Top 25 Minnesota high school football rankings (11/7/2023)

Last week’s ranking: 1

Next game: Nov. 10 vs. No. 4 Lakeville North (9-1) in Spring Lake Park

Ranking rationale: The second round of the Class 6A playoffs was littered with competitive matchups. An exception was Eden Prairie’s resounding 42-14 win over Eagan (4-6). The host Eagles got out to a 14-0 lead through one quarter and made it 28-7 at halftime. 

David Ivey passed for two touchdowns and ran for more. The Eagles are a complete team top to bottom and have backed up their record against a tough schedule. One of the top teams they’ve yet to meet in 2023 looms next in a tough state quarterfinals matchup.

Last week’s ranking: 2

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. Mahtomedi (6-4)

Ranking rationale: For the first time in program history, Chanhassen is going to the state tournament. It might all be downhill to a state title from here. The Storm is coming off a thrilling 37-36 win over previous No. 5 Mankato West (8-2) in the Class 5A, Section 2 championship. 

It was a comeback effort to beat a team that many deem No. 2 team right behind Chanhassen in 5A. It’s a shame they have to meet so early in the postseason. 

Chanhassen overcame a 14-0 deficit in the second quarter to take its first lead at 22-21 with 2:17 to go. The Scarlets surged back ahead by 14 with 10:05 left in the game. 

Both offenses were extraordinary in this one as Brayden Windschitl passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. None other than a lineman, Dominic Castagnetto, scored the game-winning touchdown from three yards out that capped a six-minute, 90-yard drive. 

Chanhassen has waxed most teams on its schedule, but winning a game like this against an elite opponent is almost equally as impressive to keep the Storm at No. 2 this week only behind a fellow unbeaten from 6A.

Last week’s ranking: 3

Next game: Nov. 10 vs. No. 21 East Ridge (4-6) in St. Michael

Ranking rationale: Lakeville South got on the board first with its defense, a unit that severely slowed down a potent offense averaging 41 points per game over its last four. The Cougars won their Class 6A playoff matchup 30-13 vs. previous No. 14 Shakopee (6-4). 

One of the Sabers’ touchdowns came down by three scores with under five minutes left in the game. South was efficient on offense, using three Connor Cade touchdowns and even a rare touchdown pass from Gaven Dean to Coltin Smith. 

The Cougars continue to look like the best team to make a run at No. 1 Eden Prairie, though we’ll see what their neighbors from the north can do this week.

Last week’s ranking: 4

Next game: Nov. 10 vs. No. 1 Eden Prairie (10-0) in Spring Lake Park

Ranking rationale: Both Lakeville teams got on the scoreboard first with their defense. North’s Reece Hunt cashed in a 45-yard fumble return for a touchdown to set the tone in the Panthers’ 42-21 win over a Forest Lake (6-4) team that actually moves up a couple spots this week to No. 20 due to some other happenings around the Power 25. 

Quinn Power also had a 53-yard pick six in the fourth quarter. North led 14-0 after one quarter and 21-7 at halftime. The Rangers were still in it with a late third quarter touchdown to get the deficit back to 14, but a 68-yard touchdown pass from Riley Grossman to Sawyer Wilkie to open the fourth quarter was emblematic of how the Panthers kept on answering the bell. 

Grossman had three touchdown passes all of 39 yards or more. North’s competed with everyone on its schedule and would love to get a rematch with No. 3 Lakeville South (9-1) in the Prep Bowl.

Last week’s ranking: 6

Next game: Nov. 9 vs. No. 12 Rosemount (6-4) in Stillwater

Ranking rationale: Centennial cracks the top five for the first time this season. The Cougars are back in the state tournament after surviving a scare by previous No. 17 Prior Lake (5-5) to reach the Class 6A quarterfinals. 

Centennial won 26-23 in overtime, responding to a Prior Lake field goal with the game-winning 1-yard touchdown by quarterback Daylen Cummings. Marcus Whiting had the game-tying 4-yard touchdown with 2:22 remaining. 

The Cougars still have to beat a high-end team to be considered for the top three, but they get the benefit of being on the easier side of the 6A bracket to try to get to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Last week’s ranking: 5

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: I considered leaving Mankato West at No. 5. Yes, the Scarlets are a two-loss Class 5A squad, but when both defeats are by a combined eight points to the clear cut top 5A team in Chanhassen, it’s hard to penalize them too much. 

Mankato West and Chanhassen played two extraordinary games this season, both ending in heartbreak for West, which had the upper hand in this matchup in 2022. 

The Scarlets had two different 14-point leads in the 5A, Section 2 championship, only for the host Storm to rally each time and win 37-36 with a game-winning touchdown with under a minute remaining.

It was a tough way to go out for three-year senior starter Bart McAninch, who ran for three double-digit yardage touchdowns and passed for 46- and 47-yard scores. 

