It was the question on the lips of every Moorhead fan this season. Perhaps even some of the Moorhead coaches and players.

How would the Spuds fare moving up to Class 6A?

Sure, Moorhead had talent oozing out of its locker room. But these were the big boys. Could a former Class 5A power take the next step and compete well in the highest class of football in the state?

After Moorhead went toe-to-toe with one of the biggest boys, Lakeville South, and emerged with a 26-14 victory in a Class 6A semifinal Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Moorhead (8-4) will play Edina (8-4) at 7 p.m. Friday for the state championship.

“I thought Lakeville South was as good as advertised,” Moorhead coach Kevin Feeney said. “They’re super big up front and super physical. They’re super hard to defend. I don’t know if anybody in the outside world actually thought that this would be a 26-14 type of ballgame. I think everybody was thinking it was gonna be a track meet.”

The teams spent the first half like prizefighters sizing each other up. Neither offense was as prolific as expected. It was 7-7 at halftime.

Moorhead spent more than half of the regular season with star quarterback Jett Feeney sidelined because of a shoulder injury. With Feeney, the laser-armed engine that makes Moorhead go, sitting out, the Spuds were forced to adapt and grow as a team. They lost four times in his absence. They’ve won five games in a row since he returned.

“With Jett’s injury and then a handful of other guys that we lost throughout the year, a lot of guys had to step up and play physical football against some of the best programs in the state of Minnesota,” Kevin Feeney said. “I told our team that championship football teams have to win games like this. We haven’t done that a lot this year. but that just shows our grit. And that’s our slogan for the year: grit.”

Moorhead showed it early in the second half, after losing a fumble and allowing Lakeville South (9-3) to pound the ball into the end zone for a 14-7 lead. That turned out to be all the offense the Cougars, a team that ran for more than 500 yards last week in a 49-31 upset of Class 6A No. 1 Maple Grove, could muster.

“Our defensive staff really challenged our kids to build a fence,” Kevin Feeney said. “That was kind of the word all week. Build a fence and then do your job.”

While Lakeville South was shutting down Moorhead high-flying receiver David Mack for much of the game, others stepped forward for the Spuds. Senior receiver/defensive back Zak Walker led the Spuds in receiving with seven catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. Walker also scored on a 6-yard jet sweep for Moorhead’s first touchdown.

But the Spuds are accustomed to scoring points in bunches, and Feeney said winning a defensive-minded game said a lot about his team.

“The offense has been helping the defense a lot, scoring a lot of points,” Feeney said. “But obviously, this is big. The defense stepped up and they got the ‘W’ for us.”