Eden Prairie and Minnetonka playing football under Thursday night lights? We predict the winner

This doesn't have to be about the Star Tribune reporters who try to predict football winners each week.

Not unless one of them is perfect two weeks in a row. At that point, office politics drive the narrative.

Jim Paulsen went 6-for-6 over the past two weeks, and now he leads David La Vaque in their annual contest. Jim is 12-6, David 11-7.

Just to see if it throws Jim off his game, we gave him less time to prepare this week. He and David start with a Thursday game, and it's a beauty: Eden Prairie, No. 1 in Class 6A, at Minnetonka, No. 3 in Class 6A.

Their picks and their analysis for Week 6:

Jim says: This is a bad time for banged-up Minnetonka to play the No. 1 team in Class 6A. I've been trying to find a reason Minnetonka can win this. The Skippers have won three one-point games, which shows they know how to close out games. But this is asking too much. The pick: Eden Prairie 24, Minnetonka 10

David says: The Skippers have beaten Mike Grant's Eagles once in the past 22 tries. But they haven't faced their nemesis since 2020, which means few varsity players were part of the futility. To paraphrase something Paul Molitor said this week about the Twins' playoff slump, winning the first one is important because if you lose again, now your players are part of the streak. The pick: Eden Prairie 31, Minnetonka 14

David says: Cooper's defense has allowed just three points in the past two games combined. For the season, the Hawks have totally blanked opponents in the second half (though they have surrendered 13 points in overtime). Junior linebacker Anthony Kollie leads the team in total tackles (54) and stops for loss (eight). The pick: Cooper 21, Jefferson 10

Jim says: Nearly a generation has passed since Forest Lake beat Woodbury, the last time coming in 2007. It probably goes against standard football wisdom, but the reason I like Forest Lake in this one is because they don't try for balance. They lean on what they do well: run the ball and play rough-and-ready defense. That wins ballgames. The pick: Forest Lake 34, Woodbury 24