Edina added a big one to its winning streak Friday, starting fast and defeating host Maple Grove 35-24 in the second round of the Class 6A football playoffs.
Friday's football roundup: Edina ousts Maple Grove from Class 6A playoffs
Maple Grove, the defending champion, became the sixth team in a row to lose to Edina.
By Star Tribune staff
November 4, 2023 at 4:41AM
Edina (7-3) has won six games in a row after losing three in a row. Maple Grove (7-3), the defending Class 6A champion, is ranked seventh in Class 6A.
Sophomore Mason West threw a touchdown pass in each quarter for Edina.
Edina rolled to a 21-7 lead at halftime. The Hornets made a 90-yard touchdown drive on their first possession, ending with a 5-yard touchdown run by John Warpinksi. Then the Hornets went for a first down on fourth-and-7 and wound up with a touchdown, a 41-yard pass to Trillion Sorrell. They also scored on a 12-yard reception by Meyer Swinney.
Maple Grove interrupted Edina's first-half scoring with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Kaden Harney to Bo Draheim. Harney scored again on a 1-yard run with 9:33 left in the game that made it 28-17, but Edina ended the threat with a 30-yard TD pass from West to Sonny Villegas. Harney scored a third TD on a 4-yard run with 2:49 left.
West's other touchdown pass was a 31-yarder to Swinney in the third quarter.
East Ridge 13, Minnetonka 10: The Raptors (4-6) scored with 4:27 left, rallying past the No. 6 Skippers (7-3). Tanner Zolnosky hit Kyle Frendt with an 8-yard touchdown pass for the winning points. Minnetonka scored first on a 34-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Caleb Francois to James Macdougal with 5:37 left in the first quarter.
Centennial 26, Prior Lake Lakers 23: The host Cougars (9-1), ranked fourth in Class 6A, scored an overtime touchdown after holding the Lakers (5-4) to a field goal on their OT possession. Daylen Cummings ran 1 yard for the winning points. He also passed for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Rosemount 14, Woodbury 7: The Irish (6-4) got two first-half touchdowns on short runs by Joseph Meleckzedeck and beat the host Royals (5-5).
Lakeville North 42, Forest Lake 21: Riley Grossman went 8-for-13 passing for 227 yards and three touchdowns, propelling the host Panthers (9-1) past the Rangers (6-4). Lakeville North is ranked second in Class 6A.
Eden Prairie 42, Eagan 14: The host Eagles (9-0) overwhelmed the Wildcats (4-5), getting three rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown from David Ivey.
Class 5A
St. Thomas Academy 43, Bloomington Jefferson 14: The host Cadets (8-2) rolled past the Jaguars (8-2) in Section 3, benefitting from three rushing touchdowns by Savion Hart and three touchdown passes from Maximus Sims to Luke Dobbs. Hart carried 19 times for 138 yards. Sims passed for 225 yards, completing eight of nine, and Dobbs had 188 yards on his three receptions.
Mahtomedi 19, Cretin-Derham Hall 7: The host Zephyrs (6-4) built a 19-point lead and held on to defeat the Raiders (5-6) and win the Section 4 championship. Charlie Brandt went 7-for-11 passing for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Alec Mahoney rushed 22 times for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Michael Barry made four catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Class 4A
Totino-Grace 49, St. Anthony 7: The host Eagles (6-3) burst to the lead with three first-quarter rushing touchdowns by Justin Kuharski, on runs of 6, 1 and 86 yards, and defeated the Huskies (4-6) in Section 4. Kuharski scored again early in the second quarter, on a 4-yard run. Totino-Grace led 49-0 at halftime.
Rocori 30, Becker 21: Will Steil rushed for four touchdowns, and the two that came in the fourth quarter gave the Spartans (8-2) a big upset in the Section 8 final. Becker (9-1) lost for the first time since Rocori defeated it 22-20 last season in the Section 8 final.
Class 3A
Dassel-Cokato 27, Litchfield 20: Monte Gilman scored his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, lifting the Chargers (9-1), ranked fourth in Class 3A, to victory over the Dragons (8-2), ranked seventh, at Buffalo High School.
Class 2A
Cannon Falls 60, St. Agnes 34: The Bombers (9-2) got four touchdowns from Derrik Bechtholdt and four from Preston Schoenfelder and handed the Aggies (9-1) their first loss of the season. St. Agnes is ranked fifth in Class 2A.
*To see the the section tournament brackets in six classes and the state tournament bracket in Class 6A, click here.
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Star Tribune staff
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
