Moorhead’s four Gopher commits turned Maple Grove into a showcase on Friday night, and the Spuds made sure the whole state noticed.
Quarterback Jett Feeney, receiver David Mack, receiver/cornerback Zak Walker and running back Taye Reich - all committed to Minnesota’s 2027 class - helped No. 1 Moorhead knock off then-No. 6 Maple Grove 40-21 in a Class 6A matchup that was tied to the game’s bigger storyline: just how unusual this group is.
Each of the four carries a three-star recruiting rating, and together they form a rare haul for one Minnesota high school. According to 247Sports recruiting analyst Ryan Burns, the Gophers haven’t had three or more recruits from the same Minnesota school since Richfield in 1982. Burns also said a Minnesota school hasn’t produced four pledges to schools in the now-Power Four conferences since Cretin-Derham Hall in 2008.
What makes Moorhead even more unusual is that none of the four are linemen, the type of players Minnesota most often produces.
“It’s a crazy blessing; God putting all these people at Moorhead,” Mack said.
The night started with Reich making his presence felt before kickoff. During warmups, the 5-foot-10, 210-pound back looked ready to be a problem for Maple Grove - then he headed toward the locker room and threw up three times into the landscaping rocks. Kevin Feeney said that’s nothing new for Reich, who has dealt with that kind of pregame nervous energy since seventh grade.
“That means we’re ready,” Feeney told the Pioneer Press.
By the time the game started, Reich had settled down. Feeney’s pregame message was pointed, especially against a Maple Grove program he described as having “total domination” in Minnesota 6A football for a number of years.
“ … But I will tell you this, some of those guys ain’t wearing their uniforms. They’re gone. They’ve got to play for who they are (now), and I want to see who we are.
“Every time we get an opportunity to play in the metro, we have to send a message!”
Moorhead answered that challenge after a tight first half, when Maple Grove led 21-20. The Spuds forced turnovers, seized control and ripped off 20 straight points to pull away.
Feeney was brilliant, finishing 25 of 31 for 426 yards and five touchdowns. Mack put together a monster line of his own with 15 catches for 303 yards and four scores. Reich added 21 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Walker had three catches for 53 yards and a score and also forced a key fumble on defense.
Moorhead’s offense lives in spread formations, often lining up four or five receivers at a time. When all four future Gophers are on the field together, the Spuds call it a “track” formation.
“The four of us on offense is insane,” Mack said. “If you try to stop one thing, another thing is going to open up.”
The connection between Feeney and Mack kept showing up all night. The pair opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown pass, and later Feeney fit a throw into a tight window on a deep dig route for Mack, drawing praise from Maple Grove coach Adam Spurrell.
“There’s not a whole lot of quarterbacks that can do that,” Spurrell said.
Reich capped that drive with a 7-yard touchdown run. On the next series, he threw up again, this time in the backfield just before the snap, but still handled the Crimson blitz.
“Taye loves football,” Mack said. “It’s kind of nerves and excitement.
I’m used to seeing it now, but he just has a crazy love for the game. It’s funny.”
Feeney’s poise was a theme throughout. After a fumble deep in Maple Grove territory, he went right back to the bench to study film on a flatscreen TV and tablet, and he kept doing that all game with his father, Kevin, and the assistants joining the sideline discussions.
“(Jett) has such a good grasp of what we’re trying to do and the space that we’re trying to attack,” Kevin said. “It’s really good dialogue on the sideline for us on what he’s seeing, what he likes, what he doesn’t like. That’s validated with what we watched on film.”
The second half turned into a Mack highlight reel. He scored on a 31-yard throw from Feeney after the quarterback rolled right and ignored a sideline plea to “check it down!” Later, Mack took a tunnel screen 24 yards to the end zone while talking trash as he crossed the goal line.
“David is just slippery,” Spurrell said.
Walker added a 16-yard touchdown catch to make it 34-21, and Spurrell pointed to the burst that makes him such an intriguing prospect.
“It’s his athletic ability,” Spurrell said. “Knowing how fast he is and knowing how far he can jump, you can definitely see why the Gophers are excited about him that way.”
Feeney and Mack also teamed up for a 68-yard strike that left Crimson defenders spinning.
The attention around Moorhead’s four future Gophers has started to spread beyond the program. Athletics director Dean Haugo said about a half dozen unfamiliar fans showed up in the visiting section for the Maple Grove game, with maroon and gold gear giving them away.
“They are A-plus kids,” Haugo said.
After the win, Moorhead celebrated in a darkened locker room with call-and-response chants and an “Ole!” chant that sounded more like a soccer crowd than a high school football team. Kevin Feeney closed the night by reminding his players what they had just done.
“You guys stayed in the fight,” he told them. “In the freaking fourth quarter you threw the knockout blow. … Let’s keep this freaking steam (engine) rolling, guys.”
Reich, apparently feeling much better by then, ended it with a simple shout: “Let’s go!”
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