Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Lakeville North, Mounds View land top seeds in Class 6A high school football playoffs

The playoffs are now set.

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) on Friday announced the playoff pairings for all seven classes of high school football.

For Classes 5A through Nine-Player, the first round of playoffs will be held Tuesday. Class 6A, which has 32 teams and represents the largest schools in the state, will begin first-round play on Friday, Oct. 25.

Here’s a glance at each playoff bracket:

There were no real shockers when the section seedings and first-round matchups were announced Friday morning on former KARE-11 anchor Randy Shaver’s TalkNorth prep football podcast, but a number of placements are worth noting.

The four No. 1 seeds were Maple Grove (Section 5), Minnetonka (Section 6), Lakeville North (Section 3) and Mounds View (Section 4).

As the only undefeated team in 6A, Maple Grove (8-0) was expected to get a No. 1 seed, as was Lakeville North, which lost just once and spent part of the year ranked No. 1 in Class 6A before a Week 7 loss to East Ridge ended the Panthers’ quest for perfection.

Mounds View (6-2), which finished the regular season winning four straight, picked up the top seed in Section 4 by virtue of a 31-7 victory over fellow Section 4 member Forest Lake on Sept. 13.

If any team has a beef with the seedings, it would be Shakopee. The Sabers were the only other 6A team in the state with just one loss, but the No. 1 seed was awarded to Minnetonka (6-2), presumably because Minnetonka won the head-to-head matchup between the two teams, 21-13, on Sept. 27.

Shakopee coach Ray Betton said on the Shaver broadcast that getting the No. 2 seed will likely be motivation for his team.

“We’ve got a little chip [on our shoulders],” he said. “The fires are burning a little brighter. We’ll be ready to go.”

In other seedings of note: 11-time state champion Eden Prairie, long the 800-pound gorilla of Minnesota high school football, was seeded No. 4 in Section 6 behind Minnetonka, Shakopee and Edina. The Eagles will host fifth seed Woodbury in the first round, a team they beat 42-13 on Thursday.

Eagan, despite three losses, was seeded No. 2 in Section 3 because of its 35-33 victory over section rival Lakeville South on Sept. 19. It’s the highest seed Eagan has received since Nick Johnson took over as head coach in 2019 following a series of winless and one-win seasons.

“It feels good,” Johnson said on the Shaver broadcast. “The kids believed in themselves and they earned it. A No. 2 seed is pretty cool.”

Eagan (5-3) will host Osseo, No. 7 seed in Section 5, in the first round.

Considered likely the most competitive class in the state, four undefeated teams earned No. 1 seeds.

Owatonna (Section 1), Two Rivers (Section 3), Armstrong (Section 5) and Moorhead (Section 8), all 8-0, took the top spot in their sections. The other No. 1 seeds went to Chanhassen (Section 2, 5-3), Cretin-Derham Hall (Section 4, 4-4), Monticello (Section 6, 6-2) and Elk River (Section 7, 7-1).

Owatonna, Two Rivers and Armstrong’s perfect regular seasons add to the compelling nature of Class 5A, as does Elk River’s 44-34 victory over Alexandria on Wednesday night. Moorhead defeated then No. 1-ranked Alexandria 36-34 on Oct. 11 when the Cardinals missed a game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Moorhead and Alexandria are expected to meet again in the Section 8 playoffs.

As usual, Section 2 looks to be a dogfight, with defending state champion Chanhassen, No. 2 seed Mankato West and No. 3 seed Mankato East all vying for the title.

The sections appear to have heavy favorites, except for Section 6.

No. 5-ranked Orono (6-2) and No. 6 Providence Academy (6-2) are the teams to beat, but Zimmerman (5-3) and Mound Westonka (5-3) could prove troublesome. Orono won at Providence Academy 24-13 in Week 6.

Top-ranked Section 8 team Becker (8-0) and No. 2 Totino-Grace (8-0) appear to be a cut above the entire field.

No. 1-ranked Stewartville (8-0) in Section 1 has its sights set on successfully defending its state championship behind a stout defensive unit. The Tigers allow only 2.4 points per game and appear to be a notch above the rest.

The most intriguing rematch could come in Section 3 between No. 5 Waseca (7-1) and No. 8 Fairmont (6-2). Blue Jays freshman quarterback Kellen Klinger hit senior wide receiver Damarius Russell with a 10-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining, giving Waseca a 20-19 victory when the two teams met in the regular-season finale. The Cardinals missed a 30-yard field goal as time expired.

Seven of the eight sections include unbeaten teams. Section 2 is the exception, headed by top-seeded Triton (6-2) and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (7-1).

Two sections to keep a close eye on are 1 and 4. No. 2-ranked Chatfield (8-0) and No. 10 Caledonia (6-2) are the heavyweights. Chatfield won the regular-season meeting at home, 20-13, but the Warriors can never be overlooked this time of year.

Section 4 has a loaded field, with five of the six teams 6-2 or better. No. 4-ranked Norwood Young America (8-0) and Rush City (8-0) are unbeaten while No. 8 Cannon Falls (6-2) is the fourth seed. None of these teams have met, except Norwood Young America and Randolph (7-1), with the Raiders prevailing 42-32 in Week 4. St. Agnes (6-2) is also in the section.

This classification runs strictly through two-time defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Minneota (8-0).

The best section final could come from the northwest corner of the state. No. 3-ranked Mahnomen/Waubun (8-0) and No. 10 Red Lake County (7-1) had an excellent regular-season tussle, won 13-12 by the Thunderbirds.

Don’t expect to see any upsets here. The heavyweights are head and shoulders above their opposition.

Two section finals could pit unbeaten teams against each other. They are No. 5-ranked LeRoy-Ostrander and No. 6 Spring Grove in Section 1 and No. 3 Fertile-Beltrami and No. 7 Fosston in Section 6. LeRoy-Ostrander is led by senior quarterback Camden Hungerholt, who has rushed for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns while passing for 1,374 yards and 17 touchdowns.