State Football Tournament Four teams to defend titles; Floodwood makes debut appearance

Nov. 4, 2013 CONTACT: Kevin Merkle or Howard W. Voigt / MSHSL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Football Tournament Four teams to defend titles; Floodwood makes debut appearance Two teams return to defend their 2012 football titles in the same class Mahnomen in Class A and Hutchinson in Class AAAA. Totino-Grace of Fridley, which won in Class AAAAA in 2012, qualified in Class AAAAAA and will compete with the defending champions from Eden Prairie in that same class. Twenty-four teams that competed in the 2012 tournament have qualified again, while Floodwood (9-Man) is the only team making its debut appearance. Seventeen teams enter with unblemished records. The 2013 tournament has quarterfinals being played over three days at neutral sites throughout Minnesota Nov. 7-9. Semifinals will follow at the Metrodome Nov. 14-16 and Prep Bowl XXXII will be played over two days at the Metrodome Nov. 29 and 30. (Check the League website www.mshsl.org to confirm exact times and locations of quarterfinals.) Class 9-Man Quarterfinal Highlights Three teams return from the 2012 field: Ely, Grand Meadow, and Mountain Lake Area. Floodwood is the only team making its debut appearance, and five teams boast perfect records. None of the 9-Man qualifiers met during the regular season. Section-Team (Record) 5-Floodwood (11-0) vs. 7-Ely (11-0) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Public School Stadium, Duluth: The Floodwood Polar Bears, who were No. 7 in the final Associated Press (AP) poll, are making their first tournament appearance. The Timberwolves of Ely, who lost in the quarterfinals of the 2012 tournament, return for their second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. Ely was ranked No. 6 ranked in the final AP poll and has never won a state title. 2-Nicollet (11-0) vs. 4-Underwood (8-3) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Roseville Area High School: The Nicollet Raiders return to tournament action after a one-year absence. This is their seventh appearance and they were ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll. The unranked Underwood Rockets are making their fifth appearance, but first since 2010. Both teams are still searching for their elusive first title. 6-Ada-Borup (9-2) vs. 8-Kittson County Central (11-0) Noon Nov. 9 at Bemidji State University: The unranked Cougars of Ada-Borup return after a one-year absence to make their sixth appearance. Ada-Borup is still in the hunt for its first state title. No. 2-ranked Kittson County Central, which includes students from Lancaster, is making its third appearance under this name. The Bearcats last appearance was in 2011. Kittson Central of Hallock made two additional appearances in 1993 and 1994, and won one previous title in 1994. Lancaster also made one additional appearance in 1976. 1-Grand Meadow (10-1) vs. 3-Mountain Lake Area (11-0) Noon Nov. 9 at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall: The unranked Superlarks of Grand Meadow are making their second consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They earned runner-up honors last year and are looking for their first title. Mountain Lake Area is making its second consecutive and overall appearance as a co-op with Mountain Lake Christian. The Wolverines, who lost in the 2012 quarterfinals, were ranked No. 4 in this year s final AP poll. Mountain Lake made an appearance as a single school in 1980 and then made three additional appearances as a co-op with Butterfield-Odin between 1991 and 2003. Class A Quarterfinal Highlights Four teams, including the defending champions from Mahnomen, return from the 2012 field. The others are: Dawson-Boyd, Sleepy Eye St. Mary s, and Bethlehem Academy of Faribault. All of the

teams have previous tournament experience, but Upsala/Swanville and Tracy-Milroy-Balaton are both making their first appearances under their respective names. Three teams have unblemished records. 5-Dawson-Boyd (10-1) vs. 7-Braham (11-0) 5 p.m. Nov. 8 at St. Cloud State University: The Blackjacks of Dawson-Boyd return for their third consecutive and overall appearance. They won a title in 2011 and lost in the 2012 semifinals. Dawson-Boyd was ranked No. 5 in this year s final AP poll. During regular-season play the Blackjacks defeated Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 21-19. Braham returns to the tournament after a one-year hiatus. The Bombers are making their fifth appearance under this name and were ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. Braham made one additional appearance with Grace Christian in 2004 and is still looking for its first championship. The Bombers did not play any other qualifiers during the regular season. 2-Sleepy Eye St. Mary s (11-0) vs. 4-Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity (8-3) 3 p.m. Nov. 9 at Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall: The No. 2-ranked Knights of Sleepy Eye St. Mary s return for their third consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Knights, who have never won a state title, lost in the quarterfinals last year. Sleepy Eye St. Mary s did not meet any other qualifiers in regular-season play. The unranked Bulldogs of Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity are making their second appearance under this name; their last was in 2011. Lester Prairie made three additional appearances between 1996 and 1998, and Holy Trinity of Winsted made three additional appearances between 1981 and 2002. During the regular season Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity defeated Bethlehem Academy 37-34. The Bulldogs are still looking for their first championship. 