High School

Predicting the winners of the 2024 Minnesota high school football Prep Bowl

See who High School on SI thinks will take home 2024 Minnesota high school football state championships

Mike Randleman

Minnetonka plays Maple Grove in the 2024 Class 6A Prep Bowl on Friday, November 22
Minnetonka plays Maple Grove in the 2024 Class 6A Prep Bowl on Friday, November 22 / Mark Bloom

Every week of the 2024 Minnesota high school football season has led to this week. The 2024 MSHSL Prep Bowl is on Friday and Saturday, and High School on SI has predictions for game.

High School on SI will have scores, schedules and coverage of the 2024 Minnesota high school football Prep Bowl.

2024 MSHSL Prep Bowl Predictions

CLASS 6A

Minnetonka (11-2) vs. Maple Grove (13-0)

High School on SI’s top two teams in the final edition of the Minnesota Power 25 have found their way to the Prep Bowl.

Minnetonka had a questionable loss on its resume to a down Eden Prairie (6-4) team, but otherwise looked dominant for much of the season against a loaded Metro West schedule. That is, until the Skippers ran into Maple Grove in Week 8, closing the regular season with a 31-21 loss. Minnetonka got out to a 14-0 lead in that one before the Crimson responded with 21 straight. Minnetonka tied it up early in the fourth quarter, only for the air to come out of the balloon with a fumble recovery in the end zone for a Maple Grove defensive score. Henry Sievers drilled a 45-yard field goal for an insurance score. Minnetonka outgained Maple Grove 314-271.

I expect a similar back-and-forth battle, although with less dramatic scoring swings. Both teams looked impressive in different ways in the semifinals.

Minnetonka scored the easier draw facing an up-and-down Anoka team (8-4) that ran out of gas after catching fire in the postseason. The Tornadoes were game for a half, leading on two different occasions en route to a 21-21 halftime score. The Skippers’ ground game proved to be too much. Chase Conrad and Caleb Francois each rushed for a touchdown in the third quarter to begin a 27-0 run to put the game on ice.

Anoka added a late touchdown with 3:21 remaining. The quarterback Francois put up video game numbers of 39 rushes for 283 yards and five touchdowns. He only attempted five passes as head coach Mark Esch was content to stick on the ground. Conrad added 19 carries for 102 yards and a score.

Minnetonka also gets the advantage of an extra day of rest for Friday’s upcoming matchup having played last Thursday, while Maple Grove played Friday.

Maple Grove faced the No. 3 team in the final Power 25, Shakopee (10-2). The Crimson won 26-14 in a game where the teams alternated the first five touchdowns. Maple Grove led 13-7 at halftime. The Sabers retook a 14-13 lead with 1:49 left in the third quarter.

Then, it was the Charles Langama show. One of, if not the best, running backs in the state erupted for a 40-yard quick response touchdown with 0:25 left in the third. He added insurance with a 43-yarder at the 7:09 mark in the fourth. The North Dakota commit finished with 18 carries for 198 yards and four touchdowns.

Despite an easier playoff path and the extra rest favoring the Skippers, the Crimson have been at No. 1 for most of the season and will look the part en route to the program’s second Prep Bowl win in the last three years.

Prediction: Maple Grove 27, Minnetonka 20

CLASS 5A

Alexandria (10-2) vs. Elk River (11-1)

Elk River’s redemption season continued with a 21-19 win Friday over defending state champion Chanhassen (8-4). The 2022 champion Elks struggled to a 4-7 record in 2023 but have gotten off the mat for an impressive campaign. Elk River overcame a 6-0 deficit after one quarter to lead 14-6 at the break. Chanhassen battled within two points twice in the second half, including with 1:44 remaining, but Elk River held on. Five ball carriers shared the load of 49 rushes for 251 yards and two touchdowns to stay fresh for the championship Saturday. An extra day off compared to their opponent will be useful, too. Elk River’s defense has been shaky at times throughout the year. It allowed 282 yards through the air in a game of clashing styles. The Elks held the Storm to 2.8 yards per carry and intercepted two passes.

We’ll get a rematch in the Prep Bowl of Elk River’s 44-34 home win against Alexandria in Week 8. 

Fun fact: this is the only of seven state title games that doesn’t feature an unbeaten team. Alexandria made that a reality by handing Owatonna (11-1) its first loss, 42-20 on Saturday. The Cardinals look like a brand new team after dropping two tight matchups against Elk River and Moorhead (9-1) to close the regular season. The Cardinals came out of the gates hot as Chase Thompson found Mason Gorghuber for back-to-back touchdowns in the first quarter. Thompson rushed for another and found Gorghuber again for their third double-digit yard touchdown en route to a 28-14 halftime lead.

Gorghuber got his cardio in, hauling in a 28-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to make it a three-score game.

