The Class 6A football playoff bracket was unveiled Friday morning, and many of the early-round matchups — both set in the first round and likely to take place in the second round — look … familiar.
Class 6A teams are divvied up into their geographical sections for seeding purposes only, then teams are randomly assigned different quadrants, so you will not play another team from your section until at least the second round, and often later.
But a number of notable games will be rematches from non-section contests played during the regular season. For instance, Woodbury and Eden Prairie will play in a first-round, No.4-5 bout next week after the two teams just met Thursday in a game won 42-13 by the Eagles.
Lakeville South and Wayzata will square off in an opening round bout that will serve as a rematch of Wayzata’s 17-14 victory from Week 1.
There’s more of that in potential second-round matchups, if the seeds hold. No. 1 Lakeville North’s only loss of the year came to East Ridge last week, and those two are on a potential collision course for the second round.
Top-seeded Mounds View dropped its season opener to Farmington, and those two are also potential second-round opponents. The same is true for Eagan, a No. 2 seed, who could play Edina in the second round after the Hornets bested the Wildcats in the season opener.
Of course, the regular season matchups may not be predictive in any way of results to come, but they do add another interesting layer to the postseason intrigue.
The bracket provides some potentially tasty matchups down the road. For instance, if top-seeded Lakeville North and third-seeded Lakeville South both reach the state quarterfinals, they’d square off at nearby Farmington High School, which could set the stage for one of the most-attended quarterfinal matchups of all time.
Maple Grove, the top team in the state through the regular season, was done no favors in the bracket. It faces a potential second-round matchup with Eden Prairie, who has three losses this season, but has won three in a row — including an upset of Minnetonka — and is still likely the most dangerous No. 4 seed.
All first round matchups are set for Friday, Oct. 25. The first two rounds will be played at the home field of the higher seed, while state quarterfinals will be played at neutral sites before the state semis and Prep Bowl are at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Below are the brackets, which will be updated throughout the playoffs.
(Note: Quadrant 1 and Quadrant 2 winners will face off in the Nov. 14 semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium, while the Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4 winners will play one another on Nov. 15.)
QUADRANT 1
No. 1 Lakeville North vs. No. 8 Hopkins
No. 4 East Ridge vs. No. 5 Champlin Park
No. 2 Anoka vs. No. 7 Roseville
No. 3 Lakeville South vs. No. 6 Wayzata
State quarterfinal: Nov. 8 at Farmington High School
QUADRANT 2
No. 1 Minnetonka vs. No. 8 Park
No. 4 Centennial vs. No. 5 Rochester Mayo
No. 2 Forest Lake vs. No. 7 Buffalo
No. 3 Blaine vs. No. 6 Rosemount
State quarterfinal: Nov. 7 at Osseo High School
QUADRANT 3
No. 1 Mounds View vs. No. 8 Coon Rapids
No. 4 Farmington vs. No. 5 Prior Lake
No. 2 Shakopee vs. No. 7 Eastview
No. 3 Stillwater vs. No. 6 St. Michael-Albertville
State quarterfinal: Nov. 8 at Spring Lake Park High School
QUADRANT 4
No. 1 Maple Grove vs. No. 8 Burnsville
No. 4 Eden Prairie vs. No. 5 Woodbury
No. 2 Eagan vs. No. 7 Osseo
No. 3 Edina vs. No. 6 White Bear Lake
State quarterfinal: Nov. 7 at Park Center High School
DATES
First Round: Oct. 25 at site of higher seed
Second Round: Nov. 1 at site of higher seed
State Quarterfinals: Nov. 7-8 at neutral sites
State Semifinals: Nov. 14-15 at U.S. Bank Stadium
Prep Bowl: Nov. 22 at U.S. Bank Stadium
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