The Minnetonka coaches felt things had gotten “too predictable.” Now that junior quarterback Caden Gutzmer was finally back and feeling good, it was time to change things up a bit.

On the opening drive Friday at Farmington, the Skippers came out gunning. Gutzmer threw passes on their first three plays, quickly moving 55 yards.

On the fourth play, Minnetonka returned to what it’s done so often this season: hand the ball to running back Caleb Francois. The 6-1, 190-pound senior sliced off left tackle, arriving in the end zone 20 yards later.

That touchdown set the tone for the Skippers’ 34-7 victory over St. Michael-Albertville, sending them to the Class 6A semifinals next week.

“All year we handed the ball off the start the game,” Gutzmer said. “We wanted to come out and sling it. We planned for it all week.”

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After the Skippers struggled to get past Prior Lake last week, Minnetonka coach Mark Esch said he and his coaches agreed it was time for change.

“Prior Lake was really keying on Caleb, and we felt like every other team was gonna do the same,” Esch said. “We’ve got the skill kids, so we just wanted to show that.”

Another Francois touchdown made the score 13-0, setting the stage for the game’s key sequence.

Gutzmer hit Kirion Vogel with a 46-yard strike to make the score 20-0 with a little more than minute left in the first half. St. Michael-Albertville fumbled the ball back to Minnetonka 33 seconds before halftime, and the Skippers made the Knights pay.

Gutzmer hooked up with Vogel for 17 yards and a score just eight seconds before halftime. In a span of 1:32, Minnetonka had built its lead to 27-0.

Perhaps the biggest thing to come from the game was the way it revealed the Skippers’ depth. Vogel caught two touchdown passes. Running back Parker Running found room to run and scored the Skippers’ final touchdown.

“I like to see other people be successful. I take a lot of heart in that, so I’m glad that those kids got [the chance],” Francois said. “We’ve got some great athletes.”