Alexandria at Moorhead
7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 18

The North Central Red subdistrict has the potential to end with a four-way tie atop the standings after Brainerd's 35-28 upset over No. 4-5A Moorhead last week.

Moorhead, however, is still in the driver's seat with a one-game lead over Brainerd, St. Cloud Tech and Alexandria heading into the regular-season finale. A victory against the visiting Cardinals on Wednesday will assure the Spuds (5-2, 4-1) won't be sharing the title.

Alexandria also suffered a shock last week, falling to Sauk Rapids-Rice 38-36 in overtime, meaning the Cardinals (4-3, 3-2) could be reeling and ready for a battle.

Dual-threat quarterback Michael Empting looks to continue a strong season. He leads Alexandria in passing (1,229 yards, 12 TDs) and rushing (669 yards, 10 TDs)

Moorhead's offense is driven by senior running back Otis Weah, who is fresh off a 218-yard rushing performance that included a touchdown.

Wednesday's contest could be decided by defensive stops. Neither team has been particularly sharp on that side of the ball this year, with the Cardinals surrendering 30.7 ppg and the Spuds 22.6.

Alexandria snapped an eight-game skid against Moorhead last with a 36-14 regular-season victory last year, and then they won a 37-30 bout in the playoffs.