Winona at John Marshall
7 p.m., Friday
Records: JM and Winona are both 1-0 overall.
Last meeting:The teams haven’t met since 2008, when JM prevailed 27-20. The Winhawks finished 7-3 that year.
Last week:John Marshall started with a dominating 42-8 win over St. Paul Como Park. The Rockets finished with 25 first downs, compared to just nine for home team Como Park. JM had 447 yards of total offense, Como Park 167. JM running back Kyle Zigan had 100 yards rushing on 12 carries. Quarterback Jake Kirsch had 127 yards passing, 74 rushing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Winona snuck past St. Paul Highland Park 13-12 in its opener Thursday. The Winhawks had a big loss in the game, however, with top running back Eric Birth going down with a high ankle sprain that may sideline him for as many as five weeks. Winona held Highland Park to 212 yards of offense and had three interceptions. Highland Park finished 4-5 last year. Winona was 4-6.
Winona notes:The Winhawks took a big hit with the loss of running back Birth. He’s considered the team’s most explosive player. Winona is an inexperienced team, with 23 seniors having graduated from last year’s team. It has just 12 seniors on the current roster and just five returning starters.
JM notes:The Rockets liked the offense balance they got last week, with 294 yards rushing and 153 passing. The game was a confidence booster for Kirsch, with his all-around excellent game at quarterback. JM does hope to clean up the early mistakes it made against Como Park, however. The Rockets fumbled twice in the early going and also were hit with some penalties.
— Pat Ruff
