H-BC, JCC to play in state quarterfinal football games Thursday

The Hills-Beaver Creek and Jackson County Central football teams will each play state tournament quarterfinal games Thursday night as both aim to repeat as state champions.

The unbeaten Patriots, who knocked off Edgerton 38-28 last Friday to again win the Section 3 9-man title, are top-ranked in the state and unbeaten this fall at 10-0. Their opponent Thursday will be Section 1 champ Spring Grove, which has a record of 8-3 in 2026.

Last week's 10-point victory over Edgerton was H-BC's closest game of the season. The Patriots have outscored their foes this fall by an average of 42.8 to 6.8 points per matchup. The Lions are averaging 33.5 points on offense and allowing 16.4. In winning their section, the squad avenged losses from earlier in the season to Leroy-Ostrander/Lyle/Pacelli and Lanesboro. 

In Class AA, the 9-1 Huskies will be facing 10-0 Waterville-Elysian-Morristown of Section 2 in the quarterfinals. JCC is outscoring opponents by an average of 41.1 to 11.4 points. The Buccaneers score an average of 38.2 points a game while surrendering 13.5.

The Patriots-Lions game will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. The JCC vs. W-E-M tilt also kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday and will be played at Hastings High School.