Football section championship matchups were finalized Saturday, from Nine-Player to Class 5A.

Here’s a recap of some of Saturday’s biggest games:

• Video: Benilde-St. Margaret’s averts SMB comeback to reach Class 4A, Section 5 final
• Minneapolis North routs Breck, rolls into football section final
• Chanhassen rolls into section football championship
• How the Minnesota Top 25 fared in playoff games

Scroll through the Strib Varsity scoreboard to find more results. Four section semifinals from Saturday are available on demand:

• Minneapolis Southwest vs. St. Louis Park
• Minneapolis Washburn vs. Bloomington Jefferson 
• Minneapolis Roosevelt vs. Holy Angels 
• SMB vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

At 9:30 p.m., tune in for Episode 11 of ‘Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver’. Triton’s Pierce Petersohn and St. Thomas Academy’s Dominic Baez are among those expected to join Randy Shaver on “Strib Varsity Live” after their section semifinal games Saturday.

Here’s what happened on Friday in Class 6A opening round football action.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Rocori 17, Willmar 15: A late field goal makes Rocori a winner in Class 4A, Section 2. All this for the chance to play top seed Marshall (8-0) or back-in-the-saddle Hutchinson (5-4). Those teams play tonight.

Chaska 36, Mankato East 22: It’s a final. Chanhassen will play Chaska in the Class 5A, Section 2 final

Final: Chanhassen 46, Mankato West 22

Chanhassen is headling back to the Class 5A section finals, riding the hot hand of senior quarterback Nathan Ramler. The host Storm got three touchdown passes from Ramler and three total touchdowns from James Kopfmann on Saturday in a 46-22 victory over Mankato West in the Section 2 semifinals.Ramler entered the game with 21 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He tossed two more TD passes before throwing his first interception.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Chaska 36, Mankato East 22: Seems pretty clear it’s going to be Chaska vs. Chanhassen, school district rivals, for the Class 5A, Section 2 championship.

4Q: Chanhassen 46, Mankato West 14

Nathan Ramler and James Kopfmann connected for another touchdown, this one a 34-yard strike. That’s three TD passes on the day for Ramler

— Joe Christensen

3Q: Chanhassen 39, Mankato West 14

And just like that, another 80-yard touchdown. This time, Chanhassen’s Peyton Ramsay made a cut, running up the middle, and then sprinted into the end zone. The fifth score of the third quarter, third for Chanhassen.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Thief River Falls 28, Minnewaska 21: Sound the upset alert again. That’s the sixth seed knocking off the second in Class 3A, Section 8. Thief Rivers Falls is 5-5 and headed to the section final to take on Dilworth-Gyndon-Felton, the top seed and a 35-0 winner over Perham.

3Q: Chanhassen 32, Mankato West 14

The run of explosive plays continues. This time, Mankato West’s Osborne Lorenz hit Benjamin O’Neil with a 41-yard touchdown pass. The sun is out and all of a sudden these defenses can’t stop anybody.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Hawley 24, Frazee 14: Hawley, the fifth seed, drops the No. 1 and advances to the Class 2A, Section 8 final with a 3-7 record. The next item can’t be good news for Hawley.

Barnesville 66, Pelican Rapids 36: Barnesville, the second seed, will be Hawley’s opponent in the final.

3Q: Chanhassen 25, Mankato West 7

Trevor Sheldrup broke free on a 65-yard touchdown run, putting the Scarlets on the scoreboard. That’s the kind of quick strike Mankato West will need to get back into this game.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Chaska 16, Mankato East 14: Chaska is seeded second and Mankato East third in Class 5A, Section 2. It seems apparent the winner will play Chanhassen, which is well ahead of Mankato West, in the section final.

Zimmerman 28, Delano 0: Mason Spence scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:42 left to extend the Thunder lead in a Class 4A, Section 6 game.

Rocori 14, Willmar 7: Rocori, the second seed, sneak ahead in Class 4A, Section 2. The winner plays top seed Marshall (8-0) or Hutchinson (5-4).