If Alexandria had to play Elk River outdoors this time of year, Elk River would be the pick without hesitation. The Elks are born to play in the elements. But, indoors in the warm, friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium? That lends itself to Alexandria to air it out and pull off the upset and bring home the program’s first state title.

Prediction: Alexandria 38, Elk River 37

CLASS 4A

Totino-Grace (12-0) vs. Becker (12-0)

This is the matchup we’ve been waiting for all year. There was a lot of parity and attrition throughout much of Class 4A. These teams quickly stood out among the fray and have been on a collision course to U.S. Bank Stadium all season long.

Becker has been the more dominant of the bunch, breezing past each of the 2023 Prep Bowl participants Rocori (6-3) and defending champion Hutchinson (4-6) in the regular season. The Bulldogs also blew out a 2024 state tournament caliber team in the section finals against Princeton (9-1).

Legendary head coach Dwight Lundeen guided his team to comfortable victories in the state tournament, ousting Holy Angels (7-4) by 20 in the quarterfinals and downing Marshall (10-2) by 21 in the semis on Thursday. Becker got out to a 14-0 lead and scored 14 in the third quarter to pull away. It was a team effort as six rushers combined for 35 carries for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Tristan Kowalkowski went 8-for-15 for 154 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Sawyer Brown had five catches for 105 yards. Landen Kujawa tallied a team high 12 tackles.

Becker gets an extra day of rest over Totino-Grace, which won 30-21 vs. Orono (9-3) on Friday. The Eagles commanded the first half, rushing for three straight touchdowns to close the second quarter and build a 24-7 lead at the break. The Spartans rallied to within three heading to the fourth quarter. Jimmy McNeil converted two 36-yard field goals to seal the deal for T-G. Marquel Keten led with 15 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown. Jake Person finished 5-for-10 passing for 151 yards. Emmanuel Benson co-led with six tackles and had the Eagles’ lone interception.

Just like T-G used a field goal to make it a two-score game late in its win vs. Orono, I envision Becker doing the same to close this one out.

Prediction: Becker 31, Totino-Grace 20

CLASS 3A

Dassel-Cokato (11-1) vs. Stewartville (13-0)

Dassel-Cokato saw Springfield erase a 16-point deficit earlier in the day in Class 1A action Saturday and raised it with a 19-point comeback. The Chargers trailed 20-7 at halftime and 26-7 early in the third quarter before catching fire. Caleb Smock got rockin’ with a 30-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion to inch closer. He added another touchdown in the fourth, followed by a 5-yard game-winning touchdown rush by Kobee Thielen with 47 seconds left to win in dramatic fashion. Thielen also led the team with 10 total tackles. Cole Veith led D-C with 113 yards rushing and had 88 yards through the air.

State powerhouse Stewartville was in uncharted territory in its 33-20 win Saturday over Albany (11-1). The Tigers trailed for the first time this season. Their last deficit was 7-6 in the second quarter of last year’s semifinals matchup against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton. The deficit lasted just 1:56 of game time as Stewartville responded with 22 straight points to win in a rout. In eerily similar fashion this year, Albany took a 7-6 lead in the second quarter. That advantage lasted all of 57 seconds as the dynamic connection of Vincent Wellik to Parker Wangen caught fire. They hit for touchdowns of 50 and 20 yards to take a 19-7 lead into halftime. The lead swelled to 19 before Albany got back on the board late in the third quarter. At that point, it was too little, too late. Wellik finished 13-for-17 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. A balanced team rushing attack combined for nearly four yards per carry for 125 yards and three scores. Albany was held to 89 yards rushing and was picked off once.

D-C has had an impressive season and played a tougher schedule than Stewartville. The Chargers’ lone loss was to a Class 4A top-10 team Princeton (9-1). Stewie will still be too much to handle as it has back-to-back state titles in its sights.

Prediction: Stewartville 32, Dassel-Cokato 23

CLASS 2A

Jackson County Central (12-0) vs. Staples-Motley (12-0)

Just like at the 9-Player level, Class 2A featured four unbeaten teams in its semifinals.

Jackson County Central earned itself another game at U.S. Bank Stadium with a 34-26 instant classic win over Kimball (11-1). Staples-Motley didn’t get as much respect in the state polls as JCC and the other elites in the class, but the Cardinals just keep on winning. They punched their ticket to the Prep Bowl with a 36-24 win over Chatfield (11-1).

