Top-Seeded Stillwater Rolls Over North St. Paul 41-13 in Class 6A Playoffs

The top-seeded Ponies rolled over North St. Paul Friday night with a 41-13 win in the opening round of Section 4AAAAAA playoffs.

No. 3 ranked Stillwater (8-1) will host Rosemount (5-3) on Friday, Nov. 2 at Pony Stadium.

Here’s how the playoffs take shape under the new 6A Playoff structure:

The top 32 schools were divided into four sections of eight schools in the first round of the playoffs. After Friday night's games, the 6A playoff field was cut down to 16 teams.

• Section 3 and 4: Rosemount at Stillwater; Woodbury at Prior Lake; Roseville at Lakeville North; Eastview at Mounds View
• Section 5 and 6: Blaine at Edina; Champlin Park at Wayzata; Eden Prairie at Osseo; Minnetonka at Maple Grove

The winners advance to the final eight, and will play at the Dome for the 6A State Title.

Sections are paired with each other for two years and then rotate.

Pairings for 6A:

• 2012 & 2013: Section 5 vs. 6; and Section 3 vs. 4
• 2014 & 2015: Section 4 vs. 5; and Section 3 vs. 6
• 2016 & 2017: Section 6 vs. 4; and Section 5 vs. 3

The initial pairing was determined by a random draw. Eight winners advance to the State Quarterfinals.

After the results of next week’s games, coaches will vote to seed the top five teams and then there is a blind draw for match-ups. The brackets are set according to the seeding results.

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Last week, Stillwater captured a share of title for the Suburban East Conference with an exciting 21-14 win last Wednesday at Hastings (3-5).

The Ponies have played solid football all season long—and ride a five-game wining streak into the playoffs. The Polars finished 1-6 in the Classic Suburban Conference.

Click here to read the Stillwater Gazette's preview of tonight's game.

The forecast for Friday night's game is a partly cloudy evening with a low of 21 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Keep up with the Ponies this season by following @Ponies Football on Twitter, or liking the Ponies Football Facebook page.

Click here to read stories about some of the Ponies volunteer efforts during the off-season.

You can also listen to the game on the radio by tuning into KLBB AM-1220. 

Schedule:

Aug. 31: at Woodbury 7 p.m. (W, 20-18)

Sept. 7: White Bear Lake 7 p.m. (W, 28-19)

Sept. 14: at Cretin Derham Hall 7 p.m. (L, 27-13)

Sept. 21: Forest Lake 7 p.m. (W, 48-0)

Sept. 28: Mounds View 7 p.m. (W, 17-14)

Oct. 5: at East Ridge 7 p.m. (W, 24-21)

Oct. 12: Roseville 7 p.m. (W, 28-19)

Oct. 17: at Hastings 7 p.m. (W, 21-14)