Thankfukl to be alive, Waseca’s coach honored by Vikings

Waseca head coach Brad Wendland started to feel dizzy towards the end of their season opener against St. Peter. The Bluejays were on their way to a victory when Coach Wendland took a knee in the final seconds.

“It happened over the course of a few seconds,” Wendland told KEYC News. “I thought this doesn’t feel very good. I’m just gonna take a knee here for a second, and then when it passes, I’ll come back up and go on with whatever. That’s the last thing I remember.”

Wendland, 48, collapsed.

Team trainers and medical personnel rushed to his aid.

Two Mayo Clinic Athletic Trainers and a nurse who was in the stands sprung into action. After chest compressions on Wendland were unsuccessful, they used an AED device which shocks the heart back into action.

According to a report from KSTP. com, restarting a heart using the AED is rare. But it worked for Wendland, who became conscious and started breathing again.

He was rushed to the hospital for further treatment and is expected to recover.

Wendland has since returned home, but will take a month off from teaching. He hopes to return to coach- ing soon. When speaking with doctors, he found out just how lucky he is to be alive.

“I kind of complained when they told me I couldn’t go home,” Wendland said in an interview witht he Mankato Free Press. “The doctors said, ‘Do you realize how many people survive cardiac arrest if they’re not in the hospital?’ I said, ‘Half?’ They said it was less than 1 percent.”

Waseca Schools posted the following on their Twitter account after the incident: “The community of Waseca has always been strong and supportive - and when people are in need, you will always find a sea of blue standing together ready to help. We appreciate our families and staff and everything you do for each other, our schools and our children. Waseca always has strength in numbers! So please continue to pray for Coach Wendland and his family, and thank you for your support already towards his recovery. We’re rooting for you, Coach! You are #wasecastrong.”

The Minnesota Vikings, who honor a high school coach of the week each week, bestowed that honor to Wendland. The school will receive a $1,000 from the Vikings/NFL in his name as the Vikings Coach of the Week.

PREP SPOTLIGHT continued from page 12_________ led all receivers with seven catches for 171 yards.

The Wildcats improved to 1-1 on the season while the Hawks fell to 1-1. The Wildcats had lost to Robbinsdale Armstrong 23-17 in the season opener. Cooper had defeated Orono 43-27 in the opener. Waconia will play Orono Friday, Sept. 17 while Cooper will host Robbinsdale Armstrong.

This week’s Prep Spotlight game at TCO Stadium is Class 5A match-up between St. Thomas Academy (2-0) and Cretin-Derham Hall (0-2).

Up Next: Vikings Prep Spotlight

Friday, Sept. 17 Cretin-Derham Hall vs. St. Thomas Academy

7 p.m. TCO Stadium strong backs who have scored four touchdowns each through three games, the Tigers appear to be the team to beat in 4A.

Waconia players celebrate with their fellow students at TCO Stadium after winning the Minnesota Vikings Prep Spotlight game 20-14 over Robbinsdale Cooper. This week St. Thomas Academy will take on Cretin-Derham Hall at TCO Stadium as the second installment of the Prep Spotlight Game. The Vikings are in their third season of hosting high school games at their training facility. The game is co-sponsored by Twin Cities Orthopedic.

Those backs include Levi Teetzel, Alex Elliot and Mitchell Piehl. All three backs have more than 30 carries on the season and have combined for 850 yards.

Becker, a mainstay in 4A for years, comes in at No. 2 with a pair of wins to start the season, including a convincing 28-0 shutout over rival Rocori.

In that game Carter Callahan rushed for 100 yards and two scores. Callahan followed up with three more TDs in a 47-0 win over Delano in Week 2.

Kasson-Mantorville is the No. 3 team heading into Week 3.

They had a 42-16 win over previously ranked Winona thanks to six rushing touchdowns, including four by junior quarterback Matt Donovan.

Stewartville cracks the top five at No. 4 after wins over Mankato East and Albert Lea, and outscoring them 10320.

SMB is ranked No. 5 after a 15-12 season-opening win over highly-touted Fridley on a 4th quarter score by Sanjay Redd, his second of the game. They followed up with a 48-20 win over North St. Paul and will try to stay unbeaten against DeLaSalle in Week 3.

Fridley falls right behind SMB after that tough season-opening loss. But they bounced back in Week 2 with a 2821 win over Minneapolis North. North, albeit a Class 2A school, is a great Class 2A program and plays mostly a 4A schedule.

Fridley’s MJ Newton ran for 240 yards and three touchdowns in that game.

Rocori, Orono, Simley and Mound Westonka round out the top 10, which is likely to change and see some teams drop out and new teams enter in the coming weeks.

Match-Up of the Week

No. 1 Hutchinson vs. No. 2 Becker (This game is Sept. 24 after Hutchinson gets a bye this week)

Rankings

Class 5A

1. Moorhead

2. Andover

3. St. Thomas Academy

4. Mankato West

5. Mahtomedi

6. Rogers

7. Elk River

8. Spring Lake Park

9. Chaska

10. Alexandria

Class 5a

Spuds are no duds

Moorhead lost some talent off last year’s squad that went undefeated, but started right where they left off with two wins to start the 2021 campaign. The Spuds defeated both Bemidji and St. Cloud Tech.

