Saturday is the final day of football state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium, where five more teams move into next week’s Prep Bowl.

You can also follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. All games are streamed live on NSPN.

You can find Prep Bowl matchups, schedules, streaming and ticket info here.

Saturday’s Schedule

Class 1A: 9 a.m. Mahnomen/Waubun vs. Minneota; 11:30 a.m. Murray County Central vs. Breckenridge

Class 3A: 2 p.m. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton vs. Waseca; 4:30 p.m. Minneapolis North vs. Annandale

Class 5A: 7 p.m. Chanhassen vs. Elk River

End of 3Q: Minneota 28, Mahnomen/Waubun 8

Minneota junior defensive back Ian Myhre broke up a 4th-and-4 slant pass in the end zone to keep Mahnomen/Waubun from finding any momentum here as the third quarter came to an end. Senior receiver Tanner Stech was a bright spot for the Thunderbirds on a drive that ended empty-handed. He’s up to four receptions for 52 yards and has been the target of all of his team’s passes today.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

3Q: Minneota 28, Mahnomen/Waubun 8

Minneota got the ball to open the second half, and they made quick work of an eight-play, 60-yard drive that ended in a second rushing touchdown by quarterback Tristen Sussner.

After a 37-yard rush on this drive, senior Kellen Bradley is now up to 132 yards on the ground for the Vikings.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Halftime: Minnesota 21, Mahnomen/Waubun 8

It felt like the Thunderbirds were capable of keeping the reins on the three-time Class 1A defending champions until a blocked punt late in the first half set up a short drive ending in a rushing touchdown from Minneota quarterback Tristen Sussner. Minneota has outgained Mahnomen/Waubun 147-110 in the first half.

The Thunderbirds most dangerous weapon in the first two quarters might have been their punt return, picking up 99 yards on four returns. We’ll see if Mahnomen/Waubun can set itself up for a few short drives to close the gap in the second half, or if Minneota’s edge in the trenches will widen the lead further.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

2Q: Minneota 21, Mahnomen/Waubun 8

With just over two minutes left in the first half, Minneota senior Kyson Ardnt easily slipped through the Thunderbirds’ special teams unit to swallow up his second blocked punt of the season and set up the Vikings inside the Mahnomen/Waubun 22-yard line.

Minneota capitalized on the short field. From the 15-yard line, quarterback Tristen Sussner faked the handoff on the read option, and as the Thunderbirds defense followed running back Joey Lacek, Sussner took advantage of the diverted attention and picked up his fourth rushing touchdown of the year. Sussner kept it again to convert the two-point conversion.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

2Q: Minneota 13, Mahnomen/Waubun 8

Minneota’s leading rusher Kellen Bradley got his 23rd rushing touchdown of the fall from the 3-yard line after he leapt into the end zone relatively untouched thanks to, as usual, solid Vikings blocking. But Minneota is far from being a one-trick pony on the rush — quarterback Tristen Sussner found receiver Landon Esping for a 27-yard gain to move the chains for Minneota earlier in the drive.

The two-point conversion was no good, as Thunderbirds’ Blake McMullen came up big on the other side of the ball to stop Easton Johnson from springing out left.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

2Q: Mahnomen/Waubun 8, Minneota 7

Set up by an 18-yard run that senior tight end Brody Lhotka muscled through with his size, quarterback Blake McMullen dove in for a 1-yard score. McMullen rushed again for the two-point conversion and gave the Thunderbirds the lead early in the second quarter.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

End 1Q: Minneota 7, Mahnomen/Waubun 0

Based on the success these teams have running the ball, it’s no surprise this game is moving quickly, the first quarter only eating up 18 minutes of real time. Mahnomen/Waubun strung together a nice drive, with 34 yards from the legs of quarterback Blake McMullen, but was stopped on 4th-and-2 at the edge of the red zone, thanks to a tackle by Hunter Carstensen to start the second quarter.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

1Q: Minneota 7, Mahnomen/Waubun 0

The Vikings got on the board first after senior running back Easton Johnson ran into the end zone for a 7-yard score on a reverse action play for his 10th rushing touchdown for the season. Minneota’s offensive line made way for 25 yards from leading rusher senior Kellen Bradley on the 7-play, 42-yard drive that ate up most of the first half of the first quarter.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Pregame: Mahnomen/Waubun vs. Minneota

The last time that Minneota (11-0) lost a football game was Oct. 19, 2022. Since then, the Class 1A program from southwest Minnesota has won 44 straight games and three of its 10 state championships. It’s perhaps fitting that the team mascot is the Vikings, since they’ve found so much success in the home of the NFL team that shares their nickname.

Today, in Saturday morning’s first Class 1A state semifinal, it’s Mahnomen/Waubun’s (11-0) turn to try and snap the longest active win streak in Minnesota football. The Thunderbirds, making the trip to downtown Minneapolis from north of Detroit Lakes, were 2018 champions in the first year of their co-op after winning eight Prep Bowls as just Mahnomen. They have reached the state tournament the past four seasons and lost in the semifinals to Springfield last fall.

Both teams have put up some staggering point totals this season: Minneota averaging over 53 points per game, and Mahnomen/Waubun nearly 39. But the Vikings have been the clear cream of the crop in small class football as of late, so the Thunderbirds have their task cut out for them today.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer