Photos by Samantha Davis: Minneota’s Sam Myhre (7) and Brock Fier celebrate a touchdown during the 4A championship against Dawson-Boyd on Saturday in Marshall. Minneota and Murray County Central were seeded first and third in the South Bracket of the Class A state tournament.

MINNEOTA — The Minneota football team enters the 2025 Class A state tournament as the top seed in the South once again as it begins its pursuit of its fourth consecutive state championship, while Murray County Central also will be representing southwest Minnesota as a No. 3 seed.

The Vikings kick off their state tournament run on Friday in Jordan as they take on fourth-seeded Lester Prairie at 5:30 p.m. Minneota enters the game at an undefeated 10-0 while Lester Prairie enters at 7-4.

Another state championship win would put Minneota at a total of 10, joining Totino-Grace, Caledonia and Eden Prairie in double digits.

The Vikings steamrolled their way to the state tournament, defeating every Class A opponent they played over the course of the season by at least three possessions. The lone close game Minneota played came in week 2 against Class 2A Eden Valley-Watkins, with the Vikings claiming a 37-30 win.

In the other South matchup, Murray County Central upset three-time reigning section champion Springfield 31-20 in the 3A championship game. Springfield had gone to the state championship game three straight years before the loss, each culminating in a loss to Minneota.

The Rebels lost each of their first two games of the season, falling 7-0 to Dawson-Boyd and 33-15 to Springfield. Since then, however, the Rebels have won eight straight games to earn the No. 3 seed in the state tournament. They will take on undefeated No. 2 Fillmore Central (10-0) at Rochester Mayo High School on Friday at 7 p.m.

In the North bracket, Breckenridge earned the top seed at 11-0 and takes on No. 4 Barnum (10-1) at Morris Area on Friday at 7 p.m., while Mahnomen/Waubun (10-0) and Upsala/Swanville (9-1) will face off at Becker at the same time.

The semifinals will be played at US Bank Stadium on Nov. 15. The low seed from the North will play the high seed from the South at 9 a.m., and the other two remaining teams will play at 11:30 a.m. The Class A state championship will be played at US Bank Stadium on Nov. 21 at 10 a.m.