The "regular" season has ended, though this fall sports season has been anything but regular. Let's take a look at where the local football teams stand going into the playoffs.
Pine City 2-4
QRF Ranking: 31st in State 6th in Section 5AAA
The Dragons opened up the season with a win at home over Two Harbors. Then suffered two straight losses to Mora and Esko, before winning a defensive battle against Crosby-Ironton. Pine City lost their last two games of the season. Due to Mora and Brooklyn Center not able to play in the section tournament, Pine City will now be the #4 seed and will host #5 seed Spectrum on Tuesday.
Mora 5-0
QRF Ranking: 8th in State 2nd in Section 5AAA
The Mustangs dominated their schedule finishing the season undefeated. They were unable to play the regular season finale game against MLWR, as they had to end their season early. Unfortunately Mora will be unable to compete in the playoffs.
Foley 2-4
QRF Ranking: 28th in State 5th in Section 5AAA
The Falcons opened the season with a win over St. Cloud Cathedral. Their only other win came in a defensive battle against Watertown-Mayer. Foley is the #3 seed and will host #6 Patrick Henry.
Milaca 3-3
QRF Ranking: 20th in State 4th in Section 5AAA
The Wolves could very easily be 5-1, they suffered a two point loss to Little Falls in the season opener, and a one point loss to Princeton. This Milaca team looks to make a section championship push. They have the #2 seed and will receive a first round bye.
Ogilvie 6-0 (Unconfirmed)
QRF Ranking: 3rd in the State 1st in Section 2 9-Man
The Lions finished the season undefeated, and their defense was a big reason why. Ogilvie's defense only allowed 8 PPG(point per game). But their offense complimented the defense nicely scoring 28.5 PPG. The Lions are the #1 seed and will host #8 Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart on Tuesday.
Onamia 2-1 (Unconfirmed)
QRF Ranking: 49th in the State 7th in Section 2 9-Man
The Panthers were only able to play three games, but they won two of them. They scored 38 points in each of their wins. As the #7 seed they will play at the #2 seed Renville County West in the first round.
Braham 2-2
QRF Ranking: 30th in State 4th in Section 7A
Braham opened up the season with a hard fought win over North Woods, who is the #2 seed in the section playoffs. They then suffered their first loss to Rush City since 2012, and lost to Hinckley-Finlayson the following week. The Bombers ended the season with a blowout victory over Chisholm 52-10. Braham will host Barnum next Tuesday in the first round of the playoffs.
Hinckley-Finlayson 3-2
QRF Ranking: 26th in State 3rd in Section 7A
The Jaguars have enjoyed a very good season. They could've nearly been 4-1, but a penalty late in the game against North Woods took what would've been a game winning touchdown away. Hinckley-Finlayson is the #3 seed and will host #6 Carlton-Wrenshall on Tuesday at 6pm. The Jaguars have the team to make a push towards the section championship.
East Central 0-3
QRF Ranking: 53rd in State 7th in Section 7A
East Central is the #7 seed and will play #2 North Woods on Tuesday. A tough regular season for the Eagles, but this team is certainly better than their record shows. Their offense showed how well it can move the ball, and their defense proved to be shutdown at times.
Rush City 1-0
QRF Ranking: 11th in State 4th in Section 4AA
Rush City was only able to play one regular season game, but that game couldn't have been better. In their lone game of the season, the Tigers beat the Braham Bombers 26-22 for the first time since 2012. The Tigers will not be able to play in the playoffs.
Princeton 5-1
QRF Ranking: 12th in State 2nd in Section 6AAAA
The Tigers lone loss came against the #2 team in all of class AAA Annandale. Their defense has been stout and the offense has been explosive this season. Princeton is the #2 seed and will not play until next Saturday. They will host #3 seeded Delano.
North Branch 2-2
QRF Ranking: 28th in State 3rd in Section 7AAAA
North Branch holds to the #3 seed in the section for the third straight year. In both of the Vikings win this year, they have scored over 40 points. They only gave up 6 total points in their two wins. North Branch will play #2 Cloquet in Proctor on November 19th.
Cambridge-Isanti 2-4
QRF Ranking: 24th in State 2nd in Section 7AAAAA
The Bluejackets faced a tough schedule this year. They had one win going into the final week of play, that win coming over Chisago Lakes on Halloween. The Bluejackets were originally set to play Buffalo in the season finale, but Buffalo had to cancel. But they were able to find an opponent to play, and it was the #5 team in the state, Tartan. Cambridge-Isanti pulled off a huge upset win. With 47 seconds left, Connor Braaten completed a pass to Gaven Ziebarth for the game winning touchdown. Ziebarth had 5 total touchdowns and over 200 yards rushing in the win. The Bluejackets will be the #2 seed and will host #3 Coon Rapids in the semi final game next Thursday.
