Best of East Metro high school football Friday: Best team and player performances as playoffs roll on

Nairavoice | Oct 31, 2026 1h ago 35 0 3 min read

Best of East Metro high school football Friday: Best team and player performances as playoffs roll on

The Class 6A playoff kicked off Friday with Round 1 action. Here were the best performances — by teams and players — across the East Metro on Friday.

Team of the night: Lakeville South Cougars

Lakeville South was handed a difficult Round 1 matchup in Anoka, and the Cougars went into the north metro and found a way to scrape out a 51-47 victory thanks largely to their running game, but also a couple big interceptions from the Lakeville South secondary.

Honorable mention

Hudson (WI): The Raiders pulled off at least a seeding upset as the No. 3 seed knocking off second-seeded Verona, 38-13 on the road.

Player of the night: Wesley Kukkonen, Centennial quarterback

Just inserted as Centennial’s starting signal caller two weeks ago, Kukkonen ran in three scores — including the overtime game winner — in the Cougars’ 35-29 victory over East Ridge.

In two games with Kukkonen starting at quarterback, the Cougars are averaging 36.5 points per game.

Honorable mentions

Case Wassink, Mounds View wide receiver: Wink tallied three catches for 109 yards and two scores in the Mustangs’ win over Hopkins.

Mack Jurkovich, Forest Lake running back: The St. Thomas commit ran in three scores as Forest Lake exacted a small dose of revenge with a 35-21 win against Edina, who edged the Rangers in overtime a year ago en route to the Class 6A crown.

Biran White, White Bear Lake receiver: Yes, it came in the Bears’ 63-48 defeat at the hands of Wayzata, but the sophomore receiver put on a show against the Trojans. White tallied 10 grabs for 198 yards and three touchdowns.

White Bear Lake’s other skill position players: Biran White may have had the best night, but he was far from the only standout. Brian White III ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns, Wyatt Stachowiak threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns and Antonio Brown had nine grabs for 151 yards and a score.

It was all for naught, though, as Wayzata hung 63 points a night where Thor Soukup threw for three scores and ran in two more and Michael Criswell had three rushing touchdowns.

Play of the night: Lakeville South’s game-winning touchdown pass

Trailing the Tornadoes 47-44 and facing a 3rd-and-6 in their own territory with just north of two minutes to play, the Cougars decided to do something they hadn’t all evening: Pass.

Their first aerial attempt was a good one. Colby Olsen found Griffen Dean streaking wide open over the middle of the field. Dean worked his way to the sidelines, then stayed in bounds for the 72-yard, go-ahead touchdown to key Lakeville South’s 51-47 victory in Anoka.