Football recap: Triple-overtime extravaganza sends Norwood Young America charging into playoffs

The high school football section playoffs kick off Tuesday.

Don't tell Norwood Young America coach Chris Goodwin. He feels like his Raiders started the playoffs three weeks ago.

"It was a challenging stretch the last four games," Goodwin said. "Three of the four teams we played were ranked in the top 10."

The Class 2A, No. 7 Raiders (8-0) closed the season with a wild 49-48 triple-overtime victory over Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (6-2) on Wednesday. Neither team led by more than one score the entire game.

"The two teams went back and forth trading touchdowns and big plays," Goodwin said. "It was kind of crazy but exciting."

Junior quarterback Jack Strickfaden's sixth touchdown pass of the game — his fourth to senior wide receiver Austin Dent, including three in overtime — and senior Andrew Eggers' extra-point kick gave the Raiders the victory. The Thunderbirds scored on their possession to open the third overtime, but a two-point conversion run failed. The Raiders also stopped a potential game-winning two-point conversion run in the second overtime.

"Our defense did not play as well as I would have liked, but we made some big stops when we needed it," Goodwin said.

A week earlier, the Raiders defense preserved a 12-6 victory over Mayer Lutheran (6-2). They slipped past Lester Prairie (6-2) 14-12 in Week 5.

"All three ranked teams had physical three-running-back offenses, which was a good test for our defense for the upcoming playoff games," Goodwin said. "We are excited to get a bye in the first round after that stretch of games."

Chanhassen holds down the No. 1 spot in the Class 5A, and Becker has it in 4A. That doesn't mean either will reach the state tournament field. Both are in the toughest sections in their class.

Chanhassen (8-0) is in Section 2 with No. 3 Mankato West (7-1). The Storm beat Mankato West 21-14 three weeks ago in Chanhassen. The Scarlets were the state tournament runner-up a year ago.

Becker (8-0) faces a daunting task in Section 8. The section has only five teams, but none of them has a losing record. It includes No. 7 Rocori (6-2), No. 8 Detroit Lakes (7-1) and No. 10 Princeton (6-2). The Bulldogs shut out Rocori 20-0 two weeks ago.

Here's a section in every class to keep an eye on when the playoffs start Tuesday:

Class 5A, Section 7: At first glance, No. 5 Andover (7-1) and No. 10 Sauk Rapids-Rice (7-1) jump out as the favorites. Don't overlook defending state champion Elk River (2-6). The Elks lost to Andover 63-56 and to Sauk Rapids-Rice 30-28, and their other four losses are also to teams ranked in the top 10: Chanhassen, No. 2 Rogers (7-1), No. 4 Alexandria (8-0) and No. 7 Brainerd (7-1). Chanhassen, Alexandria and Brainerd were one-score games, too.

Class 4A, Section 1: A two-team race for the crown features No. 4 Byron (7-1) and No. 5 Kasson-Mantorville (7-1). They met two weeks ago, with the KoMets prevailing 21-14 at Byron.

Class 3A, Section 2: Wright County Conference schools like knockdown, drag-out battles. That is exactly what you will get if No. 4 Litchfield (7-1) and No. 7 Dassel-Cokato (7-1) meet. The Dragons pulled out a 14-13 victory at home when they met in the last week of September. Rockford (7-1), also a member of the conference, is a high-quality No. 3 seed.

Class 2A, Section 4: An intriguing and mysterious section, with Norwood Young America, No. 5 St. Agnes (8-0) and No. 8 Cannon Falls (6-2). It's tough to gauge because those teams haven't played each other. Cannon Falls' only losses are to Section 1 powers: No. 2 Caledonia (8-0) and Chatfield (6-2).

Class 1A, Section 1: Any of four teams could win this eight-team section. No. 2 Fillmore Central (8-0) and No. 7 Bethlehem Academy (6-2) reside in the top 10, but Kenyon-Wanamingo (6-2) and Goodhue (6-2) can't be overlooked. Fillmore Central outlasted Bethlehem Academy 26-20 in overtime in Week 3. Goodhue's two losses were one-score games.

Nine-Man, Section 7: Defending state champion and top-ranked Mountain Iron-Buhl (8-0) and No. 6 Cherry (7-1) are natural rivalries as the school districts butt up against each other. The Rangers beat Cherry 28-6 after a scoreless first half a week ago.

"We'll find out a seed, who we play and what we've got Tuesday. Win or lose, we were going to need to move on quick." — East Grand Forks coach Ryan Kasowski to the Grand Forks Herald after the Green Wave (4-4) fell to Detroit Lakes 40-7 in the season finale Wednesday. They will host Thief River Falls (2-6) on Tuesday night.