Steady production led Chaska to a 17-0 victory at home against Waconia on Saturday, paving the way for a Class 5A, Section 2 championship showdown with Mankato West.

The Hawks often use a run-heavy offense, but timely throws helped move the ball on their first two drives. Tight end Andrew Schaffer scored on a 33-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brayden Sanders, followed by Nolan Kemp’s 32-yard field goal.

”You have got to run the football to win playoff games, and we want to do that,” Chaska coach Bryan Dahl said. “But we have a couple of guys on the outside who are ballplayers, and our quarterback did a good job throwing the ball to keep them honest.”

Jack Boyle scored the Hawks’ final touchdown on a 2-yard run with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The win sets up a section championship game for Chaska on Nov. 5 at top-ranked Mankato West. Last fall the Hawks lost to the Scarlets 22-15 in a section semifinal.

”Again, we’ve got to come out and play our best football,” said Boyle, who rushed for 152 yards. “We know they’re going to give us their best, so we’ve just got to give it our best. We’ll see what happens.”

Sixth-seeded Waconia earned a spot in Saturday’s game by beating third-seeded Chanhassen 22-12 on Oct. 26. The Wildcats finished with four wins.

”I’m so proud of this group. They are a great group of kids,” coach Corey Shea said.