Eighth-ranked South St. Paul has won three in a row heading into this week's home game with sixth-ranked Mahtomedi. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine
League titles allow teams to celebrate accomplishments heading into postseason play. But what if a district's top two teams don't play each other, and, as a result, both finish the season with undefeated records?
That was the case in last year's 10-team East Metro Red subdistrict, where Mahtomedi and South St. Paul both posted perfect regular-season records. Since then, the two teams have moved to the Suburban Grey subdistrict, which has just five teams. This week's matchup should help settle things, both past and present, with the Zephyrs (4-0, 2-0) and Packers (3-1, 2-0) entering the game undefeated in league play.
While the game will give some order to the league standings, it will also provide both teams a playoff primer. Mahtomedi, which comes into the week ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press Class 5A poll, and No. 8-5A South St. Paul aim to gain from the game experience to help fuel long postseason runs.
Friday's matchup won't strip past league titles from either program, but it will, in a way, help settle a score left unsolved from last season -- making the battle between the Zephyrs and the Packers a fitting Top Game of the Week.
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