Minnesota

Top 20 linebackers in Minnesota high school football in 2024

Published

1 year ago

October 11, 2024

Top 20 linebackers in Minnesota high school football in 2024

High School on SI rolls on with our coverage of the top players in Minnesota high school football. This week, we look at the top linebackers in the state.

There are many talented athletes who are not listed, and this list is in no particular order.

The following athletes will be included in a poll for you to vote on who you think is the top linebacker in Minnesota high school football in 2024. The poll will be posted on Monday.

Tristan Holbrook, Sr., Belle Plaine

Holbrook has many accolades. He has been a team captain for the past two seasons, and he was first-team all-district in 2023. He had 110 total tackles as well. He is committed to Bemidji State.

“He is the heart and soul of our program, along with being our best player,” head coach Dave Frisell said. “Great student, great character, great player.”

Lavontae Cox, Sr., St. Paul Central

More notable as a running back, Cox is still a top outside linebacker, and he had 75 tackles in 2023. He is a great athlete who impacts both sides of the ball.

Emmanuel Karmo, Sr., Robbinsdale Cooper

A hybrid edge/linebacker, Karmo has fantastic reaction time to disrupt any offense. He’s the kind of rangy linebacker that modern defenses are looking for in college, which is why he has 18 collegiate offers, according to 247sports.com. Karmo is committed to Minnesota.

Damian Devine, Sr., Academy of Holy Angels

Devine is a great all-around athlete, and he also plays quarterback for the Stars. Devine has 20 total tackles and one interception through four games in 2024. As a linebacker, he shows his range in pass coverage where he might also be valuable as a safety at Villanova, where he is committed to playing college football.

Chase Brixius, Sr., Benilde-St. Margaret’s

Brixius has 43 total tackles in 2024 in just five games. He also has five tackles for loss as a middle linebacker. He fills the gap in the defensive line and rarely misses a tackle. He is committed to North Dakota State.

Blake Schiltz, Sr., Pine Island

Schiltz suffered an ACL injury earlier in his career, but he continues to play high level football for Pine Island. As a middle linebacker, Schiltz can stonewall any runner. He is committed to North Dakota State.

Mason Bosel, Sr., Parkers Prairie

Through his four-year career, Bosel has 2027 tackles, 162 solo tackles, seven sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, three fumbles recovered and two forced fumbles.

“Mason Boesl demonstrates what it looks like to be an outstanding student-athlete,” Parkers Prairie head coach Mike Johnson said. “Mason’s calm demeanor and intense competitiveness make him a good player, but his love for the game, his leadership, and his relentless effort at all times make him a great player.”

Jacob Wrbanek, Sr., Maple Grove

Another player committed to North Dakota State, as a preferred walk-on, Wrbanek has 25 solo tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks through the first four weeks of the season.

Kane Thompson, Jr., International Falls

Thompson is a middle linebacker and team captain in 2024. He had 68 solo tackles in 2023 and four fumble recoveries along with one interception and one sack.

“Kane is a “yes sir, thank you” kind of kid,” International Falls head coach Seth Ettestad said. “He likes to be swaggy, but when it comes down to it, he’s kind, patient, and humble. He’s already big bodied and figuring out how to use it. He’s triggering faster and faster at linebacker. He’s in the weight room every day in the offseason. Sometimes twice a day. I can’t wait to see what he does for us over the next two seasons.”

Dylan Hudgens, Sr., Minnetonka

Hudgens is everywhere for a stout Skippers’ defense. He has an impressive 71 total tackles in six games. He leads Minnetonka with 12 tackles for loss, as well. Hudgens is committed to South Dakota.

Kaleb Weikel, Sr., Andover

Through six games, Weikel is the clear playmaker for Andover. He has 65 total tackles, 31 solo, through 6 games as well as nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Carter Carstens, Sr., Chanhassen

Carstens is always around the ball for the Storm defense. He leads the team with 49 total tackles, and he has six total tackles, 0.5 sacks and one forced fumble through six games. He is committed to St. Thomas.

Zach Welch, Sr., Anoka

Welch had a strong 2023 season with 77 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks. Through 2024, he has 21 total tackles and two forced fumbles while also playing running back for Anoka.

Atlee Hershberger, Sr., Fillmore Central

Hershberger had 45 tackles with seven of them for a loss. He was an all-district team member in 2024, and he is a team captain in 2024.

“Atlee has been involved with our program since the 4th grade as a manager. He is a hard working, physical athlete,” Fillmore Central head coach Chris Mensink said. “He is a leader on the offensive line and in the middle of our defense.”

Aidan Boche, Jr., Park

Boche leads Park of Cottage Grove in total tackles in 2024 with 44 through six games. He commands the center of the defense and has great instincts to find the ball.

