Fueled by two doses of motivation, Hutchinson raced past North Branch for a 56-28 victory in the Class AAAA to set up a showdown with Rocori for the Prep Bowl Championship next week.

Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports’ extended highlights of the Class 4A State FootbalL Semifinal between Hutchinson and North Branch

Junior back Nathan Thode blazed the way with 171 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns and senior running back Carter Verhasselt added 120 yards and another touchdown to send the Tigers (10-2) back to the Class AAAA for the third consecutive season.

In 2021, the Tigers won the Class AAAA crown with a victory over Kasson-Mantorville. A year later, Hutchinson was unable to defend that crown and lost to Simley.

Next week, the Tigers will face Rocori, which dealt them one of their two losses, an 11-0 setback in Week 4. Hutchinson built a 32-14 advantage over North Branch (10-2) at the half and extended it to 48-20 after three quarters.

Junior quarterback Jacob Robillard rushed for 120 yards and completed 4 of 5 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns for North Branch.

RELATED: KSTP Sports State Football Central Homepage

Courtesy: Minnesota State High School League