The Prep Bowl is here, but for three Wright County Area football teams, they are still one win away from playing indoors at US Bank Stadium, and it’s going to be cold on Friday night, but knowing they are just one win away will warm the hearts of the players, coaches and fans. Last week I went 3-1 in my picks and now am 53-16 on the season. Here is a look at the match ups on Friday, and my picks for the State Quarterfinal games. Good luck to all the teams!
Schedule is subject to change.
Friday, November 13th.
Class AAA Quarterfinals.
#3 Annandale (10-0) vs. #2 Dilworth GF (10-0) @Alexandria, 6 PM.
(You can hear this game on AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app. Pregame starts at 5:30PM.
Annandale Cardinals.
2026 Results: @ L-Falls, 28-8, GSL, 58-0, Foley, 41-7, @Watertown-Mayer, 42-7, Holy Family, 14-13, @Rockford, 47-7, @Milaca, 48-7, Jordan, 35-10, Milaca, 48-20, and Foley, 28-18.
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Colton Henson, 936 yards, 16 TD’s, Rylan Horsch, 241 yards and 3 TDs.
Passing: Braylon Fobbe, 1381 yards, 17 TDs.
Rec: Brody Berggren, 37 receptions, 6 TD’s, Cooper Broman, 32 receptions and 6 TDs.
Tackles: Carter Broich, 56.
Sacks: Kane Fobbe, 4.
Interceptions: Eli Dingmann, Jack Newman, Rylan Horsch, Noah Elam, Dom Dircks and Cooper Broman all have 2.
Last Season: Defeated Waseca, 17-7 in State championship game.
State Tournament Appearance#: 9. Defending state champs.
Did you know? 2027 Sr. Class rankings in four years of high school in football. Out of 347 team in the state, the Cards are Tied for 1st in state appearances, second in state championship appearances, and third in wins. They are #1 in every category for Class AAA.
DGF Rebels.
2026: @TRF, 42-9, @Park Rapids, 33-0, Perham, 43-21, Pillager, 48-12, @Staples-Motley, 34-26, Hawley, 21-6, @Barnesville, 37-21, EGF, 47-20, Morris, 51-0, and Perham, 26-20.
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Jace Baumgartner, 922 yards, 14 TD’s, Isaac Leiren, 487 yards, 9 TD’s.
Passing: Luke Krueger, 74 ypg passing, 8 TD’s.
Rec: Michael Whitney, 13 receptions, 306 yards, 5 TD’s.
Tackles: Dawson Johnson
Sacks: Brock Steen.
Interceptions: Will Olson.
State Tournament Appearance#: 13th.
Did you know? DGF and Annandale played in the 2021 Class AAA Quarterfinals at Buffalo HS, and the Cards won, 21-12, behind three TD runs from Max Schimelpfenig.
When the Cardinals have the ball……You never know who’s turn it will be to have a big game in this offense! Colton Henson and Josiah Turner are dangerous around the edges at RB, and the Cards have four really talented receivers in Cooper Broman, Brody Berggren, Jack Newman and So., Blake Luebker, all four can get behind the defense, and they have the QB to deliver the goods in Fobbe. They may also have Colton Purcell back, one of the top WRs in the state who has been out all year, but that is still up in the air. It’s November though and the Cards need to be able to run the ball to keep it away from DGF.
Braylon Fobbe, above, helped lead the Cards to their fourth straight tournament appearance.
When the Chargers have the ball……The Rebels will run the ball over and over again behind two bruising RBs in Baumgartner (5’11, 190) and Leiran (6’0 205). When the Chargers do decide to through it, it’s almost always a bootleg to the left as lefty QB Krueger likes to find (6’3 200) WR Whitney near the sidelines or deep down the field. The Rebel line is not as big as Foley’s was last week, but the Rebels have better athletes at the skill positions than Foley had last week. The linebackers are talented led by Broich, Green, Bishop, Dircks and Dingman and will need to tackle well. It would be a huge if the Cards can get back D1 prospect Rylan Horsch back this week to help against the run.
Jayce Baumgartner, above, is a big physical athletic back that leads the Rebels in rushing this season.
