We’re in the home stretch of the 2025 high school football season, with the end of the regular season not even two weeks out.

Strib Varsity followed big games Friday, including Chanhassen’s victory at Chaska, St. Thomas Academy’s win over Hastings and Byron’s win over Kasson-Mantorville. Here are the recaps:

• St. Thomas Academy stays undefeated, handling Hastings and state’s leading rusher
• Chanhassen knocks Chaska off its game, takes victory over district rival
• Byron defends its top ranking in Class 4A, knocking off No. 3 Kasson-Mantorville

Check out our scoreboard for more, and replay these three games, which were livestreamed by Strib Varsity:

• Kasson-Mantorville vs Byron
• East Ridge vs Forest Lake
• Becker vs Totino-Grace

See how it all went down on Episode 7 of “Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver.”

More craziness for Anoka

Anoka lost a wild one for the second week in a row, losing 42-41 to Champlin Park, ranked ninth in Class 6A. The Tornadoes fell 62-61 to Andover last week.

On Friday, the score was tied 21-21 at halftime and 28-28 after three quarters. Blake Sieben’s TD run gave Anoka a 35-28 lead with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter after a 13-play, 75-yard drive. It was Anoka’s first lead since 7-6 in the first quarter.

Preston Nelson’s 10-yard TD run with 3:35 left tied it 35-35. Then Nelson’s 4-yard TD run with 1:39 left made it 42-35. Sieben followed that up by scoring on a 3-yard run as time expired. Anoka went for two, but a pass was incomplete.

Anoka is 0-6; its past three losses were by four points, one point and one point.

Updates from around Minnesota

Andover 34, Rogers 31: Joseph Mapson ran for a touchdown with 3:47 left, putting the Huskies ahead, and now it’s a final. Mapson also threw three touchdown passes. Andover is ranked ninth in Class 6A and won by comeback for the second week in a row. Last week the Huskies defeated Anoka 62-61 after trailing 42-21 at halftime.

Elk River 42, Armstrong 15: Among Elk River’s scoring plays was a 91-yard kickoff return by its quarterback, Levi Harris. The Elks are ranked fifth in Class 5A.

Woodbury 28, Mounds View 17: Woodbury improves to 4-2.

Final: Chanhassen 28, Chaska 14

Chanhassen made a dominant first quarter-plus stand up, racing out to a 21-0 lead and holding off offensively-challenged Chaska for the remainder of the game.

Nathan Ramler hit Lucas Gustad for a 12-yard touchdown and Kade Bush for a 56-yarder to give Chanhassen a 14-0 lead. Running back Peyton Ramsey added a 19-yard, fourth-down scoring run in the second quarter.

Chaska finally got on the board with a 91-yard catch-and-run by Colton Wacker late in the first half, making the halftime score 21-7.

Chanhassen iced the victory in the fourth quarter when Logan Smith intercepted a pass and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown. Chaska added a late touchdown for the final score.

Chanhassen improved to 5-1. Chaska fell to 4-2.

— Jim Paulsen

It’s 9:30: Turn on the Shaver Show

“Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver” is firing up right now at stribvarsity.com, or find it here. Chanhassen quarterback Nathan Ramler is expected to appear on the show, as are football coaches from across Minnesota.

Updates from around Minnesota

Minnetonka 28, Wayzata 0: The Skippers, No. 2 in Class 6A and the Minnesota Top 25, made their victory a shutout. They are 6-0, No. 1 Maple Grove is 6-0, and they’re set to work that out Oct. 15, the Wednesday before MEA weekend.

Forest Lake 28, East Ridge 7: The Rangers are No. 3 in the Minnesota Top 25 and in Class 6A. East Ridge slipped to 3-3.

Final: Byron 34, Kasson-Mantorville 20

Byron’s defense showed up when it mattered most tonight. After giving up 20 points in the first half, the Bears didn’t allow K-M to get going at all in the second half. K-M had chances late after stuffing Byron on fourth down deep in Bears territory. But with less than a minute left in the game, Byron forced a fumble with junior Mateusz Kawezynski taking it more than 50 yards the other way for a score.

With the win, Bryon remains undefeated and solidifies itself as Class 4A’s No. 1 team.

— Sean Baker

Updates from around Minnesota

Maple Grove 35, St. Michael-Albertville 24: That’s a final score now, the No. 1 team in Class 6A improving to 6-0 but rallying to do it.

Buffalo 42, Irondale 6: It’s a final, and the Bison are 4-2. Irondale is 2-4.

