Southeast Minnesota Prep Football Teams to Compete for State Title

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- Two prep football teams from southeast Minnesota will compete for a state championship on Saturday.

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The games will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. It's the 41st rendition of the Minnesota State High School League's football championships, also known as the Prep Bowl.

The Prep Bowl kicked off on Friday with the state championships in classes 1A, 2A, 4A and 6A. Teams in 9-Player, 2A, 3A and 5A will compete for state crowns on Saturday.

2 Southeast Minnesota Prep Football Teams to Compete in State Championship Games

The 2023 State Tournament started off with five teams from southeast Minnesota. After two weeks of tournament play, just two area teams remain.

The Kingsland Knights punched their ticket to the Prep Bowl on November 16. The Stewartville Tigers won their way into the State Championship game on Nov. 18.

Kingsland Knights

The Kingsland Knights have not lost a game in 2023. They rolled to a Section 1 title, beating Spring Grove 44-14 in the Section Final earlier this month.

The Knights kept the momentum going throughout the State Tournament, opening in Albert Lea with a 26-14 win in the State Quarterfinal over Hills-Beaver Creek. The win sent Kingsland to the State Semi Final at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

The Knights were not phased playing in their closest game of the season under the bright lights of U.S. Bank Stadium, punching their ticket to the Prep Bowl with a 36-28 victory over Fertile-Beltrami. 

Kingsland will compete for a state title against the Section 5 champion Nevis. The game is set to kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Kingsland got their send off to the Twin Cities on Friday morning. 

Stewartville Tigers 

The Stewartville Tigers also have gone through the 2023 season without a loss. They punched their ticket to the State Tournament for the second straight year by beating Rochester-Lourdes 34-7 in the Section Final.

The 2023 Tigers avenged last year's loss in the State Quarterfinal in dominating fashion, pitching a 22-0 shutout in a week 1 rematched against Waseca. 

The suffocating defensive effort continued for the Tigers in the State Semi Final. They held Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton to a single score in a 28-7 victory. 

Stewartville will play for all of the marbles on Saturday. The team spent the Thanksgiving holiday together, putting the final touches on the game plan. 

Stewartville will face Section 5 Champion Annandale in the State Championship. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. on Saturday.