Prep Football Section Finals Set in Southeast Minnesota
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A trip to the State Tournament will be on the line for 12 prep football teams in southeast Minnesota this week.
The section semifinals saw several nail-biting finishes. Teams fought to keep their seasons alive in frigid temperatures and snow on Saturday and Monday.
Below are the results from the semi final round the Section Championship matchups for Section 1 in 9-Player, Class 1A, Class 2A, Class 3A, Class 4A and Class 5A.
Listen to #1 Fillmore-Central take on #3 Kenyon-Wanamingo on Friday. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 103.1 FM KFIL, KFILradio.com and the KFIL App.
9 Player
The top-seeded Kingsland Knights kept their magical season rolling with a dominating 45-28 victory over Houston on Saturday. On the other side of the bracket third-seeded Spring Grove upset the two-seed LeRoy-Ostrander 27-20.
The Section 1 9-Man Championship game kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday. The game is being held at Wescott Sports Complex in Austin.
Section 1A
The Section 1A semi finals did not disappoint delivering a pair of one-score games on Saturday. Defending champion Fillmore Central rattled off 17 unanswered points to erased a 17-7 deficit to beat Goodhue 24-17.
On the other side the third-seeded Kenyon-Wanamingo Knights continued their season and upset the Bethlehem Academy Cardinals 22-18 in Faribault. The Knights and Falcons will meet at RCTC Stadium in Rochester Friday night. The game kicks off at 7 p.m.
Listen to #1 Fillmore-Central take on #3 Kenyon-Wanamingo on Friday. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 103.1 FM KFIL, KFILradio.com and the KFIL App.
Section 1AA
Section 1AA will have a new representative at the State Tournament. The Dover-Eyota Eagles defended their home turf and knocked off the defending section champion Chatfield Gophers 24-22.
The Eagles will face the top seed Caledonia, who topped Lewiston Altura 21-6 Monday night, in the section semifinal. The game is taking place at Paul Giel Field in Winona. Kickoff is 7 p.m. on Friday.
Section 1AAA
The Section 1AAA Championship game features a rematch of the the final week of the regular season. The top-seeded Stewartville Tigers defeated Lake City 42-14 to secure a return to the section final.
#2 Rochester Lourdes ended a Cinderella run for #6 La Crescent-Hokah, toppling the Lancers 38-14 at Mayo High School. The Eagles will try to avenge a Week 8 defeat at Stewartville on Friday with a trip to state on the line at K-M Telecom Stadium in Kasson. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Section 1AAAA
The second 1AAAA tournament was all chalk, leading to a clash between the tournament's top two seeds. Kasson-Mantorville rolled back into the section final, shutting out #4 Faribault 35-0.
The Byron Bears held off a competitive Winona Winhawk squad to advance, winning 21-17. The Bears and KoMets will play for a trip to state at Mayo High School at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Section 1AAAAA
Section 1AAAA has also been absent of upsets. The top seed Owatonna dispatched of #4 Rochester John Marshal 33-7 on Saturday. Meanwhile Northfield hit a game winning field goal to beat New Prague 24-21 to earn their chance to play for a State Tournament birth.
The Huskies and Raiders kick off at 7 p.m. Friday. The game is being played at the new Owatonna High School.
Listen to #1 Fillmore-Central take on #3 Kenyon-Wanamingo on Friday. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 103.1 FM KFIL, KFILradio.com and the KFIL App.
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Gallery Credit: James Rabe