Rogers 31, Andover 27: A pass from Joseph Mapson to Collin Gravink gets Andover closer with less than eight minutes to play.

Updates from around Minnesota

Maple Grove 35, St. Michael-Albertville 24: The Crimson take a two-score lead on a 30-yard touchdown run. The Crimson stopped the Knights on fourth down to take over on offense with 1:40 left.

Woodbury 28, Mounds View 17: Emmett Snuggerud throws his second touchdown pass to Shawn Rekowski with 8:18 left.

4Q: Chanhassen 28, Chaska 7

As momentum was shifting to Chaska, Chanhassen took it back in a big way when defensive back Logan Smith picked off an errant pass by Sam Summer at the 6-yard line and took it back 94 yards for a score, giving the Storm a 28-7 lead. You could feel the air sucked out of the Chaska stands.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Eden Prairie 34, Moorhead 33: That’s a final score, the Eagles pulling ahead in the fourth quarter on Windlan Hall’s second running touchdown of the game and winning by stopping a two-point try after another TD pass from Austin Dryburgh to David Mack, this one with 24 seconds left.

4Q: Byron 27, Kasson-Mantorville 20

I have been saying his name all night, but Carson Heimer and this Byron offensive line have just taken over this game. After an early score in the fourth quarter, Byron’s ground game has started to wear down what had been a strong K-M defense. Byron has the ball now late in the fourth — and appears to be content with their star running back driving right through the gut to a Bears victory.

— Sean Baker

Updates from around Minnesota

Lakeville South 17, Edina 14: The Cougars take a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.8:59

Maple Grove 28, St. Michael-Albertville 24: The Crimson score on a 35-yard touchdown run to reclaim the lead with 6:22 left.

Updates from around Minnesota

St. Michael-Albertville 24, Maple Grove 21: The Knights take advantage of a short field and score a touchdown on a run by Tyler Haring. No. 1 in Class 6A trails in the fourth quarter.

Start of 4Q; Chanhassen 21, Chaska 7

Pretty uneventful third quarter. The defenses were in control. We’ll see if the fourth quarter brings any offense.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Maple Grove 21, St. Michael-Albertville 16: The No. 1 team in Class 6A holds a fourth-quarter lead. The Crimson scored on a fourth-and-1 play, then added a 43-yard touchdown run after forcing an interception. The Knights got a Wyatt Mosher 2-yard touchdown run.

Woodbury 21, Mounds View 17: On the first play after getting a fourth-down stop, Emmett Snuggerud swung a pass to Shawn Rekowski for a 64-yard touchdown.

Updates from around Minnesota

Blaine 31, Osseo 14: It’s final, and Blaine is 4-2. Osseo falls to .500, 3-3.

Two Harbors 40, Proctor 6: Two Harbors rolls and is now 5-1.

Updates from around Minnesota

St. Michael-Albertville 10, Maple Grove 7: The Knights lead at halftime on a Wyatt Mosher touchdown run and Zach Marble field goal. The two scores came on back-to-back possessions with an onside kick recovery in between late in the first quarter. That’s the No. 1 team in every ranking that matters, the Minnesota Top 25 and the Class 6A media poll, trailing a 1-4 team. All of STMA’s losses have been to teams in or near the top 10 in Class 6A.

Halftime: Kasson-Mantorville 20, Byron 20

As we head into the second half, the question for both teams will be whether either defense can slow down the run game, which has been terrific for both offenses. On the Byron side, running back Carson Heimer has been everything we expected — with more than 100 yards on the ground already. For K-M, the option attack led by quarterback Grady Babcock has been just as effective.

Both offenses are proving they can throw the ball around a bit, too, with both teams producing explosive plays through the air in the first half.

Since kickoff, this game has had all the energy of a playoff matchup — and I expect both teams to come out of the half fired up in what is now a brand new game here in Byron.

— Sean Baker

Final: St. Thomas Academy 48, Hastings 13

In a matchup featuring two of the state’s top running backs, St. Thomas Academy’s Dominic Baez had the edge with 151 yards rushing and three touchdowns, mostly in the first half. The Cadets (6-0), the No. 1 team in Class 5A, scored 28 straight points after Hastings got within a touchdown late in the second quarter. Zack Shatek was held to 80 yards rushing and one touchdown.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 27, Eden Prairie 26: Austin Dryburgh and David Mack connect for the third time in the game, and the Spuds regain the lead.

Blaine 31, Osseo 14: Derrick Obwaya scores on a 5-yard run for the Bengals.

