A look ahead at a big week in prep football

There is a quarter remaining. Not in the game, but the regular season.

With it comes battles between rivals, highly ranked teams and even a combination of both in Week 7.

Here is a look at a few must-see matchups or games to keep an eye on from afar Thursday and Friday.

Moorhead (6-0) at Alexandria (6-0), 7 p.m. Friday

The marquee matchup. Moorhead will travel down Interstate-94 to Alexandria in a battle for supremacy in the second largest classification. Alexandria is ranked No. 1 followed by Moorhead in the second spot in the Associated Press Poll.

“We usually see each other twice a year and season records go out the window when we clash,” Alexandria coach Mike Empting said. “Both teams bring out the best in each other.”

Alexandria fell to St. Thomas Academy in the semifinals of the state tournament a year ago, and is looking to improve on that finish. It beat Moorhead 24-14 in last year’s regular season meeting.

“We are excited to compete against the No. 1-ranked team in the state on the road,” Moorhead coach Kevin Feeney said. “Alexandria has an outstanding roster with many returners from last year’s semifinal run. They have very good team speed on both sides of the football, and return some of the best lineman in Class 5A. They have tremendous athletes who can score from anywhere on the field. It should be a great environment for high school football.”

It will showcase two of the state’s best offenses, led by outstanding quarterbacks. Alexandria boasts 6-8 senior and Clemson basketball commit Chase Thompson while Moorhead will counter with sophomore Jett Feeney, the coach’s son. Moorhead is averaging 51.7 points per game while Alexandria is scoring at a 40.5-point per game clip.

“Both teams are playing extremely well and have offenses that have demonstrated the ability to be electric and put points on the board,” Empting said. “I expect that there will be some thunder coming from central Minnesota under the Friday night lights in Alexandria.”

The unfortunate thing is one of these two won’t be included in the state tournament field. They both reside in Section 8.

“Our games usually have something riding on the outcome and often times it comes down to the final plays in the final seconds before the outcome is decided,” Empting said.

Chanhassen (3-3) at Chaska (3-3), 7 p.m. Friday

The fourth annual “Battle for the Jug” is more than just bragging rights between the two schools.

They will also be competing to see who can raise the most funds for a very important cause. Proceeds from t-shirt sales go toward the Randy Shaver Tackle Cancer Foundation.

“Not every high school football player gets to be part of something like this and I hope our players appreciate the opportunity,” Chanhassen coach Cullen Nelson said. “The Chanhassen vs. Chaska rivalry game is a great celebration of football between two proud programs. Games have been very competitive over the years, and it’s great the kids get to play in front of 4,000 or 5,000 people.”

Class 5A, No. 9-ranked Chanhassen, the defending state champions, and Chaska are both trying to rebound from tough losses in Week 6.

Mankato East (5-1) vs. Mankato West (3-3), 7 p.m. Friday at MSU Mankato

Another “Jug” game.

“The East-West Jug game at Blakeslee Field is one of the great high school sporting events in southern Minnesota,” Mankato East coach Eric Davis said. “With both teams competing at a high level this year, it is certain to be an electric atmosphere and an exciting venue for our student-athletes to compete in front of the entire community.”

East is riding a three-game winning streak and ranked seventh while West is coming off a 28-14 setback at the hands of Owatonna. They both reside in Section 2, along with Chanhassen and Chaska.

Owatonna (6-0) at Rochester John Marshall (5-1), 7 p.m. Friday

The Rockets’ program has been looking up to Section 1 perennial power Owatonna for quite some time. It appears they are drawing closer under the direction of Kyle Riggott.

“Coach Riggott has done a great job of revitalizing the John Marshall program over the past several years,” Owatonna coach Jeff Williams said. “He has developed a culture that kids are buying into and he has them working hard in the summer and in the weight room. John Marshall has always had good athletes and a lot of speed, but their lines have gotten much stronger and their discipline has improved tremendously.

“They made some big strides in their competitiveness last fall, but really seem to have taken the next step this season. They are playing with and beating some really good football teams. They will be a handful for us.”

The Huskies beat John Marshall twice a year ago, both at home 32-14 and 33-7. Will going on the road make a difference?

“We have been playing great defense this fall and that has kept us in every game,” Williams said. His No. 3-ranked Huskies are only yielding 8.0 points per game. “We are looking forward to a big matchup Friday.”

Orono (6-0) at Totino-Grace (6-0), 7 p.m. Friday

Two teams that have been stellar on defense while making a steady climb up the rankings.

“It will be a fun opportunity for both teams to play a playoff type game during the regular season,” Orono coach Joe McPherson said. “This game is great for high school football. It will display the high level of football that Class 4A has.”

Totino-Grace is ranked No. 2 while giving up 11.2 points per game while Orono is one spot back at No. 3 and is giving up 10.2 points a night. The Eagles will be looking to avenge Orono’s 31-7 victory of a year ago.

“It has been fun to watch this group of players start to play as a team these past couple of weeks and we will need to play our best game against Totino-Grace if we want a chance to win,” McPherson said. “Totino-Grace is a physical team, and our defense will be a key to the game. We are looking forward to another tough challenge.”

