Sports
Minnetonka Football Awaits Final Word On Benedict Injury
The starting quarterback suffered a broken ankle but could return in the playoffs
The football team should know by next week if it will play the rest of its season without quarterback Scott Benedict, who suffered a broken ankle bone two weeks ago.
The senior, who has a 73 percent completion percentage and passed for 663 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception, left the game after taking a sack in the fourth quarter of the Skippers’ 35-7 loss to Wayzata on Sept. 30.
It was the first of two straight losses for Minnetonka (4-2, 1-2 Lake Conference), which also lost 16-0 to Eden Prairie on Thursday, Oct. 6.
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Coach Dave Nelson said Benedict will learn next week if he needs surgery. With surgery, he will be out for the season. Without, Nelson said Benedict could return in a few weeks and could be able to play in the postseason.
“He just ran the offense really well,” Nelson said. “He’s a great leader on and off the field, and a lot of kids look up to him. He was really important in that.”
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Now, Benedict is playing a new role in an offense trying to figure out its next move. Nelson said he hasn’t missed a day of practice and is helping mentor the quarterbacks who are vying for time in his absence—including juniors Joe Martinson, Malcom Moore, George Buchner and Michael Dircz.
Martinson got the start on Friday against the Eagles, finishing the game 4-of-6 for 46 yards.
Nelson said it’s a work in progress deciding how the team will manage the offense in the coming weeks.
“We’ve got some options,” he said.
The Skippers finish up the regular season with two home games—one against Duluth East on Friday and another against Hopkins on Wednesday, Oct. 19.
Minnetonka is currently 1-1 in head-to-head section matchups and is in position to earn the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Section 6AAAAA tournament. Hopkins is a section opponent.
With or without its starting quarterback, the Skippers know they need to stay focused.
“We’ve just got to finish,” Nelson said. “I think we learned (against Eden Prairie) that we could be a pretty good football team, and we just need to make sure we’re playing at the highest level all the time.”
