5 September 2024
St. Agnes (1-0) at Hill-Murray (0-1), 7 p.m.
St. Agnes won its season opener 54-0. Hill-Murray dropped its Week 1 contest 51-0. But that doesn’t guarantee the Aggies roll here. Armed with 19 seniors, St. Agnes isn’t your ordinary Class 2A program, but Hill-Murray is a Class 4A state entrant from a year ago with similar aspirations this fall. That makes this an intriguing early-season clash. Our pick: St. Agnes 21, Hill-Murray 19
Rosemount (1-0) at Lakeville North (1-0), 7 p.m.
Perennial beasts of the South square off, both fresh off convincing Week 1 victories. Rosemount’s traditionally stout defensive front should entice Lakeville North to roll out more of its potentially potent passing game, which should serve as an indicator as to just how explosive the Panthers can be this fall. Our pick: Lakeville North 20, Rosemount 14
East Ridge (1-0) at Forest Lake (0-1), 7 p.m.
Forest Lake wasn’t able to deliver the key stops it needed to put away Prior Lake in its season-opening loss but the Rangers still figure to be a Metro East subdistrict contender this season. A victory Friday would cement the same for East Ridge, but after heavy rainfall in its season opener against Park caused the Raptors to keep the ball on the ground, how much will they be able and willing to lean on the pass if that’s required? Our pick: Forest Lake 24, East Ridge 20
Farmington (1-0) at Lakeville South (0-1), 7 p.m.
An 0-2 start for the Cougars would not have been on anyone’s bingo card this fall, but it’s in play Friday if Lakeville South’s defense can’t contain Tigers quarterback Jonah Ask. The signal caller ran for 192 yards and three scores last week in an overtime victory over Mounds View. Lakeville South’s offense largely struggled in a loss to Wayzata, pinning pressure on the defense to produce stops.
Hastings (0-1) at Two Rivers (1-0), 6:30 p.m.
Two Rivers went 7-1 in the regular season in 2023 and still ended up with the No. 4 seed in Class 5A, Section 3. Why? because it lost this matchup, 9-7, in Week 2. Without a schedule that features many big-named opponents or section foes, the Warriors — who again have the potential for a special season — know this matchup carries hefty postseason implications. Our pick: Two Rivers 24, Hastings 10
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