6-Upsala/Swanville (10-1) vs. 8-Mahnomen (11-0) 3 p.m. Nov. 9 at Bemidji State University: No. 7-ranked Upsala/Swanville is making its first appearance under this name. Swanville made two solo appearances in 1978 and 1984 and two more as a co-op with Grey Eagle in 1986 and 1987, but never claimed a state title. The defending champions from Mahnomen return to make their fourth consecutive and 22nd overall appearance. They were the top team in this year s final AP poll. If the Indians win, it would be their eighth title. In addition to last year they also won in 1980, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1998. Neither team faced any other qualifiers during the regular season. Bethlehem Academy, Faribault (8-3) vs. 3-Tracy-Milroy-Balaton (8-3) 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at Rochester Community & Technical College: The Cardinals of Bethlehem Academy are making their second consecutive and overall appearance. They earned runner-up honors in 2012. During the regular season Bethlehem Academy lost to Lester Prairie/Holy Trinity 37-34. The Panthers of Tracy-Milroy- Balaton are making their first appearance under this name. Tracy made one additional appearance in 1984. The Panthers lost to Dawson-Boyd 21-19 during the regular season. Neither team was ranked in the final AP poll and both are still in the hunt for their first state title. Class AA Quarterfinal Highlights Four of the qualifying teams from 2012 return: Moose Lake/Willow River, Holdingford, Hawley, and Jackson County Central. All of the teams have previous tournament experience and three boast perfect records. Holdingford and Maple Lake were the only two Class AA teams that met during the regular season and Holdingford won that game 46-6. 5-Minneota/Lincoln HI (11-0) vs. 7-Moose Lake/Willow River (10-0) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Chisago Lakes Area High School, Lindstrom: The Vikings of Minneota/Lincoln HI are making their first appearance under this name, but Minneota made 11 additional appearances between 1985 and 2010. Minneota won previous titles in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 2009. The Vikings were ranked No. 4 in this year s final AP poll. The Rebels of Moose Lake/Willow River, who were No. 2 in the final AP poll, are making their eighth consecutive and ninth overall appearance under this name. Moose Lake made one appearance in 1977. Moose Lake/Willow River has earned runner-up honors the past two years, but has never won a state championship. 2-Pine Island (9-2) vs. 4-Maple Lake (7-4) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Richfield High School: The Pine Island Panthers are making their fifth appearance, but first since 1997. The Maple Lake Irish return to the tournament after a one-year absence to make their third appearance. Neither team was ranked in the final AP poll and both are still looking for their first title.

6-Holdingford (11-0) vs. 8-Hawley (9-1) 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at Concordia College, Moorhead: The unranked Huskers of Holdingford return to make their second consecutive and 11th overall appearance. They lost in the 2012 quarterfinals. If the Huskers win it would be their second championship; they won their first in 1981. The Hawley Nuggets, who were ranked No. 8 in the AP poll, return to make their second consecutive and 14th overall appearance. They also lost in the quarterfinals of the 2012 tournament. Hawley is still in the hunt for its first title. 1-Chatfield (10-1) vs. 3-Jackson County Central (10-1) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Rochester Community & Technical College: The No. 9-ranked Gophers of Chatfield return for their first appearance since 1999. This is their eighth appearance and they won three consecutive championships between 1994 and 1996. The Huskies of Jackson County Central are making their second consecutive and fifth overall appearance under this name. They lost in the semifinals last year, but won one previous title in 2001. Jackson made two additional appearances in 1985 and 1989 and also won a championship in 1985. The Huskies came in at No. 7 in this year s final AP poll. Class AAA Quarterfinal Highlights Three teams return from the 2012 field: St. Croix Lutheran of West St. Paul, New London- Spicer, and Rochester Lourdes. All of the teams have previous tournament experience and no one has a perfect record. Glencoe-Silver Lake and New London-Spicer were the only teams to meet during regular-season play and Glencoe-Silver Lake won that contest 42-25. 5-Pierz (8-3) vs. 7 Proctor (8-2) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at University of Minnesota, Duluth: The Pioneers of Pierz return after a one-year absence to make their 10th appearance. The Pioneers won one previous title in 2004.The Proctor Rails are making their seventh appearance, but first since 2008. They have never won a state championship. Neither team was ranked in the final AP poll. 2-Glencoe-Silver Lake (8-2) vs. 4 St. Croix Lutheran, West St. Paul (8-2) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Macalester College, St. Paul: The Glencoe-Silver Lake Panthers, who were ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll, return for their first appearance since 2010. This is their 12th appearance under this name and they won previous championships in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Silver Lake also made seven appearances between 1982 and 1991 and won titles in 1983 and 1987. The Crusaders of St. Croix Lutheran are making their third consecutive and fourth overall appearance. They lost in the quarterfinals in 2012 after claiming the championship in 2011. They came in at No. 5 in this year s final poll. 6-New London-Spicer (8-2) vs. 8-Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (8-2) 5 p.m. Nov. 9 at St. Cloud State University: The Wildcats of New London-Spicer are making their second consecutive and fourth overall appearance. They won one previous championship in 2009, but bowed out in the quarterfinals in 2012. New London-Spicer tied for No. 9 in this year s final AP poll. The unranked Dilworth-Glyndon- Felton Rebels return for their third appearance under this name, but first since 2002. Dilworth made two additional appearances in 1988 and 1989, and Glyndon-Felton made three consecutive appearances between 1983 and 1985. Glyndon-Felton also claimed a title in 1985. 