Each week, High School On SI will rank the top 25 statewide Minnesota high school football teams. Here are the rankings after Week 1.

No. 1 Moorhead (1-0)

Previous ranking: 1

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. No. 25 Woodbury (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Moorhead fell behind 7-0 after one quarter and allowed 23 fourth-quarter garbage points. Otherwise, it was dominant in a 48-30 win at Rogers (0-1). The Spuds’ offense was as good as advertised with Jett Feeney accounting for six straight touchdowns between the second and third quarters. He connected with future Golden Gopher teammates David Mack for two of them and Zak Walker for three. Walker’s were from 93, 52 and 71 yards.

No. 2 Shakopee (1-0)

Previous ranking: 2

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at No. 6 Lakeville South (1-0)

Ranking rationale: A win’s a win, but a 9-7 result vs. an Eagan (0-1) team that went 3-6 last year is not the fast start a team eyeing a run to its first ever Prep Bowl title hoped for. It took a 26-yard touchdown run with 2:25 remaining by Alex Padilla to stave off the upset. After allowing a first-quarter touchdown, the Sabers vaunted defense lived up to its billing. There’s talent on offense, but with new faces transferring in, it could take some time to build chemistry. The Sabers were held to 158 total yards.

No. 3 Champlin Park (1-0)

Previous ranking: 7

This week’s game: Sept. 12 vs. Andover (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Champlin Park’s my unofficial team of the week. The Rebels rolled 35-0 at preseason No. 17 St. Michael-Albertville (0-1) in a game many thought could be a nailbiter. It was in the first half as the Rebels led just 7-0 before scoring two touchdowns in each of the final two quarters. Miles Felton led with 114 yards to go with three rushing touchdowns, all in the second half. Eric Lukes rushed for a 57-yard score.

No. 4 Centennial (1-0)

Previous ranking: 8

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at Osseo (0-1)

Ranking rationale: If not Champlin Park, Centennial is team of the week worthy. The Cougars stymied preseason No. 11 Rosemount (0-1) 20-0 at home. It was a two-score game entering the fourth quarter before Centennial put it away.

New head coach and former defensive coordinator, Michael Diggins Jr., made father, former head coach and current assistant coach, Michael Diggins Sr., proud.

No. 5 Minnetonka (1-0)

Previous ranking: 3

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. St. Michael-Albertville (0-1)

Ranking rationale: The Skippers dodged an upset against a usually solid East Ridge (0-1) program that’s expected to take a step back this season after the graduation of quarterback Cedric Tomes. Minnetonka scored the go-ahead touchdown on a short-yardage rush by Owen Chaika in the third quarter of a 14-7 win. Caden Gutzmer and James Fitch connected for an 87-yard touchdown in the first half. Gutzmer threw for 157 yards.

No. 6 Lakeville South (1-0)

Previous ranking: 4

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. No. 2 Shakopee (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Lakeville South won a 28-21 see-saw battle at Mounds View (0-1), one of the first teams left out of the preseason top 25. The Cougars’ defense fared decently as the Mustangs got one of their scores on a kick return. South ran 38 times for 379 yards and three touchdowns led by 17 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown by Griffen Dean.

Jeremiah Lebbi added 10 rushes for 117 yards and a score. Grant Mayer connected on his only pass attempt, finding Zach Farah for a 15-yard TD. Mounds View was held scoreless in the final frame.

No. 7 Maple Grove (1-0)

Previous ranking: 5

This week’s game: Sept. 10 at No. 8 Eden Prairie (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Maple Grove’s defense had one of the performances of the week. The Crimson pitched a shutout and used a first-quarter pick-six by Adam Patefield to get the scoring going in a 15-0 win vs. Stillwater (0-1). The offense has a lot of newcomers. It didn’t score a touchdown until less than three minutes remaining when Graham Greseth hit Briggs Tarnowski for a 55-yard touchdown. The Crimson already had a two-score lead at that point.

No. 8 Eden Prairie (1-0)

Previous ranking: 6

This week’s game: Sept. 10 vs. No. 7 Maple Grove (1-0)

Ranking rationale: On a night where a lot of top teams were surprisingly threatened, the Eagles cruised 36-14 at Anoka (0-1). It was just a 22-14 game at halftime, though, before Eden Prairie closed with two unanswered touchdowns.

