Minnesota Section Final Recap and State Quarterfinal Preview

Here we are again! I hope everyone is having a good week and are excited for the state quarters to get underway, I know I am. Sadly, I had a wedding in Seattle this past weekend, so I was unable to attend any game in person, but I wish you guys could have seen my face when I was refreshing the scores, results, and live updates from the weekend of action in our Great Land of 10,000 Lakes. As expected, things lived up to the hype, and we saw a plethora of barnburners, nail-biters, surprising finishes, upsets, and gritty wins in all classes of MN prep football. Now, it's time for state, and we have some major matchups in the quarterfinals starting today and going into tomorrow. Before things kick off, let's take a quick recap of each classes sectional roundup, some top performers, and more. Additionally, PrepRedzoneMN has named our Games of the Week for the upcoming state quarters. Let's get to it!   --   Section Final Recap   9Man   Scores:   (7) Hills-Beaver Creek 30, (10) Edgerton 8   (1) Mountain Iron-Buhl 30, (6) Cherry (14)   (5) Kingsland 44, Spring Grove 14   Cedar Mountain 36, Red Rock Central 22   (4) Ottertail Central 34, Border West 12   Goodridge-Grygla-Gatzke 34, Stephen-Argyle 6   (2) Fertile-Beltrami 52, Clearbrook-Gonvick 20   (3) Nevis 38, (8) Ogilvie 0   Recap:   Compared to some of the other classes in MN last weekend, 9Man's sectional finals was pretty straightforward. The primetime matchup of #1 ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl and #6 ranked Cherry went the way of the Rangers, led by a huge night from multi-sport standout [player_tooltip player_id='205273' first='Damian' last='Tapio']. The rest of the results were as expected, with no major upsets and the tightest game record-wise (Cedar Mountain vs. Red Rock Central) resulting in a two-score finish, plus the #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 ranked teams all qualifying and moving on. Although it's not as dramatic as it could have been, it does mean that the best teams qualified for state, which means the quarterfinal, semifinal, and eventual championship should all be gritty, nail-biting, and exciting contests with everything on the line. Not a lot of 9man squads update their stats and box scores, but we still dug up a few eye-catching performances.   Top Performers:   [player_tooltip player_id='205273' first='Damian' last='Tapio'] (Mt. Iron-Buhl) 2024. RB. - 41 for 305 and 4 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='402074' first='Kaaleem' last='Reiland'] (Kingsland) 2026. RB/ATH. - 11-15 for 149 and 2 TDs through the air and 17 rushes for 145 and 2 rushing TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='368534' first='Beau' last='Wiersma'] (Kingsland) 2024. RB. - 7 tackles and a forced fumble, 3 catches for 3 yards and a TD, 25 rushes for 130 yards and 2 TDs   Brody Nachbor (Border West) 2025. RB. - 15 rushes for 164 yards and 2 TDs   Class A   Scores:   (3) Mahnomen-Waubun 16, (6) Ada-Borup-West 14   (5) Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 36, (9) Upsala-Swanville Area 12   Parkers Prairie 26, New York Mills 6   (1) Minneota 14, (4) BOLD 6   Braham 28, Deer River 8   Mayer Lutheran 20, Lester Prairie 19   (2) Fillmore Central 14, Kenyon-Wanamingo 0   (8) Springfield 36, Sleepy Eye United 18   Recap:   In quintessential Class A fashion, we saw low scoring, nail-biting, thrilling slugfests with a chance to get to state on the line. The two big matchups, #1 Minneota vs. #4 BOLD and #3 Mahnomen-Waubun vs. #6 Ada-Borup both lived up to the hype and finished in one-score fashion, and the Lester Prairie vs. Mayer Lutheran showdown turned out to be one of the best games in the entire class. In the Mahnomen-Waubun/Ada-Borup game, a successful field goal by [player_tooltip player_id='1255896' first='Tanner' last='Stech'] with only 10 seconds left in the game gave the Thunderbirds the walk-off victory. For Minneota vs. BOLD, Viking RB Destin Fier put away the go-ahead, 62-yard TD run in the 4th quarter to give his squad the W. Three TDs in the 4th quarter of the Mayer Lutheran/Lester Prairie matchup has me wishing I could have been in the stadium for the last 12 minutes, and the Crusaders [player_tooltip player_id='245648' first='Levi' last='Hahn'] ended up with two TDs and that final score as well.   