Prep football hits the halfway point

We've reached the midpoint of the high school football season (Zero Week doesn't count), a great time to step back and assess what has taken place.

Here are my choices for the metro's most notable of 2014 — so far.

Best team, large school: Can you argue with Eden Prairie? I know it's not trendy, but as contenders rise and fall, the Eagles just keep soaring above the fray. Disagree? Try arguing against a 22-game winning streak.

Best team, small school: For these purposes, I'm classifying any team in Class 4A or below as "small." And two-time defending Class 4A champ Hutchinson has looked unbeatable, outscoring opponents 189-15 through four games.

Most likely to end a dynasty: Obviously this is targeted at the two teams listed above. While I can't legitimately pinpoint a threat to Hutchinson in 4A, Rosemount looks like it's on a path to a repeat showdown with Eden Prairie in the Class 6A final. The Irish are 4-0 and have lived up to preseason billing.

Best game: Minnetonka's stunning 25-24 victory over Becker in Week 1. Having fallen behind 24-22 with 21 seconds left, the Skippers went 52 yards in 19 seconds to set up a game-winning field goal as time ran out.

There were five lead changes in the second half, four in the final four minutes.

Biggest surprise: Bloomington Jefferson. In his third year as head coach, Tim Carlson has playmakers in running back Colton Myles and QB Zach Ubben and has the 4-0 Jaguars playing with confidence.

They'll need it as their second-half schedule is much tougher than the first half (games against Chaska, Cooper, Benilde-St. Margaret's and Chanhassen).

Team of hard knocks: Edina's first four games were not a schedule, they were a sentence. The Hornets' may be the best 0-4 team in the state, having lost to Maple Grove, DeLaSalle, Rosemount and Eden Prairie.

The combined records of those four teams? 17-0.

MVP, large school: A pair of quarterbacks — East Ridge's Seth Green and Rosemount's Jackson Erdmann — are the two front-runners.

MVP, small school: If he ever played more than half a game, Hutchinson running back Robbie Grimsley might be a sure thing. But the Tigers rarely have needed Grimsley to carry the ball after halftime, so the choice is DeLaSalle quarterback Billy Hart.