Eden Valley-Watkins And Barnesville To Meet For State Football Title Friday In Battle Of Undefeated Teams

The Eden Valley-Watkins Eagles will look to cap an undefeated season with a win over Barnesville in the Class AA state championship game at US Bank Stadium Friday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m..

Eden Valley-Watkins started the season with a 50-14 win over Melrose and hasn't looked back, posting a 12-0 record en route to the title game. The Eagles have outscored their opponents 546-103 this season, including a 102-24 margin in state tourney wins over Moose Lake-Willow River (60-0 final) and Cannon Falls (42-24).

Eden Valley-Watkins is currently ranked #5 in Class AA according to Minnesota-Scores.net's QRF ranking. The school won its lone football title in 2005.

Barnesville, who won the Class AA title in 2022, also boasts an undefeated record this season at 13-0. The Trojans hit the ground running with a 14-7 win against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton in week one on their way to outscoring their regular season opponents 350-35.

The Trojans' state tournament games have been a bit closer. Barnesville beat Osakis 42-36 in a quarterfinal before beating Jackson County Central 38-23 last week at US Bank Stadium.

Barnesville is ranked #3 in the QRF.

The two teams did not meet during the regular season.