He guided this program to a Prep Bowl in 2021, Prep Bowl appearance in 2022 and a dominant 2023 season outside of the tussles with Chanhassen.

Last week’s ranking: 7

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. No. 25 Robbinsdale Armstrong (8-2) in Osseo

Ranking rationale: Andover has the most explosive offense in Minnesota, regardless of class. The Huskies won their eighth straight game by a 65-32 score over defending Class 5A champion Elk River (4-7) in the Section 7 championship. 

This was a week after dropping 84 points on Cambridge-Isanti (4-6) in the semifinals. Oh, and it was two weeks after Andover thumped its upcoming opponent 42-7 in Robbinsdale. Did I mention head coach Tom Develice’s squad scored 63 in the regular season vs. Elk River? Andover’s lone loss of the season came 35-21 to current No. 6 Mankato West (8-2). 

The Huskies have also yet to get a crack at No. 2 Chanhassen (10-0), so there’s still some proving to do. They’ve still handled a relatively difficult schedule deftly and have a great shot to be playing in U.S. Bank Stadium next week.

Last week’s ranking: 8

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. No. 10 Rogers (9-1) in Maple Grove

Ranking rationale: Alexandria’s got about as much room to move up as anyone in the top 10. The Cardinals haven’t racked up style points, but there’s something to be said for beating all comers. They haven’t yet had the chance to take on their top-10 brethren from Class 5A. 

That changes this week in a prove-it game in what’s as close to a home game Rogers could’ve gotten on neutral turf. In the meantime, they beat former top-10 Brainerd (8-2) for the second time this season. The Cards won on home turf 24-19 in the Section 8 championship. 

They got down 7-0 early, battled back for a 14-13 halftime lead and held on from there.

Last week’s ranking: 13

Next game: Nov. 9 vs. No. 11 Stillwater (8-2)

Ranking rationale: Edina recorded perhaps the most impressive performance of the week. The Hornets went on the road and thumped previous No. 9 Maple Grove (7-3), 35-24. It wasn’t even all that close as the defending Class 6A champion Crimson scored a touchdown with under three minutes left to make it more respectable. 

Edina came out guns blazing, using a 41-yard touchdown pass from Mason West to Trillion Sorrell for a 41-yard touchdown to go up 14-0 in the first quarter. Maple Grove briefly cut it to seven, but it was all Edina from there. West was immaculate, finishing 15-for-19 for 252 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. 

John Warpinski rushed 34 times for 176 yards and a touchdown. The Hornets have won six straight games. They look like an entirely new team from the one that lost at home to Wayzata (2-7) in Week 4.

Last week’s ranking: 11

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. No. 8 Alexandria (10-0) in Maple Grove

Ranking rationale: The Royals nearly squandered having a relatively easy postseason path in the Class 5A, Section 6 playoffs. Rogers was the only Power 25 team in the five-team section. It cruised in the semifinals but had to sweat out a 24-20 home victory over third-seeded Monticello (5-5) in the championship. 

It looked like smooth sailing up 14-0 early in the second quarter before the Magic mounted a 20-3 run to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter. The resilient Royals punched in a 1-yard touchdown run by Kalvin Eull for the game-winning score with 22 seconds left. 

The Royals will have to back up their newfound top-10 ranking by knocking off an unbeaten squad this week with a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium on the line.

Last week’s ranking: 15

Next game: Nov. 9 vs. No. 9 Edina (7-3) in Brooklyn Park

Ranking rationale: I’m still not sold on the Ponies as a Class 6A title contender, but they’ve done enough to legitimize their appearance in the state quarterfinals. You know they’re fired up to avenge a hard-fought 14-7 loss to Edina in Week 7. 

Stillwater had another team in green to worry about first. It fended off a scare by Rochester Mayo (4-6), coming back in a 49-31 home win. It was a wild game Stillwater led 14-3 before the Spartans rattled off 21 straight to take a 10-point halftime lead. That lead held through three quarters at 31-21 before Stillwater scored 28 straight in the fourth. 

Nick Kinsey went 21-for-34, passing for 351 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception. Stillwater was gashed for 346 yards, four touchdowns and no picks by Mayo’s Rees Grimsrud. The Ponies at least have a menacing rush defense that held the Spartans to three yards on 22 carries. Several sacks of Grimsrud aided in that low number. 

Emilio Rosario Matias toted it 16 times for 193 yards and three scores for a balanced Stillwater attack.

Last week’s ranking: 16

Next game: Nov. 9 vs. No. 5 Centennial (9-1) in Stillwater

Ranking rationale: Survive and advance. Rosemount gutted out a 14-7 win vs. Woodbury (5-5), which moves up a spot to No. 20 due to giving the Irish a heck of a game. The Irish have made it back to the Class 6A state tournament after reaching the Prep Bowl in 2022. 

