Three prep football games expected to change locations

It appears to be game on for Minnesota high school football semifinals set for Osseo, Eden Prairie and St. Cloud but expect to see changes with as many as three games scheduled for other sites.

That picture began to emerge Tuesday as the Minnesota State High School League scrambled to deal with the implications of snow and icy field conditions left by Monday's storm.

The league is "all but sure'' to move games from Edina and Wayzata, where just one game was scheduled at each site, and take advantage of fields further south that received little or no snow, said Kevin Merkle, the league associate director who oversees football.

Merkle also sketched out these likely changes:

• The Class 6A game between Eden Prairie and Maple Grove at 7 p.m. Friday is expected to be played at Hopkins High School rather than the Edina Community Center.

• The Class 5A game between Simley and Spring Lake Park at 7 p.m. Friday, originally set to be played at Hopkins, is expected to move to Farmington, Prior Lake, New Prague or Rochester Mayo.

• The Class 4A game between Hutchinson and DeLaSalle is likely to be played at noon Saturday at either Farmington, Prior Lake, New Prague or Rochester Mayo instead of 11 a.m. at Wayzata.

On Tuesday afternoon, Merkle visited the field at Osseo, which is set to host the first semifinal at 7 p.m. Thursday between Lakeville North and Totino-Grace. A two-person crew had begun clearing the field of 6 to 8 inches of snow starting at 4 a.m. The school plans to enlist players and parents to help shovel bleachers, concession areas and other walkways.

"We're pretty optimistic that we can get this done,'' Osseo athletic director Ray Kirch said.

Concerns remain about frozen moisture in fields that could pose safety concerns for players. Merkle expressed hope that as the sun hits black pellets in the turf, it will hasten moisture evaporation and improve field conditions.

Osseo also hosts two games on Saturday. Eden Prairie, where three games are scheduled for Saturday, received about 2 inches of snow, but the field is expected to be ready. "The worst that could happen, did,'' said Mike Grant, the school's activities director and football coach.

Officials at Hopkins dealt with 2 to 3 inches of snow but are "feeling really good'' about having the stadium ready for games on Friday and Saturday, athletic director Dan Johnson said. "People think it's just the field," he said, "but you have to make sure the bleachers and walkways are safe.''

Merkle said playing at the Fargodome has been ruled out.

It's the first time semifinal games have been played anywhere but the Metrodome since 1989.

The Prep Bowl championship games in all seven football classes will be played on Nov. 21-22 at TCF Bank Stadium. Heating coils were installed under the field before the Vikings' began their season.

David La Vaque • 612-673-7574