South St. Paul at St. Thomas Academy
7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18

Whether its conference changes or the new district groupings, one thing has remained true for South St. Paul and St. Thomas Academy: they seem to always be found at the top of the standings.

From the Classic Suburban Conference to the Metro East Conference, the Packers and Cadets have finished first and second each year since 2012. St. Thomas Academy is leading while South St. Paul is tied for second in the standings of their current league, the East Metro Red subdistrict.

The No. 9-4A Packers (3-1) hopes to pull even with the No. 4-5A Cadets (4-0) with a victory when the teams meet this week. 

Players to watch in this game are the South St. Paul's Dan Pietruszewski, who carries the bulk of the offense with 401 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season. St. Thomas Academy running back Sean McFadden has come on as of late, with 372 yards and two TDs the past two weeks.