Prep quarterfinals start Friday

The sectional playoffs are done, and now the state high school football begin in earnest with quarterfinal games in all six classes scheduled for Friday night. Check out where two top Gopher recruits will be in action.

Future U of M quarterback Tony Mortensen and lineman prospect Lydon Murtha will lead Hutchinson HS against Minneapolis North in one Class AAAA quarterfinal. The kickoff is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Minneapolis Roosevelt HS in south Minneapolis.

Last week, Mortensen ran for a touchdown and threw for another as the Tigers (7-3) defeated Orono 28-9 in the Section 6AAAA final. They'll run up against a red-hot team from North (8-3), coached by former Minnesota Viking Rufus Bess. The Polars have won five straight games, including upsets of private-school powers Holy Angels and Benilde-St. Margaret's in the last two games of section 5AAAA play.

In other action Friday, Breck travels to Olivia to face BOLD in a battle of 11-0 teams in Class AA. Breck is led by senior quarterback Liam O'Hagan, who's been offered a scholarship by Minnesota. O'Hagan, also a baseball star, has yet to decide where he'll go to college or which sport he'll focus on.

Lentch makes all-Frosh squad: Gopher soccer player Haley Lentsch was named to the Big Ten's all-Freshman team after leading all first-year players in scoring. She had 19 points this year, seven more than her closest competitor, and she became the second freshman in school history to lead the Gophers in scoring.