3Q: Chanhassen 25, Mankato West 0

Michael McDowell’s 19-yard field goal, capping a seven-minute drive, made this a four-score game.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Osakis 30, Pillager 22: Pillager loses its undefeated status, and Osakis reaches the Class 2A, Section 6 final. Osakis is 9-1, and you have to wonder about that No. 4 seed.

Holdingford 41, Staples-Motley 0: Holdingford’s 10-0 record as a second seed helps explain Osakis’ low seed. Holdingford will be Osakis’ opponent in the section final.

Two Rivers 15, Hastings 14: Here’s a fabulous finish, Two Rivers winning on a 34-yard pass and a two-point conversion with 1:57 left. Drew Altavilla passed to Cole Altavilla for the TD, and then Drew Altavilla hit Johnny Laugerman for the winning points-after. Two Rivers (5-4) is seeded third. Up next is top seed and undefeated St. Thomas Academy.

Pierz 42, Esko 6: Pierz will take a perfect record, 9-0, into the Class 3A, Section 7 final. Pierz isn’t even the top seed. That’s Pequot Lakes, also undefeated and up against fifth seed Hibbing this afternoon.

Albany 28, New London-Spicer 0: Albany (7-1), the top seed, is moving quickly toward the section final, where it will face the winner of this afternoon’s game between third seed Melrose and second seed Litchfield.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Rocori 7, Willmar 7: Rocori is the second seed, Willmar No. 3. The winner plays either top seed Marshall (8-0) or revived Hutchinson (5-4), who will work that out tonight. Hutch has won four in a row after losing four in a row.

Luverne 13, Albert Lea 0: The score goes final, as does a remarkable season for second-seeded Albert Lea. Luverne (8-2) is seeded third.

Jordan 33, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 22: Graham Helgerson scored on a 3-yard run with 2:22 left to extend the Rangers’ lead.

Halftime: Chanhassen 22, Mankato West 0

Chanhassen scored touchdowns on its first three possessions. Mankato West looked demoralized but got some momentum going. It has to be frustrating to not score, especially when you’ve twice driven inside the opponent’s 5-yard line.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Hastings 14, Two Rivers 7: Zac Shatek scored on a fourth-quarter run, giving Hastings a lead. This is Class 5A, Section 3, where the winner takes on top seed St. Thomas Academy.

Cretin-Derham Hall 46, Tartan 6: CDH is the second seed in Class 5A, Section 4, where Mahtomedi, fresh off a 49-point victory, is waiting for a championship game opponent. Let’s guess it will be CDH.

2Q: Chanhassen 22, Mankato East 0

Mankato West remains scoreless despite driving to Chanhassen’s 4-yard line on one drive and 2-yard line on the last drive. Chanhassen QB Nathan Ramler finally showed he’s human, throwing his first interception of the season. But the Scarlets could not turn it into points.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Orono 30, Westonka 0: Lincoln Stinar returned a punt 68 yards to extend the Spartans’ lead. Orono is the top seed in Class 4A, Section 6.

Zimmerman 14, Delano 0: Assuming Orono keeps going, the winner here will be its next opponent. Zimmerman is seeded second.

Fergus Falls 42, Detroit Lakes 21: The top seed in Class 4A, Section 8 advances and will play Becker for the championship. Becker knocked off Princeton 14-7.

Byron 40, Winona 0: Nobody really wants to play undefeated Byron in the Class 4A, Section 1 final, but somebody must. And that somebody is …

Kasson-Mantorville 10, Stewartville 7: K-M (8-1) will make a run at Byron (9-0) for the section championship.

Final: Minneapolis North 58, Breck 7

North leaned heavily into its advantage — team speed — to wallop Breck in the Section 4, Class 3A semifinals at North’s Hobbs Field. North sputtered out of the gate, fumbling the ball away at the Breck 2, but that was just a temporary diversion.

