The regular season is over, and the games ahead are carrying a lot more weight.
It’s high school football playoff time — win or go home.
Kudos to the Minnesota State High School league (MSHSL), which conducts its postseason in a manner that ensures every team gets a shot in the playoffs.
In some states, standards must be met to qualify for postseason play. Not in Minnesota. In all sports, every team or individual qualifies for play after the regular season. The MSHSL has long prided itself in the fact that all competitors have life after the regular season. That, the league says, is the wish of its member schools.
Of course, not all postseason opportunities are the same. Competitors are seeded and ranked. Often, realistic chances for bottom seeds are slim, obviously, but upsets do happen.
The first round of playoffs, which took place Tuesday, are often found lacking as top teams either gain first-round byes or get awarded lopsided matchups.
This weekend’s games will be far more compelling, but next weekend — section finals weekend — is when the competition really heats up as team vie for state tournament berths.
