Class A
Minneota (12-0) vs. Springfield (12-0), 10 a.m.
You again? This is the third straight Class A title game featuring these two teams. Minneota won each of the previous two bouts by three scores. That’s life against the Vikings. Over the last two seasons, BOLD is the only team to play a game inside that margin against Minneota.
The Vikings are in the midst of a historically-dominant run. The Tigers’ balanced offense figures to score some against the Vikings — though Minneota hasn’t allowed a point to date in this state tournament — but can Springfield somewhat contain the Minneota offense?
Our pick: Minneota 38, Springfield 22
Class 4A
Totino-Grace (12-0) vs. Becker (12-0), 1 p.m.
Two titans of the sport look to end championship “droughts.” Becker’s last title came in 2015, while the Eagles last lifted the trophy in 2016 as a Class 6A program. Both have looked the part of championship contenders all season.
No one has scored more than 15 points in a game this season against the Bulldogs. But perhaps the Totino-Grace ground game — like by Marquel Keten, who’s gone over 1,700 yards this fall — can find some room to operate.
Our pick: Becker 17, Totino-Grace 14
Class 2A
Jackson County Central (12-0) vs. Staples-Motley (12-0), 4 p.m.
Staples-Motley is in search of its first-ever state title, while Jackson County Central hasn’t captured the crown since 2001.
The way the Cardinals controlled the line of scrimmage in their semifinal win over Chatfield, paired with their ability to be balanced offensively, inspires confidence.
Our pick: Staples-Motley 34, Jackson County Central 21
Class 6A
Minnetoka (10-2) vs. Maple Grove (12-0), 7 p.m.
The Skippers finished atop the hyper-competitive west metro subdistrict via a tiebreaker this season. In the postseason, the Crimson have beaten the fourth-, third- and second-place teams in that subdistrict in succession, and are now coming for the champs.
Minnetonka hung with Maple Grove a month ago in a game that was tied in the fourth before the Crimson scored the game’s final 10 points to emerge with the victory. But Maple Grove was sans star running back Charles Langama in that game. His postseason return has boosted the Crimson’s offense into hyperdrive.
A dominant victory Friday should cement the 2024 Crimson as one of the best big school teams in state history.
Our pick: Maple Grove 28, Minnetonka 14
WISCONSIN
Division 2
Rice Lake (11-2) vs. Slinger (13-0), 1 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison
Can the Warriors complete what looked to be an impossible mission — a public school punching up a weight class, defeating a series of elite programs all drawing numbers from schools with 300-plus more kids than Rice Lake?
If the Warriors finish the job — winning their second-straight state title in the process after claiming the Division-3 crown a year ago — it will go down as one of the more impressive achievements in recent memory. They’ll have to lean on what’s gotten them this far all season, a dominant, three-headed rushing attack. Lucas Peters leads the way with 1,231 yards, but Jacob Kunz and Connor Durand also have run for north of 800 yards and double-digit touchdowns.
Slinger leans more on the aerial attack than Rice Lake. How that passing game fares in what’s expected to be wintry conditions Friday remains to be seen.
Our pick: Rice Lake 24, Slinger 20
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