The regular season didn’t come to a boring conclusion for two of the top-ranked teams in the state. No. 1 Maple Grove beat No. 3 Minnetonka in a 4th quarter thriller, 31-21, Thursday afternoon at Minnetonka High School.

Minnetonka opened the game by scoring a touchdown on their first drive, and built a 14-0 lead into the second quarter after a 69-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Francois to Vinny May.

***Click the video box above to view extended highlights from this game***

Maple Grove scored 21 unanswered points, taking the lead in the third quarter. Crimson junior quarterback Kaden Harney threw three touchdown passes to senior wide receiver Dylan Vokal.

The Skippers tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter after Francois’s four-yard touchdown run.

A tipping point in the game came on Minnetonka’s next offensive drive, Francois was talked in Minnetonka’s end zone, and fumbled the ball, recovered by Maple Grove for a go-ahead score.

Crazy ending to a high school football game, MEA addition.

#1 Maple Grove at #3 Minnetonka

Tied 21-21 in the 4th, Skippers fumble in their own end zone, recovered by Crimson for go-ahead TD.

Maple Grove wins 31-21, to end regular season 8-0. pic.twitter.com/0rjijxBG7S

— Alec Ausmus (@A_TwiceKSTP) October 17, 2024

The Crimson sealed the win after a 45-yard field goal from Henry Sievers.

Maple Grove concludes the regular season with an 8-0 record. Minnetonka ends with a 6-2 record.

The 6A playoffs start on Friday, October, 25.