Two teams remain in the 2025 High School football playoffs from Wright County, STMA and Annandale. STMA is a surprise, after a 1-5 start the Knights have won four straight and have advanced to the AAAAAA Quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Annandale has been ranked #1 all season in AAA and also has advanced to the state quarterfinals in AAA. Last week I went 2-2 on my picks and have an overall record of 58-24 this fall. Below is preview and picks for STMA and Annandale. Good luck to both the Knights and Cards.
All games subject to change.
Class AAAAAA Quarterfinals, Friday, November 7th, #5 STMA vs. #2 Minnetonka @ Farmington, 7 PM. You can hear this game on AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app.
STMA Knights.
How they got here: Went 5-5 in the regular season and then won at Osseo, 43-21 and at Rosemount, 14-0 to advance to quarterfinals.
Three Key Players to watch: RB Wyatt Mosher (825 yards, 13 TD’s), WR Elijah Lewis (25 rec, 3 TD’s.) and Zach Marble, LB (104 tackles.)
About the Knights: STMA got off to a rough start this season at 1-5 as they battled a brutal schedule. The Knights actually started to turn it around in losses to Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, where they were in it until the fourth quarter. They took off from there, winning four straight to reach the state quarterfinals.
After a 1-5 start, the Knights above have won four straight.
Minnetonka Skippers.
How they got here: Went 8-2 in the regular season, then defeated Anoka, 34-16 in the first round, and Prior Lake, 14-7 in the second round.
Three Key Players to watch: RB Caleb Francois (1652 yards rushing, 26 TD’s.), Caden Gutzmer, QB (6 TD’s and zero int.), and LB Riley Battani (69 tackles and 4 sacks.)
About the Skippers: After reaching the state championship game last year, the Skippers jumped out to a 6-0 start but lost their final two regular season games to Edina and Maple Grove but bounced back with playoff wins over Anoka and Prior Lake.
Caden Gutzmer, above, has stepped into the QB role and has been solid all season.
Three Key For STMA:
Keep feeding Mosher! When these teams met in week 2, Mosher had one carry for zero yards and the Skippers destroyed STMA, 40-7. After coach Essler to a strong look at his team halfway through the season, they decided to give the ball to Mosher and get out of the way! Mosher has avg. 139 yards per game in their four-game winning streak and has scored seven TD’s.
Wyatt Mosher, above, has helped turn the Knights season around.
Force Turnovers: The Knights defense led by Zach Marble at LB have been solid all year, but in the last few weeks they have started to take the ball away from their opponents at a high rate. At Osseo, Zach Marble had a pick six, Wyatt Mosher had a long interception return, and the Knights also had a goal line stand. Last week against Rosemount, the Knights had two picks. The Skippers will move the ball on the ground, but a few timely turnovers would really help the Knights.
Forget about week 2: As I said earlier, Mosher only had one carry in this game, and the Knights offense was a mess, that game was ancient history. The Skippers ran for over 500 yards in that game, and STMA will still have a tough time stopping Minnetonka, but they will be much more prapred the second time around.
The Pick: After a 1-5 start, the Knights are playing as well as anybody in the state! They have found a ground game, and their defense is causing turnovers. On the other side, the Skippers lost their last two regular season games, and honestly didn’t look good in their first two playoff games. Add in overconfidence from the Skippers after a 40-7 win earlier in the season, and you have the recipe for an upset, but I just can’t go there. Caleb Francois, who is headed to Iowa St next year is just that special, but it won’t be easy. Skippers, 27-14.
Caleb Francois, above, is headed to Iowa St. next fall to play football.
Class AAA State Quarterfinals.
#4S Litchfield vs. #1N Annandale, Saturday, November 8th at Rocori, 7 PM. You can hear this game on AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app.
Litchfield Dragons.
How they got here: Went 8-3 in the regular season and defeated Montevideo, 62-0 in the first round of Section 2AAA, then beat Melrose, 56-35, before defeating Albany, 23-6 in the section final.
Three Key Players to watch: RB, Anthony Taylor (1730 yards rushing and 25 TD’s.), QB, Anthony Medina (1700 yards combined passing and rushing, 17 TD’s), and OL Jake Deitel.
About the Dragons: After reaching the Section finals last season, the Dragons got off to a slow 3-3 start but have rattled off five straight wins to reach state, avg. 48 ppg in those five games.
Anthony Taylor, above, is being recruited by the Gophers.
Annandale Cardinals.
How they got here: Went 8-0 in the regular season, then shut out Pine City, 66-0 in the section 5AAA semifinals, then defeated Foley in the section finals, 37-14.
Three Key Players to watch: Gabe Westman, Sr., WR headed to Winona St., OL/DL Ben Walter and So. RB/LB, Rylan Horsch.
About the Cards: Have been ranked #1 in the state all season, with their closest game all year being a 30-10 road win at #3AAA Holy Family. The Cards have outscored their opponents this season by an avg. of 39 points, and in a 66-0 shut out win over Pine City, they didn’t give up a first down the whole game.
Isiah Turner, above, had another great season after suffering a horrific injury last fall.
Three Keys for Annandale.
Don’t forget about the passing game: The Cards have run over their last three opponents behind the dynamic backfield of Cam Ergen, Isiah Turner, and Rylan Horsch. With the weather expected to cold and maybe windy, the Cards can’t forget they have one of the top WR cores in the state in Gabe Westman, Colton Purcell, Turner and Cooper Broman. If the Cards win this game it will be most likely on the ground, but if they want to make it easier, remember the big play guys that can get the quick scores.
Discipline! I have watched a lot of tape of the Litch offense and it is deadly! Taylor is special, Medina is slippery, and Palmer is big time WR. What I also noticed is most of their big plays come from defenses not being disciplined. Unlike any other game this season, the Cards have to be focus on their jobs, containing and filling gaps, because one mistake and Taylor or Medina will be gone.
The Litchfield Dragons, love to run behind #74 Noah Deitel, pictured above.
Jump out quickly: Annandale has a huge advantage over most teams because they overwhelm you with speed and toughness right off the bat. Most teams either come in mentally defeated or quickly realize what they are in for. Litch will not be intimitaded at all! They almost beat Annandale last season and see them all the time, so it’s very important the Cards take advantage and get out to a big lead because the Dragons won’t comeback if it’s a big lead for Annandale because they don’t have the passing game. If it’s close, Litch believes it can win.
The Pick: These two rivals go at it once again! Last year the Cards jumped out to 21-0 halftime lead, but behind a breakoot game from Taylor, the Cards had to hang on for dear life, and won 28-20. This game isn’t for the Paddle, but it means more than any other matchup in their long history. The Dragons have a very dangerous offense, but the Cards are so deep and have the better defense. Cards, 37-21.
Ben Walter, above #52 in white, is a huge piece to the Cards dominance at OL and DE.
