By JOHN SHERMAN john . sherman @ apgecm . com

( SUN PHOTO BY JOHN SHERMAN )

Senior quarterback Magnus Hansen of the Providence Academy football team passed for 1,716 yards and 16 touchdowns last season .

The Providence Academy football team went with a pass-oriented attack last season while posting an overall record of 3-7 in the Class 4A ranks .

Quarterback Magnus Hansen played a key role in “ Air Providence ,” throwing for 1,716 yards and 16 touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 90.1 and 64 percent completions .

While that made football fun , Lions head coach Colin Rooney is taking a different tack this season . “ We will blend more of a running game with our passing ,” he said at a recent practice . “ We started a lot of underclassmen last year , and now we have 25 seniors .”

Part of the reason for favoring a passing attack last year was the absence of tackle Abu Tarawallie , who injured his knee in June of 2023 . With Tarawallie back in the fold this season , the Lions have one of the state ’ s most capable blockers . Tarawallie is so good that he is one of the key recruits for the University of Minnesota football team . Before he joins the Gophers , Tarawallie wants to lead his teammates to a winning season and a deep run in the state playoffs .

“ Our schedule is tougher than last year ,” coach Rooney said , listing Orono , Mound Westonka , Byron , Becker and Chisago Lakes as some of the opponents .

Besides winning for themselves

, the Providence Academy players have dedicated the season to coach Brad La- Combe , who passed away unexpectedly during the offseason . LaCombe ’ s sons played for the Lions and he had been with the football team even longer than coach Rooney . The Providence players are wearing LaCombe ’ s name on the back of their helmets in honor of the late coach . “ This season is for him ,” Rooney said . Quarterback Hansen is excited

to lead the Lions as one of four senior captains . “ We were a little bit weak in the running game last year ,” he said . “ We have more experience in the offensive line this year and should be able to run the ball better .”

Hansen said , “ I like having the ball in my hands and making plays .”

“ We have a lot of seniors and a big offensive line ,” captain Joe Berghult said . “ Magnus has grown a lot as a quarterback , and he ’ s a student of the

game . I am going to play fullback and try to open holes for the running backs . Last year , I played a lot at slot receiver .”

“ Defensive tackle is the strongest position on our team with Abu and Jon Wiseman . Last season , Wiseman got his first taste of varsity football as a freshman . He comes back this year at 6-3 and a little over 250 pounds . Tarawallie is even bigger at 6-4 and 270 pounds , and he has 4.8 speed in the 40- yard dash . During the winter months , Tarawallie is a power forward for the basketball team , and in the spring he throws the shot put and discus and lines up for sprints for the track team .

Coach Rooney was pleased to welcome 75 players to camp in grads 9-12 . The fact that there are 25 seniors makes this one of the most experienced and eldest teams he has had , going into his seventh season as head coach .

Senior linebacker and captain Grant Sandell , one of the leaders on defense , said , The more challenges we have during the season , the better prepared we will be for the playoffs .”

“ I didn ’ t really like it when we were a full-spread team last season ,” Rooney said . “ We will keep some things from the passing game with a pass-run balance .”

The Lions have four home games , all under the lights , for 2024 and will go on the road four times . “ We have two trips to the Rochester area ,” Rooney said .

Head Coach

Colin Rooney Seventh Season

Last Year ’ s Record : 3-7

Key Returning Players

University of Minnesota football recruit Abu Tarawallie is one of the state ’ s premier offensive and defensive linemen at 6-4 and 270 pounds . He has been a starter since his freshman season , even though he missed much of last year while recovering from a knee injury . Senior quarterback Magnus Hansen passed for 190.7 yards per game while tossing 16 touchdown passes in 2023 . The Lions look for an improved rushing attack with the return of Peyton Bartz , who led the ground attack last year with 331 yards on 76 carries . He logged 4.4 yards per carry , a number that is good enough to keep the chains moving . Senior captain Joe Berghult , who played in the slot last year , had 20 catches for 186 yards last season . An excellent blocker , he is expected to see action at fullback in 2024 . One of the best young prospects for the Lions is tackle Jon Wiseman .

Schedule

Aug . 30 : at Byron , 7 p . m . Sept . 6 : vs . Becker , 7 p . m . Sept . 13 : vs Chisago Lake , 7 p . m . Sept . 20 : at Mound Westonka , 7 p . m . Sept . 27 : vs . Delano , 7 p . m . Oct . 4 : vs Orono , 7 p . m . Oct . 10 : SMB , 6 p . m . Oct . 16 : at Kasson-Mantorville , 7 p . m .