Join Skippers Head Coach Mark Esch and his staff for three intense nights of high-energy training built to increase straight-line speed, explosive quickness, and game-ready agility. These traits are essential in the development of Minnetonka football players.

Sessions run Wednesdays—February 18th and 25th, and March 4th—at the MHS Tonka Dome & Pagel. Older athletes will leave with their performance measurements and knowing exactly what a combine demands and how to attack it with confidence, urgency, and purpose—ready to compete and stand out.

Click on image above to register.

See you this winter, enjoy the fall football season. 

Join head football coach Mark Esch and head strength coach Taylor Moon for these weight room training sessions.  Participants will learn movement mechanics and weight room movement patterns that allow them to build upon previous training.  If your son is new to the weight room this is an excellent opportunity to get him started.  

Click on image above to register.

A good game is a safe game and TFA is working to prevent injury whenever possible. Click the safety button to learn more about our approach.

Keys to injury prevention are:

• Proper coach training
• Proper equipment fitting
• Proper tackling technique
• Concussion awareness and medical preparedness
• Fostering an environment of safety appreciation

Caleb grew up in our youth football organization - TFA.  Click his image to read his story. 

Participate in as many sports as you possibly can.  Fight the pressure to specialize in any one sport and trust that the lessons learned in different sports crossover and help you far more than hurt you.  Respect the season you are in and dedicate yourself to your team and your coaches.  Learn to compete with class and improve from your successes and failures.

You are the Future of Minnetonka Football.

Go Tonka!

Click on icon to register.

Minnetonka Football has established an elite standard in Class 6A football. We are proud to be the only 6A team in the state to have competed in the State Semi-finals at US Bank Stadium for the last two consecutive years.

This sustained momentum is directly attributed to the dedication our athletes show during the off-season, particularly through focused skill and speed development.

We are now pleased to announce registration is officially open for the:

Minnetonka High School Football Skills Camp

Join us to continue building the momentum required to achieve our championship goals!

Who: Current 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, & 11th Grade Football Players.  Specific age group details below.

Location: Tonka Dome

Cost: $149

At Minnetonka Football, we’re excited to offer outstanding offseason opportunities for our athletes to continue developing their football-specific skills and development.

9th, 10th, & 11th grades - Wednesdays 6 to 7pm. 7 days total.

Camp nights run Jan 14th, 21st, 28th, Feb 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th

For current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors (next fall’s sophomores, juniors, and seniors), Minnetonka Football is partnering with Grant Norland and his team at Inspired Athletx. Grant is a sports performance specialist with a background in physical therapy, and his staff includes former Gopher Andrew Stelter. You can learn more about Inspired Athletx here: https://www.inspiredathletx.com/.

This year’s training will emphasize mobility, proper change of direction, and football skill development. Grant and his team are leaders in injury prevention and treatment, while bringing extensive football experience. They have trained numerous Division I and professional athletes.

We’ve also secured dedicated coaching for our offensive and defensive linemen. Line of Scrimmage will be working with our current 9th, 10th and 11th grade players throughout the winter camp.

7th & 8th grades – Thursday mornings 6am to 7am. 7 days total.

Camp mornings run Jan 15th, 22nd, 29th, Feb 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th

For current 7th and 8th grade athletes, our Defensive Coordinator Coach Matt Lombardi, O-Line Coach Dave Shoemaker, Offensive Skills Coach Opsal, and D-Line Coach Matt Mueller will lead a morning camp focused on key offensive run and pass plays, as well as core defensive concepts. Coach Lombardi and the Minnetonka staff will bring their expertise to each session, emphasizing football-specific skill work and reinforcing the “Minnetonka Mindset.” Specifically for 8th graders this training will be a jump start and set them up for freshman football.

These camps and training opportunities are a great way for athletes to connect with the Minnetonka Football coaching staff and continue their development. All training is optional but offered to support every aspect of an athlete’s growth. Skill development happens in the offseason—this is where players become bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter.

...send us an email at:  tfafootballtonka@gmail.com

TFA Coaches - we want your LMAA feedback.  Click on the image to submit feedback on the game, your opposing coach and / or your game officials / referees.  Please be as objective as possible and keep subjective comments out of the feedback loop.  Thanks again.

