025   Sam Jopp - QB. C/o 2025. 5'10, 130 lbs.   Leo Nordick - C/o 2025   Jack Neaton - C/o 2025   Nick Maass - WR. C/o 2025   Cayden Olson -RB. C/o 2025   Zack Robbins - OG. C/o 2025   Ethan Schiefelbein - CB. C/o 2025

After publishing the 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, and AA preseason previews on Minnesota's defending prep football champions, we're into the A classification and the Crusaders of Mayer Lutheran High School. If you remember my 2021 Preseason State Champion Predictions last summer, I pegged Mayer Lutheran as the favorite to take home gold in Class A based on the amount of talent they had going into last season and I was relieved to see the projection pay off in what culminated in a 13-1 campaign and a thrilling 20-14 victory in the state championship game against perennial contender Minneota. The numbers still don't lie, and our wonderful PrepRedzone subscribers enjoy reading the Preseason Preview series, and although they are only specific to one team, when you look at the number of teams we cover week to week I think it proves we're more detailed and invested in Minnesota prep football than anyone in the game. Also, the first PrepRedzoneMN Preseason All-State feature is incoming and set to go live this weekend, so make sure you stay refreshing the home page. Now, let's get into the returning A champs. Go Crusaders!