Football 2026: Scores and recaps from Nov. 12 quarterfinals

Nine games will be played on Friday, and the final four contests will conclude on Saturday.

Winners from the quarterfinals advance to next week’s three days of semifinal play at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

Class Nine-Player

• (1N) Kittson County Central 47, (4N) Cook County 18
• (2N) Cromwell-Wright Area 24, (3N) Clearbrook-Gonvick 20
• (1S) Hills-Beaver Creek 35, (4S) Spring Grove 7
• (2S) Border West 28, (3S) Wabasso 6

Class AA

• (4N) Hawley 36, (1N) Aitkin 6
• (2N) Redwood Valley 57, (3N) Osakis 6
• (1S) Caledonia 63, (4S) Cannon Falls 12
• (3S) Jackson County Central 32, (2S) Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 24

Class AAA

• (1N) Pierz 44, (4N) Albany 7

Class AAAA

• (2S) Willmar 49, (3S) Hill-Murray 35
• (1N) Orono 56, (4N) SMB 20
• (1S) Byron 42, (4S) Totino-Grace 7

Class AAAAAA

• No. 1 Champlin Park 41, No. 2 Forest Lake 8
• No. 2 Rosemount 28, No. 4 Prior Lake 6
• No. 3 Minnetonka 19, No. 5 Lakeville South 7

Recaps

Class AAAAAA

• Champlin Park 41, Forest Lake 8: Champlin Park stormed to a four-touchdown lead in the second quarter and wasn’t threatened in its quarterfinal victory at Spring Lake Park High School. Senior running back Preston Nelson had two touchdowns, one on the ground and another through the air, to fuel the Rebels (11-0). He later injured his right arm. Forest Lake finished its season 9-3.
• Rosemount 28, Prior Lake 6: Rosemount wasn’t interested in being Prior Lake’s second upset victim in as many weeks, and it showed with a convincing victory at Maple Grove High School. A week ago, Prior Lake was the talk of Minnesota high school football with a stunning upset of top-ranked and heavy big-school favorite Moorhead. Junior running back Jaidon Jackson scored three rushing touchdowns to power the Irish (8-3). Prior Lake (6-4) had its six-game winning streak snapped.
• Minnetonka 19, Lakeville South 7: Minnetonka earned a semifinal berth opposite Rosemount with its victory over Lakeville South at Eastview High School in Apple Valley. Senior quarterback Caden Gutzmer threw for a touchdown and ran for another to propel the Skippers (9-2). He opened the scoring on an 8-yard scoring connection with eighth-grader Theo Brown. Brown played a starring role in last week’s victory over Blaine with two touchdown receptions.

Class AAAA

• Willmar 49, Hill-Murray 35: Senior running back Hudson Sjoberg ran for a touchdown and had another through the air to help Willmar outlast Hill-Murray in the Class AAAA quarterfinals at Blaine High School. Senior quarterback Alex Hoppe accounted for two passing TDs for the Cardinals (11-0). Hill-Murray (9-2) tried to keep pace behind, in part, two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Brayden Hartmann to junior wide receiver Jacob Dornan.
• Orono 56, SMB 20: Orono, the reigning Class AAAA champion, stayed on track for what it hopes is a successful title defense by pulling away from SMB at Buffalo High School. Senior quarterback Finn Dyvik threw for three touchdowns and ran for two others for the Spartans (11-0). Ninth-grade quarterback Carter Cupito had two touchdown passes for SMB (9-2).
• Byron 42, Totino-Grace 7: Senior running back Jordan Helmer scored four touchdowns to help Byron roll into the semifinals with a victory at Owatonna High School. This was a rematch of a regular-season finale that was won by Byron, 48-9.

Class AA

• Hawley 36, Aitkin 6: Sophomore quarterback Hudson Midthun and senior running back Charlie Steer were a double dose of offensive weaponry in powering Hawley past Aitkin in the Class AA quarterfinals at Brainerd High School. Midthun passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns while Steer rushed for 148 yards and two TDs of his own to send the Nuggets (9-2) into the Class AA semifinals against Caledonia on Friday, Nov. 20, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Aitkin, making its first state tournament appearance since 1982, finished its season 9-1.