Big plays propelled several teams into the state semifinals on Thursday, as the first group of quarterfinal winners advanced to the next round at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Strib Varsity writers provided updates from the following games:

• Moorhead vs. Centennial (at Spring Lake Park)
• Hill-Murray vs. Kasson-Mantorville (at Stillwater)
• Totino-Grace vs Marshall (at Blaine)

Scroll through the blog for recaps from other games, as well as results on Strib Varsity’s scoreboard. See how the Minnesota Top 25 teams did.

Study the updated state tournament brackets here:

• Class 6A
• Class 5A
• Class 4A
• Class 3A
• Class 2A
• Class 1A
• Nine-Player

Watch the replay of Episode 13 of “Strib Varsity Live With Randy Shaver” for highlights and exclusive interviews. Shaver was expecting to hear from Edina quarterback Mason West, Kasson-Mantorville running back/defensive back Jeremiah Peterson-Gordon, Orono defensive lineman Simon Vinton, Marshall lineman JR Vierstraete, Hills-Beaver Creek wide receiver/defensive back Micah Bush, Centennial defensive lineman Josh O’Shea, Upsala/Swanville coach Jay Loven and Kittson County Central coach Cory Waling.

(Sign up for The Quiz, Strib Varsity’s weekly email newsletter for subscribers.)

Final: Kasson-Mantorville 35, Hill-Murray 21

Kasson-Mantorville’s big plays and Hill-Murray’s mistakes proved too much for the Pioneers to overcome. Kasson-Mantorville running back/safety Jeremiah Peterson ran for more than 130 yards and two touchdowns, including a game-clinching 65-yard run in the third quarter. The KoMets had four touchdowns of 35 yards or longer. Hill-Murray suffered two turnovers, including giving up a pick-six just before halftime, and had a field goal blocked. Pioneers running back Grady Buettner had a yeoman’s effort in the loss, rushing for 204 yards.

Kasson-Mantorville will play Grand Rapids in the Class 4A semifinals on Friday, Nov. 14. The other Class 4A semifinal will pit Orono against Marshall on Thursday, Nov. 13.

That game is a rematch of 13-12 Marshall victory on Oct. 3.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 35, Centennial 21: The Spuds’ peculiar season continues. They knocked off Centennial, the fourth overall seed in Class 6A’s 32-team bracket, and advanced to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of Friday night’s game between overall top seed Maple Grove and Lakeville South, the overall eighth seed. It’s Moorhead’s fourth win in a row since quarterback Jett Feeney returned after a shoulder injury and improves its record to 7-4. Feeney ran for two touchdowns and passed for two Thursday. The Spuds lost three in a row while he was out and have averaged 47 points a game since he returned.

4Q: Kasson-Mantorville 35, Hill-Murray 21

Hill-Murray isn’t dead yet, but it’s gasping a bit. The Pioneers cut the lead to 14 on their biggest play of the night, a 55-yard scoring pass from Brayden Hartmann to Caden Harrington. They stopped Kasson-Mantorville on the ensuing possession and picked up a first down on fourth-and-4 from their own 29.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 35, Centennial 21: Jett Feeney again accounts for a Spuds touchdown, a pass to Jamieson Dunlap. There’s still time, so we won’t assume anything. Fact is, it’s closer than all but one of the ongoing games. Kasson-Mantorville vs. Hill-Murray is still in doubt (though KM leads 35-21).

The other four scores: Hills Beaver Creek 44, Red Rock Central 0; Fertile-Beltrami 40, Cromwell-Wright 8; Eden Valley-Watkins 30, Moose Lake/Willow River 7; Grand Rapids 54, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 7.

3Q: Kasson-Mantorville 35, Hill-Murray 14

Kasson-Mantorville bumped its lead to 28-6 when Logan Louks took a counter 41 yards for a score. Hill-Murray answered with a long drive thanks to the legs of Grady Buettner, who scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal. The two-point conversion made the score 28-14, and it looked like Hill-Murray still had life. But Kasson daggered that hope quickly when Jeremiah Peterson took a handoff and raced 65 yards around right end for a score.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Moorhead 28, Centennial 21: The Spuds’ Taye Reich returned a kick 82 yards for a touchdown. This Class 6A game is tight heading to the fourth quarter.

Grand Rapids 48, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0: And it’s still the third quarter. It appears Grand Rapids, the top seed in the Class 4A North bracket, will make the semifinals. Will it play Kasson-Mantorville or Hill-Murray?

