Retour
Fifty-six spots are up for grabs across seven classifications in the 2026 MSHSL football playoffs. In Class 6A, winners will advance to the quarterfinals. In Class 5A through 9-Player, each team is competing for a section championship and a spot in the state tournament quarterfinals.
Here are the games to watch on Friday, Nov. 6. Games are at the higher seed unless noted.
Shakopee (8-1) is one of four top seeds in the Class 6A bracket thanks to a top defense. The Sabers’ defense is led by Blake Betton and Nehemiah Ombati, two of the state’s top senior prospects. Betton is linebacker committed to Penn State, and Ombati is a defensive lineman committed to Nebraska.
Maple Grove has lost three times this season, and the Crimson were held out of the end zone in a recent loss to Minnetonka. The Crimson’s defense is led by senior defensive back Luke Smith. He has 91 total tackles, three sacks and three interceptions.
Eden Prairie (8-1) is No. 3 in the Star Tribune’s rankings. Its only loss was 55-34 at No. 1-ranked Moorhead. Junior running back Owen Konrad has 1,234 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games.
Centennial (7-2) brings one of the state’s best defenses. The Cougars had allowed just 65 points all season before holding off East Ridge 35-29 in the first round. Mike Grant’s Eagles, owners of a state-record 11 titles, haven’t been slowed down much this fall.
Moorhead (9-0) is No. 1 in both the Star Tribune and High School On SI rankings. Quarterback Jett Feeney has thrown 46 touchdown passes, breaking Joe Mauer’s single-season big-school state record of 41.
The Spuds will have to keep rolling without star receiver David Mack. The Gophers recruit was injured in the opening-round win over Coon Rapids and could miss the rest of the season.
Prior Lake arrives on a five-game winning streak after beating Stillwater 28-13. The Lakers upset No. 1-seed earlier in the season.
Champlin Park opened the playoffs with a 52-0 shutout of Eastview. The Rebels have one of the best offenses in the state. They’ve scored fewer than 35 points once, in a 14-7 win against Centennial.
Wayzata is one of the state’s best turnaround stories. The Trojans went 1-8 last season. In their first year under coach Derrin Lamker, they defeated No. 4-seed White Bear Lake 63-48 in the first round.
Minnetonka (7-2) doesn’t have a bad loss on its résumé. One of its losses was a 28-21 game against No. 2-seed Eden Prairie. Blaine beat Roseville 41-6 in the first round, and a win over the Skippers would be its biggest of the season.
The Class 6A state quarterfinals are Nov. 12-13, and the Prep Bowl is Nov. 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Mankato West (9-0) is No. 6 in the Star Tribune’s statewide rankings. The Scarlets beat Chanhassen, last year’s Class 5A Prep Bowl runner-up, 28-6 in the section semifinals. Waconia (8-1) is ranked No. 25 and has a chance to knock off an unbeaten team with a state tournament berth on the line.
The Magic and the Elks met in Oct. 14, and the Magic won 36-29 after five lead changes in the game.
Monticello quarterback Carson Deibele threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jeron Schlangen with 6:24 remaining and ran in the two-point conversion. Cale Holthaus rushed for three touchdowns, and Deibele added 102 rushing yards and two touchdown passes as Monticello piled up 257 yards on the ground.
Elk River took a 29-28 lead early in the fourth quarter on Carsyn Kleffman’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Healy. The Elks accumulated 282 rushing yards in the game.