Good matchups abound in Minnesota high school football playoffs

For decades, the centerpiece on a football team has been the quarterback. The field for the state’s largest schools boasts one of the strongest fields of signal-callers in recent memory. Thursday’s quarterfinal between No. 1-ranked Maple Grove (10-0) and No. 3 Edina (8-2) boasts a pair of strong-armed, highly touted junior throwers in Edina’s Mason West and Maple Grove’s Kaden Harney. A similar matchup pits Lakeville North’s Riley Grossman and Anoka’s Peyton Podany. Two QBs who depend more on their legs than their arms square off when Minnetonka’s Caleb Francois takes on Blaine’s Sam Shaughnessy. And don’t overlook Shakopee and Mounds View. Shakopee wouldn’t have gotten this far without the skills of veer option QB Judah Forsberg, a smooth distributor, and Mounds View quarterback Jacob Sampson was the Offensive Player of the Year in the Metro East district.

By now, everyone knows about Elk River’s power-T attack, a version of an old-school running game that relies on precision, technique and deft quarterbacking. The Elks have been up to their old tricks, putting up big rushing numbers and high scores thanks to a steady diet of explosive plays. Monticello is riding an eight-game win streak, a run including five shutouts by a stubborn defense. Keys for the Magic are discipline and attention to detail. Lose one or the other, even momentarily, and it can spell disaster against a team such as Elk River. And make no mistake, the Elks are not a gimmick. It’s not sleight-of-hand football. They run, block and tackle like other teams, but they do it in a manner that pressures defenses to play sound assignment football and react quickly. Monticello’s defense has risen to the occasion all season. Can the Magic do it again when it counts most?

Any chance Holy Angels has to beat No. 1-ranked Becker will involve the Stars throwing a wrinkle or two into their attack. Becker’s defense has been in shutdown mode all season. The Bulldogs have shut out three opponents (including Holy Angels 14-0 in Week 3), have held five other foes to single digits and have given up only 21 total points in the first three quarters. The most Becker has allowed in any game is 14, twice. Holy Angels will need to find a way to spring RB Emmitt Anderson and QB Damian Devine or let Devine, a Villanova recruit, take to the air to put up early points and pressure the Becker offense to respond. The Bulldogs haven’t been seriously tested since a 13-9 come-from-behind victory over Providence Academy in Week 2.

The Patriots’ high-powered offensive attack is spearheaded by their moving company up front, highlighted by three-year senior starters Jacob Lane, a 6-5, 290-pound tackle, and Dane Mudgett, a 5-10, 200-pound guard. The No. 5-ranked Patriots (10-0) are the second-highest-scoring team in the class, averaging 46.1 points per game, and haven’t been held under 35 points in a game since the season opener. Their top six rushers all average at least 9.5 yards per carry. Annandale’s defense yields 11.5 points per game and has allowed only two opponents to reach double figures in the past eight games. Senior Gavin Wang, a 6-7, 2750-pound defensive end who has committed to North Dakota State, isn’t easy to move, allowing the Cardinals’ outstanding linebacking corps to fly to the ball.

Don’t expect many points in this heavyweight battle of unbeatens. These are the two stingiest defenses in this classification. No. 3-ranked Jackson County Central (10-0) gives up 6.3 points per game while No. 4 Norwood Young America (11-0) allows 8.5 points per game. The play of rotating quarterbacks senior Jack Strickfaden and junior Kyson Evenski for Norwood Young America could determine the outcome.

The unbeaten and top-ranked Vikings (10-0) are the two-time defending state champions. Minneota needed to score on its last four possessions to overcome a 14-point deficit and edge BOLD 34-28 for the Section 5 championship. Senior running back Ryan Meagher capped the comeback with a tiebreaking 4-yard touchdown run, his fourth touchdown of the game, with 59 seconds remaining. The senior running back is the Vikings’ workhorse, rushing for 1,418 yards on 145 carries and 30 touchdowns this season. It will be a daunting task to three-peat because four other unbeaten teams are in the field: No. 2 Springfield (10-0), No. 3 Mahnomen/Waubun (10-0), No. 4 Goodhue (11-0) and No. 5 Upsala/Swanville (10-0). Minneota faces Lester Prairie (7-3) on Friday.

The Cardinals’ defensive unit has the daunting task of trying to contain the Renville County West senior quarterback. The 6-1, 190-pound Hungerholt has rushed for 2,391 yards on 173 carries with 31 touchdowns while completing 102 of 187 passes for 2,015 yards and 28 more scores. It’s easy to see why the fifth-ranked Jaguars (11-0) average 51.3 points per game.