It played with the lead all night against the Royals, getting out to a 14-0 advantage in the second quarter. It was 14-7 at halftime. There are some question marks on offense, but the Irish defense is legit. This was the third straight opponent held to single digits. 

Rosemount has one of the best wins in the state this season, 22-21 at current No. 3 Lakeville South (9-1).

Last week’s ranking: 9

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: Maple Grove losing to current No. 9 Edina (7-3) was not a huge shock, but the fashion it happened was a bit surprising. The Crimson spotted the Hornets a quick 14 points and could never climb out of the hole in a 35-24 season-ending loss in round two of the Class 6A playoffs. 

Kaden Harney rushed for two touchdowns and threw for three more but was not quite efficient enough to keep up with a humming Edina offense. 

It was still a successful season for the Crimson, which had to replace a lot of key cogs to its 2022 state title team. Maple Grove was the only team to hand current No. 5 Centennial (9-1) a loss and it also had a double-digit win over a Minnetonka (7-3) team ranked in the top 10 at the time.

Last week’s ranking: 18

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. Owatonna (8-2) in Woodbury

Ranking rationale: The Cadets were one of several teams in Class 5A, Section 3 with lofty records. They played a much tougher regular season schedule to earn the No. 1 seed and backed it up with a dominant run to the state tournament. 

STA knocked Two Rivers (8-2) out of the Power 25 with a 47-14 win in the semifinals and did the same to previous No. 20 Bloomington Jefferson (8-2), 43-14 in the championship at Gerry Brown Stadium. Neither were ever in doubt. The latter was 15-0 after the first quarter and 29-0 at halftime. Savion Hart rushed 19 times for 139 yards and three carries. 

Maximus Sims completed 8 of 9 passes for 225 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. 

The Cadets get a favorable draw on the opposite side of the state bracket as No. 2 Chanhassen (10-0) and No. 7 Andover (9-1), so don’t be surprised to see STA in the Prep Bowl in a few weeks.

Last week’s ranking: 12

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: It’s too bad we didn’t get a chance to see Brainerd take on some of the other top-tier teams in Class 5A. 

However, to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Both in the regular season and in the Section 8 playoffs, the Warriors were never able to get the better of the one highly-ranked team it faced, current No. 8 Alexandria (10-0). Brainerd got out to a 7-0 lead at Alexandria in the section title game. The Warriors trailed by just one at halftime and had a chance to tie it on a 2-point conversion late in the third quarter. 

Brainerd had a solid day offensively, gaining over 300 yards with Eli Hoelz passing for 184. It just wasn’t what we were used to seeing from a unit that scored 40-plus in its last four outings and five times total in 2023.

Last week’s ranking: 10

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: The Skippers soldiered on admirably after losing starting quarterback and Wisconsin commit Milos Spasojevic in Week 4. Minnetonka split its final four games with the losses coming in fairly competitive games against reigning Class 6A champion Maple Grove (7-3) and this year’s 6A title favorite, No. 1 Eden Prairie (10-0). 

Losing a leader like Spasojevic proved to be too much to overcome in the postseason as current No. 21 East Ridge (4-6) pulled off the 13-10 road upset in round two of the 6A tournament. The Skippers were close to living to see another day. 

They went ahead 7-0 in the first quarter and clung to a slim lead until East Ridge scored the game-winning touchdown with 4:27 left in the game. Minnetonka’s defense is state tournament-worthy. It held East Ridge to 222 yards of offense and 76 yards rushing on 31 carries.

Last week’s ranking: 14

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: Shakopee’s provided some offensive fireworks in recent weeks, but no pyrotechnics were allowed Friday in Lakeville. Host No. 3 Lakeville South (9-1) shut out in the first half a Sabers offense averaging 41 points per game over the last four weeks. 

Shakopee made it a game down 10 midway through the third quarter but could not keep up in a 30-13 loss in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. It was a bit of an up and down season for the Sabers, who won three games, lost three and won three before the playoff loss. 

Shakopee couldn’t quite crack the code against its top-end competition, but it certainly established itself as a solid second tier team that can hang with anyone.

Last week’s ranking: 17

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: To show how strong the south suburban teams are in Class 6A this year, a team that wouldn’t crack the top five of teams from that portion of the metro took the north metro’s top team to the brink in a 26-23 overtime loss at No. 5 Centennial (9-1). 

The Lakers surged ahead 20-14 with 6:02 left in this 6A round two matchup, only for the Cougars to tie it up with 2:22 to go. Mason Storlie hit a 21-yard field goal to give Prior Lake a lead in overtime. The Lakers’ defense couldn’t come up with the stop as the Cougars scored a touchdown on their possession to win. Prior Lake owns two wins against current Power 25 teams. 

