Top games of Minnesota high school football in Week 8

SBLive's Minnesota high school football Power 25 for Week 8

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No. 5 Eden Prairie at No. 3 Stillwater, 10/19, 7 p.m.

This game is the SBLive game of the week. Eden Prairie travels to Stillwater to face the Ponies, who look to remain undefeated on the year. Eden Prairie rebounded after a blowout loss to Shakopee by defeating Edina 42-16. Eden Prairie will look to slow down Stillwater quarterback Max Shikenjanski, who struggled last week against Mounds View.

Stillwater was tied last week with Mounds View at halftime 7-7. The Ponies scored 28 straight points en route to a 35-7 victory, but they have shown signs of vulnerability the last few weeks. Forest Lake had multiple chances to beat Stillwater two weeks ago and White Bear Lake came within a touchdown of tying the game late in the fourth quarter three weeks ago.

Eagan at No. 7 Shakopee, 10/20, 7 p.m.

Shakopee was on a roll after rattling off four wins in a row and blowing out Eden Prairie two weeks ago. Shakopee was beat easily by a very good Lakeville South team 28-10, and its playoff hopes ride on winning this one against a very solid Eagan team. With three teams tied at 5-2 in the Metro-Gold-South conference, Shakopee will have to hope for an Eden Prairie loss at Stillwater for a better playoff spot. Eagan has playoff hopes after a very up and down season as well.

Eagan has won three games in a row and have positioned themselves well in the Metro-Maroon-South conference at 4-3. Eagan has struggled with top tier teams on its schedule with losses to Woodbury, East Ridge and Rosemount.

Shakopee will look to prove that it is a contender for the title this year with a win over Eagan this week.

No. 10 Elk River at No. 11 St. Francis, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Ten might be too low for Elk River in the SBLive power rankings. Elk River has amassed nearly two miles of rushing yards this season with an average of 9.9 yards an attempt and 437.9 yards a game. Elk River struggled some with Alexandria last week but has outscored its opponents 351-127. Elk River will likely face its stiffest competition this week in St. Francis.

Chalk up St. Francis as one of the more surprising teams of this season. After finishing last year at 3-6, St. Francis comes into this one undefeated at 7-0. St. Francis has played plenty of close games this season and this will be, also, its toughest test of the season. St. Francis will have to try to slow down Elk River and its potent rushing attack to pull off this upset.

No. 16 Centennial at No. 15 Woodbury, 10/20, 7 p.m.

Centennial has worked its way back up the standings with its fantastic defense. The Cougars beat a tough Minnetonka team 8-7 last week and has held some of the best offenses in the state to its lowest point totals on the season. Look for the defense to lead the way against a slipping Woodbury team.

Woodbury has struggled the last few weeks. After starting the year 4-0, The Royals were blown out and shut out by a good, but inconsistent, East Ridge team. They followed that game up with a close victory over Park of Cottage Grove 37-26. Centennial will be the best team that Woodbury has faced this season, and it will be a true indication what this team will likely be when the playoffs start in a week.

Spring Lake Park at No. 17 Robbinsdale Armstrong, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Robbinsdale Armstrong lost a tough game 14-7 to Chaska last week, ruining its undefeated season hopes. The Falcons will look to rebound against a tough Spring Lake Park team that is no pushover. Jamen Malone will need a bounce back game for the Falcons in order to defeat a pesky Spring Lake Park team and regain the momentum into the playoffs.

Spring Lake Park has two losses on the season to great teams in Chanhassen and Mahtomedi. Spring Lake Park has one of the better rushing offenses in Minnesota, boasting just over 300 yards a game on the ground. Spring Lake Park also has an opportunity to tie Robbinsdale Armstrong atop the Suburban-Blue conference at 6-2.

No. 19 Mound Westonka at Spectrum, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Mound Westonka has quietly had two of the best seasons in high school football in Minnesota. The White Hawks can finish with two straight undefeated regular seasons if they beat Spectrum on Wednesday. Their closest game this year is a victory over Fridley 28-14. Mound Westonka has one of the best rushing offenses in Minnesota, and it has outscored its opponents by a ludicrous difference of 353-74. Mound Westonka travels to face another surprising team in Spectrum on Wednesday.

Spectrum, to its credit, is 5-2 and its offense has been excellent. Quarterback Tanner Gangl has put up great passing numbers, and the Sting have multiple running backs with gaudy numbers. Mound Westonka may well be on its way to a deep run in the playoffs but should not overlook Spectrum on its way there.

No. 21 Rochester Mayo at Byron, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Rochester Mayo comes in at No. 21 in the SBLive power rankings and for good reason. Rochester Mayo has one loss on the season, a four point loss to an undefeated Mankato West team. The Spartans have yet to put a signature victory in their win column, and a win at Byron would help them as the playoffs begin.

Byron made a late run last year in the playoffs and built on that run this season. Byron comes in at 5-2 but has yet to beat a team at the level of Rochester Mayo. If Byron can create the same postseason magic that they did last year they will need to prove it against a playoff bound team in Rochester Mayo.

No. 25 Bloomington Kennedy at Minneapolis Henry, 10/19, 5:30 p.m.

Bloomington Kennedy found its way into the top 25 in the SBLive power rankings this week. The Eagles have won four games in a row and sit at 6-1 on the season. Bloomington Kennedy has not had a season like this in over a decade, and it will look to finish the year at 7-1 with a victory over another surprising team in Minneapolis Henry.

Minneapolis Henry sits at 6-1 atop the Twin City-Red conference with St. Paul Harding/Humboldt. The Patriots did not win a game last season and have completely turned their team around this season. The Patriots were undefeated until last week as they lost a close game to Breck.

Both of these teams have struggled for years and can put the exclamation point on their fantastic seasons with a victory.

Waconia at Academy of Holy Angels, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Both Waconia and Holy Angels sit at 5-2 on the season, and this game should be a good one. Both teams have played a similar schedule and lost extremely close games to a very good Chanhassen team.

Chaska is nipping at Waconia’s heels and can finish ahead of them in its conference if Waconia loses to Holy Angels.

Mankato East at No. 9 Mankato West, 10/19, 7 p.m.

Throw the records out the window when these rivals face off on Wednesday night. Mankato West is undefeated on the season and they are likely looking towards the playoffs. Mankato West has played one close game against Rochester Mayo on the season but have otherwise dominated all its opponents.

Mankato East only has three wins on the season and struggled immensely with the early part of its schedule. The Cougars played a tough Byron team well only losing by seven, but have otherwise struggled with teams the caliber of Mankato West.

Rivalry games are always a great way to end the season and this should hopefully be a close one as bragging rights are on the line and Mankato West looks to avoid a possible trap game.