Strib Varsity’s Jim Paulsen offers another statewide ranking before the section and Class 6A state tournaments begin this week.

The ranked teams lost mostly to each other, but Edina (51-44 loser to Moorhead) and Cretin-Derham Hall (61-27 loser to Elk River) were notable exceptions.

Ahead of the Week 8 games, Centennial and Lakeville South moved into the upper echelon in Class 6A.

Lakeville South, Centennial and Rosemount rose to fill gaps that emerged when Minnetonka and Forest Lake lost for the first time Friday.

Class 6A’s Maple Grove stands alone as a unanimous top pick in the seven football classes.

Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Forest Lake and Lakeville South hold the top four spots. Chaska and Fergus Falls exited after losing last week. And Bemidji’s tough luck continued.

The seven top-10s got shaken up, but there’s nothing shaky about the No. 1 teams.

Andover and Anoka, neighbors and rivals, just kept scoring. Hill-Murray stood strong against South St. Paul, and St. Paul teams Central and Harding/Humboldt went to OT.

The class-by-class state rankings ahead of Week 4’s games otherwise stayed firm at their peak.

Minneapolis North is off to its best start since 2022, when it finished 9-1. The Polars are tied for No. 5 in Class 3A with Holy Family.