Football Wednesday: Shakopee at Northfield

High school football teams gearing up to play Wednesday night can mean only one thing: The end of the regular season is here, and the start of the playoffs is just around the corner. Some teams' playoff fate—good or bad—is already sealed at this point, and they are just playing out the schedule. For other teams, Wednesday's contests could go a long way toward determining whether this season is looked back on as a success or failure.

LAST WEEK

Northfield (2-5, 1-5 Missota) lost to Holy Angels 25-7; Shakopee (7-0, 6-0 Missota) beat Red Wing 14-7.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

-Zak Hoffman (Shakopee, quarterback)

Hoffman rushed for 57 yards and led the team with eight tackles against Red Wing.

-Devin Walker (Northfield, running back)

Walker scored a first-quarter touchdown against Holy Angels to give his team a 7-0 lead, but it proved to be the Raiders' only score of the game.

IF THE SABERS WIN …

They will clinch the No. 2 seed in Section 6AAAAA. Eden Prairie is likely locked in as the No. 1 seed, even if the Eagles lose their much-anticipated showdown with Wayzata. A Shakopee loss coupled with a Minnetonka win could knock the Sabers into third, but either way they would host a first-round home game in the playoffs against either Minneapolis Southwest or Chanhassen.

IF THE RAIDERS WIN …

They will be the No. 3 seed for the 1AAAA playoffs and will host a first-round game. Even if the Raiders lose and Winona wins, the Raiders could still be the No. 3 seed, but could also slip to fourth in that scenario. Winona, New Prague, Albert Lea and Auston are possible first-round opponents.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

• SITE: Northfield High School
• TIME: 7 p.m. Wednesday
• WEATHER FORECAST: 44 and partly cloudy
• LAST SEASON: Shakopee 35, Northfield 7

SHAKOPEE SCHEDULE

Sept. 2: SHAKOPEE 56, Fridley 6

Sept. 9: Shakopee 17, CHANHASSEN 15

Sept. 16: SHAKOPEE 49, Chaska 22

Sept. 23: Shakopee 42, FARMINGTON 10

Sept. 30: SHAKOPEE 48, New Prague 14

Oct. 7 Shakopee 10, HOLY ANGELS 7

Oct. 14: SHAKOPEE 14, Red Wing 7

Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Northfield, 7 p.m.

NORTHFIELD SCHEDULE

Sept. 1: Northfield 11, ST. PAUL CENTRAL 9

Sept. 9: CHASKA 36, Northfield 25

Sept. 16: NORTHFIELD 33, New Prague 20

Sept. 23: RED WING 14, Northfield 7

Sept. 30: Chanhassen 28, NORTHFIELD 7

Oct. 7: FARMINGTON 27, Northfield 0

Friday, Oct. 14 Holy Angels 25, NORTHFIELD 7

Wednesday, Oct. 19 vs. Shakopee, 7 p.m.