No. 9 Edina (1-0)

Previous ranking: 13

This week’s game: Sept. 10 at No. 19 Wayzata (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Edina got out to a 21-6 halftime lead and didn’t let the Royals score again until garbage time in the fourth quarter in a 35-14 win vs. Hopkins (0-1). This was a nice start for the defending Class 6A champs who are new at a ton of positions.

One is quarterback. Brady Olin has big shoes to fill replacing Mason West, but he did so admirably in game one going 13-for-25 for 233 yards and four touchdowns. His top target was Mason Parks, who had six grabs for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Jason Solberg Jr. also has big shoes to fill replacing Chase Bjorgaard. He piled up 22 carries for 118 yards and a score.

No. 10 Forest Lake (1-0)

Previous ranking: 13

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. Anoka (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Forest Lake is another team of the week candidate. The Lakers throttled preseason No. 22 Prior Lake (0-1) 32-8 on the road. After falling behind in the first quarter, the Rangers took the lead back with 30 seconds left in the first half and dominated the second half. New quarterback Alexander Sanchez finished 10-for-15 passing for 114 yards and a touchdown. One of the top running backs in the state, Mack Jurkovich, trucked his way to 177 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

No. 11 Elk River (1-0)

Previous ranking: 11

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at Sauk Rapids-Rice (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Elk River built a 16-0 lead in the blink of an eye en route to a 44-20 win vs. Bemidji (0-1). The Elks “only” ran for 219 yards on 39 carries for four touchdowns. They slung it around as far as their standards go with two passers combining 3-for-4 for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

No. 12 Blaine (1-0)

Previous ranking: 16

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. Rogers (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Blaine walloped Lakeville North (0-1) 30-0 on the road. The Bengals led 17-0 at halftime. Jameson Niska did it all, running 23 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns to go with 11-for-22 passing for 122 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held the Panthers to 87 yards.

No. 13 Orono (1-0)

Previous ranking: 18

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. No. 15 Byron (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Orono spoiled game one of 57-year head coach Dwight Lundeen’s final season. The Spartans went on the road and knocked off one of the top unranked teams from this preseason top 25, Becker (0-1), 35-28. The reigning Class 4A champs fell behind 14-0 at the half against the 2025 champs before storming back.

Hudson Hirt toted it 30 times for 201 yards and three touchdowns while adding three grabs for 83 yards and a touchdown. Finn Dyvik went 8-for-14 for 142 yards and two scores and rushed 17 times for 95 yards.

No. 14 Cretin-Derham Hall (1-0)

Previous ranking: 19

This week’s game: Sept. 10 at St. Paul Central (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Cretin-Derham Hall snapped a five-game losing streak against rival and preseason No. 10 St. Thomas Academy (0-1). The Raiders won 15-7 against the Cadets at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

Julius Washington’s 41-yard touchdown reception late sealed it as C-DH came back from a 7-6 deficit. Gavin Russell completed 15 of 23 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. Bilal Shahid ran seven times for 85 yards and a score. STA was held to 159 yards.

No. 15 Byron (1-0)

Previous ranking: 20

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at No. 13 Orono (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Byron wasn’t caught looking ahead to its Week 2 matchup against the defending Class 4A champs. The host Bears mauled Holy Angels (0-1) 43-0. They led 28-0 at halftime. Eli Rodemeyer threw three touchdowns to three receivers. Jordan Heimer carried on the family tradition started by Carson by rushing for 145 yards and a touchdown. He almost outgained the entire Stars offense, which finished with 149 yards.

No. 16 Monticello (1-0)

Previous ranking: 21

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. No. 17 Alexandria (1-0)

Ranking rationale: The Magic led 42-8 at halftime of a 48-21 win vs. Sauk Rapids-Rice (0-1). Monticello piled up 306 rushing yards on nearly eight yards a pop. Cale Holthaus led with 15 rushes for 142 yards. Carson Deibele completed 6 of 11 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns while adding a 12-yard touchdown rush.

No. 17 Alexandria (1-0)

Previous ranking: 22

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at No. 16 Monticello (1-0)

Ranking rationale: What looked like it could be a shootout early on turned into a defensive battle. Alexandria fell behind 7-6 after the first quarter vs. preseason No. 14 Chanhassen (0-1). Neither team scored until Andrew Rauk’s 28-yard field goal sailed through the uprights in what proved to be the game-winning points in the third quarter. It made up for a missed extra point.

Gavin Schroeder caught a 3-yard touchdown from Ayden Steffensmeier in the first quarter. Chanhassen was held to -11 yards on eight rushes and 48 total yards.

No. 18 Marshall (1-0)

Previous ranking: 24

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. ROCORI (0-1)

Ranking rationale: The Tigers romped to a 49-14 win vs. Westonka (0-1). After falling behind 7-0 after one quarter, they woke up with four straight touchdowns before halftime. Sam Meier had a 70-yard touchdown rush as part of a 117-yard night. Ethan Boeck added a 47-yard punt return touchdown.

No. 19 Wayzata (1-0)

Previous ranking: 25

This week’s game: Sept. 10 vs. No. 9 Edina (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Three second-quarter touchdowns helped the Trojans build a 16-point lead at halftime in a 37-26 win at Andover (0-1). Osseo transfer Mason Criswell was a workhorse with 34 carries for 251 yards and four touchdowns. Wayzata’s already matched last year’s win total and should easily exceed it with a ton of talent on the roster led by stud DL Eli Diane.

No. 20 Two Rivers (1-0)

Previous ranking: N/R

This week’s game: Sept. 10 vs. Simley (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Two Rivers started the season off strong with a  win against defending Class 5A champion and preseason No. 9 Spring Lake Park (0-1). The host Panthers flexed their muscles leading 15-0 after the first quarter and 22-6 at halftime.

They rattled off 16 points in the fourth quarter to stun the home crowd. It was quite the message sent after going 5-5 in 2025. Two Rivers managed just 86 rushing yards on 25 carries. It was lifted by Julian Rychlicki going 11-for-17 for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

No. 21 St. Thomas Academy (0-1)

Previous ranking: 10

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. Rochester Mayo (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Dropping 11 spots might be a bit steep for losing a close game to a ranked team, but it’s more a product of bumping up winning teams from Week 1. The Cadets saw a five-game winning streak against their rival, preseason No. 19 Cretin-Derham Hall (1-0), 15-7 at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.

St. Thomas Academy led 7-6 before giving up nine fourth-quarter points. Quarterback Tristan Karl ran 19 times for 103 yards but was tamped down by a talented Raider secondary, going 9-for-28 passing for 72 yards.

No. 22 Chanhassen (0-1)

Previous ranking: 14

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at Burnsville (0-1)

Ranking rationale: Chanhassen opened up with a touchdown at preseason No. 23 Alexandria (1-0). Then, things dried up. The offense was held scoreless, spoiling a strong defensive output in a 9-7 loss. Alexandria limited the Storm to eight rushes for -11 yards and 104 passing yards.

No. 23 Eagan (0-1)

Previous ranking: N/R

This week’s game: Sept. 

Ranking rationale: Going from unranked to ranked while losing in Week 1 is rare. Eagan nearly stunning preseason No. 2 Shakopee (1-0) is worthy of a top 25 spot. The Wildcats, who went 3-6 last season, led most of the night against a Sabers team loaded with multiple Power 4 Division I recruits. They opened up with a touchdown in the first quarter and led 7-3 at halftime.

That score stayed frozen until host Shakopee was saved by a 26-yard touchdown rush with 2:25 left in the game. Eagan held Shakopee to 109 yards of offense but only had 116 of its own, all on the ground.

No. 24 Rosemount (0-1)

Previous ranking: 11

This week’s game: Sept. 11 vs. Eastview (1-0)

Ranking rationale: Rosemount nearly stumbled entirely out of the top 25 with a disappointing 20-0 loss at Centennial (1-0), which vaulted four spots this week to No. 4. It was a 13-0 game at halftime.

No. 25 Woodbury (1-0)

Previous ranking: N/R

This week’s game: Sept. 11 at No. 1 Moorhead (1-0)

Ranking rationale: There are numerous teams who could stake a claim for the final spot in this week’s top 25. Woodbury was in heavy consideration for a preseason ranking and now jumps in after some attrition in the top 25. A 21-0 win vs. Roseville (0-1) in Week 1 helps, too. The Royals led by that score at halftime before parking the bus in the second half. Mark Mathis rushed 11 times for 134 yards and one touchdown that went for 80 yards. That was nearly half of the Raiders’ total offensive output of 161 yards.