Updates from around Minnesota

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 40, Mabel-Canton 38: Ouch. Mabel-Canton’s first loss of the season is a heartbreaker. These are the second and third seeds in the Nine-Player South bracket, and they were both undefeated. Now Mabel-Canton is 11-1, Hillcrest Lutheran 11-0 and headed to U.S. Bank Stadium for the semifinals.

Updates from around Minnesota

Orono 36, Fergus Falls 14: It’s a final score in Class 4A, Owen Paulsen’s 50-yard run with 4:18 left finishing off Orono’s scoring.

Goodhue 29, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 28: It’s over in overtime. Each team scored on its first OT possession, but Goodhue stopped a two-point try and then Cristian Monjaraz-Mendez kicked the winning point after Goodhue’s score.

Halftime: Kasson-Mantorville 21, Hill-Murray 6

Running back Grady Buettner has been Hill-Murray’s best player. He had 135 yards rushing in the first half but didn’t score.

— Jim Paulsen

Final: Marshall 21, Totino-Grace 9

Marshall, looking for its first state title, books its ticket to the Class 4A state semifinals for the second year in a row. There, at U.S. Bank Stadium next week, the Tigers will face Orono.

Senior running back Andrew Stelter got it done on the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers, rushing for two touchdowns and catching another from senior quarterback Levi Maeyaert, much to the delight of the packed stands at Blaine, full of Marshall fans who made the three-hour drive from southwest Minnesota.

Those fans included what appeared to be the Marshall volleyball team, working on trying to win its 11th state title down in St. Paul this week but taking a break to cheer on their classmates.

But really, it was the suffocating Tigers defense that was the difference-maker in this one, now up to 28 turnovers on the year while keeping a young Totino-Grace team from finding much offensive rhythm. Marshall now has conceded a total of just 17 points across three postseason games.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Goodhue 22, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 22: Luke Roschen passed to Owen Roschen for 42 yards and a Goodhue touchdown, and this one, in Class 2A, is tied late in the fourth quarter.

Orono 28, Fergus Falls 13: Dane Kanwischer scored his second touchdown of the game for Orono early in the fourth quarter.

Updates from around Minnesota

Eden Valley-Watkins 22, Moose Lake/Willow River 0: These are the second and third seeds in the North bracket of Class 2A.

Moorhead 20, Centennial 14: Jett Feeney is doing all right. He passed to David Mack for a 4-yard TD, giving the Spuds a lead. Feeney also has two TD runs.

Halftime: Kasson-Mantorville 21, Hill-Murray 6

With less than 30 seconds left in the first half, Hill-Murray’s attempt to score backfired when KM’s Keymoni Bent intercepted Brayden Hartmann’s pass at the goal line and returned it 100 yards for a score. Mistakes killed Hill-Murray in the second quarter. The Pioneers turned the ball over twice, once on a pick-six, and had a field goal blocked in that quarter.

— Jim Paulsen

Q4: Marshall 21, Totino-Grace 3

Just when it seemed like the Eagles might have a promising drive cooking, with a 21-yard connection up the middle from quarterback Matthew Quinn to senior receiver Michael Sarych, Tigers senior defensive end JR Vierstraete strips the ball from an Eagles player and returns the ball to the threshold of Eagles territory. That’s a trio of turnovers for this suffocating Marshall defense with now under seven minutes to play.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Centennial 14, Moorhead 14: Caleb Melser scored on a run for Centennial.

Grand Rapids 41, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0: Mason Johnson is up to four touchdown runs, and Logan McNear has two.

Updates from around Minnesota

Let’s catch up on Nine-Player, where Kittson County Central has completed a 49-0 win over Cook County 0.

The other games, all ongoing: Hillcrest Lutheran 32, Mabel-Canton 16; Hills-Beaver Creek 24, Red Rock Central 0; Fertile-Beltrami 24, Cromwell-Wright 8.

2Q: Kasson-Mantorville 14, Hill-Murray 6

After Hill-Murray’s Evan Curtis had a field goal attempt blocked, Kasson-Mantorville went 69 yards on four plays, getting a 35-yard touchdown pass from Grady Babcock to Jeremiah Peterson.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Orono 20, Fergus Falls 7: Hudson Hirt scores for Orono in the third quarter of this clash of second and third seeds in the Class 4A North bracket.

Grand Rapids 28, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0: Mason Johnson scores his third touchdown of the game, moving Grand Rapids four scores ahead in the first half.

