AAAAA Semi-Finals Preview

Following the success of my AAAAAA article where I covered their playoffs, I'm deciding to jump at the opportunity and crank out a AAAAA semi-finals preview before Saturday. As a former AAAAA player, I'm admittedly biased, but I do believe that it is the most exciting class in Minnesota football. This piece will look the same as the AAAAAA one, just separated by sections.   Section 1:   #1 Owatonna (6-2) vs #4 Rochester John Marshall (4-5)   Owatonna PPG: 31 - Owatonna OPPG: 21   John Marshall PPG: 21 - John Marshall OPPG: 23   3 weeks ago when these teams met, the game ended in a 32-14 victory for Owatonna, who has been nothing short of fantastic this season. The Huskies are fresh off a bye, before that they stomped on Apple Valley 49-12. With their only two losses coming to powerhouses Mankato West and Chanhassen. JM however, just won a battle with 5-seeded Rochester Century. They have a lot of athletes and could provide a dangerous semi-final challenge.   #2 Northfield (5-3) vs #3 New Prague (6-2)   Northfield PPG: 21 - Northfield OPPG: 21   New Prague PPG: 27 - New Prague OPPG: 14   To many, Northfield appeared to pull off an upset over New Prague in week 6 when they took home a 22-19 W over the Trojans. Northfield is riding a 3-game win streak coming off their bye, which includes the New Prague win, a Forfiet from Rochester Century, and a 36-6 win over Tartan. Expect their players to be healthy and rested. New Prague is riding a 2-game win streak, which includes an impressive win over an underrated Waconia team. It is tough to beat the same team twice in the same season, especially when the first game is so close. This has all the makings to be a great Saturday game.   Section 2:   #1 Chanhassen (8-0) vs #4 Waconia (4-5)   Chanhassen PPG: 36 - Chanhassen OPPG: 17   Waconia PPG: 24 - Waconia OPPG: 18   Chanhassen enters the semis as the clear-cut favorite for that 5A title. However, I think this game is going to be much closer than the chalk says. In their last meeting in week 4, Chan took home a W in a close 20-13 game. Waconia has proven itself a tough obstacle to overcome throughout the season, and having already played this team at their place provides a greater advantage than many think. Don't count out either team in this exciting matchup.   #2 Mankato West (7-1) vs #3 Chaska (4-4)   Mankato West PPG: 31 - Mankato West OPPG: 9   Chaska PPG: 18 - Chaksa OPPG: 24   Perennial powerhouse Mankato West enters this tournament as the #2 seed winning their last 3, including a dominant 28-0 showing over an elite Rogers team. They previously beat Chaska 31-7 in week 4. Chaska however, is a true wildcard. They split their record this year, but are fresh off of an upset 35-34 win over St. Thomas Academy. Mankato West has established this year's senior class as one of the best in state history, and they're not looking to see their season end. Chaska however has a knack for being gritty and winning games against tough opponents, should be a good one.   Section 3:   #1 St. Thomas Academy (6-2) vs #4 Two Rivers (8-1)   St. Thomas Academy PPG: 36 - St. Thomas Academy OPPG: 19   Two Rivers PPG: 34 - Two Rivers OPPG: 8   This is what I mean when I say that AAAAA is the most fun class to watch in the state. Nowhere else will you find a semi-final matchup where one team has serious D1 talent spread across their roster facing an 8-1 squad. STA are the owners of a mid-season 6-game win streak, where they had an impressive 44-13 win over fellow #1 seed Robbinsdale Armstrong. Two Rivers may not have had the same strength of schedule as the Cadets, but they're on a 7-game win streak which includes a 38-21 win over last season's AAAA champions. Another round two banger.   #2 Bloomington Jefferson (7-1) vs #3 Apple Valley (4-5)   Bloomington Jefferson PPG: 25 - Bloomington Jefferson OPPG: 11   Apple Valley PPG: 22 - Apple Valley OPPG: 22   I've been on the Bloomington Jefferson hype train since August. To see them succeeding like this, makes me smile man. They've put together a solid offense and one of the better defenses in their class. They previously beat Apple Valley 35-0 in week 7 at home. Apple Valley on the other hand has a very solid team, and they're coming off a 43-7 win in the first round against Bloomington Kennedy and they look to continue the success they saw in the first half of the season.   Section 4:   #1 Mahtomedi (4-4) vs #5 Tartan (3-6)   Mahtomedi PPG: 27 - Mahtomedi OPPG: 23   Tartan PPG: 10 - Tartan OPPG: 31   Fresh off an upset win last week, 5-seed Tartan makes an appearance in the Section 4 semi-finals. Fresh off of a 26-14 win over 4-seed Highland Park, Tartan looks to pull off a semi-finals upset. Mahtomedi does enter as the 1-seed with the worst record in AAAAA, but they already pulled off a dominant 55-7 victory over Tartan in week 5. Both teams are proving to be better than their record indicates and are prepped for a firey semi-final game.   #2 St. Paul Central (7-2) vs #3 Cretin-Derham Hall (4-5)   St. Paul Central PPG: 27 - St. Paul Central OPPG: 23   Cretin-Derham Hall PPG: 21 - Cretin-Derham Hall OPPG: 19   Winners of their last 3, St. Paul Central has had by all measures an impressive season. They beat 7-seed Academy Force 52-8 in the first round and look like a dangerous team heading into the semis. Cretin is even hotter, however, winning their last three and shutting out Harding/Humbolt in a 40-0 performance. 