Calan Pilon, Jr., Robbinsdale Armstrong

Pilon has great speed on the edge to get to the opposing quarterback. He is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss through seven games with six.

John Pietruszewski, Sr., Hill-Murray

Pietruszewski is one of Hill-Murray’s top players on defense.

“John is a very good athlete and one of the toughest football players on the team,” Hill-Murray head coach Robert Reeves said. “He started as a sophomore on varsity. He’s a three-sport athlete — football, basketball, baseball.

Chase Evink, Sr., Hancock

Evenk is a great athlete who stars as a running back as well. He has 29 total tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks through six games. He is committed to North Dakota State.

Frank McAninch, Sr., Mankato West

McAninch had a strong junior season with 50 solo tackles and 21 tackles for loss. In 2024, he has 40 solo tackles and 11 tackles for loss through six games. He is committed to North Dakota.

Eli Klimek, Sr., Nevis

Klimek is a stats machine. He has 69 total tackles, 48 solo, in six games in 2024. In 2023, he had 134 tackles and three sacks for the 9-man Prep Bowl champions.

More Minnesota high school football coverage from High School on SI

Vote: Who is the top defensive lineman in Minnesota high school football in 2024?

Vote: Who is the top offensive lineman in Minnesota high school football in 2024?

Top 20 receivers and tight ends in Minnesota high school football

Top 20 running backs in Minnesota high school football

Top quarterbacks in Minnesota high school football in 2024

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Minnesota

Wild at Kraken Morning Skate Wrap Up | Minnesota Wild

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Wild at Kraken Morning Skate Wrap Up | Minnesota Wild

The Wild closes out a seven-game, 14-day road trip tonight against the Seattle Kraken at 9:00 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3. Minnesota has earned a point in five of the first six games of the trip (3-1-2), earning wins over Winnipeg, Vegas and Anaheim, and getting a point in shootout losses to San Jose and Los Angeles. History shows Minnesota is ending this grueling trip in a place where it has had great success. Since dropping its first ever game in Seattle in October of 2021, the Wild has won its last six games at Climate Pledge Arena, including a 4-1 win over the Kraken on December 8. With a 12-7-3 record on the road this season, Minnesota is T-6th in the NHL in road wins and points (27).

Jesper Wallstedt gets the nod for Minnesota tonight, facing Seattle for the first time in his career. He has earned a point in all three of his starts on this trip, going 1-0-2 with a 3.21 GAA and a .891 SV%. In games played away from Grand Casino Arena this season, Wallstedt owns a 5-1-3 record with a 2.20 GAA, a .922 SV% and two shutouts.

Stopping Seattle will be no easy task for Wallstedt tonight, as the Kraken comes into tonight’s game on a nine-game point-streak (8-0-1), its longest point streak of the season. Seattle is outscoring its opponents 36-18 during its streak and has only allowed more than three goals in a game once. Kaapo Kakko has been the driving force for Seattle over its nine-game stretch, as he has nine points (2-7=9) in nine games. Former Wild center, Freddy Gaudreau, has three points (1-2=3) in his last two games and six points (3-3=6) in Seattle’s nine-game stretch.

Players to watch for Minnesota:

Kirill Kaprizov: Kaprizov comes into tonight’s game two points behind Marian Gaborik (219-218=437) for the second-most points in Wild history. Kaprizov scored a goal in the first meeting between these teams and owns 15 points (6-9=15) in 10 games against Seattle in his career.

Matt Boldy: In 11 games against the Kraken, Boldy owns 14 points (8-6=14) and has only been held off the score sheet twice. He comes into tonight’s game with a point (8-5=13) in eight consecutive games against Seattle, including a hat trick on March 27, 2023.

Joel Eriksson Ek: In the first matchup between these two teams, Eriksson Ek recorded three points (1-2=3), a plus-3 rating and a season-high six shots. In his 11 games against Seattle, Eriksson Ek owns 10 points (4-6=10) and a plus-6 rating.

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Minnesota

Can Minnesota prosecute the federal immigration officer who just killed a woman?

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Can Minnesota prosecute the federal immigration officer who just killed a woman?

A federal officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, shortly after the Trump administration deployed thousands of immigration agents to the city. Although the full circumstances of the killing remain unclear, video of the shooting shows an officer opening fire on the woman as she drove away.

Realistically, there’s virtually no chance that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department will bring federal charges against the officer who killed this woman. Trump already claimed on TruthSocial, his personal social media site, that the officer shot the woman in “self defense.” (The officer could potentially be prosecuted after Trump leaves office.)

But many local officials are quite upset about this incident. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave a press conference Wednesday afternoon where he told US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to “get the fuck out of Minneapolis.” If further investigations reveal that the shooting was not legally justified, state prosecutors could potentially charge the officer responsible with a homicide crime.