Top Performers:   Luke Dingmann (Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) QB. - 14 of 18 for 220 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='1145278' first='Ryan' last='Meagher'] (Minneota) RB. - 20 rushes for 170 yards and a TD   [player_tooltip player_id='1149973' first='Jayce' last='Kiehne'] (Fillmore Central) RB. - 5 rushes for 109 yards and a TD   Jakob Nachreiner (Springfield) 2024. QB. - 19 completions on 23 attempts for 190 yards and 3 TDs plus 4 rushes for 31 yards   Class AA   Scores:   (10) Moose Lake-Willow River 13, (6) Barnum 0   (4) Jackson County Central 38, Redwood Valley 7   (9) Osakis 42, Staples-Motley 13   (1) Barnesville 44, Pelican Rapids 14   (3) Eden Valley-Watkins 44, Holdingford 14   (2) Caledonia 35, Dover-Eyota 20   (8) Cannon Falls 60, (5) St. Agnes 34   Triton 21, Maple River 14   Recap:   Some rousing results here in Class AA, namely the upsets of the #6 ranked and #5 ranked AA squads in their respective section finals. It can't be a good feeling to be in the shoes of Barnum and St. Agnes, who saw their seasons come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, but they lost to two very tough and playoff experienced programs in Moose Lake-Willow River and Cannon Falls, respectively. Both [player_tooltip player_id='242396' first='Preston' last='Schoenfelder'] and [player_tooltip player_id='348671' first='Derrik' last='Bechtholdt'] scored four TDs in the win for the Bombers, ending what was set to be a magical season for St. Paul-based St. Agnes, who were 9-0 coming into the ball game and fresh off one of the more impressive regular season campaigns we saw in the state this fall. However, the buzzsaw that was Cannon Falls had something to say about their dream season, and put up an eye-popping 60 points in the sectional final schalacking. Couldn't find any stats for MLWR, but it seems like a hard-nosed ball game that saw the running game play an important role in the win. The Triton vs. Maple River contest seemed exciting as well, and was in the minority of AA games that didn't see a surprisingly large offensive output come from one of the contenders. Not a lot of stats available for most of the games, but there are some major quarterfinal matchups in the class that should keep the thrills coming all tournament long.   Top Performers:   [player_tooltip player_id='706024' first='Landen' last='Mickelson'] (St. Agnes) 2024. QB. 12-18 for 259 yards and 3 TDs and an interception   [player_tooltip player_id='242396' first='Preston' last='Schoenfelder'] and [player_tooltip player_id='348671' first='Derrik' last='Bechtholdt'] (Cannon Falls) RB. - 4 TDs each   [player_tooltip player_id='1148641' first='Owen' last='Denstad'] (Caledonia) RB. - 15 rushes for 53 yards and 2 TDs   Class AAA   Scores:   (2) Esko 34, (10) Pequot Lakes 14   (6) Minneapolis North 51, Holy Family 0   (3) Annandale 14, Foley 8   (7) Dassel-Cokato 27, (4) Litchfield 20   (8) Waseca 21, (9) Fairmont 13 in Overtime   (1) Stewartville 34, Rochester Lourdes 7   Albany 24, New London-Spicer 23   (5) Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 35, Morris Area-Chokio-Alberta 14   Recap:   Lots to report here! #1 Stewie and #2 Esko move onto state without a problem, but basically everyone else was tested. #6 Minneapolis North - fresh off a move up from 2A to 3A - put the hurtin' on Holy Family, who earned a few 4A wins this fall. Tons of Polars contributed to the scoreline in the 51-0 shutout, with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1056365' first='Kai'an' last='Darden'] responsible for three scores and six other prospects adding to the 51-point effort. Annandale's senior stock riser [player_tooltip player_id='650239' first='Nick' last='Walter'] was responsible for the two scores in the Cards win, and although Foley put in the last score of the game in an attempted comeback, it wasn't meant to be. Dassel-Cokato avenged their only loss of the season in what seemed like a thriller in South Central MN, with [player_tooltip player_id='105371' first='Monte' last='Gillman'] putting in the go-ahead TD late in the 4th with the Chargers formally down 20-19. The primetime matchup of the class unsurprisingly went to #8 Waseca and #9 Fairmont, who went to overtime before Waseca avenged one of their two losses from the season. Albany knocked off the defending champ in what looked like a nail-biter, as they found themselves down 23-8 going into the fourth before two late TDs in the fourth quarter pushed them to a one-point victory. What a way to wrap up sections in Class AAA!   