MANKATO — To some, Monday morning felt like waking up on Christmas.
Sure, there weren’t gifts wrapped neatly under a tree. Nor did a large, bearded man devour milk and cookies in the middle of the night.
But Monday brought the beginning of the 2026-27 high school sports season in Minnesota. Mankato East and Mankato West each hit the ground running.
For East, it’s day one for 2026. The Cougars are fresh off a 6-3 campaign which saw them win their first Kato Jug game, a 28-7 win over West. It was their first regular season win over the Scarlets in 20 years. East was ultimately bounced from postseason play with a 36-22 section semifinal loss to Chaska.
The Cougars are also looking to replace a long list of seniors who are now at the collegiate level. Left tackle Braden Petzel is now at Northern Illinois. Wide receiver Hayden Tischler is at nearby Minnesota State University. Linebacker Logan Kleist is at MSU Moorhead.
The list goes on. As does the Cougars need for new leaders to emerge. Head coach Eric Davis believes that will happen, but it’s not going to happen thanks to Christmas magic, but as the season wears on.
“We’ve gotten to a point now where we expect to lose good players every year, and we just need the next group to come in,” Davis said. “That’s a big part of these first couple weeks… finding out who can play, who can do certain roles, who can do what. We’re not going to ask somebody to do something they can’t do.”
The Scarlets, on the other hand, are off the heels of a 4-6 campaign, their first jug game loss in 20 years and were eliminated by eventual state runner-up Chanhassen 46-22 in the section semifinals.
They lost running back Trevor Sheldrup, who broke the program’s single-game rushing yards and touchdown records, producing 331 rushing yards and five rushing scores in a 43-14 section quarterfinal win over Waconia. Interior offensive lineman Eli Ahmann and defensive lineman Laren Kelly are both off to Southwest Minnesota State.
But since that loss to Chanhassen there’s been no pouting. That game was played on a Saturday. By the time Monday rolled around, as players returned pads and equipment, there was a sadness around the program.
A sadness that was replaced with work in the weight room, and the camaraderie that comes with it.
“That Monday came, and the guys transitioned right into the weight room. They got after it, and that’s exciting to see,” West head coach JJ Helget said. “We’ve had probably one of the best off seasons we’ve had in a few years. A lot of guys committed to the weight room. A lot of guys committed to just lifting together.”
East opens its season on Friday, Sept. 4 against Owatonna at Wolverton Field. West also opens its season on Sept. 4 against Mahtomedi.