Who wins? It’s insane that a team that has won 23 straight, is #1 in the state, and are the defending state champs are a three seed out of four, but that’s the reality the Cards face. For the first time in years, Annandale will be the underdog. How do they respond? Should be interesting. The only thing that really matters though, is win first down on defense for Annandale! If the Cards can limit DGF to 3 or less yards per carry on first down, they should advance, but that won’t be easy. On offense the Cards need to hit some big plays downfield, take care of the ball, and be efficient in the run game. Possibly the two best teams facing off in the quarterfinals is not how a bracket should work, but one team will be one step closer to the championship, and I think it will be the Cards, but barley, 21-18.
Class AAA Quarterfinals.
#3 Dassel-Cokato (8-3) vs. St. Croix Lutheran (9-0) @New Prague, 7PM.
(You can hear this game on AM1360 KRWC, krwc1360.com and on our app.)
Dassel Cokato Chargers
2026 Season Results: Rockford, 27-13, @HLWW, 18-7, Jordan, 48-17, @New London Spicer, 14-16, Morris, 40-25, @Montivideo, 57-6, @#7 Holy Family, 24-29, Litch, 46-58, Jordan, 56-16, and Holy Family, 28-23.
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Jackson Nyquist, 90 ypg, Elijah Torola, 72 ypg
Passing: Ryan Asplin, 81 yards rushing, and 21 yards passing per game.
Rec: Alec Khondoker, 10 receptions.
Tackles: Liam Salami
Sacks: Liam Salami
Interceptions: Deon Oshin, and Alec Anderson.
Last Season: Lost to Holy Family, 35-32 in 2AAA Section Semifinals.
State Tournament Appearance#: 7, state champs in 2021.
Did you know? In the Chargers previous six state appearances they have made the state championship four times. Going 1-3, winning the 2021 state title.
Jackson Nyquist, above, leads the Chargers in rushing this season.
St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders.
2026 Season Results: @Faribault, 59-21, Johnson, 47-14, Concordia, 61-27, St. Anthony44-14, @St. Agnes, 42-20, @Breck, 60-26, De La Salle, forfeit, North, 55-50, and Camden, 17-14.
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Elijah Larson, 1213 yards, 36 TD’s, Evan Seaton, 527 yards, 8 TD’s.
Passing: Noah Little, 6 combined rushing and passing TDs.
Rec: Evan Frey, 8 rec, 4 TD’s, Isaac Svendson, 3-64.
Tackles: Larson, 55.
Sacks: Zach Schaefer, Alex Marsh and Seaton, 2.
Interceptions: Seaton, Larson, 2.
Last Season: Lost to North, 56-44 in Section finals.
State Tournament Appearance#. 9th. State Champs in 2011, 2013.
Did you know? Last year against North in the section finals, North scored two TD’s in the last nine seconds to pull out a miracle win over SCL, 56-44. The Polars hit a hail mary with 9 seconds left, then returned a pick at the buzzer.
When the Chargers have the ball……It’s very simple. Run left, run right, run up the middle, and then repeat. It really is that simple for the Chargers. Torola has the speed, Nyquist has both, while Asplin plays the maestro getting the ball to whoever needs it. In a match up where both teams want to run the football , it’s imperative that the Chargers keep the time of possession as both teams play both ways a lot.
When the Crusaders have the ball…..It’s Elijah Larson time! Larson rushed for 418 yards and seven TD’s in SCL’s section semifinal win over North. Last week though the Camden defense did a nice job of slowing him down, limiting him to 72 yards and only 3.8 ypc. The Crusaders under long time coach Carl Lemke, run the old veer option, which is more explosive than most running games, so DC will have to limit the big plays on defense which has been an issue at times this season for the Chargers.
Elijah Larson, #14 above, has rushed for an incredible 36 TD’s this season for the Crusaders.
Who wins? Normally in a game that will see this many runs, I would say it will be a fast game, but not this one! Larson reminds me of Anthony Taylor from Litchfield, who ran roughshod over the Chargers with 8 TD’s earlier this season. Meanwhile I don’t think physically the Crusaders can match up on defense vs. DC’s powerful line. In other words, I think we see a ton of scoring, and the last team with the ball might win it! For SCL, I think it’s another heart breaker to end the season. Chargers, 42-35.
2026 Class AAA MSHSL State Football Bracket: https://www.mshsl.org/tournaments/2026-state-class-aaa-football-tournament
Class AAAAA Quarterfinals.
