St. Thomas Academy, Mahtomedi, Hill-Murray, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Minneapolis North and Elk River are among teams that advanced to section championships.

Strib Varsity writers Marcus Fuller and Jim Paulsen predict outcomes for Class 6A first-round tournament games on Friday and section semifinal games on Saturday.

Moorhead and Woodbury entered the rankings, and Rosemount kept rising in the top five.

Ahead of the final games of the regular season, Centennial and Lakeville South moved into the upper echelon in Class 6A.

As the regular season nears its Wednesday end, a few unforeseen upsets and close games Friday jumbled Jim Paulsen’s list.

The Polars are undefeated and averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game thanks to quarterback Logan Lachermeier and a “brotherhood” of talented receivers.

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 remain in, holding the top four spots. Also important is who’s out: Chaska and Fergus Falls exited after losing last week.