Eden Prairie gets first-round bye in Class 6A football playoffs

Mike Grant got his wish Thursday, just a year too late.

In 2017, the Eden Prairie coach lobbied for his then-unbeaten football team to get the lone first-round bye available in the 31-team Class 6A bracket of the postseason playoffs.

But because of how the bracketing is determined, the bye went to Cretin-Derham Hall. Eden Prairie clearly survived, going on to win the Class 6A state title.

This year, however, Eden Prairie (7-1) not only garnered a No. 1 seed after a 21-0 victory over Edina on Wednesday, it landed the coveted bye. Other top seeds are Lakeville North (8-0), Blaine (8-0) and Woodbury (7-1).

The bye is awarded by random draw among the No. 1 seeds. Eden Prairie's loss was to Lakeville North.

Not that the Eagles won't benefit from the bye this year. Starting quarterback Cole Kramer was hampered Friday because of an injury.

The No. 2 seeds in Class 6A are East Ridge (5-3), Rosemount (6-2), Champlin Park (6-2) and Edina (6-2) while No. 3 seeds are Minnetonka (5-3), Eastview (4-4), St. Michael-Albertville (5-3) and Cretin-Derham Hall (5-3).

Totino-Grace (No. 8, 2-6) at Blaine (No. 1, 8-0): It's been an unusually dismal season for Totino-Grace, the 2016 Prep Bowl champion. But coach Jeff Ferguson was formerly an assistant coach at Blaine and there's a strong connection between the schools. Totino-Grace has never lost a first-round playoff game under Ferguson.

Buffalo (No. 5, 6-2) at Prior Lake (No. 4, 4-4): Prior Lake's tougher schedule earned it the higher seed. But the Lakers haven't seen a passing offense as potent as Buffalo's.

Centennial (3-5) at Wayzata (4-4): Both teams have had their share of close games. The average margin of defeat for Centennial in its five losses has been less than five points. Wayzata had last-minute losses to Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove.

Lakeville South (3-5) at Cretin-Derham Hall (5-3). Cretin-Derham Hall has a history of struggling in first-round playoff games. Lakeville South has won its past two games and scored 107 points in doing so.