2018 MSHSL Football State Tournament Preview

(courtesy of MSHSL)

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. --- The Minnesota State High School League’s football state tournament, held annually since 1972, begins a three-week run this week with quarterfinals in seven enrollment classes being played throughout the state.

The semifinals will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium over a three-day span from Nov. 15-17. The Prep Bowl Championships will conclude the state tournament on Nov. 23 and 24.

Here is a look at the matchups for the 2018 state football tournament:

The Schedule

Class Nine-Man

Quarterfinals

Friday, Nov. 9

NCE/U-H (10-0) vs. Cromwell-Wright (11-0) at Bemidji State University, 7 p.m.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton (8-3) vs. Spring Grove (11-0) at New Ulm High School, 5 p.m.

Verndale (11-0) vs. Mountain Lake Area (10-0) at Buffalo High School, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 10

Stephen-Arygle Central (11-0) vs. Mountain Iron-Buhl (9-2) at Bemidji State University, 6 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Friday, Nov. 15 --- 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, Nov. 16 --- 9 a.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Friday, Nov. 23 --- 10 a.m.

Class A

Quarterfinals

Saturday, Nov. 10

Otter Tail Central (10-0) vs. BOLD (11-0) at Alexandria High School, Noon

United South Central (10-0) vs. Blooming Prairie (11-0) at New Ulm High School, 1 p.m.

Mahnomen/Waubun (10-0) vs. Deer River (8-2) at Brainerd High School, Noon

Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (8-3) vs. Springfield (7-4) at Shakopee West Junior High, 4 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Saturday, Nov. 17 --- 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Saturday, Nov. 24 --- 10 a.m.

Class AA

Quarterfinals

Friday, Nov. 2

Pillager (10-1) vs. Paynesville Area (8-2) at Alexandria Area High School, 7 p.m.

New Richland-H-E-G (9-2) vs. Caledonia (10-0) at Burnsville High School, 7 p.m.

Barnesville (9-2) vs. Moose Lake-Willow River (8-2) at Brainerd High School, 7 p.m.

Minneapolis North (10-0) vs. Redwood Valley (10-0) at New Ulm High School, 8 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Thursday, Nov. 15 --- 2 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 16 --- 11:30 a.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Friday, Nov. 23 --- 1 p.m.

Class AAA

Quarterfinals

Saturday, Nov. 10

Pierz (10-0) vs. Annandale (9-1) at St. Cloud State University, 5 p.m.

Jordan (9-1) vs. Rochester Lourdes (11-0) at Hopkins High School, Noon

Perham (8-2) vs. Two Harbors (8-2) at Brainerd High School, 3 p.m.

Cannon Falls (5-6) vs. Fairmont (9-1) at Hopkins High School, 3 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Saturday, Nov. 17 --- 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Saturday, Nov. 24 --- 1 p.m.

Class AAAA

Quarterfinals

Thursday, Nov. 8

St. Anthony Village (8-2) vs. St. Paul Johnson (6-4) at Park Center High School, 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 9

Delano (7-3) vs. SMB (10-0) at St. Cloud State University, 7 p.m.

Waseca (9-2) vs. Winona (10-0) at Farmington High School, 7 p.m.

Willmar (9-1) vs. Hermantown (9-1) at Monticello High School, 7 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Thursday, Nov. 15 --- 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 16 --- 4:30 p.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Friday, Nov. 23 --- 4 p.m.

Class AAAAA

Quarterfinals

Saturday, Nov. 10

Elk River (9-1) vs. Spring Lake Park (8-2) at TCO Performance Center, 5 p.m.

Chaska (8-3) vs. Owatonna (10-0) at TCO Performance Center, Noon

Bemidji (9-1) vs. Cambridge-Isanti (7-3) at St. Cloud State University, 8 p.m.

Tartan (8-2) vs. St. Thomas Academy (10-0) at Shakopee West Junior High, Noon

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Friday, Nov. 16 --- 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 17 --- 7 p.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Saturday, Nov. 24 --- 4 p.m.

Class AAAAAA

Quarterfinals

Thursday, Nov. 8

Eden Prairie (8-1) vs. Minnetonka (6-4) at Chanhassen High School, 7 p.m.

Blaine (10-0) vs. Eastview (6-4) at White Bear Lake High School, 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 9

Woodbury (9-1) vs. Lakeville South (5-5) at Osseo High School, 7 p.m.

Lakeville North (10-0) vs. St. Michael-Albertville (7-3) at TCO Performance Center, 7 p.m.

At U.S. Bank Stadium

Semifinals

Thursday, Nov. 15 --- 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 16 --- 7 p.m.