After a safety thanks to a bad snap by the Breck long-snapper, North got on track when it got the ball back. Receiver Anthony Deline took a quick hitch pass from quarterback Logan Lachermeier and went 90 yards for a touchdown. Another bad snap by Breck set up North’s next score, a 5-yard touchdown reception by Jeremiah Jackson. Still in the first quarter, the first of North’s four first-half interceptions contributed to a 15-yard touchdown run by Tyshone Jenkins and a 23-0 lead.

North built the lead to 37-0 at halftime and added three more scores in the second half for the final margin of victory. Six different players scored touchdowns for the Polars, who advance to the Section 4, 3A championship game Friday.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Fillmore Central 34, United South Central 6: Fillmore Central runs its record to 9-0 and will face second seed Lewiston-Altura for the Class 1A, Section 1 title. Lewiston-Altura defeated Southland 41-14.

Totino-Grace 59, St. Paul Como Park 6: The top seed wins in Class 4A, Section 4 and awaits an opponent: the winner of St. Anthony-Fridley.

1Q: Chanhassen 22, Mankato West 0

The Storm are breaking things wide open. An interception gave Chanhassen good field position, and Nathan Ramler threw a perfectly placed 32-yard touchdown pass to James Kopfmann.

— Joe Christensen

1Q: Chanhassen 14, Mankato West 0

The Storm have scored on both of their drives, and both were keyed by a long pass (more of a short pitch from QB Nathan Ramler). Bear Nelson had a 51-yard reception on the first drive, and Peyton Ramsey had a 38-yard reception on the second drive. Same play. Ramsey finished the second drive with a 5-yard TD run.

— Joe Christensen

3Q: North 50, Breck 7

Finally, a highlight for Breck. Tight end Oliver Kuehn, running a wheel route, outjumped a North defender in the end zone and came down with it, despite obvious pass interference. Breck may have been outgunned, but the Mustangs certainly haven’t given in.

— Jim Paulsen

1Q: Chanhassen 7, Mankato West 0

Nathan Ramler threw his 22nd touchdown pass of the season, a 14-yarder to Kade Bush, on Chanhassen’s first drive.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

We’re seeing the 3 p.m. games fire up, and we’ll get to some of those scores. Meanwhile …

Chatfield 21, Rochester Lourdes 7: Matters are pretty much settled in Class 2A, Section 1, where top seed Chatfield has advanced and Caledonia leads Triton 33-7. The final, barring remarkable stuff by Triton, will pit seeds No. 1 and No. 3.

Buffalo 22, Armstrong 7: Buffalo finished off Armstrong and waits to see if the section final opponent will be top seed Spring Lake Park or fourth seed Cooper.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Buffalo 22, Armstrong 7: Jacob Hahessy made a 25-yard field goal with 2:36 left to extend the Bison lead. The Bison stopped the Falcons on fourth-and-26 to set up the scoring drive.

Pillager 14, Osakis 8: Undefeated Pillager leads in this Class 2A, Section 6 game. Osakis, with its 8-1 record, appears to be a salty No. 4 seed.

Updates from around Minnesota:

South St. Paul 30, Chisago Lakes 3: Sincere Casarez-McCampbell threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Keishion Jarman to extend the Packers’ lead with 53 seconds left in the first half.

Stewartville 7, Kasson-Mantorville 7: Grady Babcock threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Camryn Tottingham with 10:48 left to tie the score for the Komets.

Chatfield 21, Rochester Lourdes 0: This one comes from Section 1 in Class 2A, where Chatfield (6-2) is the top seed.

Caledonia 20, Triton 7: Also Class 2A, Section 1. Caledonia holds the No. 3 seed; Triton is No. 2. Lots of teams with great history and good records play in this section. Caledonia and Triton both have seven wins.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Benilde-St. Margaret’s 22, SMB 20: The Red Knights held on in Class 4A, Section 5, setting up a championship game against Holy Angels. Benilde-St. Margaret’s is 7-3, Holy Angels 8-1.

