St. Cloud Tech Football Builds On Growth, Eyes Improvement In 2026
The St. Cloud Tech High School football team looks to improve on their 2-7 finish in 2025 as they are set to embark on the 2026 season. Tech head football coach Jon Benson joined me on WJON.
Growth in 2025
Benson believes his young team developed well through the 2025 season as they competed well through the majority of their games. He says the growth earned from last year's team should benefit them well and he's excited about this year's squad.
Top Skill Position Returners
Top returnees at Tech include senior running back/linebacker MarQwon Brown. Benson calls him a "wrecking ball of a man physically". He says playing him on defense caused a reduction in the amount of touches had got on offense in 2025. Senior Andrew Brown returns to quarterback the Tigers in 2026. Benson says "Andrew really developed in the play action passing game last year and he's put in a lot of work in the off season".
Top Offensive Line Returners
Other top returners on offense include 6'6 tight end Henry Condon, 6'8 junior tight end/receiver Jayce Ramsey and junior receiver Everett Stine. Offensive line returnees include center Hayden Schwartz, tackle Tyrese Ojulu, and guard Aidan Thiam. Benson says many of these guys saw time on both offense and defense in 2025.
Good Size
Benson believes they have more size that what they've had in recent years. He says "I think our front line will be as sturdy as it's been in quite some time". Benson would like to limit the amount of time the big guys play on both sides of the ball.
Benson's Thoughts on the Schedule
Benson likes his 2026 schedule which includes what he considers some favorable matchups. He says Sartell is a great rival, Breck and North St. Paul should also be good tests for them early in the season.
2026 Schedule:
September 4 at North St. Paul, 6pm
September 11 vs. Sartell-St. Stephen, 4pm
September 18 at Breck, 6pm
September 25 vs. Detroit Lakes, 7pm
October 2 at Becker, 7pm
October 9 vs. Willmar, 7pm
October 14 vs. Princeton, 7pm
October 21 at Fergus Falls, 7pm
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Jon Benson, click below.