Forest Lake is on track to make its first state tournament appearance since 1991. The Rangers, led by Gophers football commit Howie Johnson, are 5-0 and holding steady at No. 3 in Strib Varsity’s Minnesota Top 25.

Their next test? A 3-2 East Ridge team looking to bounce back after being shut out by Mounds View. The Raptors visit Forest Lake on Friday in a game streaming on Strib Varsity. Watch it at 7 p.m. here.

East Ridge lost its starting quarterback four plays into its 41-0 opening loss at Minnetonka. Cedric Tomes, who is committed to play basketball for the Gophers, suffered a broken finger and remains sidelined.

The Raptors’ run game has relied on Henry Bern (246 yards and six touchdowns), Vincent Hurley (324 yards and two TDs) and Ben Knaup (180 yards and one TD). Knaup is committed to Minnesota Duluth, and Bern holds an offer from St. Thomas.

East Ridge also has Akeed Ali, the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the 2027 class by Prep Redzone. He has caught passes for 248 yards and a score.

On the other side of the field, Johnson leads Forest Lake with 23 solo tackles, 33 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and five sacks. The Rangers have gotten 11 touchdowns from quarterback Connor Johnson (six passing, five rushing).

To learn more about Johnson, check out this video story from Strib Varsity’s Alicia Tipcke.