Owatonna receiver provides big play as South tops North in all-star game

Owatonna wide receiver Noah Budach was on the receiving end of some good ole razzle dazzle that helped the South defeat the North, 28-14, in the 45th annual Minnesota Football Coaches Association Tackle Cancer All-Star Football Game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.
The South scored the first touchdown of the game when Budach caught a 40-yard double pass.
Facing fourth-and-3 from the North 40-yard line, Marshall quarterback Trey Lance threw a pass to Cretin-Derham Hall’s Jaylen Newton behind the line of scrimmage, but instead of charging ahead for a potential first down, Newton threw deep to Budach.
“We worked on that play one time in practice,” Budach said. “I went out there and faked a block. Luckily, Newton caught the lateral was able to get rid of it in time. I was able to catch it and make one guy miss and it was open green from there.”
The showcase featured more than 90 of the top high school seniors from across the state of Minnesota.
Budach said it was a great honor to be selected for the game.
“It was really humbling and I was surprised when I got the letter in the mail,” he said. “Everyone there was the best of the best. It really taught me a lot about football to be out there with the top 100 players in Minnesota, and learn from them and some great coaches.”
Huskies’ head coach Jeff Williams said coaching staff could tell by Budach’s sophomore season that he was going to be a special player.
“He continued to elevate his junior year,” Williams said. “We could see his great hands and great athleticism, but he really coupled that with toughness this year. I was so pleased with the kind of season that he had.”
Budach leaves Owatonna as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards and tied for the most receiving touchdowns in a career.
“It was a great experience,” Budach said. “To be able to play my last three games at U.S. Bank Stadium and end all three of them with a win is incredible.”
In addition to Budach, the game featured Owatonna linebacker Zach Mensink and Blooming Prairie defensive lineman Mitchell Oswald.
It was Mensink’s third straight win at U.S. Bank Stadium as well.
He said the experience was unbelievable and he was thankful for the opportunity for one more chance to play there.
“Representing southern Minnesota and Owatonna meant a lot to me,” Mensing said. “I was glad we could pull out the win.”
Mensink said he gains a lot of new perspective from interacting with all of the different players and coaches from around the state.
“Going out and playing a game after having to learn a whole new defense in three days was tough,” he said. “But I think it help me a lot in the future.”
Williams said Mensink had a phenomenal season for the Huskies’ this season. 
“He’s not only one of our captains, but he was also the leader of our defense,” Williams said. “It was really neat to see him selected for the all-star game because he played through the injuries and some adversity. But he never wavered in his ability to fly around and go after people.”
With the win, the South improved to 14-10-1 under the current format.
Budach said the most beneficial part of the experience was the friendships he made and some of the off-the-field activities the teams took part in, like visiting a children’s hospital.

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“It was nice to be able to branch out of your comfort zone,” he said. “It really was a life changing experience. Overall, it was great experience. I got to meet a lot of good guys and some great coaches. Yeah and it made it even better to end up with win.”