Halftime: Chanhassen 21, Chaska 7

One play has changed the feel of this game. Chaska looked dead in the water; the running game was getting obliterated by the Chanhassen defensive front. Storm quarterback Natham Ramler was getting time to throw and spreading the ball around. Chaska trailed by 21 points and wa mired inside its own 10 when Sam Summer hit Colton Wacker, who’d gotten behind the Chashassen defense. He wasn’t about to be caught and raced to the end zone for the Hawks’ first sign of positivity. Chaska’s defense stiffened thereafter, stopping a Chanhassen drive. The Hawks moved the ball a little when they got it back; not much, but better than they had done.

It’s still a big hole, but I’ve got to believe Chaska is feeling much better about itself in the locker room. I expect Chanhassen to come out firing, trying to regain that first-quarter edge.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Lakeville South 14, Edina 14: Chase Bjorgaard ran for a touchdown to tie the score for the Hornets.

Buffalo 28, Irondale 6: Wehso Cooper gets the Knights on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Eden Prairie 26, Moorhead 21: Windlan Hall scored on a 33-yard run in the third quarter, giving the Eagles the lead.

Grand Rapids 40, North Branch 8: The game at North Branch eases to an end, Grand Rapids improving to 5-1. North Branch loses for the first time in 2025. North Branch is ranked sixth and Grand Rapids eighth in Class 4A.

2Q: Kasson-Mantorville 20, Byron 20

Byron’s Carson Heimer is proving to be a difference-maker on both sides of the ball. Already with a rushing touchdown in the first quarter, Heimer has started to carve up Kasson-Mantorville’s defense. After accounting for almost all of Byron’s yards on a deep drive late in the second quarter, Heimer tied things up with a 4-yard touchdown rush. Only minutes earlier, Heimer had set the Bears up with good field position with an interception. That turnover was quickly erased when K-M’s Camryn Tottingham picked off Byron’s Elijah Rodemeyer on the very next play. The interception led to a 40-yard run by K-M’s Logan Louks.

Updates from around Minnesota

Blaine 24, Osseo 14: The Bengals take a 10-point lead on a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jameson Niska to Elijah Johnston.

Mounds View 17, Woodbury 14: The Royals cut into the deficit with an 8-yard touchdown run by Emmett Snuggerud.

3Q: St. Thomas Academy 48, Hastings 13

St. Thomas tight end Luke Hudson scored his second touchdown of the game on a 31-yard catch in the third quarter. That gives Cadets QB Tristan Karl four touchdowns in the game, including two runs.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

The action in Class 6A is fast. A couple of developments here.

Lakeville South 14, Edina 7: Mason West to Chase Bjorgaard for 12 yards and six points, and the Hornets are halfway back.

Rogers 21, Andover 14: Rogers’ Ethan Fortin passed for two quick TDs, and he’s up to three in the game.

Updates from around Minnesota

Hermantown31, Esko 6: It’s a final, and Hermantown is 5-1. Esko lost for the second time this season and is 4-2. Hermantown is No. 8 in Class 4A.

Mounds View 17, Woodbury 6: The Mustangs score on their third straight possession to take an 11-point lead. Cayden Tran ran 54 yards for a touchdown for the latest score.

2Q: Chanhassen 21, Chaska 7

Chanhassen was dominating the line of scrimmage. Chaska had less than 10 yards of total offense. Then Chaska receiver Colton Wacker made the Hawks’ first pass reception of the game and took it the distance, going 91 yards for a score. Chaska needed that.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Andover 14, Rogers 7: Joseph Mapson passed 3 yards to Landon Smethurst for a second-quarter Andover touchdown.

Elk River 20, Armstrong 0: Carsyn Kleffman scored his second TD of the game early in the third quarter.

Mounds View 10, Woodbury 6: After stopping a fake punt in Woodbury territory, the Mustangs extended their lead on a 20-yard field goal by Finn McArthur.

3Q: St. Thomas Academy 41, Hastings 13

After special teams provided the early spark in the second half for the Cadets, Tristan Karl extended their advantage to insurmountable territory with a 24-yard run on third-and-14. It was Karl’s second TD run in the game, giving St. Thomas 21 unanswered points.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Andover 7, Rogers 7: Collin Gravink ran for a 40-yard TD for Andover, and it’s evened up.

Blaine 17, Osseo 14: The Bengals take their first lead on a 27-yard field goal by Damir Secic.

