5 Thoughts from Friday (and Saturday) football: An emotional Week 4 edition

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Sep. 27—Here are five thoughts from Friday (and Saturday), an emotional midpoint of the fall, Week 4 of the 2026 high school football season:

The importance of a football game is fully in perspective for Terry Donovan these days.

Still, the La Crescent-Hokah head coach found a sense of normalcy Friday night, standing on the Lancers' sideline as his team delivered a tug-at-the-heartstrings 48-27 victory at Red Wing for him and his family, his son Matt in particular.

Matt Donovan has been in a hospital in Fargo, N.D., for a week now, after suffering a severe brain injury during a college football game in Mayville, N.D., last Saturday. Terry Donovan had been at Matt's side nearly every moment since.

The Lancers' assistant coaches took over for him this week, setting the game plan for their matchup against Red Wing. Terry Donovan noted on Facebook on Thursday that he needed to make a trip home to La Crescent to pack more clothing and other items he and his wife Tina will need over the coming weeks and months, as they stay close to Matt and assist in his recovery.

Terry noted on Saturday that the Lancers ran Matt's favorite play, Inside Veer, close to 40 times in Friday's win.

Though Terry Donovan returned to Fargo immediately after Friday's game — arriving after 2 a.m., and being back by Matt's side by 7 a.m. Saturday — he was able to do so with high hopes and a full heart. The students, staff and administration at La Crescent-Hokah High, where he is the activities director, made Friday "Matt Donovan Day" at the school. Students and staff wore blue, the color not only of Matt's high school teams at Kasson-Mantorville, but also of Matt's college team, the Mayville State Comets.

Terry Donovan hasn't said yet if he'll be on the sideline next Friday, when the Lancers host undefeated Pine Island. But if he's not, there's no doubt the positive vibes he'll send from Fargo will cross paths with the ones coming back his way.

The first intra-city rivalry game of the season in Rochester turned out to be not much of a game at all. Century senior running back Max Elliott ran for a 74-yard touchdown on the opening drive, then proceeded to score four more first-half touchdowns — two rushing, two receiving — as th e Panthers built a 36-7 halftime lead en route to a 57-21 victory at JM.

Elliott's dual-threat capability has made him difficult to stop for more than two years now. He had 962 total yards from scrimmage last season (620 rushing, 342 receiving) and 15 total TDs (11 rushing, 4 receiving). He had more than 100 yards rushing and 100 receiving by halftime Friday night, finishing the game with 263 total yards (163 rushing, 100 receiving).

Before Century coach Jon Vik talked about Elliott the player after Friday's big win, he raved about Elliott the person, saying, "As good as he is as a football player, he's an even better person. He's got everything that you want."

Century will need Elliott — who heaped praise upon the Panthers' offensive linemen after his big performance against JM — and his teammates to be at their best again next week. That's when the 2-2 Panthers have a chance to take the Addington Jug — the traveling trophy that goes to the winner of games between Rochester's public-school football teams — away from rival Mayo. The Spartans have held the Jug since 2020.

Winona Cotter is 12-3 in its last 15 games and 10-2 in its past 12 regular season games. The Ramblers' three losses during that stretch — dating back to the beginning of last season — have all come against one rival that they haven't been able to solve: Pine Island.

The Panthers are the defending Section 1, Class 3A champs, and they're off to a 4-0 start this season, ranked No. 8 in the most recent Class 3A state poll. Cotter is receiving votes.

Pine Island got the best of Cotter twice last year, by 42-21 in the regular season and 34-0 in the section championship game. The Panthers did it again Friday night, but this time, the Ramblers showed they have closed the gap. Pine Island won 21-14 in Winona , the winning score coming with 3 minutes to go in the third quarter — a 44-yard pass from Marshall Skierka to Cooper Rutten.

It wouldn't shock anyone if these teams meet again in early November in the section final, though 3-1 Zumbrota-Mazeppa will have a say in that.

If Panthers-Ramblers IV does take place on Nov. 6, Pine Island will need its defense to show up in full force again; it limited Cotter to 181 total yards on Friday. The Panthers have learned to battle in-game adversity and win close ones this year — they already have two one-score wins to their credit. Last year, they didn't play in a game decided by fewer than 21 points.

If anyone questioned that Stewartville's string of lights-out quarterback play would continue this fall, that question has been answered. Emphatically.

Senior Pete Tschetter has followed perfectly in the cleats of previous Tigers QBs Ayden Helder and Vince Wellik. Tschetter has not only guided the Tigers to a 4-0 start and a No. 2 ranking in the most recent Class 4A state poll, but he has shown improved confidence and play with every varsity start he makes.

Friday night, Tschetter showed his best yet. He picked apart Winona's defense on drive after drive, completing 78% of his passes (18 of 23) for an outstanding 375 yards and five touchdowns. He connected with five different receivers, with Isaac Speer as his top target (7 catches, 167 yards, 2 TDs).

Tschetter and the Tigers play at 2-2 Simley on Friday, then host currently winless Faribault on Oct. 9, before a Section 1-4A showdown at Byron on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Football fans in Rochester can get a look at the state's No. 2-ranked team on Friday night, when the 4-0 Caledonia Warriors come to Rochester Regional Stadium to face 2-2 Lourdes in a rematch of last year's Section 1, Class 2A championship game.

The Warriors won that game last fall, 19-3, thanks to a stout defense and an opportunistic offense.

If that formula sounds familiar, it's because Caledonia has made the same style work well through the first half of this season. The Warriors have allowed just 25 total points (6.25 per game) through four weeks this season, and they have recorded two shutouts, including a 21-0 win against section contender Dover-Eyota on Saturday afternoon.

There's no beating up on weak opponents in the Southeast Central District or in Section 1-2A. Caledonia had to go to OT to beat Rushford-Peterson 25-18 in Week 1, but since then, the Warriors have wins of 55-0 against St. Charles, 37-7 at Triton and 21-0 against D-E.

On offense, QB Grant King has thrown for six touchdowns and just one interception, while Bodie Knutson (380 yards, 5 TDs, 6.2 yards per carry) and Chase Hauser (254 yards, 3 TDs, 7.7 yards per carry) have handled a majority of the rushing workload.

Junior Cooper Allen leads the defense with 33 total tackles and three QB sacks. Max Schmitz is second on the team with 26 tackles from his interior line position, and Knutson has 25 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a TD. Senior Jacob Klug has a team-best four interceptions, including one return for a touchdown.

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