Rochester high school football teams play section 1 semifinals

Rochester high school football teams hit the field for Section 1 semifinals on Oct. 31, 2026, with berths in championship games on the line across multiple classes, the Post Bulletin reported.

Section 1 Class 3A Semifinal at Dover-Eyota High School

No. 6-seeded Lourdes enters Friday’s 7 p.m. matchup at No. 2 Dover-Eyota carrying a 4-5 overall record. Lourdes advanced past No. 3 Chatfield 22-10 in the quarterfinals, while Dover-Eyota defeated No. 7 St. Charles 33-10.

The two teams previously met on Sept. 17 in Rochester, where Lourdes eked out a 14-13 victory. Lourdes running back Eli Hust rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns in that win, and the Lourdes defense restricted Dover-Eyota to 202 total yards. Lourdes averages 18.1 points per game while allowing 23.3. The Eagles are hunting for their second straight trip to a section championship game after falling 19-3 to Caledonia last year.

Dover-Eyota counters with a defense allowing a paltry 7.1 points per game, ranking third-best in the state in Class 2A. Quarterback Jace Drilling leads the Eagles after accounting for all five touchdowns in the quarterfinal win against St. Charles, throwing four scores and running for another. Dover-Eyota last reached the section final in 2023, losing 35-20 to Caledonia.

Century Faces Owatonna in Class 5A Semifinal

No. 5 Century travels to face No. 1 Owatonna at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Century reached the semifinal by beating No. 4 New Prague 22-14 for its first playoff win in four years, a game sealed when sophomore Levi Tesch returned a fumble 90 yards for a touchdown.

Owatonna enters at 7-1, backed by a potent offense directed by quarterback Aedan Tackmann, who completes 67% of his passes for 134.6 yards per game with 14 touchdowns. Running back Kade Hullopeter has rushed for 966 yards and 13 touchdowns on 157 carries.

Century head coach Jon Vik acknowledged the challenge facing his roster.

Owatonna rightfully earned the number one seed, and they’ve played very, very good football this year.

Vik said, noting that illness has also swept through the school and affected his players.

Mayo Plays Northfield in Class 5A Rematch

No. 3 Mayo plays at No. 2 Northfield at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. Mayo advanced via a 49-0 rout of rival John Marshall, though quarterback Kellen Burger remains a game-time decision after spraining his ankle during that shutout.

Northfield holds a 6-2 record and defeated Mayo 18-12 on Sept. 26. Raiders quarterback Davis Ness has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, connecting frequently with receiver Ben Ims, who averages 24.9 yards per catch with 10 scores.

Mayo coach Donny Holcomb reflected on the rematch.

I think we’ve experienced so much since we played them last game, and you know, we put some things together, and they’re a very good team and well coached.

Holcomb said.

Defending section champion Mayo seeks to keep its postseason run alive against a Northfield squad searching for its first state tournament appearance since 2010.