Blaine vs. St. Michael-Albertville

7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 24

An all-out aerial assault meets balance, balance, balance in this matchup of Class 6A schools teetering on the brink of falling out of — or ascending in — the state’s top 10.

Pass-heavy Blaine (2-1) improved to 2-1 with last week’s thrilling 26-25 triumph over Champlin Park. The Bengals rallied from a 25-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter by scoring three touchdowns and safety to eke out the win. Two of the Bengals’ touchdowns came via the cannon arm of senior quarterback AJ Kaul, who ranks among the state leaders with 632 passing yards.

St. Michael-Albertville (2-1) mixes the run and pass to almost equal levels, but the Knights’ mixology only resulted in two touchdowns in last week’s 34-14 loss to No. 5-6A Wayzata. Max Keefer leads No. 3-6A St. Michael-Albertville with 259 rushing yards and quarterback Owen Neros has 308 passing yards.