For the past three seasons, Springfield has won the Class 1A, Section 3 championship. And for the past three seasons, the Tigers have reached the Prep Bowl, finishing as runners-up in Class 1A behind Minneota.

As the Tigers look toward a fourth consecutive appearance in the state tournament, standing in their way may be Russell-Tyler-Ruthton. With section seeding implications, Springfield (6-0) will host the Knights (5-1) on Thursday in a game streaming live on Strib Varsity. Watch it at 7 p.m. here.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton has already surpassed its total wins over the past two seasons and is guaranteed its first winning season since 2021. The Knights are in their first year under Ted Kern, who was promoted after 31 years as an assistant.

Senior Colten Thomsen leads Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in rushing yards (598), rushing touchdowns (seven) and sacks (five). Junior Brayden Chandler has caught passes for a team-high 330 yards and three TDs, and he’s made 39 tackles this season.

Springfield junior quarterback Parker Kuehn has passed for 1,536 yards and 22 touchdowns, second in the state behind Minneapolis North’s Logan Lachermeier, who has 23. Senior wide receiver Isaac Fredin has 496 reception yards and 12 of those TD passes.

Kuehn is expected to appear on “Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver” on Friday. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.

The Tigers also have the state’s top-rated athlete in two graduating classes. Aiden Moriarty, No. 7 overall in Minnesota’s 2027 class per Prep Redzone, and Madden Lendt, No. 10 overall in the 2028 class, are contributing on offense, defense and special teams.