Prep Bowl Championship

Friday, Nov. 23 --- 7 p.m.

Tickets Adult Student

Quarterfinals $11 $7

Semifinals (per session) $16 $10

Prep Bowl (per session) $16 $10

Prep Bowl Pass $26 $20

Official ball: Spalding-Alpha

Brackets and results: Posted on the League’s website at www.mshsl.org

Social Media: Follow the tournament on the League’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @MSHSL and @MSHSLJohn .

Credentials: A news media credential is required to cover all rounds of this event.

Streaming: School Space Media will stream all quarterfinal and semifinal games. Find the live stream at www.prepspotlight.tv . There is no charge to view the games. The Prep Bowl Championship games will be streamed live and free of charge by 45TV at www.prep45.com

2018 State Tournament Preview

Class Nine-Man

• Spring Grove is the returning champion in search of a successful title defense. Senior quarterback Alex Folz powers the Lions on the ground and through the air. He has rushed for 2,106 yards and scored 33 touchdowns, and has also thrown for 1,805 yards and 24 TDs. Cromwell-Wright, Russell-Tyler-Ruthton, Mountain Lake Area, Stephen-Argyle, and Verndale also make return appearances from the 2017 tournament.

Class A

• A new champion will emerge in the Class A field. In fact, Mahnomen/Waubun is the only returning team from the 2017 tournament. Mahnomen is one of the most decorated high school teams in Minnesota football history with eight state championships and five runner-up finishes. In 2013, Mahnomen won the second of two consecutive Class A crowns. BOLD, Olivia, was the runner-up in 2014. Blooming Prairie is making its eighth state tournament appearance. Deer River is in the state tournament for the first time since 1999. Springfield was the Class A champion in 2005.

Class AA

• Caledonia has dominated the Class AA field with the past three consecutive championships and eight since 2007. Junior quarterback Noah King has thrown for 1,522 yards and senior running back Nick McCabe has rushed for 1,272. During the 2017 tournament, the Warriors outscored the opposition 144-22 in three games. Caledonia has won 50 consecutive games. Minneapolis North, Paynesville Area, Barnesville and Moose Lake/Willow River return from the 2017 field.

Class AAA

• Defending champion Pierz returns in search of its third Class AAA championship since 2015. The Pioneers are powered by senior running back Reese Kapsner who has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. Rochester Lourdes is the only other undefeated team in the field. The Eagles bowed out in

the quarterfinals in 2017. Rochester Lourdes won Class AAA championships in 2010, 2014 and 2016. Jordan and Fairmont also are making return trips from last season.

Class AAAA

• A new champion will emerge from here as well. Only Winona is a return entrant from the 2017 tournament. The Winhawks lost to eventual Class AAAA champion, Holy Angels, in the semifinals. St. Paul Johnson is making the first appearance for a St. Paul City Conference school since 1981 when the Governors also qualified. St. Paul Harding was the Class AA runner-up in 1973. St. Anthony Village is making its first state tournament appearance since 1999. SMB, a co-op of Minnehaha Academy, Hope Academy, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, and The Blake School, features junior quarterback Jalen Suggs as its primary playmaker. Suggs, a student at Minnehaha Academy, is one of the nation’s sought-after point guards in basketball. Willmar is making its first state tournament appearance since 1988.

Class AAAAA

• Owatonna is the defending Class AAAAA champion and returns looking for its third championship since 2013. The Huskies are powered by University of Minnesota commit Jason Williamson, a senior running back, who has rushed for more than 2,300 yards and scored 34 touchdowns. Elk River, the Class AAAAA champion in 2016 and runner-up in 2017, also returns. The Elks averaged nearly 470 yards per game of offense. Tartan, located in Oakdale, is making its first-ever state tournament appearance. The Titans face St. Thomas Academy in the quarterfinals. Spring Lake Park, the runner-up to Elk River in 2016, returns as well.

Class AAAAAA

• Eden Prairie returns as the defending champion. In 2017, the Eagles won its state-best 11th MSHSL championship. The Eagles’ lone loss this season was to Lakeville North, 14-0, in Week 2. Eden Prairie’s quarterfinal matchup is with Minnetonka. Eden Prairie defeated Minnetonka 38-17 in last season’s Prep Bowl Championship game, and then 23-16 in Week 7 this season. Lakeville North averages nearly 380 yards of offense per game. Leading the way is senior running back Brian Curtis, Jr., who has nearly 1,700 rushing yards. The Panthers’ defense is allowing fewer than 200 yards per game. St. Michael-Albertville is also making a return from last season’s tournament.