Gopher FB recruits look good in season opener

Friday night was the season opener for many Minnesota high school teams. Several Minnesota recruits shined in their first game of the 2003 season. The following is a look at some of the performances by Minnesota commitments or recruiting targets.

QB Johnny Carlson completed 12 of 20 passes for 174 yards and one passing and one rushing touchdown as Minnetonka (MN) Hopkins defeated Buffalo 28-6. He rushed for 51 yards on five carries. He scored on a 2-yard run and also threw for a two-point conversion. Carlson committed to Minnesota in June.

Everette Pedescleaux's 2-yard run with 4:05 left gave Armstrong a 26-20 victory over Cambridge-Isanti. Pedescleaux is a two-sport standout who plays fullback, tight end and defensive end. He has been offered a scholarship by Minnesota and Kansas State and has narrowed his list to ten schools in football.

Liam O’Hagan of Breck completed 10 of 17 passes for 264 yards and five touchdowns; three to Brandon Robinson, as the Mustangs beat De LaSalle. He had 69-, 29-, 42-, 52- and 20-yard touchdown passes. His brother is a pitcher at Stanford and the Cardinal, Boston College and Minnesota are among the schools recruiting him.

Teammate Brandon Robinson caught touchdown passes of 42, 52 and 20 yards in the Breck win. Boston College,California, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin have all offered him a scholarship. Robinson is one of the country's top defensive back prospects. He has set up a visit to Stanford Dec. 6.

Hutchinson QB Tony Mortensen rushed 23 times for 94 yards and one touchdown and passed for another touchdown as the Tigers defeated Glencoe-Silver Lake 28-18. Mortensen had a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass. He also had a two-point conversion run and pass to aid the Tigers. Mortensen is considering Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Teammate Lydon Murtha re-injured his shoulder on the seventh play of the game and sat out the rest of the contest. The Gophers commitment had originally injured his shoulder in preseason drills. He is expected to play next week when the Tigers face Farmington. Murtha is expected to be fitted with a shoulder harness.

Jack Simmons of Carmel (IL) High committed to Minnesota last week. His team is ranked No. 1 in the state by the Chicago Tribune. They defeated Marist in their opener 35-10 in East Suburban Catholic action.

Matt DeGeest of Harrisburg (SD) High had a big sack in the fourth quarter, which gave the Tigers the ball back with 2:41 left on the Lennox 29-yard line. Unfortunately, Harrisburg missed a field goal that could have won the game in regulation and the Tigers eventually lost 30-27 in triple overtime.

Tommy Leavitt of Minneapolis Washubrn caught three passes for 23 yards in the Millers' 42-7 win over Patrick Henry. Leavitt played tight end, defensive end and linebakcer. He has been offered a scholarship by the Gophers.

Dominique Barber of Wayzata rushed twelve times in the Trojans' 6-3 win over Totino-Grace.

Jerod Arlich of Mahtomedi ran six times for eight yards and caught one pass for 22 yards in the Zephyrs' 33-14 win over Richfield. Arlich is a fullback and linebacker who had eleven tackles and one sack for the Class AAAA runner-up.