The 35th annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game will take place this Saturday at 7 p.m. on the campus of St. Cloud State University at Husky Stadium as the state’s top metro players will take on the top outstate players. The Minnesota Vikings and FSN North have announced their partnership to televise the game on Wednesday, July 2 at 7:00 p.m.
This year’s telecast will be the second ever broadcast of the event and it will feature a talented cast, including play-by-play action FSN North’s Anthony LaPanta and analysis from Dave Nelson, Head Football Coach from Minnetonka High School and George Thole, Former Head Football Coach from Stillwater High School. Also, Jeff Grayson will serve as sideline reporter.
“As a member of the National Football League, we want to do as much as possible to help promote the game on all levels,” said Steve LaCroix, Vikings Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Partnering with FSN North on this event allows the prominent showcasing of the incredible football talent that exists in Minnesota.”
Preparations for the broadcast began earlier in the week as the broadcast team traveled to St. Peter to gather information and take notes as the teams held practices on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.
The all-star game format pits a team of outstate standouts against a team of metro area standouts, with former Viking offensive lineman Randall McDaniel as honorary head coach of the Metro All-Stars and former Vikings linebacker Matt Blair as honorary coach of the Outstate All-Stars.
Aside from high school football action on Saturday, youth football players ages 5-14 will also get field time. The Vikings and the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) will partner to put on the Vikings of Tomorrow Youth Football Clinic at Husky Stadium from 4:00-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, prior to the all-star game. Blair and McDaniel will be on hand to provide instruction to the youngsters, as will a variety of high school coaches from across the state. All clinic participants will be given one free ticket to the all-star game and will be recognized on the field during halftime of the game.
Former Minnesota high school football standouts Milt Sunde (Bloomington) and Thomas Tapeh (St. Paul Johnson) will also be honored at a pregame ceremony for their outstanding achievements in the game of football. Sunde played in Super Bowls IV and IX with the Vikings and started 113 of the 146 games he played in his 11 seasons from 1964-74. Tapeh attended school and was a standout running back at the University of Minnesota and was then drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He signed with the Vikings as a free agent this spring.
The Minnesota High School All-Star game has produced 57 NFL players, including six Super Bowl participants and six Pro Bowl selections in its storied history. A few of its most prominent alumni include Sunde; four-time Pro Bowl punter Rohn Stark (Pine River); two-time Chiefs tackle John Alt (Columbia Heights); Giants wide receiver Stacy Robinson (St. Paul Central), who played in Super Bowls XXI and XXV; and current NFL players Marion Barber III, a running back for the Dallas Cowboys (Wayzata) and Colts tight end Ben Utecht (Hastings).