sunthisweek. com Fall Football Preview • Friday, August 29, 2025 Page 19
Photo by Mike Shaughnessy
Seniors Harry Estebo( left), Max Jones and Cash Talcott are hoping to help lead a Rosemount football bounce-back season in 2025.
Photo by Dominic Bisogno
Tylan Ward Jr. positions himself to receive a pass during a passing training session at a recent Apple Valley practice.
EAGLES, from 18
Offensive experts Xavier Holden, who scored three touchdowns as a sophomore, wide receiver Tylan Ward Jr., and NDSU-committed quarterback Quieris“ Q” Barnslater help round out a hefty list of threats for the Eagles.
Player perspectives
The optimism at Apple Valley goes well past the coaching staff. The team has nine captains this season, with many determined to secure a strong 2025 season and improve on last year’ s progress.
Senior Malik Quadri, a defense end and defensive tackle who recently committed to the University of St. Thomas, explained what being a captain at Apple Valley means to him.
“ We have a lot of captains on this team that can help lead us this season and I see great potential in everybody. For us as captains, we just want to do our best to push people to do their best and be hopeful for the season,” Quadri said.“ We have a great tradition here of captains stepping up and leading us. I’ m trying to follow that path for sure. I want to be able to push my team. Even if I’ m committed to college, that hasn’ t gotten my mind off my responsibilities here and I want to do everything I can to get Apple Valley to a section championship, state championship, wherever this season takes us.”
Senior wide receiver and corner Tylan Ward Jr., a commit to Columbia University, added that the team has growth in mind this year, a task connected to the work previous captains did to improve his game.
“ As a team, we want everyone to grow this season, even outside of varsity. We need to make sure everyone is getting better as a team and not just individually,” he explained.“( I learned last year) it’ s important to stay on top of everyone through the season. When I was an underclassmen, I struggled with that and I slacked off sometimes. The upperclassmen helped me realize I needed to change that.”
Ward Jr. noted that he appreciates the extra responsibility that can come with being a committed football player. He made it clear that he has no intention of slowing down for his final year with the Eagles.
“ I feel fortunate to have a lot of my teammates look up to me, especially with this opportunity to play in college,” Ward Jr. said.“ I want to leave a great mark here and I want to prepare for the future. I don’ t see this senior season as something to put to the side because I have something in the future. I want to make the most of this final opportunity to play here.”
IRISH, from 4
game days, the energy felt synthetic. It felt fake, because it wasn’ t there leading up to the game.
“ But now, during these( practice) weeks, even knowing we don’ t have a game at the end of the week, everybody’ s fired up to be outside playing football.”
Jones( 6-0, 205 pounds) will be a key part of the Irish defense. Last season he was the first underclassman to win the program’ s Pat Tillman Award, given to a player who exemplifies leadership, selflessness and positivity.
Defensive backs Quintin VeDepo and Cal Ronay also are back. Talcott is expected to see some playing time at nose tackle, and Jones said there’ s plenty of talent elsewhere. Others with a chance to make an impact include linebacker Jack Noonan, defensive back Will Schmucker and lineman Max Meger, all juniors.
“ The guys we have that are looking like our‘ ones,’ they’ re coming out and playing with an attitude,” Jones said.
“ They’ re very physical. We have a lot of athletic D-linemen, and all of them are willing to learn.
“ Our secondary needs to be able to come up and stop the run because every team we see is going to play a very smashmouth style. Our secondary needs to throw it in there, and all of them have shown they’ re not afraid to do that.”
Estebo, Talcott and Brady Struble are returning offensive linemen, and 270-pound senior Sam Lloyd also returns. Senior Ja’ hki Hollie is a returning running back. VeDepo also could see some time in the backfield. Seniors Kavari Flowers and Levi Cinnamo bring speed at wide receiver. Two-way players such as Noonan and senior Jack Burke could get action at tight end.
Cade Sherman was Rosemount’ s starting quarterback at the end of last season but is planning to play junior hockey in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this fall( Sherman has committed to play hockey at Augustana University). That turns the quarterback position into a competition between junior Will Brookins and sophomore Finn Macken. Erdmann said both have been doing well in practice.
The Irish also should have one of the state’ s top kicking specialists in senior Bennett Simmering.
Rosemount’ s season opener is Aug. 28 at home against Centennial. That seems appropriate because Centennial, the 2023 state Class 6A champion, is a prime example of the type of physical opponent the Irish expect to face all year. It’ ll be a litmus test for Rosemount, which has lost its last three games against Centennial.
“ Starting off with those guys right off the bat – yeah, let’ s see where we’ re at,” Erdmann said.“ They’ ve been one of the top 10 programs in 6A recently. We’ ve got them at home, so it’ s a great opportunity for us to make a statement about who we’ re going to be.”
Mike Shaughnessy can be reached at mike. shaughnessy @ apgecm. com.