1-Rochester Lourdes (9-1) vs. 3-Fairmont (8-2) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at Burnsville High School: Topranked Rochester Lourdes returns for its second consecutive and 10th overall appearance. The Eagles claimed runner-up honors last year and won previous titles in 1979 and 2010. Fairmont is making its first appearance under this name, but Fairmont Area made eight appearances between 1978 and 2011. The Cardinals, who have never won a state title, tied for No. 9 in the final poll. Class AAAA Quarterfinal Highlights Four of last year s qualifying teams return: the defending champions from Hutchinson, DeLaSalle of Minneapolis, Detroit Lakes, and Kasson-Mantorville. All of the teams have previous tournament experience and Hutchinson boasts the only unblemished record. Delano and Hutchinson were the only teams to meet during the regular season. Hutchinson won that match-up 30-14. 5-Delano (9-1) vs. 7-Cloquet (9-1) 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at St. Cloud State University: The No. 4- ranked Delano Tigers are making their 10th appearance. They made their last in 2006. The unranked Cloquet Lumberjacks are making their fifth appearance, but first since 1987. Neither team has won a state title.

2 Hutchinson (10-0) vs. 4-South St. Paul (9-1) 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at Chanhassen High School: The defending champions from Hutchinson are making their second consecutive and 18th overall appearance under this name. In addition to last year they also won titles in 1983, 1984 and 1998. Hutchinson also made three consecutive appearances as a co-op with New Century Charter School between 2003 and 2005. The Tigers were the top team in this year s final AP poll. South St. Paul, which was ranked No. 5 in the final poll, returns after a one-year absence. The Packers are making their fourth appearance and are still looking for their elusive first title. 6 DeLaSalle, Minneapolis (9-1) vs. 8 Detroit Lakes (9-1) 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at St. Cloud State University: The No. 6-ranked Islanders of DeLaSalle are making their second consecutive and ninth overall appearance. They lost in the 2012 quarterfinals. If the Islanders win it would be their second title. They won their first in 1999. The Detroit Lakes Lakers return for their second consecutive and 13th overall appearance. They also bowed out in the 2012 quarterfinals. They were ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and are looking for their fifth state title. They won previously in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 2001. 1-Kasson-Mantorville (9-1) vs. 3-Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield (5-5) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at East Ridge High School, Woodbury: The Komets of Kasson-Mantorville are making their second consecutive and 10th overall appearance. They were No. 8 in this year s final poll and lost in the quarterfinals in 2012. The unranked Stars of Academy of Holy Angels return for their fourth appearance. They made their last in 2005. Neither team has won a state championship. Class AAAAA Quarterfinal Highlights Owatonna and Apple Valley are the only teams to return from the 2012 field. Three teams have unblemished records and all of them have previous tournament experience. None of the qualified teams met during the regular season. 5-Henry Sibley, Mendota Heights (7-4) vs. 7-Brainerd (10-0) 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at St. John s University, Collegeville: The Henry Sibley Warriors, who were not ranked in the final AP poll, return for their second appearance. They made their last appearance in 1980 and they re still looking for their first title. Brainerd returns to tournament action after a two-year hiatus. The No. 3-ranked Warriors are making their ninth appearance. They are also in the hunt for their first championship. 2-Chaska (10-0) vs. 4-Andover (7-3) 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at Kuhlman Stadium, Edina: The Hawks of Chaska, who were No. 2 in the final AP poll, return for their second appearance. They made their first in 1972. The unranked Andover Huskies are also making their second appearance. They made their only other one in 2007. Neither team has won a state title. 6-St. Michael-Albertville (9-1) vs. 8-Sartell-St. Stephen (8-3) 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at St. Cloud State University: The Knights of St. Michael-Albertville return for their sixth appearance, but first since 2008. They came in at No. 6 in this year s final AP poll and are still looking for their first championship. The unranked Sartell-St. Stephen Sabres are making their sixth appearance under this name. Their last was in 2009. Sartell made five additional appearances between 1976 and 1994, and they won their only title in 1994. 