Page 16 Fall Football Preview • Thursday , August 29 , 2024 sailor . mnsun . com
ARMSTRONG FALCONS
Strong Class of 2025 ready to step up
By DOMINIC BISOGNO dominic . bisogno @ apgecm . com
( PHOTOS BY DOMINIC BISOGNO )
Several Falcons players take part in a helmeted warm up jog on the field last week during an Armstrong football practice .
Armstrong football graduated a star-studded cast last spring , including a number of top-tier threats on the line like Langden College , Dayton Franke , and Jack Bailey , along with offensive threats like Seth Newbern . If you ask 10-year head coach Jack Negen , however , there is little other than excitement in the area for the Falcons .
“ It ’ s nice to get everyone back here ,” Negen says from the sidelines of a hot day of practice at Falcons Stadium . “ You do the summer stuff , lifting , but here we get 11 days to practice and you get everyone back together from other sports .”
The Falcons will benefit from an offensive-side that has only been hit minimally by graduation . Negen says offensively the Falcons will look for more of the same highs they reached last year .
“ Offensively we feel pretty good . We have four linemen that are back and we ’ ve got a lot of talent in that group . We feel good with our skill guys ,” Negen said . “ Johnson was a 1,200-yard rusher last season and he ’ s back . [ Quarterback Dawson Franke ] is back and our best receiver from last season , Gideon Breker , is back . So , we feel really good about that side of the ball .”
There will be work to do defensively . Negen acknowledged that the defensive line will be the team ’ s biggest project in 2024 and the Falcons may rely on two-way players to help bring the right energy . It ’ s a genuine challenge that Armstrong is embracing ahead of the fall .
“ Defensively is where we took a real hit with graduating players , mostly up front . We lost that whole front line defensively with guys like Langden College going to college . He was a three-year starter and a beast ,” Negen explained . “ So , we ’ re inexperienced and thin in some of those spots up front . ... We ’ re probably going to have to do some two-way stuff this season , which I generally avoid
doing . Dayton Franke played two ways for us last year but that was about it . We ’ ll have to balance keeping guys fresh with the need to play our best 11 . But we ’ ve got awesome kids and our numbers are good . I feel confident in this group .”
One of the better pieces of news this season will be that Armstrong will have familiar conference opponents to face . Last year saw the Falcons ’ debut year in the new-look Northstar East-Maroon , which includes St . Thomas Academy , Mahtomedi , Hastings , and Cretin-Derham Hall .
The opponents are strangers no more and Armstrong can now enter the season with a sense of who they are playing week to week , something Negen notes will help against the conference ’ s biggest threats .
“ It ’ s good news bad news , because we know them better but now we know they ’ re all really good . But it is helpful ,” he said . “ We went into this matchup with St . Francis last year and I had nothing on them . I wasn ’ t very familiar with the school really . So , I ’ m watching scrimmage film
See Armstrong , Page 26
QUICK HITS
Head Coach
Jack Negen 10th Season
Last Year ’ s Record : 8-3
FOOTBALL PREVIEW 202�
Key Returning Players
Luke Pappas ( Class of 2025 , OL / DL )
Dawson Franke ( Class of 2025 ,
QB ) Kevon Johnson ( Class of 2025 , RB ) Gideon Breker ( Class of 2025 , WR )
Schedule
Game times 7 p . m . unless otherwise noted Aug . 29 : vs . St . Francis Sept . 6 : at Harding / Humboldt , 6 p . m . Sept . 13 : at Cooper , 6 p . m . Sept . 20 : vs . Cretin-Derham Hall Sept . 27 : St . Thomas Academy Oct . 4 : at Hastings Oct . 10 : vs . Mahtomedi Oct . 16 : at Andover