Top Performers:   [player_tooltip player_id='1056365' first='Kai'an' last='Darden'] (MPLS North) QB. - 6-7 for 119 yards and 2 TDs through the air and two rushes for 52 yards and another TD   [player_tooltip player_id='105371' first='Monte' last='Gillman'] (Dassel-Cokato) RB. - 3 TDs   Carter Miller (Stewartville) RB. - 17 rushes for 174 yards and 3 TDs   Tegan Malone (Stewartville) DB. - 3 tackles and 3 INTs   [player_tooltip player_id='1140796' first='Mason' last='Delzer'] (New London-Spicer) RB. - 29 rushes for 215 yards and 2 TDs   Class 4A   Scores:   Totino-Grace 49, St. Anthony Village 7   (9) North Branch 28, Hermantown 21   (3) Hutchinson 30, Marshall 14   (2) Orono 35, Delano 14   (4) Byron 17, (5) Kasson-Mantorville 14   Hill-Murray 42, Chisago Lakes 36   (7) Rocori 30, (1) Becker 21   Benilde-St. Margaret's 20, Holy Angels 15   Recap:   There's no way we can't lead with the upset of #1 Becker. If anyone was going to knock them off, it'd be Rocori, who has given Becker all they can handle in what is becoming a budding and gripping rivalry the last few seasons. NDSU commit [player_tooltip player_id='242378' first='Will' last='Steil'] scored all four touchdowns for the Spartans, who held onto a one-point lead through the fourth and added another score for good measure. Becker was looking like an early favorite for the 4A state crown throughout the season, but it wasn't meant to be I guess, and 4A perennial contender Rocori now comes into the state tournament with a ton of momentum behind them. Senior RB Justin Kuharski scored four times to help Totino-Grace head back to state in their first season back down to 4A, which is looking like the right move, and North Branch held off a strong Hermantown comeback attempt to head to state. #3 Hutch and #2 Orono both moved onto state quarter appearances, no surprise there as both history and their 2023 seasons would suggest, and Byron, Hill-Murray, and Benilde-St. Margaret's all won section finals with tight, one-score victories. That Byron vs. Kasson-Mantorville game - which PrepRedzoneMN highlighted as one of our top games to watch - especially lived up the hype. Chisago Lakes was down 22-42 but managed to close the gap to within one score after the Wildcats posted two fourth quarter TDs, but time ran out and the comeback could not be completed. Last but not least, the Red Knights find themselves competing for a state title despite sitting under .500, but earned the victory with two fourth quarter scores to overtake AHA by five. Lots og good teams left, we'll be watching 4A closely.   Top Performers:   [player_tooltip player_id='242378' first='Will' last='Steil'] (Rocori) ATH. - 31 rushes for 132 yards and 4 TDs plus 7 completions for 82 yards, 3 tackles, and an INT   Mitchel Soltau (Becker) WR. - 3 receptions for 110 yards and 2 TDs   Andy Pedroza (Rocori) DB. - 4 tackles and 2 INTs   Justin Kuharski (Totino-Grace) RB. 4 rushing TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='105378' first='Simon' last='Seidl'] (Hill-Murray) DB/ATH. - Returned the opening kickoff for six   [player_tooltip player_id='207810' first='Sean' last='Washington'] (Benilde-St. Margaret's) RB. - 18 for 146 and a TD   Class 5A   Scores:   (8) Robbinsdale Armstrong 49, Robbinsdale Cooper 14   (2) Rogers 24, Monticello 20   (1) Chanhassen 37, (3) Mankato West 36   (5) Andover 65, Elk River 32   Owatonna 35, Northfield 6   (6) St. Thomas Academy 43, (9) Bloomington Jefferson 14   Mahtomedi 19, Cretin-Derham Hall 7   (4) Alexandria 24, (7) Brainerd 19   Recap:   In what was my #1 overall class of games to watch, 5A lived up to the hype. Led by the #1 game of the entire section tournament in #1 Chanhassen vs. #3 Mankato West, a game that one could argue could have been for the state championship and all the marbles, we saw barnburners, surprising finishes, and nail-biters all the way through. Chan scored and overtook the lead with :34 seconds left in the game on a [player_tooltip