Dean Spiros: Tommies-to-be give pause to Gagliardi

ST. CLOUD — St. John's football coach John Gagliardi made the short drive from his home on the Collegeville campus on Saturday to check out the Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game at St. Cloud State's Husky Stadium. Gagliardi wanted to get a look at the five seniors who will suit up for the Johnnies in the fall.

Since I promoted the talents of St. Paul Como Park quarterback Greg Morse throughout the high school season, I had to fill Gagliardi in on the 6-5, 195-pound Morse as we talked in the pressbox before the game.

Little did I know I was about to ruin Gagliardi's night.

When Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant, a St. John's alum, stopped by, Gagliardi asked him if he knew about the quarterback from Como Park.

"Morse? He's going to St. Thomas," Grant said.

Once the game started, Gagliardi needed to see Morse throw all of two passes before declaring, "Uh oh, we're in trouble."

Morse alternated offensive possessions in the game with Eden Prairie quarterback Ryan Grant for the Metro All-Stars. The Outstate All-Stars already led 7-0 when Morse entered the game after Rochester Mayo running back Mario Butler scored on an 80-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage.

Morse connected with St. Thomas Academy's Fritz Waldvogel on a 36-yard completion on his first play. Two plays later, he found Waldvogel for a 46-yard touchdown.

"Maybe I'll retire before he plays for the Tommies," Gagliardi groaned.

The news only got worse for the winningest coach in college football history. Waldvogel will attend St. Thomas as well.

"We tried real hard to get him," Gagliardi said, shaking his head.

Morse added a 9-yard touchdown pass to Osseo's Dan Brown in the fourth quarter as the Metro All-Stars overcame a 17-7 halftime deficit to win 22-17.

Where is Brown going to school? St. Thomas.

Morse will attend St. Thomas on what amounts to a full scholarship through the school's diversity program. He received little attention from NCAA Division I and II football programs, but did get some interest from Division II Winona State for basketball.

"They weren't going to give me a full scholarship, and I needed a lot of money to go to school," Morse said.

He is going to try to play basketball and football for the Tommies.

"He's going to get what amounts to a $40,000-a-year education for little if any money," said Como Park coach Kirby Scull, who served as an assistant coach for the Metro All-Stars. "You can't argue with that."

Morse's chances of playing at a higher level were hurt by the fact that he did not face top competition at Como Park. Saturday night, facing a team of all-stars, he completed eight of 11 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

There's a good chance Gagliardi had already made it to his car when Morse received his award as his team's offensive most valuable player.

Dean Spiros • dspiros@startribune.com