Its five losses are all to higher ranked teams with three coming in one-possession games. It was one of those ‘what could have been?’ seasons for the blue and gold.

Last week’s ranking: 21

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: The Royals gain a couple spots this week in the Power 25 even in defeat. Woodbury held defending Class 6A runner up and current No. 12 Rosemount (6-4) scoreless in the second half. 

The Royals just couldn’t muster up enough offense in a 14-7 road loss in round two of the 6A playoffs. Four of their five losses came to current top-20 teams. 

The other was by a point. Woodbury can at least lay claim to a win over a state tournament team when it won at rival and current No. 21 East Ridge (4-6) in Week 4. It also won 17-14 in Week 6 at Forest Lake, which gives it the nod at No. 19 over Forest Lake.

Last week’s ranking: 22

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: The Rangers gain a couple spots in the Power 25 despite a season-ending loss. Other neighboring teams in the ranking sputtering helped lead to the rise. Forest Lake fell 42-21 at No. 4 Lakeville North (9-1) in round two of the Class 6A playoffs. 

Forest Lake’s offense kept up well with North, but two North defensive touchdowns, including one to open the scoring, tipped the scales. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful season for a program that has had some lean seasons in recent years. 

Forest Lake avoided No. 1 Eden Prairie (10-0) and No. 3 Lakeville South (9-1) this season. I’m not sure it could have hung with either team, but it proved it can hang with anyone outside the top five. 

Its three regular season losses were by a combined eight points, all to current top-20 teams.

Last week’s ranking: N/A

Next game: Nov. 10 vs. No. 3 Lakeville South (9-1) in St. Michael

Ranking rationale: East Ridge’s total resume still lacks some luster. The Raptors don’t care, because their season is still alive after they gutted out a 13-10 win at previous No. 10 Minnetonka (7-3) in round two of the Class 6A playoffs. 

East Ridge never led until scoring the game-winning 8-yard touchdown on a pass from Tanner Zolnosky to Kyle Frendt with 4:27 remaining. The Skippers have been without their Division-I starting quarterback for over a month. 

The Raptors’ next opponent is in much better health. If they can pull off an even bigger upset, they’ll rise into the top 20. 

A win over Anoka (6-3) gives East Ridge the nod for No. 21. Losses to No. 19 Woodbury (5-5) and No. 20 Forest Lake (6-4) keep it from rising higher, at least for the time being.

Last week’s ranking: 23

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: A loss to East Ridge (4-6) in round one of the Class 6A playoffs helps East Ridge get the nod at No. 21 over Anoka. 

The Tornadoes still gain a spot in the Power 25 despite being idle last week thanks to losses by previous No. 19 Becker (9-1) and No. 20 Bloomington Jefferson (8-2) that sent both to unranked status. Anoka’s two other losses were to current top-15 teams. 

Anoka had a win over current No. 23 St. Michael-Albertville (5-4) to separate the two this week.

Last week’s ranking: 24

Next game: N/A

Ranking rationale: The Knights gain a spot this week despite being eliminated from the Class 6A playoffs a couple weeks ago. St. Michael-Albertville’s stunning 28-21 home loss to Rochester Mayo (4-6) spoiled what was otherwise a stellar season for a relatively new program to big-school football. 

STMA’s season was highlighted by a rain-soaked victory over defending 6A champion and current No. 13 Maple Grove (7-3). The Knights ended the regular season on a four-game win streak after opening 1-3.

Last week’s ranking: 25

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. Waseca (9-2) in Hastings

Ranking rationale: The Tigers are on the rise after making their Power 25 debut last week. Stewartville is a big fish in the smaller Class 3A pond, as demonstrated by a 34-7 win in the Section 1 championship vs. Rochester Lourdes (8-3). 

The Tigers’ upcoming opponent is the only team to stay within two touchdowns in a 27-13 Week 1 game in Waseca. Stewartville averages 44.5 points per game and allows 5.1 per game. The Tigers did this kind of damage to most opponents in 4A last year.

Last week’s ranking: N/A

Next game: Nov. 11 vs. No. 7 Andover (9-1) in Osseo

Ranking rationale: Robbinsdale Armstrong is back in the Power 25 after a resounding 49-14 win in the Class 5A, Section 5 championship over rival Robbinsdale Cooper (7-3). 

The Falcons won the second half 28-0 and used three fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away. Dawson Franke finished 12-for-15 passing for 261 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. 

He rushed for another to compliment a 235-yard, three-touchdown day on 28 carries by Kevon Johnson. Armstrong got routed in its two chances this season to pick up a Power 25 win against Andover and current No. 14. St. Thomas Academy (8-2). 

The Falcons have another chance this week in the state quarterfinals.