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 13, Jordan 6: Raydon Graham ran untouched for a 70-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left in the first quarter for the Lakers. A game against Holy Family is the destination for the winner.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Buffalo 12, Armstrong 7: Grant Benson ran for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Bison back in front with 7:16 left in the third quarter.

Holy Family 35, Dassel-Cokato 32: It’s a final, the Fire advancing to the Class 3A, Section 2 championship. They await to learn whether Howard Lake-Waverly-Winstead or Jordan is the opponent. That one will be settled later this afternoon.

Stewartville 7, Kasson-Mantorville 0: The Tigers strike first on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Vince Wellik to Mikky Heydt with 3:06 left in the third quarter.

Halftime: Minneapolis North 37, Breck 0

This is an obvious mismatch. North’s collection of athletes is so much better than that of Breck. Every time the Polars get the ball in space, you get the feeling they are going the distance. And often they do, running right past the Breck players. North had two TDs called back because of penalties in the first half and still leads by 37. Making four interceptions helps, of course.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Time for a final check on some blowouts.

Mahtomedi 61, St. Paul Highland Park 13: That’s a final.

Holy Angels 35, Minneapolis Roosevelt 0: That’s a final.

St. Thomas Academy 39, Apple Valley 7: Not final. Might as well be.

Pine Island 42, Lake City 6: Ongoing and looking settled.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Luverne 13, Albert Lea 0: Jaydon Johnson returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown to give the Cardinals a two-score lead with 4:03 left in the first quarter. We’ve told the Albert Lea story: Five wins in a row to begin the season and a 7-2 record now at a school where such success has been long awaited.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s 22, SMB 20: Two fourth-quarter TDs for SMB, one of them the second scoring pass of the game by eighth-grader Carter Cupito, have made this a game.

Dassel-Cokato 32, Holy Family 28: The top-seeded Fire slips behind the No. 4 seed in Class 3A, Section 2.

Minneapolis Southwest 21, St. Louis Park 14: We have a final score here in Class 5A, Section 5. The winner gets the winner of Washburn-Jefferson.

2Q: Minneapolis North 30, Breck 0

North has so many playmakers, it’s almost unfair. Just a couple of minutes after Quantavious Roberts’ 65-yard interception return for a touchdown was called back for a defensive holding call, North linebacker Ahmod Powell stepped in front of a Breck pass and took it back 70 yards for a score. Lose a touchdown to an official’s call, no problem. Just do it again.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Elk River 38, Cambridge-Isanti 22: Jackson Freeman returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown with 1:15 left in the first half to extend the Elks lead.

Minneapolis Washburn 27, Bloomington Jefferson 18: Bloomington Jefferson received the top seed in the section despite a 3-5 record.

Pregame: Chanhassen vs. Mankato West, 3 p.m.

This promises to be another hotly contested section playoff showdown between these two teams.Chanhassen, the No. 1 seed in Class 5A, Section 2, is 7-1. Quarterback Nathan Ramler has thrown 21 touchdown passes this season without an interception.Mankato West, the section’s No. 5 seed, is 4-5. Chanhassen defeated West 35-21 on Oct. 10, but the Scarlets have found new life with Osborne Lorenz back at quarterback.

— Joe Christensen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Minneapolis Southwest 21, St. Louis Park 14: Kyler Thom threw his third TD pass of the game.

Holy Family 28, Dassel-Cokato 26: Holy Family, the top seed in Class 3A, Section 2, is being challenged by No. 4.Updates from around Minnesota:

Monticello 20, St. Francis 3: Carson Deibele lobbed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Cole Mueller on a play-action pass to extend the Magic lead.

Elk River 30, Cambridge-Isanti 22: The Elks reclaim the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jackson Freeman with just under three minutes left in the first half.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Cambridge-Isanti 22, Elk River 22: Peyton Coplan scored on a 1-yard run. Coplan converted the two-point conversion to tie the score.

Armstrong 7, Buffalo 6: Ben Francis ran for a 5-yard touchdown. Noah Miller’s extra point gives the Falcons the lead with 9:11 left in the first half.