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MINNETONKA’S LEGENDARY HEAD FOOTBALL COACH TO RETIRE

DAVE NELSON HAS COACHED IN MINNESOTA FOR 42 YEARS, INCLUDING 18 AT MINNETONKA HIGH SCHOOL

Over the years, Coach Nelson has carved out a lasting legacy, not only on the field, but as a mentor and role model for students. In 2014, he was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. His successful and impactful coaching career has spanned 42 years. 

“It has been a privilege to lead the football program at Minnetonka High School for the past 18 years,” said Coach Nelson. “I would like to thank our coaches, administration, support staff, youth coaches, parents, and especially our players for making Minnetonka such a special place.”

Prior to joining Minnetonka, Coach Nelson spent 18 years as Blaine’s head coach where he won a state title in 1988. In 2004, he led the Skippers to the first state title in program history, capturing the Class 5A crown with a 23-14 win over rival Wayzata. Additionally, the Skippers won Classic Lake Conference Championships in 2004, 2006 and 2009 and made it to the Class 6A State Playoffs in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2018. His 2017 team played in the 6A State Championship. Coach Nelson’s 267 career wins rank him among the winningest high school coaches in Minnesota state history.

Ted Schultz, Director of Athletics and Activities at MHS said, “It has been an absolute honor to work with Dave Nelson. Not only is he a hall of fame coach, but he is a hall of fame person. He is one of the best to ever walk the sidelines in the State of Minnesota. Coach, thanks for investing in the Minnetonka Community and building better men through the game of football.”

Coach Nelson says none of his accomplishments would have come to fruition without the influence of his father, Stan, who coached at Anoka for 26 years and was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1983. Watching—and later playing for—his dad convinced Nelson early on that coaching and teaching was what he wanted to do, something he shared with his father when he was just an eighth-grader.  

“I looked at his life and it seemed like he was always happy,” Coach Nelson said of his father. “I saw the influence he had on others and I said to myself that I wanted to try to do that as well. He wanted me to be a dentist.”

Throughout his career, he’s helped to shape the lives of each kid who came through his doors, teaching them the value of hard work, earning what comes to them, and doing everything with class and integrity because, according to Coach Nelson, “at the end of the day it’s your character that matters most.”

To that end, he started the “Men of Character” program at Minnetonka High School several years ago, and it continues today. He was also a leader for students who participated in the Tonka Leadership Challenge, a program he ran for five years, in which he provided guidance to live life with care, respect and commitment toward others. Additionally, he has collaborated with Student Support Services to organize the annual “We Are One” football camp that matches children with special needs with MHS football players for a fun, inclusive event, focused on community.

“High school students are at a very critical age in life,” Coach Nelson said. “Trying to develop them as young men is really important. It has to be about more than just winning football games. Hopefully, they’ll look back on every season and know they became better young men for their experience.” 

Coach Nelson is also very involved with the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and serves as the Assistant Executive Director. He is proud of his involvement with Tackle Cancer, a Minnesota Football Coaches Association initiative that has raised more than $2M for the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund over the past eight years.  He has not only had a positive effect on his players, but on the Minnetonka football community as a whole. When he first came to Minnetonka, the Skippers had won just nine of 37 games in the previous four seasons. He was committed to changing the culture of the program. 

“We wanted to make Friday nights in Minnetonka special and to make them a community event,” Coach Nelson said. “We wanted to make our players part of something special.”

Accomplishing his original vision and watching the Skippers football program grow into what it is today—one that has won five section championships and a state title during his tenure—Coach Nelson said has been one of the most rewarding parts of his career. That also includes improved facilities that rank among the best in the state and a revitalized youth football program that has resulted in more kids playing the sport than ever before. 

Dave and his wife Maureen have three children (Sarah, Ashley, and Jesse) and 10 grandchildren—all Skippers!

The search for a new head football coach is already underway. 

It takes a village and without you as volunteers, we would not be able to function.  Thank you for your dedication.  

Please click on the image to below to watch a review of the Tonka Youth Football on the local evening news...

Click on image to sign up for an equipment handout.