Mason West remembers how close his team came to a state championship two years ago. And now, in his senior season, the Edina quarterback wasn’t about to be denied a second chance.
West threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns as the Hornets overcame a 21-point, late second quarter deficit to knock off Minnetonka 42-41 in a Class 6A state semifinal Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Edina (8-4) rattled off 35 unanswered points over a span in the third and fourth quarters, then held off a late Skippers’ surge to advance to face the winner of Friday’s other semifinal between Moorhead and Lakeville South in the state title game at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21.
That’s the same place the Hornets were two years ago during West’s first season as the starter. In that game, West threw a 21-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds remaining to cut the Centennial lead to just one. But Edina elected to go for two, and now-senior Chase Bjorgaard was stopped less than a yard shy of the goal line as the Hornets fell 28-27.
It didn’t look like West and company would get a shot to return throughout much of the first half Thursday. Minnetonka senior Caleb Francois—whose team fell to Maple Grove in the state title game last season—looked unstoppable.
After an interception by senior linebacker Brady Young on the game’s opening drive, Francois carried the ball six times for 54 yards on a seven-play, 67-yard drive, which he capped with a 12-yard touchdown run to put the Skippers on top 7-0.
Then, after the Minnetonka defense held Edina to a three-and-out, junior quarterback Caden Gutzmer connected with senior Parker Burckhardt on a 67-yard touchdown pass on the opening play of the Skippers’ second possession.
The Hornets cut the gap to 14-7 when three-year starter Mason West found senior Jabari Strader on a 28-yard scoring strike. But with just two seconds left in the first quarter, Francois broke loose again, this time on a 41-yard touchdown run that extended his team’s lead to 21-7.
He ended the first quarter with 10 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns. And he was far from finished, scoring on a 4-yard touchdown run with 4:46 to play in the second quarter.
But the Hornets came buzzing back, first on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior Chase Bjorgaard. Then, after senior Cooper Drake recovered a fumble at the Minnetonka 45 late in the first half, West and Strader connected again, this time on a 19-yard touchdown pass that cut the Skippers’ lead to just seven—28-21 at halftime.
The two teams combined for 607 yards of offense in the first half—288 for the Hornets and 319 for Minnetonka.
Edina kept hold of the momentum in the second half. Despite starting their first drive of the third quarter at their own six-yard line, West went deep to senior Sammy Stephenson, resulting in a 71-yard touchdown pass that tied the score at 28.
West then scored on an 8-yard run with 10:40 to play to give the Hornets their first lead, before again finding Strader on a 44-yard touchdown pass that made the score 42-28.
Minnetonka, though, did not go quietly. Despite Francois battling injury, the Skippers cut the gap to 42-35 when Gutzmer connected with senior Charles Simonsen on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 4:49 remaining.
Then, after forcing a Hornets punt, the Skippers scored on a 6-yard run by senior Quinton Restrepo with 1:42 to go. But Minnetonka elected to go for two, and Francois was stopped short of the end zone.
The Hornets then recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to head back to the state championship game for the second time in three years.
Francois finished with 33 carries for 255 yards. Bjorgaard, meanwhile, had 23 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.
https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/13/high-school-football-edina-tops-minnetonka-in-6a-semifinals/
