SAUK RAPIDS – Football season is finally here and Sauk Rapids-Rice will soon be back in action after losing in the semifinal game of the Section 7-5A tournament last year.
The Minnesota high school football season starts Thursday, August 29 and the football Storm are hoping to repeat or improve on a 2023 record of 7-2.
Sauk Rapids has a lot of winnable games on its 2024 schedule. The team plays one game against an opponent that was above .500 last season and it doesn’t come until Week 7. Class 5A semifinalist Andover is visiting Sauk Rapids on Oct. 11, a game that could have big section seeding implications. The Storm lost to the Huskies in the regular season last year.
Below, let's take a quick look at that contest, and others across Sauk Rapids’ 2024 football schedule.
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Rivalry matchup versus Sartell
The game last year against Sartell ended in the Storm’s favor by a touchdown – 14-7. It was the winless Sabres’ closest margin of defeat and the second-fewest points Sauk Rapids would score all year. The only time Sauk Rapids would score fewer points was against Andover.When the Storm host Sartell this season Sept. 6, they'll be looking to make more of a statement.
Sauk Rapids scored first against the Sabres in 2023, but Sartell responded in the second quarter and the score was locked until the Storm finally went ahead with 5:16 left in the game.
Revenge on Elk River at home
Sauk Rapids played six games in a row last season against teams that ended the year with a losing record. The Storm beat Elk River 30-28 in Week 5 before falling to the Elk 38-35 in the postseason. The teams will play again Sept. 27 at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School. The home-field advantage could be helpful for the Storm against the section opponent.
In the win against Elk River, Sauk Rapids built a big lead, scoring three times within six minutes in the second quarter. The Elk scored three TDs of their own in the third, but the Storm had an answer with a winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. They nearly came back in the section loss, too. Elk River led 30-13 at one point in the second quarter. But the Elk did just enough to stay ahead.
Section preview with 2023 champion
Andover beat Sauk Rapids 29-8 in 2023, securing the top seed in the Section 7-5A tournament. The Huskies went on to defeat Elk River in the section championship and played a close game against Class 5A champion Chanhassen in its state semifinal. This year's Oct. 11 matchup against the Storm in Sauk Rapids could have similar seeding implications at the top of the section. It's the only team Sauk Rapids is facing that won more games than it lost in 2023. Andover could be at the top of the section again this year, making a win valuable.
The game last year was 0-0 at halftime. Sauk Rapids broke the scoring open with a long touchdown pass in their first third-quarter drive, but the Storm allowed four consecutive Andover touchdowns. Andover beat Elk River 65-32 in the section championship.
Full Schedule
Each team's 2023 record is noted in parentheses.
7 p.m. Thur. Aug. 29 Irondale (1-8) at Irondale High School
7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 6 Sartell (0-9) at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School
7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 13 Monticello (5-5) at Monticello High School
7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 20 St. Francis (1-8) at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School
7 p.m. Fri. Sept. 27 Elk River (4-7) at Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School
7 p.m. Fri. Oct. 4 Cambridge-Isanti (4-6) at Cambridge-Isanti High School
7 p.m. Fri. Oct. 11 Andover (10-2) at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School
7 p.m. Wed. Oct. 16 Moorhead (5-5) at Moorhead High School
Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Football schedule preview: Sauk Rapids has winnable 2024 schedule
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