Minneapolis North 56, St. Croix Lutheran 44

Logan Lachermeier made the passes that produced seven touchdowns and the call that produced a victory Friday night.

Lachermeier passed for 331 yards and seven TDs, including the winning toss to Cordae Williams with 16 seconds left, to lead the host Polars past the second-seeded Crusaders in the Class 3A, Section 4 final.

“That play call was all Logan,” Minneapolis North coach Charles Adams said about the winning touchdown. “Logan saw the play before that Cordae had a one-on-one matchup, and he knew he just had to make a move and he would have a touchdown.”

The top-seeded Polars (10-0) had leads of 7-0 and 28-22 in the first half but otherwise trailed. This was a change. They did not trail much during the regular season; only Minneapolis Washburn, another qualifier for the state tournament, kept it close. Adams liked the way his team dealt with the “opportunity to fight through adversity.”

J’Marion Sanders was Lachermeier’s favorite target, making 10 catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest playmaker was Anthony Deline, who had 136 yards and three touchdowns on five catches. In addition to his winning TD, Williams had 63 yards in receptions. Jeremiah Jackson also caught a touchdown pass from Lachermeier.

Ahmod Powell sealed the victory with a interception he returned for a touchdown with 6 seconds left.

The Crusaders (10-1) got three touchdown runs from Colin Avery, two from Elijah Larson and one from Villiam Andersen.

North advanced to a Class 3A quarterfinal against Pine Island (10-0) on Saturday at Totino-Grace High School.

Cretin-Derham Hall 49, Mahtomedi 44

Izaak Johnson also threw seven touchdown passes Friday. Cretin-Derham Hall needed all seven to defeat the top-seeded Zephyrs in the Class 5A, Section 4 final.

“Izaak is crucial,” Cretin-Derham Hall coach Kim Royston said. “He is a great leader. He is super committed.”

Johnson got the Raiders (7-3) started in the first quarter with a 65-yard touchdown pass to Owen Welk. The second-seeded Raiders never trailed, but they never got comfortable either.

The Zephyrs (8-2) scored 28 points in the fourth quarter. They got to within six points with 5:29 left, but Johnson completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Sam Heath with 3:08 remaining to get the lead back to two scores.

Royston said he told the team to “make sure to finish” as the Zephyrs were rallying. He emphasized the worth of a short memory.

“Every play has a life of its own. Good or bad, move on to the next one,” Royston said.

The Zephyrs scored again on a 21-yard run by Mark Graff with 46 seconds left, but they didn’t get another chance. Graff led Mahtomedi with two TD runs, two TD passes and a touchdown catch.

Ja’Dale Thompson caught three touchdown passes and Isaiah Thom, Dre Frierson-Hollie, Welk and Heath had one each for the Raiders.

Cretin-Derham Hall advanced to a Saturday quarterfinal against Chanhassen (9-1) at Osseo High School.

Elk River 27, Monticello 23

Elk River has lost twice this season, and one of those losses was to Monticello. The difference between that loss and Friday’s victory? Junior running back Braedon Becker.

Becker rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries Friday for the Elks against the top-seeded Magic in Class 5A, Section 7. Becker ran for an 11-yard touchdown with 9:48 left to get the Elks within three points. He capped the rally with a 14-yard scoring run with 38 seconds left.

“Our offensive line did a really good job,” Elk River coach Steve Hamilton said. “We didn’t have Braedon the first time we played Monticello. He is a difference-maker inside. He is fast, twitchy and physical for his size.”

Carson Deibele threw touchdown passes of 20 yards to Garett Bauer and 13 yards to Cole Mueller to give the Magic (8-2) a 16-14 lead at halftime. Bauer ran for a 2-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead.

The second-seeded Elks (8-2) famously use a run-heavy offense that’s built on deception, the Power T. They did not turn away from it when they trailed, and that paid off.

“We score way faster on the ground than when we throw,” Hamilton said. “That’s who we are.”

Elks quarterback Levi Harris ran for two 11-yard touchdowns in the second quarter. He finished the game with 71 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.

Next for Elk River is a state quarterfinal against Minneapolis Washburn (8-3) on Saturday at Forest Lake.

Minneapolis Washburn 17, Minneapolis Southwest 0

Henry Eichten did it all for the Millers in the win over the third-seeded Lakers in the Class 5A, Section 5 final at Southwest. He ran for 171 yards, kicked a field goal and two extra points and made two sacks on defense.

“We built our offense around him,” Minneapolis Washburn coach Ryan Galindo said. “We put the offense through him. On defense, we moved him around and found his spot at linebacker.”

Heston Anderson started the game for the fourth-seeded Millers (8-3) with an 86-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff.

The Lakers (6-4) entered the game having scored at least 20 points in each of their previous three games, including 28 in a win over the Millers. This time the Millers kept the Lakers and star quarterback Kyler Thom from scoring.

“[Thom] is a stud. He is a great runner and great passer,” Galindo said. “The weather helped, for sure. The rain made it difficult, and they have a grass field. It was hard for the players to get their footing.”

Washburn reached the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2007, and Eichten, who has gained 1,441 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, is the Millers’ first 1,000-yard runner since 2013.