Cedric Tomes did just about everything he could to lift East Ridge to a 28-20 victory over Andover in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs on Friday night at the Raptor’s Nest in Woodbury.

The senior quarterback, who is headed to the University of Minnesota to play basketball, rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another as the Raptors (5-4), a No. 4 seed, advanced to face Maple Grove, a No. 1 seed, in the second round next Friday.

The Crimson rolled past Eastview, a No. 8 seed, 56-7 on Friday to advance. The Huskies, a No. 5 seed, finished their season 5-4 overall.

East Ridge turned the ball over on downs at the Andover 31-yard line on the game’s opening drive, and history looked like it might repeat itself on possession No. 2 when a false start call brought up 4th-and-8 at the Huskies’ 18.

Instead, Tomes fired a pass over the middle and connected with junior wide receiver Akeed Ali in the end zone. After converting a 2-point try, East Ridge led 8-0 with 1:05 to play in the first quarter.

The Raptors expanded that margin to 14-0 when Tomes scored on a 24-yard run to cap a lengthy drive kept alive on a roughing-the-punter call on the Huskies on 4th-and-24 at the East Ridge 21. Tomes and company then faced a 4th-and-7 at the Andover 35, but he connected with Ali on an 11-yard catch for another first down.

East Ridge struck again late in the first half when a 47-yard pass from Tomes to Ali set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak. The touchdown put the Raptors on top 21-0 with 26 seconds to play before halftime.

But the Huskies were far from finished, running almost six-and-a-half minutes off the clock to score on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Joseph Mapson on the opening drive of the second half.

Then, after a Raptors’ fumble on the opening play of their next drive, Andover got the ball back at the East Ridge 39. Mapson scored again on an 11-yard run to cut the gap to 21-14 with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter.

But Tomes answered right back, leading his team 78 yards on its next possession to score on a 2-yard run with 7:12 left in the fourth.

Andover scored again on an 8-yard pass from Mapson to senior Aidan Wiegert with 1:18 remaining. But the two-point conversion attempt failed and East Ridge recovered the ensuing onside attempt at midfield.

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Woodbury has found much success in the second half this season.

It did so again Friday, putting up 14 points in the final two quarters and made a defensive stand with 3 seconds left to beat Eagan 21-20 in a Class 6A football playoff.

Eagan’s Gage Halvorson caught a 12-yard reception from Parker West with 3 seconds left to get the Wildcats within one. West was stopped just shy of the goal line on the 2-point try and the Royals could exhale.

A 18-yard touchdown reception by Woodbury’s Nolan Freymiller capped a 10-play, 78-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter for the winning points and the second-seeded Royals averted an upset by the seventh-seeded Wildcats.

Shawn Rekowski caught a 38-yard pass late in the third quarter as Woodbury (7-2) tied the game 14-all. Woodbury has outscored its opponents 138-75 in the second half.

The Royals next get No. 6 seed Moorhead, which wears orange and black, on Halloween. The Spuds upset No. 3 Blaine 38-21. Moorhead jumped out to a 21-0 second quarter lead and hung on to beat Woodbury 34-27 in Week 2.

Chris Brandt and West had long first-half touchdown runs, Charlie Heinlein and Grady Recer had interceptions and Harrison Brandt had two sacks for the Wildcats (2-7).

Mark Mathis broke a tackle and scored from 23 yards out less than three minutes into the game for a 6-0 Woodbury lead, capping a 10-play drive in which Eagan provided little resistance.

Take away a shutout loss at Forest Lake and the Royals entered averaging almost 28 points per game.

But the Royals did not score on their next four drives, including a receiver dropping a fourth-down pass and a Wildcat interception by Heinlein after the ball went off the helmet of a Woodbury receiver.

Brandt scored on a 59-yard run on Eagan’s third offensive play, and West darted 56 yards to the end zone on the first play of the second quarter.

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On a Friday visit to the Twin Cities touting recent activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem took aim at state and local Democratic leaders for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

Standing with immigration officials behind large bags of methamphetamine, cocaine, and dozens of firearms seized in what ICE said were recent enforcement actions in the Twin Cities, Noem told reporters gathered in the federal building at Fort Snelling that an ongoing immigration crackdown under Republican President Donald Trump is making Minnesota and the U.S. safer.

