What will the 2013 Prep Bowl have in common with the Super Bowl?
A two-week gap between the semifinals and championship rounds.
The Minnesota State High School League has announced its schedule for high school football state playoff semifinals and finals. Collectively, all the title games are called the Prep Bowl and are a two-day affair played at the Metrodome around Thanksgiving.
This coming season, the semifinals — also played at the Metrodome — will be Nov. 14-16, with 14 games in seven classes.
Then the championship games will be Nov. 29 and 30.
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MSHSL director of information Howard Voigtsays feedback he has gotten is that coaches "love" the two-week gap, because it gives injured players time to get ready. He said the decision was driven by the wishes of KSTC (Channel 45), which televises the Prep Bowl; the station much prefers the games to be on the two days following Thanksgiving.
The state quarterfinal games schedule has also been determined. The Rochester Regional Sports Stadium will host a Class AA game between the champions of Sections 1 and 3 on Friday, Nov. 8 and a Class A game between the champions of Sections 1 and 3 on Saturday, Nov. 9.
The Section 1AAA champion will go to Burnsville on Nov. 8; the Section 1-Nine-Man champion travels to Marshall on Nov. 9; the 1AAAA titlist advances to a Nov. 8 game at East Ridge HIgh School; and the 1AAAAA winner plays Thursday, Nov. 7 at Lakeville North.
In each case the Section 1 winner plays the Secton 3 champ.
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Looking ahead, Voigt noted that the 2014 and 2015 Prep Bowls will need to be played at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium, because of the demolition of the Metrodome that paves the way for the 30-month "heavy construction" phase of the erection of the new Vikings stadium.
A new home must be determined for the state soccer semifinals and championship games, which have for many years been held at the Metrodome. St. Cloud State appears to be the front-runner for that.
Voigt said there have been written assurances that the MSHSL will get dates in the new stadium for football and soccer state playoffs that are equivalent to those they have received in the Metrodome.
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In another note, Voigt said the 2013 girls swimming and diving state championships will be three days earlier than usual because of conflict with an event at the University of MInnesota Aquatics Center. The Nov. 18-20 dates are a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Red Wing's Rich Buckis competing this weekend with the Team USA men's slowpitch softball team in the annual Border Battle against Canada.
The games will be televised live on ESPN3 and on tape delay on ESPN at 11 a.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Buck is the father of all-state basketball player Tesha Buck, a 2013 Red Wing grad who will be playing collegiately at Division I Green Bay next year, and Red Wing junior-to-be Ty Buck, who is playing baseball this summer with the prestigious Ohio Warhawks program and drawing interest from many Division I programs.
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Red Wing's Ryan Boldthas "respectfully declined" the latest offer from the Boston Red Sox and will be attending Nebraska, according to his mother. The deadline to sign a professional contract was Friday afternoon.
Boldt was considered a first-round pick this spring, but fell to the 22nd round over signability and health concerns after tearing his meniscus in the first game of his senior season.
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He is scheduled to begin summer classes Monday in Lincoln, Neb.