3 of CDH's losses have come to 1-seeds, while all of Central's wins have come over 3-seeds or lower. Could be a possible upset to keep your eye on.   Section 5:   #1 Robbinsdale Armstrong (6-2) vs #5 St. Louis Park (2-7)   Robbinsdale Armstrong PPG: 30 - Robbinsdale Armstrong OPPG: 19   St. Louis Park PPG: 11 - St. Louis Park OPPG 27   5-seed St. Louis Park is fresh off of a defensive masterclass that saw them upset 4-seed Minneapolis Southwest in a 7-3 battle. With that crucial win in enemy territory, they broke a 6 game-losing streak and are looking to ride that momentum into the next round. Upsetting Armstrong however, is no small task. They rode a strong 4-game win streak earlier in the season, and they have one of the most potent offenses in their class. With their only losses coming to fellow 1-seeds, expect Armstrong to have another crazy offensive performance.   #2 Robbinsdale Cooper (6-2) vs #3 Minneapolis Washburn (4-4)   Robbinsdale Cooper PPG: 24 - Robbinsdale Cooper OPPG: 10   Minneapolis Washburn PPG: 16 - Minneapolis Washburn OPPG: 21   With their only two losses coming to 2-seeds or higher, Cooper provides a formidable challenge for anyone they meet in the section tournament. They're riding a two-game win streak where throughout those games, they let up a combined 8 points. Washburn however, is a tough 4-4 squad that is also riding a two-game win streak. These teams didn't meet during the regular season, so watch out for some fireworks in this semi-final matchup.   Section 6:   #1 Rogers (7-1) vs #4 Park Center (4-5)   Rogers PPG: 33 - Rogers OPPG: 15   Park Center PPG: 22 - Park Center OPPG: 15   Rogers is a terrifying 7-1 team looking to bounce back from a rough loss last week. They have one of the best offenses and defenses in the state and individually boast some of the best players in the state on both sides of the ball. Park Center, on the other hand, has won their last two games, shutting out Irondale 19-0 in the last round. They took a 31-0 loss to Rogers at home earlier in the season and look to avenge that Saturday night.   #2 Spring Lake Park (4-4) vs #3 Monticello (4-4)   Spring Lake Park PPG: 18 - Spring Lake Park OPPG: 25   Monticello PPG: 19 - Monticello OPPG: 21   Spring Lake Park is getting hot at the right time, winning their last two games, which includes a 20-12 win over Monticello, and a 27-26 win over 1-seed Mahtomedi. Characterized by a run-heavy offense, Spring Lake Park may not drop a ton of points, but they frequently dominate the time of possession. Monticello however, has had close games with really good teams throughout the season, never losing by more than 2 TDs. This should be an exciting rematch.   Section 7:   #1 Andover (7-1) vs #4 Cambridge-Isanti (4-5)   Andover PPG: 48 - Andover OPPG: 20   Cambridge-Isanti PPG: 23 - Cambridge-Isanti OPPG: 25   Mathematically, Andover has the highest-scoring offense in their class. They're riding a 6-game win streak and their starting QB is now back from injury. The Huskies just beat fellow 1-seed Robbinsdale Armstrong 42-7, and look as dominant as ever heading into the semis. They previously beat Cambridge-Isanti 42-21 in Cambridge during week 3. Cambridge however did just beat 5 seed St. Francis 42-30, and look to ride that momentum to a round 2 upset.   #2 Sauk Rapids-Rice (7-1) vs #3 Elk River (3-6)   Sauk Rapids PPG: 22 - Sauk Rapids-Rice OPPG: 19   Elk River PPG: 32 - Elk River OPPG: 29   I have this as my game of the week. A rematch between two very underrated teams. Sauk Rapids-Rice is one of the biggest surprises of this season, owners of a 6 game win streak to start the season, the Storm have beaten nearly everyone including a 2-point victory over Elk River in week 5. The reigning state champs, the Elk River Elks, should not be taken lightly. Despite their record, they're loaded with talent and liable to put up a 50-point game at any time, like they did last week.   Section 8:   #1 Alexandria (8-0) vs #4 Bemidji (4-5)   Alexandria PPG: 34 - Alexandria OPPG: 14   Bemidji PPG: 24 - Bemidji OPPG: 31   Alexandria is my surprise team of the year. The Cardinals have been nothing short of dominant throughout the eight-week regular season, often engaging in exciting shootouts. They beat Bemidji 35-0 in week 6 at home, and look to do it again. Bemidji on the other hand just won its own 49-47 shootout over a much improved St. Cloud Tech team. Hopefully, we get another game that finishes in the high 40s from each team.   #2 Brainerd (7-1) vs #3 Moorhead (5-4)   Brainerd PPG: 41 - Brainerd OPPG: 17   Moorhead PPG: 30 - Moorhead OPPG: 22   Two elite offenses are going to clash on Saturday, and I'm all here for it. Brainerd took home the 28-20 dub in enemy territory during week 4, and the winners of their last three, all in dominant fashion, scoring 56, 42, and 42 respectively. While Brainerd had a bye last week, Moorhead dropped a W in a 42-0 performance over Sartell. This game has all the makings of a classic between two high-scoring teams.

Following the success of my AAAAAA article where I covered their playoffs, I'm deciding to jump at the opportunity and crank out a AAAAA semi-finals preview before Saturday. As a former AAAAA player, I'm admittedly biased, but I do believe that it is the most exciting class in Minnesota football. This piece will look the same as the AAAAAA one, just separated by sections.