The Supreme Court’s Republican majority has made it very difficult for private citizens to sue federal law enforcement officers who break the law. But can a federal officer actually be charged with, and convicted of, violating a state criminal law?

Until fairly recently, the law was favorable to federal officials who allegedly violate state criminal laws while they carry out their official duties. The seminal case, known as In re Neagle (1890), held that a deputy US marshall who shot and killed a man could not be charged with murder in state court, because this federal officer did so while acting as a bodyguard for a US Supreme Court justice.

Last June, however, the Supreme Court handed down Martin v. United States (2025), which held that Neagle does not always protect federal officials who violate state law. The rule announced in Martin is vague, so it is unclear how it would apply to the shooting in Minneapolis. But the gist of the ruling is that a federal officer is only protected if they can demonstrate that “their actions, though criminal under state law, were ‘necessary and proper’ in the discharge of their federal responsibilities.”

If the officer responsible for the Minneapolis killing broke Minnesota law, in other words, any prosecution against them would turn on whether the courts decide shooting this woman was a “necessary and proper” exercise of the officer’s official duties.

There is one other potential complication. A federal law provides that state criminal charges against “any officer (or any person acting under that officer) of the United States or any agency thereof” may be removed from state court and heard by a federal judge. This statute does not prevent state prosecutors from bringing charges or from prosecuting a case. But it does ensure that the question of whether Neagle applies to this case would be decided by federal courts that are increasingly dominated by conservative Republicans.

Federal cases out of Minnesota appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, a very conservative court where 10 of the 11 active judges were appointed by Republicans. And, of course, any decision by the Eighth Circuit might be appealed to the Supreme Court, where Republicans control six of the nine seats.

All of which is a long way of saying that, while the law does not absolutely preclude Minnesota prosecutors from filing charges against this officer, it is far from clear that those charges will stick.

When are federal officers immune from prosecution in state court?

The facts underlying the Neagle case are simply wild. David Terry was a lawyer and former chief justice of the state of California, who had served with US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field while the two were both state supreme court justices. At the time, federal justices were required to “ride circuit” and hear cases outside of Washington, DC. And so, Field wound up hearing a dispute about whether Terry’s wife was entitled to a share of a US senator’s fortune.

At the court proceeding, where Field ruled against Terry’s wife, Terry punched a US marshal, brandished a bowie knife, and was jailed for contempt of court. After his release, he and his wife continued to threaten Field’s life, and so, the attorney general ordered Deputy Marshal David Neagle to act as Field’s bodyguard.

Then, Terry attacked Field while Field was traveling through California by train, and Neagle shot and killed Terry.

Given these facts, it’s unsurprising that the Supreme Court ruled that California could not bring charges against Neagle for this killing. The case involved a physical attack on a sitting justice! And, besides, Neagle acted within the scope of his responsibilities as Field’s federally appointed bodyguard.

135 years later, however, the Court decided Martin. That more recent decision focused on language in the Neagle opinion that suggested that its scope may be limited. Neagle, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in Martin, arose from concerns that “California could frustrate federal law by prosecuting a federal marshal “for an act which he was authorized to do by the law of the United States.” Protecting Field was something that “it was [Neagle’s] duty to do.” And, in shooting Terry, Neagle “did no more than what was necessary and proper.”

Thus, Gorsuch extracted a rule from Neagle that federal officials are only protected from state law when their actions “were ‘necessary and proper’ in the discharge of their federal responsibilities.”

In the wake of Martin, Minnesota may very well be able to prosecute the officer responsible for the Minnesota killing. As a general rule, federal law enforcement officers are not authorized by the law of the United States to shoot people without justification. So, if it turns out that this killing was legally unjustified, federal courts may conclude that the officer’s actions were not necessary and proper in the discharge of his official duties.

That said, Martin is a fairly new opinion, and the rule it announced is vague. And any prosecution against a federal immigration officer would be unavoidably political. So, it is unclear whether the judges who hear this case would approach it as fair and impartial jurists or as partisans.

The bottom line, in other words, is that the law governing when federal officers may be charged with state crimes is quite unclear. So, it is uncertain whether a prosecution against this particular officer would succeed — even assuming that a state prosecutor could convince a jury to convict.

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Minnesota

‘You’ll never eliminate fraud totally’: Expert says Minnesota isn’t an outlier in pandemic fraud

Published

2 days ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

‘You’ll never eliminate fraud totally’: Expert says Minnesota isn’t an outlier in pandemic fraud

Despite fresh — and so far unfounded — allegations of fraud in Minnesota, the scandal that has dogged Gov. Tim Walz for years and ultimately led him to end his bid for reelection this week got its start during the pandemic. A fraud researcher says fraud and pandemics go hand in hand, and that very few if any governments got out of the COVID-19 crisis unscathed.

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