Zach Jorgensen

FAIRMONT — The postseason accolades continue to pile up for area prep football players.

Blue Earth Area’s Kean Hicks and Fairmont’s Zach Jorgensen were selected to represent the South squad during the 49th Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association’s All-Star Game.

Hicks, Jorgensen and their South teammates will face the North All-Stars in a noon kickoff on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The Minnesota High School Football Showcase event is being presented by Andersen Windows and Doors. The 2020 game was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Jorgensen, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound senior, will play defensive back for the South roster, despite establishing himself as one of southern Minnesota’s elite quarterbacks.

The 2021 Sentinel All-Area co-football player of the year, however, displayed his defensive prowess by recording four interceptions from the Cardinals’ secondary during his three-year varsity career.

Offensively, Jorgensen exits his prep playing days under center as Fairmont’s No. 1 career leader in passing touchdowns (53), No. 2 career leader in passing yards (4,195), No. 5 single-season passing TDs leader with 22 and No. 5 single-season passing yards leader with 1,934 — with the last two marks being set this fall.

Jorgensen, who was recently tabbed a preferred walk-on for the Minnesota Gophers football team, guided the Cardinals to a 19-7 record over three seasons, including a Class AAA state quarterfinal appearance in 2021.

Hicks, a hard-working 5-10, 185-pound senior, provided running room from his offensive guard position for a Bucs’ potent ground game that featured three consecutive Sentinel All-Area co-players of the year in Koby Nagel (2019), Max Ehrich (2020) and Adam Schavey (2021).

Nagel, Ehrich and Schavey combined to score 71 touchdowns and amassed a total of 3,864 yards — nearly 2.2 miles of real estate — during the past three gridiron campaigns.

Hicks played an integral role in Blue Earth Area’s football team producing a 24-5 overall record during his three-year tenure as a starter, including a perfect 7-0 mark and a bid to a state tournament that was nixed due to Covid in 2020. The Bucs also reached the Class AA state quarterfinals in 2019.

Jackson County Central’s Levi Lindley also was selected to the All-Star Game and will play outside linebacker for the South.

Waseca linebacker Jarret Ahlschlager, Maple River defensive lineman Nolan Buckholtz and Redwood Valley defensive back Drew Lundeen also will compete in the annual elite invitational at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday.

Tickets for the All-Star Game cost $18 per adult (18 and older) and $8 per student (6-17 years old), and should be purchased online at: www.vikings.com/schedule/vikings-events/minnesota-football-showcase.