Mouth guard in and eye black all over, Howie Johnson is ready.

"Being able to show up and show out in front of my state and show that Forest Lake has some really good talent," said Johnson.

The Minnesota high school football all-star game is one last ride for the state's top seniors.

"It's bittersweet personally," said Johnson. "Obviously, I wanted to go all the way to the state title and win it, but unfortunately, that wasn't in the cards this year."

Much has been made of other highly ranked Minnesota recruits in this year's class, but with the season over and movement stopped, Johnson, a four-star defensive lineman, sits number one in most of the rankings.

"I'd say my biggest leap was my sophomore year against Mounds View, where I set the state record for sacks and TFLs in a single game, which was originally eight but is now 10," said Johnson. "There was just a big step taken my sophomore year with the coaching and the technique."

The University of Minnesota did well to retain the top local prep talent this cycle. Johnson is Dinkytown-bound next year.

"A lot of talent on that D-line," he said. "It was pretty cool getting to watch the Gophers, knowing I'm gonna be a part of that program under P.J. Fleck and what he does is awesome."

The D-line was one of the Gophers' strengths this season. Reinforcements are on the way.

"I want to get some playing time. But of course, that all depends on depth," said Johnson. "There's guys in front of me who've been there a lot longer. So I'm gonna have to bust my rump in order to earn some playing time."