player_id='431388' first='Dominic' last='Castagnetto'] FB plunge to come back from a two-score deficit, and man would I have loved to be at this game. Rogers had a tighter matchup than expected, and although they led for most of the ball game, Monti kept hanging around, and pulled ahead of the Royals 17-14 with 6:38 left in the ball game. However, Rogers RB [player_tooltip player_id='551378' first='Kalvin' last='Eull'] scored the game-winner with :22 seconds left for the walk-off victory. Bloomington Jefferson's wonderful 2023 campaign fell short to a loaded St. Thomas Academy squad, and Owatonna, Robbinsdale Armstrong, and Mahtomedi all handled business to advance as well. I can't lie, I was surprised by the Andover/Elk River result. The Elks were finding their rhythm and had a loaded roster this fall, but Andover was simply too much for the defending state champs. Tough year for Elk River. In the Outstate thriller of Class 5A, Alexandria and Brainerd went at it for a trip to state on the line, and it was a tight game all four quarters. Alex scored the lone points of the fourth quarter after a Daniel Jackson FG, which strengthened their 21-19 lead and ended up being the only points of the last 12 minutes. Shame to see either of these teams go early, both were playing high-quality football all year and would have a strong shot of making some noise during state. You gotta think 5A is Chanhassen's to lose at this point.   Top Performers:   Max Woods (Chanhassen) RB. - 26 for 236 yards and a TD plus 7 tackles and 2 forced fumbles   Tyler Smith (Chanhassen) DB. - 6 tackles, a forced fumble, and an INT   [player_tooltip player_id='743274' first='Kevon' last='Johnson'] (Armstrong) RB. - 28 for 235 yards and 3 TDs   Dawson Franke (Armstrong) QB. - 12 for 15 for 261 yards and 2 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='242410' first='Langden' last='College'] (Armstrong) DE. - 9 tackles and 4 sacks   [player_tooltip player_id='551378' first='Kalvin' last='Eull'] (Rogers) RB. - 29 rushes for 139 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='1202042' first='Koen' last='Schlangen'] (Monticello) QB. - 13 for 25 for 256 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='743260' first='Gavin' last='Schmidt'] (Elk River) RB. - 13 rushes for 122 yards and 2 TDs   Carsyn Kleffman (Elk River) ATH. - Freshman sensation Kleffman finished with 8 rushes for 129 yards and a TD, 14 tackles, and a FF   [player_tooltip player_id='652799' first='Chase' last='Pemberton'] (Andover) QB. - 19 for 27 for 329 yards and 2 TDs plus 12 rushes for 77 yards and 3 TDs on the ground   D'Mario Davenport (Andover) RB. - 14 rushes for 125 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='752525' first='Cameron' last='Begalle'] (Andover) WR. - 10 receptions for 186 yards and 2 TDs   Jacob Ginskey (Owatonna) QB. - 12 completions on 13 attempts for 227 yards and 2 TDs plus 5 rushes for 15 yards and another score   Nolan Ginskey (Owatonna) WR. - 5 catches for 125 yards and a TD, 4 tackles, and an interception   [player_tooltip player_id='607249' first='Maximus' last='Sims'] (St. Thomas Academy) QB. - 8-9 for 225 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='105372' first='Savion' last='Hart'] (St. Thomas Academy) RB. - 19 rushes for 138 yards and 3 TDs   Luke Dobbs (St. Thomas Academy) WR. - 3 catches for 188 yards and 3 TDs   Class 6A   Scores:   (7) Stillwater 49, Rochester Mayo 31   East Ridge 13, (3) Minnetonka 10   (1) Eden Prairie 42, Eagan 14   (4) Lakeville South 30, (10) Shakopee 13   Rosemount 14, Woodbury 7   (5) Centennial 26, Prior Lake 23 in overtime   (9) Edina 35, (6) Maple Grove 24   (2) Lakeville North 42, Forest Lake 21   Recap:   Well, this didn't go as I expected! East Ridge's magical playoff run continues with a big-time upset of the Minnetonka Skippers, one of the few teams in Class 6A I thought could potentially knock off undisputed #1 Eden Prairie. It was a tight game all four quarters, with both teams utilizing field goals to their advantage, and after 'Tonka went up 10-6 early in the 4th, stud QB [player_tooltip player_id='105379' first='Tanner' last='Zolnosky'] led the game-winning drive that found paydirt with 4:27 left in the game, where the defense then held out for the dub. What a game! Stillwater scored four