Updates from around Minnesota

Blaine 14, Osseo 14: The Bengals tie the score on a 4-yard touchdown by Derrick Obwaya.

Lakeville South 14, Edina 0: Long touchdown runs by Gavin Dean and Nic Swanson have Lakeville South ahead. Dean went 61 yards and Swanson 34. Lakeville South is ranked fifth in Class 6A. Edina, with losses to Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, received votes but didn’t make the Class 6A top 10.

3Q: St. Thomas Academy 34, Hastings 13

St. Thomas made a big statement on the opening kickoff of the second half, with Todd Rogalski flying by defenders for an 89-yard touchdown to give his team a 21-point lead.

— Marcus Fuller

2Q: Chanhassen 14, Chaska 0

The game could not have started any better for Chanhassen or any worse for Chaska. Chanhassen went 68 yards in eight plays on its first possession, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Nathan Ramler to Lucas Gustad for a 7-0 lead.

Following a Chaska punt, Nathan Ramler hit tight end Kade Bush for a 56-yard touchdown. Bush is a Division I recruit at tight end.

At the end of the quarter, Chanhassen is driving again while Chaksa has yet to get a first down.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Stillwater 10, White Bear Lake 7: Stillwater holds the lead as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the school’s Class AA state championship.

Mounds View 7, Woodbury 6: The Mustangs answer with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Beckham Wheeler to Weston Kuchar.

1Q: Kasson-Mantorville 14, Byron 6

Both teams are on the board in the early minutes of tonight’s game in Byron. Kasson-Mantorville found the end zone first following an interception by defensive back Camryn Tottingham that set up a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Grady Babcock. Byron responded quickly, with star rusher Carson Heimer taking it 63 yards on the ground for a score. But the raucous crowd fell quiet soon, after K-M sophomore Keymoni Bent’s kick return put the KoMets on Byron’s 30-yard-line, leading to another rushing touchdown by Babcock. The battle between the Hwy. 14 heavyweights is shaping up as advertised.

— Sean Baker

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 21, Eden Prairie 20: Eden Prairie got a 35-yard TD run from Owen Konrad 36 seconds before halftime. It’s a close one at Eden Prairie.

Rogers 7, Andover 0: Rogers scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Ethan Fortin. The 1-4 Royals are ahead of the No. 9 team in Class 6A. Thing is, Andover also trailed last week, by 21 points at halftime, before rallying past Anoka for a 62-61 win.

Woodbury 6, Mounds View 0: The Royals jump out to an early lead on a 3-yard run by Mark Mathis at 6:13 of the first quarter. The extra point was blocked.

Halftime: St. Thomas Academy 27, Hastings 13

Cadets running back Dominic Baez, a 5-8, 185-pound senior, rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, including a 51-yard scoring run to answer Hastings late in the second quarter. The Raiders got in the red zone with under a minute left after a 38-yard catch by Elliott Hagen, but they weren’t able to score before time ran out.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Elk River 12, Armstrong 0: Carsyn Kleffman scored on a 5-yard run 15 seconds before halftime. The Elks are a bit off their pace. They average 45 points per game.

Pregame: Kasson-Mantorville at Byron

The sun is going down on the southeast Minnesota countryside as we await kickoff between two Class 4A heavyweights. Kasson-Mantorville and Byron, just a short drive down the road on Hwy. 14 from one another, both enter tonight’s matchup 5-0 with their sights on state championship appearances. Tonight, eyes will be on the K-M defense and whether it can shut down Byron star running back Carson Heimer, who comes in averaging nearly 190 yards on the ground per game. It should be a good one for what my colleague Jim Paulsen has dubbed the “Game of the Year in Class 4A.”

— Sean Baker

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 21, Eden Prairie 14: Austin Dryburgh to David Mack again, 22 yards this time, and the Spuds have pulled ahead in the second quarter. Remember, these are two-loss teams, but they are not normal two-loss teams. Each has lost only to Maple Grove and Minnetonka, Nos. 1 and 2 in both the Minnesota Top 25 and Class 6A.

2Q: St. Thomas Academy 20, Hastings 13

The Raiders have relied on Zack Shatek so much in the ground game this season that it worked in their favor. Grant Birken, Elijah Christopher and Carter Hanson helped move the ball down the field, until Hanson’s 1-yard run put Hastings back into the game.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Elk River 6, Armstrong 0: Levi Harris scored on a 1-yard run for the Elks, 4-1 and ranked fifth in Class 5A. Armstrong is 3-2.