2Q: North 16, Breck 0

Breck’s special teams, most specifically the long snapper, is having problems. Another punt snap over the punter’s head leads to a North touchdown and a 16-0 lead. On Breck’s following drive, the Mustangs got to the North 31, but Cordae Williams’ second pick of the day stopped the drive. Willams is showing exceptional ball skills.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Elk River 22, Cambridge-Isanti 14: Peyton Coplan ran 44 yards for a touchdown to get the Bluejackets within a score with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half.

Monticello 14, St. Francis 3: Carson Deibele threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Carter Anderson to give the Magic a two-score lead. Monticello is the top seed and Elk River No. 2 in this Class 5A, Section 7 bracket.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Benilde-St. Margaret’s 22, SMB 6: Eighth-grade quarterback Carter Cupito, son of former Gophers QB Bryan Cupito, had SMB on its way back with a touchdown pass to Ayden Green, but the Red Knights scored quickly thereafter.

Pine Island 21, Lake City 6: Undefeated (some say underrated) Pine Island is on the way. The winner here plays Zumbrota-Mazeppa or Winona Cotter in the Class 2A, Section 1 final.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Caledonia 7, Triton 0: Caledonia, the No. 3 seed in Class 2A, Section 1, has an early lead. The winner here catches the winner of …

Chatfield 7, Rochester Lourdes 0: Chatfield is the top seed in the section.

1Q: North 2, Breck 0

It’s been a slow starting game. North took a 2-0 lead when the long-snapper sent the ball sailing over the punter’s head and out of the back of the end zone. North took the ensuing free kick and drove to the Breck 2 but fumbled the ball away. The Polars forced another Breck punt, but on their first play on their second drive, running back Tyshone Jenkins fumbled again.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota:

Minneapolis Washburn 27, Bloomington Jefferson 12: Jefferson, the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A, Section 5 bracket, has some ground to make up.

Holy Family 21, Dassel-Cokato 13: Holy Family, the top seed in Class 3A, Section 2, is a touchdown-plus ahead, but Dassel-Cokato can put up points, as shown in the first round, a 35-0 victory over Glencoe-Silver Lake.

Updates from around Minnesota:

Here’s a look around at some early starts of this playoff day.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s 14, SMB 0: The Red Knights, seeded second, have two first-half touchdown runs.

Holy Angels 14, Minneapolis Roosevelt 0: The Stars have two TD runs, too. If these scores hold, it’ll be Benilde-St. Margaret’s vs. Holy Angels for the Class 4A, Section 5 championship.

Hill-Murray 52, St. Paul Johnson 18: Top seed Hill-Murray is well on its way to the section final, facing either South St. Paul or Chisago Lakes.

Minneapolis Southwest 14, St, Louis Park 7: Kyler Thom has two TD passes for Southwest.

St. Thomas Academy 17, Apple Valley 7: Top section seed STA and fourth seed Apple Valley are playing for a shot at the winner of Two Rivers-Hastings.

Mahtomedi 27, St. Paul Highland Park 0: The Zephyrs, seeded first, endured their only loss of the season 10 days ago, to St. Thomas Academy.

Pregame: Class 3A, Section 4 semifinal: Breck at Minneapolis North

North assistant coach Tom Lachermeier said he’s not worried about the cold, damp conditions. “I think we should be able to move the ball in the air and on the ground,” he said.

No. 1-seeded North (8-0) has been able to move the ball on everyone it has played. The Polars have scored more than 40 points six times and never fewer than 34.

Breck, the No. 4 seed in Section 4, is fresh off a comeback victory over Brooklyn Center. Stopping this North offense will be a chore for the Mustangs (6-3)

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Benilde St. Margaret’s 6, SMB (St. Paul Academy/​Minnehaha Academy/Blake) 0.

Hill Murray 38, St. Paul Johnson 12

Mahtomedi 21, St. Paul Highland park 0

St. Thomas Academy 14, Appley Valley 7

Minneapolis Washburn 14, Bloomington Jefferson 6