Last Friday, the Royals won their first section tournament game 37-36 against the Edina Hornets.

The Royals’ second section game will be Friday, Oct. 31 at Lakeville North High School against the 8-1 Panthers. Lakeville North beat Cottage Grove 35-7 in their first section tournament game on Friday, Oct. 24.

The Royals acknowledge that they made some mistakes during last Friday’s game, but still managed to beat Edina.

“The little mistakes we made last Friday against Edina could have cost us the game. I believe that the little mistakes lead to big mistakes,” said Kyle Johnson, senior.

The Royals feel prepared to face any challenges the Panthers will provide.

“This week practice was different from others because we have focused more on mentally and physically preparing ourselves,” said Joey Mydra, senior and captain.

Lakeville is ranked fifth compared to Hopkins being tenth in state according to the Minnesota Football Hub.

A victory against Lakeville North would give the Royals a 2-0 record in the section playoffs and send them to the state tournament for the first time in the program’s history.