2Q: Kasson-Mantorville 7, Hill-Murray 6

Hill-Murray kicker Evan Curtis has been a terrific weapon for the Pioneers, He’s hit a pair of field goals, one of 40 yards, another from 30 yards. Kasson-Mantorville fumbled when it got the ball back, allowing Hill-Murray to drive to the 2-yard-line, but Grady Buettner fumbled the ball back to the KoMets.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Goodhue 15, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 14: Brady Murphy scored his second touchdown of the game, and WEM is just a point behind in this Class 2A game.

Moorhead 14, Centennial 7: Jett Feeney scores on another short run, and the Spuds snag a lead.

3Q: Marshall 21, Totino-Grace 3

Turnovers keep turning the tide in this one. Just over a minute into the third quarter, the Tigers defense forces a fumble by Eagles quarterback Matthew Quinn, recovered by Marshall senior Aiden Bly deep in Totino-Grace territory.

Tigers senior running back Andrew Stelter finds the end zone for the third time tonight, this time dashing up the left sideline after a short pass from quarterback Levi Maeyaert. The receiving touchdown, a 16-yarder, is Stelter’s fourth of the season. He’s also the Tigers leading receiver, in addition to putting up their most yards on the ground.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Mabel-Canton 16, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 16: These are the second and third seeds in the Nine-Player South bracket, and they are both undefeated. Mabel-Canton is 11-0, Hillcrest Lutheran 10-0.

Centennial 7, Moorhead 7: Calvin Coppersmith made a 50-yard run for Centennial and tied it up. Centennial is one of the No. 1 seeds in Class 6A’s 32-team bracket.

End 1Q: Kasson-Mantorville 7, Hill-Murray 3

The KoMets went 76 yards in four plays, taking a lead when Jeremiah Peterson slammed over from a yard out. Hill-Murray is mounting a drive as the quarter ends.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Fertile-Beltrami 8, Cromwell-Wright 0: The second seed in the Nine-Player North bracket pulls ahead.

Grand Rapids 21, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0: Mason Johnson scored his second TD of the game, and Logan McNear ran one 51 yards for a touchdown.

Updates from around Minnesota

Hills-Beaver Creek 8, Red Rock Central 0: The top seed in Nine-Player’s South bracket scores first.

Moorhead 7, Centennial 0: Quarterback Jett Feeney runs it in from the 7, and the Spuds take a lead in a Class 6A quarterfinal. The Spuds (6-4) have won three in a row since Feeney recovered from a shoulder injury.

1Q: Hill-Murray 3, Kasson-Mantorville 0

Hill-Murray drives to the Kasson-Mantorville 23 on the legs of sophomore Grady Buettner. The drive stalled and Evan Curtis nailed a 40-yard field goal to give the Pioneers an early lead.

— Jim Paulsen

Updates from around Minnesota

Grand Rapids 7, Benilde-St. Margaret’s 0: Mason Johnson scored the first touchdown from the 7 p.m. starts, running it in from the 25. Grand Rapids (9-1) is the top seed in the North bracket.

Pregame: Moorhead vs. Centennial

Nice night in Spring Lake Park for this Class 6A state quarterfinal between Moorhead and Centennial.

2Q: Marshall 14, Totino-Grace 0

Totino-Grace’s defense has been battle-tested against tough teams like Byron and Stewartville and showed its ability to bend but not break early, but Marshall senior running back Andrew Stelter has started taking over this one. In one drive, he put up a pair of 13-yard rushes for first downs, then a 35-yard rushing touchdown, to put Marshall up two scores with 1:48 left in the first half.

The Tigers have riches in the backfield, with Stelter, sophomore Sam Meier, senior Milo Swenson, junior Tyler Kraft and senior quarterback Levi Maeyaert entering tonight’s game with more than 200 yards on the ground this season. But Stelter’s 714 were by far the most on this Tigers team, and he’s only adding to that count tonight.

Eighth-grade kicker Clay Clay is good for both extra points.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Pregame: Kasson-Mantorville vs. Hill-Murray

There’s pressure on Kasson-Mantorville to live up to expectations after beating No. 1, Class 4A Byron 31-28 last week. The KoMets played good, old-fashioned “late fall in Minnesota” football, rushing for 318 yards. Parker Richards ran for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Jeremiah Peterson added 92 yards and pair of TDs.

Hill-Murray has been consistently good all year. That’s saying a lot considering the Pioneers start a freshman QB in Brayden Hartmann and a sophomore as their leading rushing in Grady Buettner. Getting consistent play out of underclassmen is a big deal for a coach.

I like Kasson-Mantorville in this one. The KoMets are battle-tested, playing a tough Section 1 schedule. And the crossover with wrestling at Kasson-Mantorville is significant, and wrestlers make good football players.

