Class 6A football playoffs arrive to test two prognosticators on streaks

The 32 football teams that make up the field for Class 6A — the largest schools in Minnesota — begin their playoffs Friday, with 16 first-round games in four eight-team brackets seeded from top to bottom.

There's purity in that, and we're over the fact that one of the games is an 8-0 team vs. an 0-8 team. Elsewhere in the bracket are much better matchups, even in cases where there's plenty of separation in wins and losses.

Preps prognosticators David La Vaque and Jim Paulsen, who make an annual event of seeing who can predict the most winners over the course of the season, are heading hot into the Class 6A tournament. They are perfect over their past two rounds of picks, each 6-0 over that span, and they are tied for the season at 22-8.

Here are three Class 6A first-round games that got their attention:

Jim says: Coon Rapids is a far better team than its record indicates. Four of its losses have come in one-score games, including an overtime loss to Farmington last week after leading by 15 in the fourth quarter. Lakeville North, No. 2 in the final Class 6A state rankings, is hitting its stride, averaging 50 points in its past three games. It won't be a walkover, but Lakeville North wins comfortably. The pick: Lakeville North 38, Coon Rapids 14

David says: Senior receiver Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman provides Coon Rapids the luxury of having the best athlete on the field. Until the Cardinals figure out how to clone the young man, the talent depth is with Lakeville North. QB Riley Grossman (14 touchdown passes) and RB Sawyer Wilkie (1,141 rushing yards) have quietly become one of the metro area's top backfield tandems. The pick: Lakeville North 42, Coon Rapids 7

Jim says: After starting 0-5, Farmington has revived its season and is riding a three-game winning streak. Edina has won four in a row, having found its running game. During that streak, Hornets RB John Warpinski has rushed for more than 100 yards each game and has found pay dirt eight times, taking the pressure off sophomore QB Mason West. The pick: Edina 26, Farmington 17

David says: Farmington must ride its Big Three on offense to spring the upset. They are QB Jonah Ask (12 touchdown passes), RB Jeffrey Branson (team-high 514 rushing yards) and WR Brock Wyandt, who leads the Tigers with 36 receptions and 595 yards. Give Edina the edge based on toughness of schedule — though not by much. The pick: Edina 21, Farmington 14

Jim says: Prior Lake, always loaded with high-end talent, needs to face down a dubious streak that has reached Twins-like proportions: the Lakers have lost their past 18 playoff games away from home. They won three games in a row to finish the regular season, thanks to a relentless rushing attack averaging more than 260 yards per game. They'll need that physical style against a Mounds View team that thrives in tight games. The pick: Prior Lake 24, Mounds View 20

David says: If Prior Lake were facing another team, the redemption angle would be appropriate. But Mounds View is a tough out. The Mustangs aren't flashy or flush with top college football prospects. But they don't beat themselves, and they play like a unit. That will matter in a game in which weather could lend itself to turnovers. The pick: Mounds View 28, Prior Lake 21

To see the 32-team Class 6A state tournament bracket or the section tournament brackets in other classes, click here.