Football playoffs

Pierz won their third straight Section 5AAA title today in an 18-12 win over Annandale. They face another undefeated team, Albany, in the state quarterfinals.

Minneapolis North crushed Mayer Lutheran 50-21 tonight to claim the Section 4A title for the second straight year. They face 10-1 Tracy-Milroy-Balaton in the state quarterfinals on Halloween at Gustavus Adolphus College. The TMB Panthers won the Section 3A title.

Section 4AA is where something really incredible took place. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted, who was 0-5 at one point this season, entered the playoffs with a 1-7 record and a number five seed before winning games in a row to land a spot in the Class 2A state tournament. Their lone regular season win was by a 34-28 score in week six over visiting Eden Valley-Watkins. In the Section 4AA championship, the HL-W-W Lakers won 34-27 over two-time defending section champion Maple Lake. Maple Lake entered the playoffs with a 3-5 record and the number three seed, and they had won Section 4AA titles in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

HL-W-W (4-7 overall) starts the state playoffs against undefeated Pipestone Area (11-0) on Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at New Prague high school.