CLASS 1A
Saturday, 10 a.m.
Minneota Vikings (12-0) vs. Dawson-Boyd Blackjacks (12-1)
Jim says: Dawson-Boyd, which won the 2011 title, ended Mahnomen’s 38-game winning streak two weeks ago. The Blackjacks gained more than 5,000 offensive yards split almost equally between rushing and passing. But Minneota defeated Dawson-Boyd 33-21 on Sept. 26, getting 202 rushing yards from Garrett Hennen. Minneota will see to it that at least one team nicknamed Vikings will win at TCF Bank Stadium this weekend.
• The pick: Minneota 33, Dawson-Boyd 26
David says: Dawson-Boyd faces two big hills to climb — a Prep Bowl defeat last year and that loss to Minneota earlier this season. Score one for the resiliency of high school athletes. The Blackjacks’ running game, led by Dalton Palmer, will move the chains and dictate the game’s tempo. Palmer ran 29 times for 186 yards last week as Dawson-Boyd pulled away in the second half.
• The pick: Dawson-Boyd 21,
Minneota 20