Rivalries Will Determine Section Football Championships
Owatonna vs Northfield. Blooming Prairie vs Goodhue. NRHEG vs WEM. Each of those rivalry match-ups will determine the section football champions around the region.
A year ago, the much anticipated rematch between Owatonna and Northfield in the section playoffs never happened as the Raiders lost to Century in the semifinals. The Huskies raced past the Panthers on their way to a state championship.
This year it was Northfield who scored a playoff upset over Century, rallying from a halftime deficit to get a rematch with the Huskies in Friday night's Section 1-5A championship game. Northfield led 11-10 over Owatonna on October 12, but the Huskies stormed out of the locker room with a 19-0 third quarter on their way to a 29-11 victory.
Owatonna beat Northfield in the 2016 playoffs and lost to the Raiders in the 2015 post season. Friday's game is on KRFO AM1390 and the KRFO app.
NRHEG plays WEM Friday night in the Section 2A finals at JWP High School with the broadcast on Kat Kountry 105FM in the final guaranteed game between the two for the foreseeable future. The teams will be in different districts starting in 2019. The Buccaneers beat the Panthers 48-6 September 28. The clubs have met in the playoffs three times since 2010 with WEM winning twice.
The Section 1A championship frequently goes through Blooming Prairie or Goodhue. The teams have met in the playoffs eight times since 2007, four of those in the finals. The Awesome Blossoms hold the advantage 5-3 in the eight meetings, but the Wildcats have taken three of the four finals clashes. BP topped Goodhue 20-14 on September 28. The 1A title tilt is Saturday, November 3 at 5 pm at Rochester Regional Sports Stadium with the broadcast on Kat Kountry 105 FM.