Blackhawks prospect Mason West wanted to cap his football career by winning a championship with his childhood friends before permanently switching over to hockey.
And win a championship he did.
When West, the 29th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, took one last knee to seal Edina High School’s 42-35 victory in the Minnesota state-title game Friday, the significance of the accomplishment overcame him. His dream had come true.
‘‘You don’t really know what to do in those moments,’’ West said. ‘‘You’re in shock a little bit. You just stand there in awe, looking around. It doesn’t really feel real. I’m just proud of how our team fought through adversity all year and got through that final game. It was just a blast. It still doesn’t feel real.’’
The moment was overwhelming.
‘‘He’s always trying to be the tough guy emotionally, [acting] like everything’s fine when sometimes it’s not,’’ Edina coach Jason Potts said. ‘‘And he does a really good job of that, being strong for his team. But he finally let it out. You could see inside his helmet his emotions [were] rolling.
‘‘That was very special to me because I know he committed a lot to take a pause from pursuing hockey to come back to do this. Then to actually have it happen, man, that was a rewarding feeling.’’
The Hawks supported West’s unusual decision from the start. In a way, other NHL teams’ wariness about it benefitted them by allowing him to fall to 29th. Vice president Chris O’Hearn attended the game in Minneapolis to congratulate West.
It was far from a given that Edina’s season would turn out so perfectly, however. The Hornets went only 4-4 in the regular season, and West admitted they ‘‘weren’t really in the talk for states’’ at that time.
It took a miraculous playoff run, winning three consecutive games by one- or two-point margins, to defy the odds. West finished the season with 2,389 passing yards and 34 total touchdowns, although Edina running back Chase Bjorgaard stole the show in the title game with 320 yards and six touchdowns.
‘‘That’s exactly why I came back,’’ West said. ‘‘[Winning a title] was my goal, and I try to work hard every day to achieve my goals. But it definitely took the whole team to buy in.’’
The story went viral on social media during the weekend. Former NFL players such as Greg Olsen and Brian Hoyer shared it as an example of the enduring value of high school sports during an era in which young athletes are pushed to specialize in one sport and to do so at elite club programs.
🙌🏼 Don’t let anyone ever tell your kid they can’t play multiple sports. You only get one childhood. This is awesome @gregolsen88 https://t.co/o3YyKosVPs
— Brian Hoyer (@bhoyer7) November 22, 2025
West, 18, loved seeing that message spread. Potts said West has inspired many kids in Edina’s hockey-obsessed community to play football, too.
‘‘I would just say, ‘Do what you want to do,’ ’’ West said. ‘‘Don’t let someone else persuade you into doing something you don’t want to do. It’s your decision.
‘‘The biggest thing is having fun, too. You don’t get these times back with all your fellas that you’ve been hanging out with since second grade. It’s fun to make those memories. They’ll last a lifetime, and they’re fun to talk about years later.’’
West won’t get to savor the glory for long, however, because it’s almost time for him to jump into hockey. Even during football season, he skated twice a week and shot pucks almost every day.
As planned, he will join the Fargo Force for the rest of the U.S. Hockey League season in a week or two. He had nine points in 10 games for Fargo late last season.
Next season, he will make the leap to college hockey at Michigan State.
‘‘It’s going to be a lot of work, a lot of skating, but I’m ready for it,’’ West said.