Since January of this year, ICE has removed more than 4,300 people in the U.S. illegally in the state of Minnesota, according to ICE. Of that number, 3,316 had criminal histories and 98 were gang members, Noem claimed.

Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, called on state leaders to help federal authorities enforce immigration laws and accused Gov. Tim Walz and Twin Cities leaders of shielding people present in the U.S. illegally.

“We don’t decide which law gets enforced and which one doesn’t. They are laws, they are on the books. They were put in place, voted on, and instituted. And therefore, we enforce them all. If members of Congress, senators, governors don’t like the law, then they should go through the work of changing them.”

Some describe St. Paul and Minneapolis as “sanctuary cities” because they have local laws that limit cooperation between law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

Minnesota itself does not have a sanctuary policy barring cooperation with immigration authorities, something Walz told Republican members of Congress when he and other Democratic governors were summoned to testify on their states’ immigration policies in May.

Still, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans view Walz as uncooperative on immigration and have pointed to Attorney General Keith Ellison’s opinion that Minnesota can’t enforce immigration detainers if an individual can otherwise be released from custody.

When the Trump Department of Justice sued Minnesota over “sanctuary” policies in September, its lawsuit mentioned the detainer policy and that Minnesota does not share driver’s license data for use in immigration enforcement.

“I don’t know how he sleeps at night,” Noem said of Walz. “I don’t know how he goes to bed knowing that he’s letting these people walk these streets and there can be more victims the next day. I hope that the next family who loses their child to the drugs that are on this table or illegal weapons that are on the streets doesn’t have to put up with a governor like that.”

Besides an update on ICE activities in Minnesota since Trump took office in January, Noem did not share any substantial updates on immigration enforcement in Minnesota during her Friday appearance before the press at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building.

“It appears that this visit was perhaps more about pulling a political stunt than about solving a problem,” Walz’s office said in a statement.

Asked by a reporter whether the Trump administration would send National Guard soldiers to Minnesota as he has to other states ostensibly for public safety reasons, Noem would not answer, saying the decision ultimately lies with the president.

However, Noem said Minnesota could expect additional ICE agents to join existing efforts in the state as the Department of Homeland Security continues its push to hire 10,000 new officers nationwide — doubling its workforce.

During the news conference, a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the federal building to protest Noem’s visit and Trump’s unprecedented immigration crackdown. Protesters chanted “Say it loud, say it clear: Immigrants are welcome here” and carried signs comparing ICE to secret police services like the Gestapo in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union’s KGB.

Protesters opposed to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling during Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s visit to the Twin Cities on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Alex Derosier / Pioneer Press)

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey both used Noem’s visit as an opportunity to reinforce to the public their commitment to protecting immigrant communities in their cities.

“We’re aware ICE and federal agents are in the Twin Cities ahead of Kristi Noem’s speech today,” Carter said in a statement on social media. “Though we’re not aware of planned enforcement activity, I share your concerns … (St. Paul Police Department) will not participate in immigration enforcement.”

Frey made his remarks in a video statement posted to the city of Minneapolis’ YouTube channel.

“In Minneapolis, we don’t back down from our values, we stand with our immigrant neighbors,” Frey said. “In Minneapolis, we have your back. You will be protected and respected by our City employees, regardless of your immigration status.”

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For the second time in less than a year, vandals have destroyed several young trees recently planted along Shepard Road in downtown St. Paul, city officials said Friday.

South of the Smith Avenue High Bridge, 32 saplings were “cut just a few feet from the ground with their canopies left behind,” according to a St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department social media post.

The trees were planted last October by the city in partnership with the St. Paul nonprofit Tree Trust to replace the riverside canopy destroyed by the emerald ash borer.

It was just a month later that 60 of them were found ripped out of the ground near the Wabasha Street Bridge and tossed into the Mississippi River. Those trees were later replanted by volunteers.

City officials hope to also replace the 32 trees destroyed in this latest round of vandalism, but they said no funding has yet been identified for this.

“While this incident is disappointing, we remain committed to growing and strengthening our urban canopy,” the parks department said in its social media post. “You can also help by watering recently planted trees on your boulevard or in your yard throughout the growing season and before the ground freezes each fall.”

City officials asked anyone with information about the destruction of the trees to call the St. Paul Police Department’s non-emergency line at 651-291-1111.

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