Mountain Iron-Buhl (6-0) at Cherry (6-0), 7 p.m. Thursday

These have been two of the best programs in this classification the last handful of years. Much like the Alexandria-Moorhead matchup, one of these two won’t be included in the state tournament field because they fall in the same section.

“Our schools are located 12 miles apart and we have both had so much success in athletics these past several years which has increased that rivalry,” Cherry coach Nick Stevenson said. “Both of our football programs have been sitting inside the Top 5 in rankings for the past three years and I know both teams have this game circled every year.”

The only problem Cherry hasn’t been able to solve is the Rangers in the battle of these butting Iron Range communities in Section 7. The 2022 state champion Rangers haven’t lost to Cherry since Oct. 2, 2009 when the Tigers pulled out a thrilling 33-27 overtime victory.

“Beating Mountain Iron-Buhl will be no easy task at all,” Stevenson said. “The players have bought into their system and they know how to play football at the highest level.”

They are both ranked in the top five, Mountain Iron-Buhl at No. 2 and Cherry at No. 5. The Rangers are averaging 69.8 points per game while yielding 5.3. Cherry is only giving up 3.3 points a night.

“We obviously want to win every game but we also have state tournament and state championship aspirations,” Stevenson said. “So we will take it one game at a time and have expectations that our path to accomplishing that runs through Mountain Iron-Buhl.”

Inside the numbers

2 Interceptions Duluth Denfeld senior Taye Manns had in a 38-22 victory over Cloquet. He returned the second one 54 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. It was also his second interception return for a touchdown this season.

6 (A) Touchdown passes Moorhead sophomore quarterback Jett Feeney threw for in the Spuds’ 52-14 victory over Sartell. It’s the second time Feeney has thrown six touchdown passes in a game this season. He has thrown 32 touchdown passes through the first six weeks.

6 (B) Touchdowns Norwood Young America junior quarterback Kyson Evenski accounted for in the Raiders’ 68-20 triumph over Cleveland. Evenski completed 12-of-16 passes for 342 yards and five touchdowns and ran for another. The unbeaten Raiders (6-0) are ranked seventh in Class 2A.

6 (C) Turnovers Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta forced in shutting out East Grand Forks 24-0. Junior defensive back Riley Asmus had two interceptions for the Class 3A, No. 8-rated Tigers (6-0).

7 Touchdowns St. Anthony senior quarterback Dylan Held accounted for in the Huskies’ 54-6 victory over Minneapolis Roosevelt. He passed for four touchdowns and ran for three.

9 Takeaways Minnewaska Area (4-2) has come up with the last two weeks. The Lakers most recently had five while shutting out Montevideo 37-0.

26 Consecutive games won by Class 1A, No. 1-rated Minneota (6-0). The two-time defending state champions extended its streak with a comfortable 76-7 triumph over Lakeview. Senior running back Ryan Meagher rushed for four first-half touchdowns, giving him 16 on the season.

76.5 Percentage of touchdowns Dawson-Boyd junior quarterback Gunner Liebl has accounted for this season for the Blackjacks (5-1). He has run for 12 scores and thrown for 14, accounting for 26 of their 34 touchdowns.

99 Yards covered by Columbia Heights junior defensive back Jayvion Calvin on a interception return for a a touchdown in the Hylanders’ 20-12 victory over Brooklyn Center.

141 Yards Pierz junior quarterback Liam Hennessy threw for despite only completing three passes, two going for touchdowns. He connected with senior running back Aiden Jones and sophomore wide receiver Jaxsen Hardy on 70- and 71-yard touchdown passes, respectively.

253 Points Mountain Iron-Buhl has scored in its last three games. That is an average of 84.3 points per game.

271 Rushing yards LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli senior quarterback Cam Hungerholt had in a 55-13 victory over Southland. He ran for four touchdowns and has over 100 in his career for the Nine-Player, No. 6 Cardinals (6-0). He has rushed for over 1,300 yards and closing in on 1,000 passing yards for the season.

307 Passing yards Waseca freshman quarterback Kellen Klinger threw for while completing 15-of-25 passes with four touchdowns in a 42-7 victory over Tri-City United.

314 Rushing yards Litchfield sophomore Anthony Taylor gained on 26 carries while scoring four touchdowns in a 48-21 victory over Watertown-Mayer. He scored on runs of 1, 9, 58 and 90 yards.

347 Rushing yards accumulated by Roseville senior halfback Javon Minor gained on 23 carries while running for four touchdowns in a 55-35 triumph over Hopkins. He scored on runs of 3, 38, 40 and 87 yards. He also returned a kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown after the Royals pulled within 42-35.

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“The biggest issue is that we’re down to our fifth or sixth quarterback of the season so far. We’re still trying to find answers. Not many teams go through six quarterbacks in a season,” Rock Ridge coach Brandon Borich told the Mesabi Tribune after falling to Two Harbors 30-6. His Wolverines are 2-4 on the season.