Entering the state tournament, I had JCC pegged as the No. 3 team in the class and S-M the first team left out of the top five. The JCC Huskies won every game through the state quarterfinals by 22 or more. They proved they could win a close one on Friday. JCC was rolling up 14-0 after one quarter before Kimball fought back within two at halftime and took its first lead of the game with an 81-yard kick return by Bryant Knaus to open the second half. The lead changed hands two more times before JCC tied it at 26 on a 53-yard touchdown rush by Ben Dahlin with 8:52 to go. Gage Johnson ran for an 18-yard touchdown and the 2-point conversion to go ahead for good with 3:56 to go. Clay Malchow led JCC with 19 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown and one reception for 38 yards. Gage Johnson ran 16 times for 64 yards and three touchdowns.

S-M won every game in 2024 by 10 or more (save for a 2-0 forfeit win against Wadena-Deer Creek) until it survived a 46-44 shootout over 2A defending runner up Barnesville (11-1) in the state quarterfinals. The Cards led wire-to-wire in their 36-24 win Friday against Chatfield (11-1). S-M got out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 30-22 lead into halftime. The Cards’ defense bowed up to hold the Gophers scoreless in the second half. S-M finished with two interceptions. The offense did its part with Colbe Tappe running for his third touchdown of the night late in the third quarter. He finished with 25 carries for 170 yards to go with a 14-yard touchdown grab.

This is a tantalizing matchup between two fresh faces in the Prep Bowl. JCC seeks its second state title after winning its first in 2001. S-M is at the state tournament for the first time in 20 years and is in the state title game for the first time since its runner-up season in 1988.

Prediction: Jackson County Central 26, Staples-Motley 19

CLASS 1A

Springfield (12-0) vs. Minneota (12-0)

The “They had us in the first half, not gonna lie” meme is applicable to Springfield’s 30-16 win in Saturday’s semifinals win over Mahnomen/Waubun (11-1). The Tigers were a little sleepy for the 9 a.m. start, spotting the Thunderbirds a 16-0 halftime lead. Springfield entered the day averaging over 35 points per game. It was still scoreless through three quarters. Then the magic happened. Parker Kuehn threw for two touchdowns and Springfield rushed for two more to hang 30 quick points in the span of 10:09 of game time. Kuehn was fantastic, going 21-for-29 for 197 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Gavin Vanderwerf ran 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown to go with a team high 10 total tackles.

The two-time defending state champions had an easier route to the Prep Bowl, winning in a rout of Parkers Prairie (9-4), 45-0. The Minneota Vikings felt right at home at the home of the Minnesota Vikings, getting out to a 35-0 halftime lead. Destin Fier showed off big play ability by rushing for a 24-yard touchdown and catching a 54-yard touchdown from Brody Larson, who had a rushing touchdown of his own. Ryan Meagher added two touchdown rushes.

Springfield’s had a heck of a season qualifying for the state tournament for the first time since 2018, but Minneota will not let the opportunity of a three-peat go by the wayside.

Prediction: Minneota 29, Springfield 21

9-PLAYER

Hills-Beaver Creek (12-0) vs. Fertile Beltrami (12-0)

This matchup looks like it could be a shootout that goes down to the wire. Both teams kept their unbeaten seasons alive in last week’s semifinals while disrupting their opponents’ unbeaten streak in the process.

A slight edge goes to Fertile-Beltrami by way of it pulling away in the second half to win comfortably against LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli (12-1), 60-33. There were four lead changes in a wild first half that saw L-O/L-P lead 27-22 at the break. The lead changed hands two more times in the second half before F-B dominated the last 14:18 of game time with a 30-0 run. Isaiah Wright was a force on both sides of the ball, rushing 24 times for 361 yards and seven touchdowns and recording five tackles and one of two team interceptions. Bryer Stem led with nine tackles and had the other interception. L-O/L-P was led by Camden Hungerholt, who accounted for four of the team’s six touchdowns, gained 390 of the team’s 419 yards and tied for second on the team with 10 tackles.

Hills-Beaver Creek had arguably the tougher semifinals draw and escaped with a win that felt like a championship level brawl. The Patriots beat 2022 champ and perennial power, Mountain Iron-Buhl (12-1), 26-20 on Thursday. H-BC got on the board with a safety by Beau Bakken just over a minute into the contest. The two teams swapped touchdowns in the first half before Bakken found the endzone again, this time on a 16-yard touchdown reception from Jamin Metzger to give H-BC an 18-14 lead at halftime.

MI-B wasn’t going to go down without a fight, pulling back within two scores on two different occasions, including on a 5-yard touchdown rush by Derik Dahl with 2:24 left in the fourth quarter. The Patriots rallied to stop the 2-point conversion to maintain the 26-20 lead they retained until the end. Metzger finished 19-for-23 passing for 143 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.

The Patriots will be right in the mix to win in this game to win the program’s second title and first since 1990, but the Falcons will fly high to win their second title in the last four years.

Prediction: Fertile-Beltrami 36, Hills-Beaver Creek 34

More 2024 Minnesota high school football coverage

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App

Published
Mike Randleman
MIKE RANDLEMAN