High School Football previews: Highland Park, St. Croix Lutheran return experience. How about Tartan?
Highland Park
2025 record: 4-6 (Lost in section semifinals)
Coach: David Zeitchick
Returning starters: 10 on offense, 9 on defense
Impact returnees: Eric Reed was the co-district quarterback of the year as a junior, while Brandon Jackson is the reigning district running back of the year.
Remember the name: Joaquin Lechuga, a senior linebacker who’s an all-subdistrict honoree and three-year starter, and is also a brilliant kid who recently benched 300 pounds.
Shoutout to a lineman: Marcus Tupy returns as reigning District Offensive Lineman of the Year. Zeitchick describes him as “an old school lineman” who plays with his shoulder pads. He stands at just 6 feet tall but is “just a throw back” player. “He gets dirty on turf.”
Schedule: vs. Richfield, vs. Mahtomedi, at Harding/Humboldt, vs. Johnson, vs. Como Park (Homecoming, Oct. 3), at Minneapolis Washburn, at Central
The skinny: Expectations are high for this experienced group of Scots. The current seniors are the first to come all the way through the program since Zeitchick returned to lead the program.
The offense is stacked with weapons, with Reed now able to revert back to running back now that quarterback Leo Clifford has recovered from a knee injury.
Defensively, the linebacking core and secondary are stacked with experience. The Scots believe they have a strong combination of size and athleticism.
St. Croix Lutheran
2025 record: 10-1 (Lost in section final)
Coach: Adam Frey
Returning starters: 5 on offense, 4 on defense
Impact returnees: Junior Eli Larson is St. Croix Lutheran’s featured back who averaged north of 10 yards per carry in 2025. He has 6-foot-7, 290-pound lineman Cam Oakland starting for a third straight year up front. Evan Frey is the Crusaders’ best cover man who will also return kicks and play wideout.
Remember the name: Isaac Svendsen is only a sophomore, but the receiver and corner is considered “extremely talented” and will contribute at receiver, defensive back and returner.
Shoutout to a lineman: Bernardo Chaves is a 6-foot-2, 285-pound Brazilian who will see action on both lines.
Schedule: at Faribault, vs. Johnson, vs. Brooklyn Center, at Concordia Academy, vs. St. Anthony (Homecoming, Oct. 2), at St. Agnes, at Breck, vs. DeLaSalle
The skinny: The Crusaders’ hearts were broken by a Minneapolis North comeback in the fourth quarter of last year’s section final. That should only fuel the fire of this year’s senior-laden group.
Between Larson at running back and a pair of three-year starting linemen in Oakland and Daniel Beekman, St. Croix Lutheran figures to lean heavily on the ground game to impose its will and win a lot of games again this fall.
Tartan
2025 record: 6-4 (Lost in section semifinals)
Coach: Matt Diediker
Returning starters: 3 on offense, 6 on defense
Impact returnees: The Titans return three high-impact skill players from a year ago – quarterback Isaac Ou, receiver Joey Varner and running back Marcus Anderson. All three were strong as juniors and turned in good offseasons. Senior tight end and defensive end Vincent Wessel is also expected to produce after his junior campaign was cut short.
Remember the name: Junior receiver and defensive back Jaydrion Chan will play multiple positions and can wreak havoc for opponents with the ball in his hands.
Shoutout to a lineman: Bryce Couch is a senior who will play offensive tackle and rotate in at defensive tackle. Diediker praised Couch’s weight room activity and noted the tackle has “been a great leader for us.”
Schedule: vs. Rochester Century, at Harding/Humboldt, vs. Bloomington Kennedy, at Bloomington Jefferson, at Cretin-Derham Hall, vs. Mahtomedi (Homecoming, Oct. 9), at St. Louis Park, vs. Burnsville
The skinny: Tartan will feature a number of fresh faces this fall, particularly on the offensive line. But so many key returning skill position players should help buoy early results and give the newcomers – for whom Diediker and Co. are excited – time to develop and blossom in their new roles.
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