They may have lost Trey Feeney, an all-state quarterback, but they are relying on junior QB Gavin Quade, who has already thrown for nine touchdowns in two contests.

The Spuds will get a good test this week with Bemidji.

Andover is ranked No. 2 after two impressive wins to start the season, a 49-14 win over Brainerd and a 28-13 win over No. 7-ranked Elk River.

Junior wide receiver Sam Musungu is averaging 107 yards a game receiving and quarterback Connor Develice has hit five different receivers for touchdowns and has tossed for 374 yards in the first two games.

St. Thomas Academy is a power in 5A and this year is no different.

They throttled Two Rivers last week 55-0. Savion Lopez, a sophomore running back, already has six touchdowns on the season.

The St. Thomas Academy defense is nearly impenetrable, having allowed just 269 yards of total offense through the first two games.

Mankato West is making noise down south and comes in at No. 4 heading into Week 3.

They defeated Rochester John Marshall 61-0 to open the season and followed up with a 41-7 win over New Prague last week. They will get a bit tougher test when they host Owatonna in Week 3.

Mahtomedi is a top five team in 5A thanks to a couple early season wins and a nice come-from-behind 2320 win over Cretin-Derham Hall last week. They should slide past Hill-Murray in Week 3 to remain unbeaten.

Rogers started with a couple nice road victories over Bemidji and Monticello, but will have a tough test at home in Week 3 when they host Andover.

No. 7 Elk River lost to Andover, but is a formidable foe in 5A and should get a win over Coon Rapids in Week 3.

No. 8 Spring Lake Park should maybe be ranked higher after defeating Cretin-Derham Hall and Benilde-St. Margaret’s in their first two contests. They have Chanhassen in Week 3 with a chance to go 3-0 and climb the ladder further.

Chanhassen, meanwhile, was a pre-season top 10 squad, but fell out of the top 10 after losing a defensive battle against No. 9 Chaska 6-2, moving Chaska into the top 10.

Alexandria rounds out the top 10 thanks to a nice win over Bemidji after a tough loss to the top team in 4A, Hutchinson.

Match-Up of the Week No. 2 Andover at No. 6 Rogers

Rankings

a 56-18 win over Totino-Grace. They also showed off their firepower against Osseo in the opener, winning 49-7.

Senior running back Derrick Jameson has ran for 123 and 149 yards in his first two games while scoring six touchdowns.

10. (T) Farmington and Prior Lake

Class 6a

Eagles continue to soar, but Cougars lurking

It’s already looking like a Clash of the Titans in 6A football.

Eden Prairie maintains the top spot, but of course that could change when they play No. 2 Lakeville South in the marquee match up of the season so far.

The Eagles had no problem with East Ridge in the opener, but had to fight hard to get past a very good Farmington squad in Week 2, 37-29.

Junior quarterback Nick Fazi was almost perfect against Farmington going 10-for-13 with three TDs and no picks.

But they will have to battle a tough and equally strong team from Lakeville South. The Cougars will have the home field advantage and are coming off a 12-0 win over neighborhood rival Lakeville North. The Cougars are going to pound the ball on the ground and use their stingy defense to try and keep Eden Prairie’s offense at bay. Eden Prairie will have to ficus on stopping the Cougar backfield and push through their strong offensive line to get to the likes of junior Carson Hansen, who is averaging 150 yards rushing through the first two games.

No. 3 Maple Grove isn’t to be counted out either as a contender for a trip to the Prep Bowl. The Crimson are off to a 2-0 start and are coming off

Shakopee is No. 4 in the coach’s poll and is coming off a convincing win over No. 10 Prior Lake, 49-27. Junior running back Jadon Hellerud has more than 300 yards rushing and is averaging 7.1 yards per carry and has scored four touchdowns so far. They will play No. 9 Minnetonka in Week 3.

There’s no surprise seeing St. Michael-Albertville in the top five in the state.

After defeating Forest Lake handily, they needed a fourth quarter touchdown to squeeze past Centennial 19-16 in Week 2.

The Knights can attack on offense in a number of ways with a strong running and passing game, which could wreak havoc on defenses.

It’s also no surprise to see Wayzata in the top 10. At No. 6 the Trojans have yet to give up a point. They shut out Roseville 42-0 and followed up with a 23-0 blanking of Champlin Park. Rosemount, a year removed from Mr. Football Jake Ratzlaff, is still a contender thanks to a strong slew of returning players. They trounced Eagan 47-7 in the opener and then beat Edina 31-19.

Their next game, however, will be against No. 8-ranked Lakeville North. North lost to South last week, and looks to rebound past the Irish in Week 3. Their one victory came against Eastview in the season opener, 21-0. Minnetonka, Farmington and Prior Lake round out the top 10 in what looks like another year of great football for the state’s biggest schools.

Every Friday and Saturday for the next six weeks will determine a lot of where teams are ranked and where they sit come section playoff time.

Match-Up of the Week No. 1 Eden Prairie at No. 2 Lakeville South