Last fall, the Maple Grove High School football team had many veterans on the and some very young players in the backfield.

The Crimson had seven junior and four sophomore starters but still tied for third in the Northwest Suburban Conference and rolled to their second straight section championship. They lost to eventual state runner up Champlin Park in the state quarterfinal. Those sophomores who gained valuable experience last fall are back to anchor the team.

The situation this year is just the opposite as Maple Grove prepares for its season opener at home against Forest Lake Friday, Aug. 29. The Crimson have some excellent veterans in the backfield, especially on offense, but face rebuilding on both lines and the line-backer positions.

"We are very young on the line on both sides of the ball," Crimson coach Craig Hansen said.

The defense loses some top performers to graduation and will have to fill many key positions, especially on the line. But Maple Grove does return senior end Eric Whinnery, senior outside linebacker Ted Leonard, senior cornerback Anders Grinde, junior free safety Chase Mudd and junior end Paul Joelson. "We will have lots of new kids on defense, especially on the line and in the linebacker positions," Hansen said. The offensive line returns only senior center Drew Getchell and senior tackle Jon Brost. But the backfield returns almost intact. Junior quarterback Mitch Brecke is back as is junior all-conference wide receiver Gregg Martin. Senior Ryan Iskierka is back at running back and senior wideout Josh Laurent also returns.

"It really helps (to have a veteran field) because they know how things and they understand the system," Hansen said.

The Crimson always have a strong game and this year they may have a passing attack with the presence of Martin and Brecke. Martin led the league in receiving and is the Crimson's big-play threat, "He is a great athlete and a fierce competitor," Hansen said. "As a result, he just makes plays."

Brecke took over the starting quarterback job as a sophomore and toward the end of the season had some of his best games passing.

"Mitch finished strong and he is also competitive," Hansen said. "He is really getting good at what he does." Hansen said the key to this season is for the young players to develop and mature.

"We will have new kids on the line and at linebacker," he said. "We have good kids it's a big step from sophomore football to varsity football."

The Northwest Suburban Conference once again be loaded with perennial powerhouse Champlin Park and Blaine picked as the favorites. But Hansen looks for another very competitive season and promises that Maple Grove will play hard and give the opponents a battle every week.

"There are so many good athletes on each team in the conference that you can just throw the records out," Hansen said. “Last year, nobody thought Coon Rapids would compete for the conference title and nobody expected Champlin Park to come on as much as they did. We will just have to see how our young kids come along and take it from there.”