Football: Parkers Prairie ready to write next chapter after successful 2023 season – Alexandria Echo Press

PARKERS PRAIRIE – One year after one of the best seasons in football program history, the Parkers Prairie Panthers enter 2024 with the goal of making a state tournament appearance.

During the 2023 season, Parkers Prairie tied the program’s record with nine wins (9-3), won the Section 6A title and made it to the MSHSL Class A State Tournament, where the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

The Panthers will play the same regular-season schedule in 2024, the only difference being the location of the games. That means the team’s only two regular-season losses, at Pillager and at Staples-Motley (both Class 2A), will be at home this season.

However, senior captain and outstanding running back Mason Boesl says all games are marked on the schedule.

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He hopes this team gets the most out of every game, every practice and every rep – that’s the mentality Boesl and head coach Mike Johnson want to instill in the 2024 Panthers.

During the offseason, Johnson made “Chop Wood Carry Water” by Joshua Medcalf required reading for team leadership.

“The book talks about doing the little things right and taking advantage of every opportunity,” Johnson said. “We want our guys to approach every practice, every drill, with the right mindset. They already know the system, but they have to do their jobs well. If we build those pieces, the results will come.”

And so far, Johnson has seen that work ethic show on the training pitch, which is good because his squad is the largest it’s been in several years – so competition for playing time will be fierce. A strong portion of the 2023 squad remains with the team, but the squad has also added 17 newcomers to its ranks (48-man roster).

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“There is a great hunger for these places and a lot of that drive comes from the motivation to make it back to the state,” Johnson said.

A major reason for the program’s success in 2023 was its explosive Wing-T offense – the same offense the team will use in 2024. It’s a system that every athlete is familiar with and comfortable in, so when the team arrived for practice on Monday, everyone knew what to expect and jumped into it right away.

Boesl and his fellow captain Joe Johnson were two of the most important tone-setters.

Boesl was named the team’s offensive MVP in 2023 after scoring 17 touchdowns and 1,331 all-purpose yards, and coach Johnson said the running back returned with an even “sharper edge.”

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“He’s become a more vocal leader and wants to play any position where he can have the biggest impact on our team,” coach Johnson said. “If he could, he would take every handoff and catch every pass this season, but he’s a humble player and I look forward to seeing him let his game speak for itself.”

In 2023, Boesl also contributed 80 tackles, six sacks and two fumble recoveries as an outside linebacker, a position he will hold again in 2024 alongside Joe Johnson, who moved from his previous spot on the defensive line.

“We have great depth in our defensive line and can now use Joe where we believe his skills can make the biggest difference,” said coach Johnson.

Joe suffered an MCL injury in his team’s Section 6A championship game last season and can’t wait to get back on the field and make the most of his senior year.

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“I’ve been working on consistency in my reads,” Joe said. “Our back line does a great job up front and we just need to be there to clean up… I also just do my best to make it fun. Playing football is fun and that’s important so our guys don’t forget.”

Coach Johnson expects big moments from his two senior/captain linebackers and also highlighted fellow linebacker Trevor Rounds, who will be the “batter” of the defense, as well as 6’0″, 300-pound lineman Zak Koep and quarterback Chavous Wendt, who served as a backup to Cohen Noska (graduate) the last few seasons and also played wide receiver and defensive back.

The five outstanding players hope to lead the Panthers to another successful season in 2024.

“We talked about how much fun it is to have success, but that was last season,” coach Johnson said. “We asked the guys what they were going to do to write their own stories and set their own standards. And they all want to make it back to state.”