Osseo 14, Blaine 7: The Bengals get on the board with a 5-yard touchdown.

Moorhead 14, Eden Prairie 14: Another TD pass by Austin Dryburgh, this one 4 yards to prominent Division I prospect David Mack, ties it up. Dryburgh took over at QB for the Spuds when Jett Feeney, another highly regarded college prospect, was injured. Feeney remains out.

2Q: St. Thomas Academy 20, South 6

St. Thomas Academy senior Dominic Baez scored his second touchdown of the game on a 38-yard run. The Cadets avoided falling behind after throwing an interception.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Osseo 14, Blaine 0: The Orioles extend the lead on a 75-yard touchdown by Mikey Criswell. These Class 6A teams are both 3-2.

Updates from around Minnesota

Osseo 7, Blaine 0: The Orioles strike first on a 3-yard touchdown by Noah Graves.

Eden Prairie 14, Moorhead 6: Bodey Hedlund scores on a 13-yard run for Eden Prairie.

Pregame: Chanhassen at Chaska

This is a must-mention: After a season of pregame hip-hop, rap and teen synth-pop dominating pregame warmup music, Chaska has taken a classic rock route. Highlight so far? An abbreviated version of one of the epics of southern rock, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Count me among the appreciators.

— Jim Paulsen

1Q: St. Thomas Academy 13, Hastings 6

After forcing the first punt of the game, St. Thomas Academy struck quickly to take control of the first quarter. Tristan Karl’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Luke Hudson put the Cadets on top.

— Marcus Fuller

1Q: St. Thomas Academy 6, Hastings 6

The Cadets were surprised defensively on their first drive by Hastings’ passing attack. They returned the favor on their first drive. St. Thomas Academy’s Todd Rogalski’s 54-yard catch gave the homecoming crowd some life. One play later, Dominic Baez scored on a 13-yard run to tie the game.

— Marcus Fuller

Updates from around Minnesota

Eden Prairie 7, Moorhead 7: Justice Bates scored on a 2-yard run for Eden Prairie, No. 8 in Class 6A. Moorhead came back with a 50-yard touchdown pass by Austin Dryburgh to Jaimeson Dunlap. Eden Prairie and Moorhead are both 3-2, and both have lost only to Maple Grove and Minnetonka, Nos. 1 and 2 in both the Minnesota Top 25 and Class 6A.

1Q: Hastings 6, St. Thomas Academy 0

Hastings proved on its first drive that there’s a lot more to the offense than tailback Zack Shatek. On the fourth play, Raiders quarterback Carter Hanson connected with Matt Foss for a 67-yard reception. That set up Shatek’s 2-yard touchdown run for the first score of the game.

— Marcus Fuller

Pregame: Chanhassen at Chaska

Kickoff is barely an hour away for this yearly battle between Eastern Carver County school district rivals separated by less than 3 miles. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in Class 5A, Chanhassen No. 4 and Chaska No. 8. At stake: the Jug, a traveling trophy between the two teams dating back to Chanhassen’s opening in 2009.

With exceptional weather on tap and high expectations for both teams, a packed house is anticipated. Pioneer Trail, the main throughfare leading to Chaska High School, will be lined with cars waiting get into the parking lot. Many will likely have to park along the road and hoof it to the stadium.

On the game, it’s Chaska’s ball-control running game vs. Chanhassen’s big-play passing attack. Chaska can win if it controls the clock, controls the ball and doesn’t turn the ball over or allow big, splash plays. If Chanhassen can move the ball effectively through the air and takes an early lead, I expect the Storm to come out ahead.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Hermantown 14, Esko 0: Hermantown is off to a quick start against Esko in this matchup of 4-1 teams. Hermantown is No. 9 in Class 4A.

Upsala/Swanville 52, Maple Lake 8: Upsala/Swanville runs its record to 5-1 with some afternoon football.

Pregame: Hastings at St. Thomas Academy

St. Thomas Academy’s biggest test so far this season was against Chanhassen and one of the best passers in Minnesota.

The Cadets overcame that challenge and remain undefeated, but tonight they’re facing the state’s leading rusher in Hastings junior Zack Shatek, who entered the game with 1,186 yards and 15 touchdowns. It’s a 6 p.m. kickoff at St. Thomas Academy.

Last season, STA defeated Hastings twice, including in the section semifinals. Now the Cadets are coming in ranked as the No. 1 team in Class 5A. Hastings is 3-2, with losses to Chaska and Apple Valley.

— Marcus Fuller