The Minnesota State High School League board of directions unanimously voted today to approve Zero Week for high school football starting in 2011.

Zero Week basically adds a bye week for teams that already have a full schedule. But some local coaches have said getting a full schedule is already hard. Adding an extra week could complicate things for a couple reasons.

No. 1 – having a bye week might work but for schools in lesser populated areas, they could have a hard time finding other games to play.

No. 2 – there are some conference, i.e. the Heart O’Lakes, that have a solid number of teams. That conference is adding Hawley next season. But there are some schools that don’t have a conference and must play section games. Then the need to find games to play becomes greater.

Zero Week is common in a few states, notably Texas. It serves as a bye week there but even coaches in a football-crazy state like that one have a few problems finding competition near home.

-Ryan S. clark

I’ve been in Fargo for nearly a month and there’s a world of difference between here and Beaumont, Texas.

Beaumont was the last place I lived. I was a high school football coordinator at a paper there. Beaumont is a place where people love football more than life and even some family members. It is why things have been really difficult there the last two weekends.

First, there was Reggie Garrett. He was a 17-year-old quarterback that died after throwing a touchdown pass. Reggie was someone I knew really well.

This weekend, that area lost Curtis Barbay. He was a head coach at a tiny, lumber town in Southeast Texas. He died of a heart attack on Saturday with more than 300 career wins. He was a giant in Texas football. Barbay was a better man. Southeast Texas has its problems, notably race. Yet people like Barbay, who is white, fought that image by helping more black youth go to college and become solid young men.

Saturday was difficult because the last two weekends you’ve talked about death with people back there. Reggie dying was such a shock. Barbay’s death was too. All this shows that no matter how far you go, there are just some ties that are hard to break.

-Ryan S. Clark

Friday’s football game between Breckenridge and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton already has a lot going on.

Both are 3-0. Ranked in the Top 10 and have more in common than what most think.

In my column this morning, we delved into the similarities. Thanks to the good folks at the Heart of Lakes Conference, we have some numbers too. Both teams have given up a combined four touchdowns. Breckenridge has surrendered 14 points while D-G-F has given up 13.

The comparisons don’t stop there. Breckenridge’s offense has the edge in total points. It has scored 118 compared to D-G-F’s 65. But its how both teams are doing that’s interesting. Breckenridge has rushed for 731 yards while passing for 236. D-G-F is similar as its ran fro 786 yards and passed for 106.

Finally, there’s the guys that have been running the show for both teams. Bennett Mercil and Stephen Erlandson. Mercil leads the confernece with 466 rushing yards. He’s second with five touchdowns. Who’s first? Yep, Erlandson with six. He’s also second in the conference with 425 rushing yards.

In Thursday’s edition we will have standings from all the area prep conferences in sections in North Dakota and Minnesota. Also, we take a look at what’s going on in the area with prep columns by Heath Hotzler and Ryan S. Clark.

Technically, the prep football season in Minnesota begins today.

Most school start Friday and Wadena-Deer Creek is one of them. Nearly three months ago, Wadena was terrorized by a tornado that ripped through the down. Construction efforts are on-going, but that is ot stopping students from getting ready for the season.

WDC opens the season at Park Rapids Area. Kick-off is 7 p.m.

Winning would be nice. But at this point, WDC might have already claimed a victory by getting ready for the season. Natural disasters often force families to leave and put schools in a position of having fewer students. Not in Wadena where families have stayed to rebuild and their children are playing sports.

To read more about Wadena and what it is had to overcome, check out tomorrow’s story by Ryan S. Clark in The Forum.