Section finals are set in Minnesota

Just like that, we're one game away from the state tournament. Section final action takes place Friday across the state, with many intriguing games on the schedule. For some, it's a rematch of previous games this season. For others, it's a chance to finally face longtime rivals. And for others, it's a chance to seal an already successful season with a trip to the state tournament.

To view MaxPreps' Minnesota football playoff brackets, click here.

Here is a look at some key developments, games to watch and news and notes from across the state of Minnesota:

SOUTH SAINT PAUL, ST. THOMAS ACADEMY SET TO CLASH
South St. Paul earned its first conference title in football since 1965 with a perfect 8-0 regular season. Despite the perfect season, which includes two more wins in the section playoffs, the Packers never faced St Thomas Academy, which also finished 8-0 and shared the conference championship with the Packers.

That chance comes Friday with much more at stake. St. Thomas Academy (Mendota Heights), ranked No. 1 in AAAA, will host No. 4 South St. Paul in the Section 3AAAA championship game held at the STA campus in Mendota Heights. The Cadets advanced to the championship game with a 14-7 win over Holy Angels, while SSP rolled over Chaska 54-6. Friday's matchup has all the makings of a classic. The Packers bring one of the state's top rushing attacks into the game. The duo of Sam Sura (1,870 yards, 20 touchdowns) and Harrison Rund (1,022 yards, 22 touchdowns) will face a tough STA defense, led by middle linebacker Will Ratelle (team leading 120 tackles). The Cadets are giving up an average of 9.9 points per game, while SSP is scoring more than 40 points per game. Something has to give right?

While the Packers' run game and the Cadets' defense will collide, the Packers defense and Cadets offense are gearing up for an equally big challenge. St. Thomas quarterback Ryan McManus is a dual threat and has 612 passing yards along with 468 rushing yards. Augie Braddock leads the Cadets' balanced offense with 629 rushing yards, while Will Paterson averages 11.9 yards per carry and has 513 yards on the season.

In STA's 14-7 win over Holy Angels in the section semifinals, McManus scored on a fourth-quarter quarterback sneak to give the Cadets the win, while Braddock added a 20-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Look for Braddock, Paterson and McManus to be busy against a South St. Paul defense that is much less heralded but equally as effective. The Packers have given up 10 points per game this year and are led by a number of players, including Zackory Dilger, Reid Bjorklund, Greg Lofquist, Joshua Trifunov and Kyle Burke, among them. Dilger had three interceptions in the win over Chaska and has eight picks on the year.

By all accounts, this is shaping up to be a classic high school football game between two of the best teams in the state in 4AAAA. Forget the conference championship, these teams want a trip to state.

SPRING LAKE PARK POWERS TO SECTION 6 FINAL, WILL FACE TOTINO-GRACE
Spring Lake Park advanced to the 6AAAA final with a 21-0 win over Benilde St. Margaret's Saturday. Andrew Tortora rushed 28 times for 195 yards and two touchdowns for SLP, which improved to 8-2 on the season. The only two losses for the Panthers came on back-to-back weeks in September in the second and third games of the season. One of those was a 35-3 loss to defending 4A state champ Totino-Grace (Fridley) - the team SLP will face Friday in the Section Championship game.

Totino-Grace enters the game 9-1 and is averaging 55.5 points per game in two playoff wins (55-6 over North Branch, 56-8 over Orono). The Eagles are in a familiar spot and looking to get back to defend their title. A potent and balanced run game led by Xavier Fust (572 yards, seven touchdowns), Ashford Kromah (541 yards, eight touchdowns) and Tom Laventure (415 yards, four touchdowns) has been key, combined with the passing of Alex Kreuser (877 yards, 11 touchdowns). SLP is primed for a rematch, but will it have the talent - and confidence - to overcome a big early season defeat?

CLEVELAND KICK RETURNS PLAY KEY ROLE IN UPSET
Cleveland defeated Madelia 42-36 in a Section 2, 9-man football game Saturday. The fact that the No. 6 seed upset the No. 2 seed wasn't the biggest shock. It was how it was done that stands out.

Two different Cleveland players returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in the first half in the win. Marcus Manser scored on a 96-yard return, while Austin Goettlicher returned kicks 81 and 80 yards for scores. Goettlicher also threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Wagner in an electric first half of action. Cleveland, which started the season 0-5 but is now 5-5, will face top-ranked Nicollet in the section finals Friday.

HOLY FAMILY IS FOCUSED
Holy Family Catholic (Victoria) advanced to the 5AAA Section title game with a 32-16 win over Providence Academy Saturday. Jeff Soule led the Catholic Fire with three touchdown runs (50, 67, 15) and a touchdown pass (21 yards) in the win. The Catholic, 10-0 and ranked fifth in 3A, will face a Breck (Minneapolis) team led by the passing of quarterback Austin Lommen, who threw three touchdown passes in a 26-6 win over Brooklyn Center Saturday. Lommen leads the state in passing yards and now has more than 3,000 on the season. Holy Family, which lost by two points to Minneapolis North in the Section finals last year, is led by the dual threat Soule (1,010 passing yards, 1,554 rushing yards) and Peter Vakulskas (904 rushing yards). Like so many matchups this week, this has all the makings of a classic championship game.

HILL-MURRAY PULLS OFF UPSET
Hill-Murray (Maplewood) pulled off one of the bigger upsets of the playoffs, defeating top seed St. Paul Central 22-14 in the 4AAAA semi-finals. Rob Daul threw a touchdown pass and Ben Martynec ran for two touchdowns in the upset win over the St. Paul City Conference champions. The Pioneers face Classic Suburban Conference foe Mahtomedi in the section finals, a team it lost to 31-15 on October 20. Dan Ferrazzo led Mahtomedi to the section finals by passing for three touchdowns and running for another in a 56-29 win over Chisago Lakes. With Hill-Murray and Mahtomedi advancing, there are four Classic Suburban Conference teams in section final games (SSP/STA are the other two).

OTTERTAIL CENTRAL PULLS OFF ANOTHER UPSET
Ottertail Central co-op (Battle Lake) advanced to the 6AA finals with a 17-6 upset of second-seeded Pierz Saturday. Brendan Hart led the Bulldogs with 31 carries for 123 yards rushing while Tyler Olson, Marty Charest and Jake Smith added a combined 171 yards in the win. OTC will face Breckenridge in the 6AA Championship game Friday at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D.