Minneota has the longest active winning streak in Minnesota high school football at 44 games.

The coaches know about it. The players know about it.

They try not to think about it.

Their focus is on winning a fourth straight Class 1A state title, a process that will continue Saturday with a semifinal against Mahnomen/Waubun at U.S. Bank Stadium.

“I’m sure they’re more aware of it than I am. Sometimes people ask me, I forget what number we’re at,” Minneota head coach Chad Johnston said. “I’m sure, with social media and everything out there now, the kids are well aware of it. We don’t really talk about how much. From the beginning of the year, we’ve been more about the possibility of a four-peat and what kind of position they are in to do that. That has been on our mind more than anything else, the ability to do something our school hasn’t done yet.”

The Vikings started their winning streak on Oct. 25, 2022, with a 56-14 win over Yellow Medicine East in the quarterfinal round of the section tournament. No one on the current roster played in that game. The members of this year’s senior class were on the roster as freshmen, but they watched from the sideline.

All they know is winning. Star running back and linebacker Kellen Bradley said after Minneota’s win over Lester Prairie on Friday in Jordan in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament that he and his classmates don’t take it for granted. “We’ve got to play each game,” he said.

“We talked about the potential at the beginning of the year to get back to state and possibly do some good things,” Johnston said. “We also talk about, you have to prove that. We have to prove that we are capable of doing that. We think we have the potential, but week in and week out, you have to focus on the game in front of you. Our kids have been very good about doing that.”

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The Vikings coaches do what they can to keep the players humble by pointing out even small mistakes seen on film.

Bradley sees the areas where work is needed. He noted Friday that the Vikings need to get off to better starts in games.

“We are nitpickers in our program,” Johnston said. “We can find things we are not doing well. We always tell the kids the tape doesn’t lie. We can win a game by 40 points and we are still going to find things we have to clean up.”

According to the Minnesota State High School League, the Vikings are tied with Mahnomen from 1990-93 for the sixth-longest football winning streak in state history. Catching Stephen-Argyle Central for the state’s longest streak, 76 games, is still a few years away, but Minneota’s school record of 48 consecutive wins from 1986-89 stands fourth on the list and could be reached next season. Grand Meadow’s 51 in a row from 2013-16 is also in range next season.

Johnston wasn’t coaching the Vikings when they reached the school record, but he is no stranger to a lengthy winning streak. The Vikings won 36 in a row from 2014-16.

“Win streaks are cool,” Johnston said. “It’s focusing on the little things that get you to win the game. Try to get one point after another. That’s really our focus.”

Johnston said his program’s success builds on the support and dedication of the Minneota community.

“I always tell people: To have success, it takes a commitment by a lot of people. I’m fortunate to have a very committed staff. We’ve been together for 20-plus years,” Johnston said. “You have to have kids that are committed. Because of our success, we get a pretty good buy-in. Our parents have to buy in because they have to get their kid to weightlifting and everything else. It takes a buy-in by everybody. We’re very fortunate that the Minneota tradition has been here for a long time.”