— Jim Paulsen

2Q: Marshall 7, Eagles 0

Freshman quarterback Henry Cone has been taking the majority of the snaps under center for Totino-Grace this season and started the Eagles’ 35-7 section title win over Fridley, throwing one touchdown pass as junior Benjamin Bergan rushed for four TDs. But tonight it’s sophomore Matthew Quinn playing quarterback for the Eagles. Neither quarterback has found much success through the air tonight, both defenses keeping things quiet since the Tigers’ opening drive.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Kittson County Central 35, Cook County 0: Hate to call the result too early, so we’ll say this would have to be a great comeback. In Nine-Player, where scoring is high, maybe it’s possible.

Orono 14, Fergus Falls 7: Dane Kanwischer scored for Orono, and Fergus Falls got a TD of its own from Caleb Fronning

Updates from around Minnesota

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 8, Goodhue 7: Jack Carlson scored on a run for Goodhue, seeded second in Class 2A’s South bracket, but WEM got a TD from Brady Murphy. These teams are both 10-0.

End 1Q: Marshall 7, Totino-Grace 0

Marshall senior quarterback Levi Maeyaert might have thrown an interception for the Tigers’ offense, but he made amends quickly, answering minutes later with an interception of his own, this time playing defensive back. Maeyaert returned an Eagles pass 40 yards from the red zone to set Marshall up near midfield at the end of the first quarter. That’s the Tigers’ 26th takeaway of the season.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

1Q: Marshall 7, Totino-Grace 0

It looked like the Eagles might have gotten a lucky break four minutes in, recovering a fumble on the punt return after Marshall forced the Totino-Grace offense, helmed by sophomore quarterback Matthew Quinn, into a three-and-out.But Marshall held the Eagles to 7 yards from where they started on the Tigers 32-yard line, forced to toss an incomplete fourth-down pass. And yet, again, when Marshall took over, Totino-Grace snatched an interception to set the Eagles back up on the Tigers 39-yard line. The Tigers gave up only five turnovers all season but have two tonight already. Let’s see if the Eagles can capitalize this time.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Orono 7, Fergus Falls 0: Griffin Mauer scored from the 1 in this Class 4A game at Alexandria. Orono (7-3) is the third seed in the North bracket.

Kittson County Central 21, Cook County 0: KCC is cooking in the Nine-Player quarterfinals.

Mabel-Canton 8, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 8: Hillcrest Lutheran evens it up, on a pass from Ethan Swedberg to Drew Fischer. Hillcrest Lutheran is 10-0 and seeded second in the South bracket.

Updates from around Minnesota

Kittson County Central 14, Cook County 0: This was predictable. Kittson County Central is 10-0 and averaging 52 points per game.

1Q: Marshall 7, Totino-Grace 0

Third try’s the charm for the Tigers’ leading rusher, senior Andrew Stelter. On Marshall’s first drive, the running back burst free for what the entire elated Marshall sideline thought was a 68-yard touchdown run. But the officials ruled Stelter down on the 1-yard line thanks to the effort of the Eagles’ trailing defense. Two more short rushes, and Stelter was in for a 4-yard score, his 19th touchdown of the season.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer

Updates from around Minnesota

Kittson County Central 7, Cook County 0: It’s probably not a surprise that the first touchdown of the quarterfinals comes in a Nine-Player game. Kittson County Central, the top seed in the North bracket, is off and running.

Mabel-Canton 8, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 0: The Nine-Player run continues. Mabel-Canton, the third seed in the South bracket, is ahead of No. 2 South.

Pregame: Marshall vs. Totino-Grace at Blaine

Checking in from Blaine, the host site of our Class 4A quarterfinal between Marshall, seeded No. 1 in the South portion of the bracket, and No. 4 South Totino-Grace.

The Marshall Tigers (10-0) return to the state quarterfinals for the sixth time, searching for their first spot in a state championship game after running into eventual champion Becker in the semifinals last year.

The Tigers are arguably the best 2A team remaining after Byron got booted in its section title game. Marshall has five rushers with 200-plus yards, and its defense has conceded more than a touchdown only twice, and never more than two, in convincing wins over such quality teams as Rocori and Hutchinson. Senior defensive end JR Vierstraete holds the school sack record, with 28 in his career.

Both of those Rocori and Hutchinson squads beat this young Totino-Grace team (6-4) that is coming off a runner-up finish at state last year. The Eagles graduated a sizable chunk of talent and have big shoes to fill: Totino-Grace is one of Minnesota’s most storied football programs with 10 state titles, the most recent in 2016.

— Cassidy Hettesheimer