1-Owatonna (10-0) vs. 3-Apple Valley (6-5) 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at Lakeville North High School: Owatonna is making its second consecutive and fifth overall appearance. The Huskies took runner-up honors in 2012 were ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll. They are still in the hunt for their first championship. The unranked Apple Valley Eagles return for their second consecutive and 12th overall appearance. If the Eagles win, it would be their third title; they won previously in 1986 and 1993. Class AAAAAA Quarterfinal Highlights This is the second year that a largest and seventh class was added to the tournament format. The Class AAAAAA tournament is also the first to be seeded. The seeding process had all eight coaches of the section qualifiers log onto a special page of the League Web site. Each coach then ranked the other teams one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top five teams were seeded. In a conference call with all eight head coaches, League Associate Director Kevin Merkle announced the top five seeds. A

coaches association representative then blindly drew three teams to establish the opponent for the top three seeded teams. Numbers four and five automatically play each other. The qualifiers for Class AAAAAA are determined by cross-over games between sections, a format unlike all of the other classes. The pairings were determined by matching the highest seeded team from each section against the lowest seeded team of the other; then second highest to second lowest; then third highest to third lowest; and finally fourth highest to fourth lowest. The higher seeded team from either section hosted the final game. The eight teams that emerged from these cross-over qualifying games earned a state tournament berth and were then seeded. Four teams return from the 2012 Class AAAAAA field and one moves up from Class AAAAA. Eden Prairie returns as the defending champion in Class AAAAAA and Totino-Grace of Fridley moves up as the champion from Class AAAAA. The other returning teams are Lakeville North, Eastview of Apple Valley, and Rosemount. All of the teams have previous tournament experience and Eden Prairie and Maple Grove boast the only perfect records. Lakeville North (8-2) vs. (No. 1 Seed) Eden Prairie (9-0) 5 p.m. Nov. 8 at Metrodome, Minneapolis: The Panthers of Lakeville North, who were No. 7 in the final AP poll, are making their third consecutive and fifth overall appearance. They placed second in 2012 and have never won a state title. During the regular season Lakeville North defeated Eastview 33-10 and lost to Rosemount 36-7. The two-time defending champions from Eden Prairie are making their ninth consecutive and 17th overall appearance. They took top honors in Class AAAAA in 2011 and in Class AAAAAA in 2012. They were the top-ranked team in this year s final AP poll and also won titles in 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2007. During regular-season play Eden Prairie defeated Totino-Grace 42-7. (No. 5 Seed) Totino-Grace, Fridley (8-2) vs. (No. 4 Seed) Osseo (9-1) 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at Metrodome, Minneapolis: These teams met during the regular season with Osseo winning 28-14. Totino-Grace, which took top honors in Class AAAAA last year, made the move to Class AAAAAA this year. They were ranked No. 9 in the final poll and are making their fifth consecutive and 23rd overall appearance. In addition to last year, they also won championships in 1977, 1978, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Totino-Grace also lost to Eden Prairie 42-7 during the regular season. Osseo, which includes students from Maranatha Christian Academy of Brooklyn Park, is making its eighth appearance, but first since 1993. This year s team was ranked No. 5 in the final AP poll. The Orioles did not face any other qualifiers during the regular season and are looking for their first state championship. Eastview, Apple Valley (6-4) vs. (No. 3 Seed) Rosemount (9-1) 5 p.m. Nov 7 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis: When these teams met earlier in the season, Rosemount emerged with a 24-0 victory. The unranked Eastview Lightning are making their second consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They lost in the 2012 quarterfinals and have never won a state title. In addition to Rosemount, Eastview also lost to Lakeville North 33-10 during the regular season. The Irish of Rosemount return to make their second consecutive and eighth overall appearance. They tied for No. 3 in the final AP poll and won one previous championship in 1981. In addition to Eastview, Rosemount also defeated Lakeville North 36-7 in regular-season play. Roseville Area (9-1) vs. (No. 2 Seed) Maple Grove (10-0) 8 p.m. Nov 7 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis: The No. 10-ranked Roseville Area Raiders are making their third appearance, but first since 2006. The Maple Grove Crimson, who were ranked No. 2 in the final AP poll, return for their fourth appearance. They made their last in 2002. Neither team faced any other qualifiers during the regular season and both are still looking for their first championship. -30- Tournament results will be posted on the League s Web site www.mshsl.org. ATTENTION RADIO STATIONS: The Minnesota Broadcasters Association has again arranged for installation of two telephone lines in each of five radio booths at the Metrodome for the semifinal and Prep Bowl games. The League will make booth assignments. The two phone lines will accommodate

two stations due to the tight schedule between games and to allow radio stations to share booths if necessary. The MBA will later bill stations based on their usage of the lines.