Seven weeks are in the books around the state in high school football. By late Wednesday night, teams not receiving first-round byes will already be gearing up for the section playoffs. Wednesday's games are one final chance to get the kinks out, because after this, the losers go home for the winter. Some teams are rolling right now -- see Lakeville North -- while others are limping toward the finish. We take a closer look at a couple of teams south of the river with a lot on the line for Week 8.

SHAKOPEE AT NORTHFIELD

The skinny: A year ago on its home field, Shakopee came into the season finale against the Raiders needing a victory to seal its first conference championship since 1981. The stakes aren't quite as high this time around, but the Sabers still have plenty to play for Wednesday. A victory over Northfield (2-5, 1-5 Missota Conference) will give Shakopee a second consecutive conference championship. More importantly, the Sabers (7-0, 6-0) will receive some added confidence going into the playoffs. Right now, that's a big need. Senior linebacker Nicholas McBeain, the team's leading tackler, suffered a season-ending knee injury early in the second half against Holy Angels on Oct. 7. Shakopee won the game 10-7 and defeated Red Wing 14-7 last week. But the victories come after the team had been averaging nearly 40 points per game and allowed only one touchdown through four weeks. Coach Jody Stone, while happy to again be undefeated heading into Week 8, used terms such as "flat" and "sluggish" to describe his team. "When you put together what we've got, it's not bad," he said. "I told the players, sometimes when you have an injury like [McBeain's] to a key player, you can come out a little flat. Like, 'What now?' And I don't think we were totally that way, but it was close. I think the quick turnaround will help. You don't have time to sit around and think. Getting right back to football is the best thing for us."

Looking ahead: A victory over Northfield on Wednesday doesn't guarantee a bye in Class 5A, Section 6. Top-ranked Eden Prairie is also in that field, and likely will receive the No. 1 seed, win or lose Wednesday against Wayzata.

LAKEVILLE NORTH AT PRIOR LAKE

The skinny: Something got into Prior Lake after a 13-6 loss to Rosemount in Week 3. Prior Lake is 4-0 since, including a victory over Lakeville South last week in which the Lakers (5-2, 5-1 South Suburban Conference) scored 28 unanswered points after falling behind early. It elevated them to second place in the conference, setting up a de facto championship game with the Panthers (7-0, 6-0). Prior Lake joined the South Suburban Conference when it formed last year using teams mostly from the old Lake Conference. There were some questions early about the new team on the block. They've been answered. "Mentally, this has been a big boost for our kids to understand that if we play well, we can play with a lot of teams," Lakers coach Matt Gegenheimer said. "Based on how we compete, how we practice and do other things, the kids have really started to believe in what we do. Playing Wayzata in the first game [this season, a 47-20 loss] probably helped in the long run because it got us playing faster and probably more physical." Fullback Jack Johnson had that on display against the Cougars. He scored on runs from 2, 8, and 1 yards out. "All of it has opened doors for us onto bigger and better things," Gegenheimer said. "Each week, each point is a better opportunity for them, and now they get to compete for a conference title."

Looking ahead: Prior Lake never has been to state. A competitive game with Lakeville North could be the path to a No. 1 seed in Class 5A, Section 3. That would put the Lakers two games away from its first berth.