We are through three weeks of the High School football season already. Let's get you caught up on how the area teams are doing.
Pine City 1-2
QRF Ranking: 34th in State 5th in Section 5AAA
The Dragons have started the season very similar to the way they started last year. After beating Rush City handily they have lost back to back games against tough teams from the North. Pine City starts district play this week against Aitkin and will look to get back on track against the Gobblers who are 3-0 and ranked #4 in the State in Class AA.
Braham 2-1
QRF Ranking: 15th in State 1st in Section 7A
The Bombers lost a district game on their schedule this season with Chisholm cancelling all of their games. So instead of playing 7 games they schedule a rematch with Ada Borup, the team that knocked them out of state last year. I'm sure the mindset was that playing a really good team to start the year would help them out moving forward. They were right. They lost the first game 41-22 but beat Crosby-Ironton and then got their first district win last week in Hinckley. So far its looking like Braham will be competing with Barnum and Mesabi East for the District Championship.
Rush City 0-2
QRF Ranking: 58th in State 7th in Section 4AA
It's been a rough start to the year for the Tigers who are struggling to find their rhythm. They lost 42-0 against their rivals from Pine City to open the season and then bounced back a bit against Barnum losing 28-12. With their week off in week three due to the Chisholm cancellation they are now looking to get back into district contention with a game this Friday against Braham.
Hinckley-Finlayson 0-3
QRF Ranking: 45th in State 4th in Section 7A
The Jaguars knew this was going to be a tough season with a very young team. They have been in State Tournament contention the last several seasons but with a core group graduating they are looking to rebuild. They have lost to Greenway, Mesabi East, and now their rivals from Braham. They should be pretty competitive this Friday against Deer River who is 1-2 with similar losses to Greenway and Mesabi East.
East Central 0-3
QRF Ranking: 5th in State 5th in Section 7A
East Central gets a week off this week due to the Chisholm cancellations and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Eagles. They are coming off a 47-0 loss at the hands of Barnum in week three. They will come back with a game against Rush City in week five which will be their best chance this season to compete for a victory.
Mora 3-0
QRF Ranking: 5th in State 1st in Section 5AAA
The Mustangs start district play this Friday looking like a heavy favorite to win the title and repeat as section champions. They have beaten all three of their opponents handily this season averaging 35 points per game. They came into week three ranked #9 in the state for class 3A and will probably improve on that after the 42-8 rout of Eveleth-Gilbert. Their next opponent, Crosby-Ironton is 1-2 with losses to Two Harbors and Braham.
North Branch 1-2
QRF Ranking: 32nd in State 6th in Section 7AAAA
Things started off so well for the Vikings beating Princeton at home. Now they have back to back losses and are facing a very good Cloquet team this Friday that just beat Hibbing 40-0. The Vikings are 0-2 in District play and need to a good win to get them back on track.
Cambridge-Isanti 3-0
QRF Ranking: 9th in State 2nd in Section 7AAAAA
There weren't a whole lot of good things being said about the Bluejackets coming into this season. They were coming off a three-win season with a first year head coach. Then that head coach resigned three days before their first game and things had gone from bad to worse. Well, Cambridge-Isanti has had a perfect start to the season and just beat Rogers 21-7. That Royals team defeated the Bluejackets by 21 points last year. Cambridge-Isanti is in first place in a tough district and will take on Monticello this Friday. The Magic are 1-2.