straight TDs to put the game away after finding themselves down 31-28 at the start of the fourth, and Rosemount gutted out a gritty victory over an always-tough Woodbury squad. Centennial squeezed out a dramatic three-point win over a rolling Prior Lake squad in what sounded like a heckuva OT thriller. Centennial tied it up on a [player_tooltip player_id='704473' first='Marcus' last='Whiting'] TD run with 2:22 left in the fourth, knotting things at 20, and after Prior Lake posted a FG to open up OT, Centennial marched back down and finished the game with a [player_tooltip player_id='105383' first='Daylen' last='Cummings'] walk-off, one-yard TD run. In another gigantic result, Edina took down Maple Grove, the other team I believe had the juice to take down undefeated Eden Prairie, and did so in dominant fashion. Edina led the entire ball game, and although Maple Grove mounted a comeback in the fourth, it wasn't enough. The Hornets are on fire right now! Not the bracket I expected heading into state, but here we are. We'll see if someone can take down the Eagles when it counts, but we'll see.   Top Performers:   Rees Grimsrud (Mayo) QB. - 22 of 40 for 346 yards and 4 TDs through the air   [player_tooltip player_id='224134' first='Nick' last='Kinsey'] (Stillwater) QB. - Sophomore sensation completed 21 passes on 34 attempts for 351 yards and 4 TDs with an INT   Emilio Matias (Stillwater) RB. - 16 rushes for 193 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='234775' first='Connor' last='Cade'] (Lakeville South) RB. - 17 rushes for 174 yards and 3 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='1207411' first='Michael' last='Naber'] (Shakopee) LB. - 17 tackles   Hunter Macgillivray (Prior Lake) ATH. - 15 rushes for 134 yards and a TD, 11 tackles   Owen Ringen (Centennial) DB. - 10 tackles, a forced fumble, and an INT   [player_tooltip player_id='592125' first='Mason' last='West'] (Edina) QB. - Sophomore gunslinger tallied 15 completions on 19 attempts for 252 yards and 4 TDs   [player_tooltip player_id='1145305' first='John' last='Warpinski'] (Edina) RB. - 34 carries for 176 yards and a score   State Quarterfinal Games of the Week   6A:   (1) Eden Prairie vs. (2) Lakeville North   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='234766' first='Riley' last='Grossman'] (LN) 2025. QB.   5A:   (4) Alexandria vs. (2) Rogers   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='551378' first='Kalvin' last='Eull'] (Rogers) 2025. RB.   4A:   (7) Rocori vs. (2) Orono   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='242378' first='Will' last='Steil'] (Rocori) 2024. QB/ATH.   3A:   (2) Esko vs. (3) Annandale   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='323504' first='Koi' last='Perich'] (Esko) 2024. ATH. AND [player_tooltip player_id='650239' first='Nick' last='Walter'] (Annandale) 2024. QB.   AA:   (4) Jackson County Central vs. (2) Caledonia   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1148641' first='Owen' last='Denstad'] (Caledonia) 2024. ATH.   A:   (2) Fillmore Central vs. (8) Springfield   Player to Watch: Jakob Nachreiner (Springfield) 2024. QB.   9Man:   (1) Mountain Iron-Buhl vs. (3) Nevis   Player to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='582149' first='Eli' last='Klimek'] (Nevis) 2025. LB/RB AND [player_tooltip player_id='205273' first='Damian' last='Tapio'] (Mt. Iron-Buhl) 2024. ATH.

Here we are again! I hope everyone is having a good week and are excited for the state quarters to get underway, I know I am. Sadly, I had a wedding in Seattle this past weekend, so I was unable to attend any game in person, but I wish you guys could have seen my face when I was refreshing the scores, results, and live updates from the weekend of action in our Great Land of 10,000 Lakes. As expected, things lived up to the hype, and we saw a plethora of barnburners, nail-biters, surprising finishes, upsets, and gritty wins in all classes of MN prep football. Now, it's time for state, and we have some major matchups in the quarterfinals starting today and going into tomorrow. Before things kick off, let's take a quick recap of each classes sectional roundup, some top performers, and more. Additionally, PrepRedzoneMN has named our Games of the Week for the upcoming state quarters. Let's get to it!