#8 Bloomington Jefferson (6-4) vs. #1 Monticello (10-0.) @Forest Lake, 7 PM.
Monticello Magic.
2026 Season results: SRR, 48-21, Alex, 22-6, @Cambridge I, 40-14, St. Francis, 41-10, @Buffalo, 41-0, Brainerd, 21-15, @Elk River, 36-29, @Bemidji, 27-0, St. Francis, 36-7, and Elk River, 23-0.
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Cale Holthaus, 991 yards, 16 TD’s, and Max Lofgren, 418 yards, 7 TDs.
Passing: Carson Deibele, 100 ypg passing, and 411 total yards rushing for a combined 19 TDs.
Rec: Jeron Schlangen, 32 receptions, 3 TD’s, Johnny Moore, 19 receptions, 6 TDs.
Tackles: Bradley Holker, 83, Johnny Moore, 76
Sacks: Cole Schwikerath, 3.5
Interceptions: Deibele, and Schlangen 2.
Last Season: Lost to Elk River in Section Finals, 27-23.
State tournament appearance#: 4.
Did you know? The Magic have only appeared in the state tournament four times, but twice in the last three years and are seeking their first ever win at a state.
Jefferson Jaguars.
2026 Season Results: Washburn, 20-16, @Hastings, 7-35, @Cretin DH, 15-27, Tartan, 20-12, @Mahtomedi, 0-35, St. Louis Park, 31-14, BSM, 29-34, Kennedy, 35-12, Kennedy, 27-14, and Southwest, 42-19
Team Leaders:
Rushing: Cornay King, 722 yards, 9 TD’s, Vince Smith, 202 yards and 2 TDs.
Passing: Joseph Moore, 1700 yards combined passing and rushing, 16 TDs.
Rec: Augustus Vollmuth, 28 rec, 5 TD’s, Gavin Vanoverbeke, 19 receptions and 3 TDs.
Tackles: Alex Liu, 63.
Sacks: Dorian Ward, 6.
Interceptions: Zero!
Last Season: Lost to Washburn, 27-18 in Section semifinals.
State Tournament Appearance#: 5th.
Did you know? This will be the Jaguars first state appearance since 2014.The Jaguars played in the second ever Prep Bowl championship at the Metrodome in 1983, losing a shootout to Coon Rapids, 34-31. Oh…..and a guy you may have heard of Lane Kiffin graduated from Jefferson in 1993.
When the Magic have the ball…..Monti has a much more conventional offense, featuring Holthaus pounding the rock behind a strong offensive line. Deibele is both a threat as a thrower and runner and likes to hit Moore and Schlangen deep after running with Holthaus. Last week the Magic were very balanced on offense as Holthaus, Deibele and Lofgren all had over 60 yards rushing in the Magic win. For the Magic, they have to watch out for Dorian Ward. The 6’5 230 DE, has six sacks on the year, and dominates the line of scrimmage for the Jags. Magic shouldn’t be afraid to pass, because the Jags have zero interceptions all year on defense.
When the Jaguars have the ball……It’s all about Joseph Moore! Don’t get me wrong, King is an outstanding back, only a Sophomore, King is explosive, and at 5’8 still weighs 180, so he is a bowling ball that is hard to tackle, but the straw that stirs the drink is Moore. He is big 6’2, 190 and extremely athletic. He throws for 109 yards per game and rushes for 71, to go along with 16 TDs on the season. The Jags don’t have an explosive passing game but have a couple of good possession receivers in Vollmuth and Vanoverbeke.
Joseph Moore, above, will have to have a massive game on Friday if the Jags are to upset the Magic.
Who wins? The Magic are looking for their first win ever at state, and the Jags are looking for their first win at state since 1983! Look, for Monti it’s stop King on the ground, and limit Moore both on the ground and thru the air. On the offensive side of the ball the Magic are much more physical than the Jaguars. Pound the rock, hit some key shots down the field and the Magic should be okay. It’s a great match up for the Magic, which they earned with a win over Elk River last week, while I think Jefferson is just happy to be here. The Magic advance to their first ever State semifinal, fairly easily, 35-14.
Above, Carson Deibele, #6 runs toward the end zone in the Magic’s section final win over Elk River last week.
Class AAAAA MSHSL State Tournament Bracket:
