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How the top 25 Minnesota high school football teams fared in Week 8
Forest Lake at Eagan, 10/28, 7 p.m.
This game should be the game of the week for the quarterfinals. Forest Lake received a terrible draw after losing two out of its last three games. Eagan has won four games in a row and it beat an elite, but inconsistent, Shakopee team last week on the road.
Forest Lake is coming off a blowout loss to Lakeville North. It has lost both its games this year within the last month. The Rangers had started the season 5-0, and it will be an interesting challenge facing off against a hot Eagan team.
Lakeville North at Minnetonka, 10/28, 7 p.m.
Lakeville North faces Minnetonka in another intriguing No. 5 and No. 4 seed matchup. Lakeville North has come on strong this season, winning two games in a row. What was more impressive for Lakeville North is its blowout over Forest Lake, 31-14, in the tune-up game before the playoffs.
Minnetonka’s schedule has been a little more forgiving than Lakeville North this season. Coming into the playoffs at 5-3, Minnetonka has struggled to stay consistent this season. The Skippers have struggled with top teams like Maple Grove and Centennial and beat teams that have been struggling this season. This one could go either way, but Lakeville North is more battle tested this year.
Irondale at Park Center, 10/25, 7 p.m.
Irondale and Park Center is one of the most difficult games to predict this week. Both teams come into this game at 5-3 and have played similar levels of competition on their schedule. Both teams have also won three games in a row.
Irondale may have the upper hand in this one as they have been competitive against higher level teams like Spring Lake Park and Robbinsdale Armstrong this season.
Park Center features impact defensive end Kaden Cook, who has tallied eight sacks on the season. If Park Center can get up early on Irondale, it may be in trouble.
New Prague at Chaska, 10/25, 7 p.m.
Chaska was only a few points away from an undefeated regular season. It came within one score in each of its losses to an elite Chanhassen team and a solid Waconia team. Chaska has also won four games in a row, defeating a previously undefeated Robbinsdale Armstrong team two weeks ago. Its resume does not do them any favors as it draws New Prague.
New Prague finished the year 5-3 but has struggled with the tough teams on its schedule. Mankato West, Northfield and Rochester Mayo all blew out New Prague this year, and Chaska may be on par with those teams.
Osseo at Woodbury, 10/28, 7 p.m.
Woodbury draws a solid Osseo team for its first game of the playoffs on Friday. Woodbury’s offense has struggled down the stretch in games against quality opponents. The Royals were shut out by East Ridge and only scored 14 points against Centennial last week.
Osseo has been extremely inconsistent this season. The Orioles easily defeated East Ridge a few weeks ago and played close with a tough Forest Lake team. If Osseo plays like it did against East Ridge, it could pull off an upset in this one.
St. Michael-Albertville at Wayzata, 10/28, 7 p.m.
St. Michael-Albertville and Wayzata are no strangers to one another. Wayzata was knocked out of the playoffs last year in the quarterfinals by St. Michael-Albertville. The Knights also beat the Trojans 28-21 earlier this year.
Both of these teams are in a rebuilding year, and Wayzata will be looking to avenge its last two close losses to St. Michael-Albertville. Look for both of these teams to be on the rise next season.
Mankato East at Waconia, 10/25, 7 p.m.
Waconia has been under the radar this season. The Wildcats come into this game at 6-2 and have won six of their last seven games. Their only loss in that span was a two point loss at Chanhassen.
Mankato East is 3-5, and it has yet to pull off a signature win. It played Byron very closely, only losing by seven. Its wins are against teams with a combined record of 3-21. If Mankato East can put together a game like it did against Byron, it may have a shot in this one.
Edina at Blaine, 10/28, 7 p.m.
Both teams have struggled to find their footing this year. Edina played Rosemount well early in the season and came within a touchdown, losing 17-10. The Hornets were also blown out in games against top level schools like Prior Lake, Shakopee and Eden Prairie.
Blaine won its first game convincingly against a good White Bear Lake team, but it has been downhill since then. The Bengals went 3-4 the rest of the season and have struggled to put together complete games.
Edina has played an extremely tough schedule in comparison to Blaine and may pull off the upset in this one.
Delano at Zimmerman, 10/25, 7 p.m.
Delano comes into this one at 3-5, but it played a very tough game against Becker earlier in the year and have one of the more interesting matchups this week. Zimmerman has lost two games in a row against very solid teams in Albany and Milaca.
Zimmerman should be able to win this one, but Delano presents, at least, a challenge if it plays like it did in week three against Becker.
Buffalo at Rogers, 10/25, 7 p.m.
Rogers has been on fire the last few weeks. The Royals have won four of five games and their last three games have not been close. Rogers came in highly touted at the beginning of the season and has seemingly put everything together down the stretch with the return of several key players that have been injured.
Buffalo has only two wins on the season and they have struggled to put together a solid offensive game in weeks. If Buffalo has a chance to win this one they will have to keep pace with Rogers, which has scored at will the last few weeks and beat Buffalo 31-13 11 days ago.
