Minnesota high school football: Notes from week 1 (8/30/2024)

See notes on noteworthy games in week one of Minnesota high school football

St. Thomas Academy in the 2023 Class 5A MSHSL Prep Bowl. / Jeff Lawler

The 2024 Minnesota high school football season kicked off this week, and with it came our first look at teams throughout the state.

Week one did not disappoint. There were Class 6A upsets, MSHSL records and final-minute victories.

STATEWIDE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD

Here are some noteworthy results from week 1 of Minnesota high school football

Wayzata upsets Lakeville South 

The Wayzata Trojans upset the No. 4 Lakeville South Cougars 17-14 on Thursday night. Lakeville South entered the 2024 season with aspirations to reach the Prep Bowl, but Wayzata’s defense looked the part of a top team. 

Kyle Boutwell’s 29-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Trojans enough to win. They play Minnetonka next week to continue with what is one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Alexandria kicker makes history

University of Minnesota class of 2025 commit and Alexandria High School kicker Daniel Jackson hit a 54-yard field goal against Chaska on Thursday. The made field goal ties the record for the second-longest kick in MSHSL. The kick beats Jackson's previous personal record of 53 yards.

He tied Ken Johnson of Centennial, who converted a 54-yarder in 1995. The state record is a 57-yard kick by Climax-Fisher's Fabian Klienschumacher in 2003.

• Top 25 Minnesota high school football preseason rankings

Chanhassen downed in week 1

Chanhassen found out in week one that defending a title is not easy. Chanhassen fell 44-22 to Elk River on Thursday. 

The Elks are a team that knows how hard it is to defend a title. After winning the Class 5A championship in 2022, the Elks went 4-7 in 2023. But they showed they might be back to contention in Class 5A after Thursday's performance. 

Elks’ running back Brecken Keoraj ran 10 times for 274 yards and three touchdowns as Elk River amassed 440 rushing yards in the game. 

Cadets rally for victory

The No. 16 St. Thomas Academy Cadets scored two touchdowns in the final 70 seconds of the game to defeat Class 5A foe No. 14 Andover 21-14.

Senior quarterback scored on a quarterback sneak to tie the game at 14. On Andover’s next drive, the Cadets blocked a punt and recovered on the 21-yard line. Junior running back Domini Baez scored on a 10-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining to take the win.

Blaine quarterback leads it to top-25 win

Blaine quarterback Sam Shaughnessy amassed 326 total yards and two touchdowns for the Bengals in a 30-10 win over No. 22 St. Michael-Albertville

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More Minnesota high school football coverage from High School on SI

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— Jack Butler | butler@scorebooklive.com | @Butler917 on X