2016 State Class AAAA Football Tournament Preview

One thing that will be guaranteed in this year's state Class AAAA football tournament is that there will be a new champion since the Becker Bulldogs championship reign was ended by the Big Lake Hornets in the Section 6 semifinals.  Here's a preview of the Class AAAA quarterfinals that will be played on Friday, November 11.  

In the upper bracket, the top ranked and unbeaten South St. Paul Packers head down I-494 to face the Winona Winhawks at East Ridge.  The Packers are in their fifth tournament and lost in last year's championship game to Becker.  They will face a Winona team that came up three points short of an unbeaten season, losing 42-39 to the Mankato West Scarlets on October 19.  It's also the first trip to state for the Winhawks since they lost to Moorhead in the 1987 Class AA final 13-7.  It could be a real test for the Packers.  

Two unlikely teams will battle in the second quarterfinal game at Husky Stadium on the St. Cloud State University campus.  The Rocori Spartans, seeded third in Section 8 and the Orono Spartans who were seeded third in Section 6.  Rocori held off the surprising Willmar Cardinals, who upset the top seeded Fergus Falls Otters in the semifinals and Orono kept the Zimmerman Thunder from making the trip up Highway 10 in the Section 6 semifinals.  Who will emerge in "The Battle of the Spartans/"  

Over in the lower bracket, the Fridley Tigers return to the state tournament for the second straight year.  Last year, the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals to the South St. Paul Packers.  Fridley hopes to continue their quest for their first state football title since 1990.  However, they will face another team with a Tiger nickname, unbeaten Marshall ant Burnsville High School.   Marshall beat perennial power Hutchinson to return to the state tournament.  It should be an interesting match up.  

The final game of the day takes place at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom as the Cloquet Lumberjacks square off with the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights.  The Lumberjacks advanced with a win over the Princeton Tigers in the Section 7 finals and embark on their quest to US Bank Stadium 40 years after losing in the Class AA final to White Bear Lake in overtime at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.  The Red Knights return to state for the second straight year and need an outstanding game from running back Ricky Floyd.  In the Section 5 final, BSM was down 9-0 and scored 30 unanswered points to clinch a berth in the state tournament.  Floyd reached the end zone four times and rushed for 325 yards.  The Red Knights will Also have to play solid defense to advance to US bank Stadium on Thursday, November 17.  

That's the quarterfinal lineup for Class AAAA.  It should be an interesting Friday night of high school football.