(11/15/2023) The Andover High School football team (10-1) advanced to the semifinals of the MSHSL Class AAAAA State Football Tournament. The Huskies will square off against Chanhassen High School on Saturday, Nov. 18. Opening kick-off for the state semifinal game is set for 7 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Andover is making its seventh state tournament appearance in school history with the last trip coming in 2021.
Visit the MSHSL website for more tournament information. All tickets for the state tournament must be purchased online.
The MSHSL Class AAAAA state semifinals can be streamed live (for a fee) at nspn.tv/mshsl.. Live stats are also available online.
The Huskies defeated Robbinsdale Armstrong 37-20 in the quarterfinals on Nov. 11. Senior quarterback Chase Pemberton and senior running back D’Mario Davenport each rushed for two touchdowns in the quarterfinal win over Robbinsdale Armstrong to help lead the Huskies into the semifinals.
Davenport rushed 22 times for 88 yards and a score, while Pemberton ran for 37 yards and two touchdowns while also completing 10 of 14 passes for 131 yards. Andover picked up a safety late in the first half to give the Huskies a 23-6 halftime lead.
Pemberton and junior quarterback Hudson Maynard each had a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to put Andover ahead 37-6. The Falcons scored twice late to get within 17 but it was too little too late as the Huskies were able to put them away early to earn a berth to the state semifinals.
Defensively, the Huskies were led by Kaleb Weikel’s 10 tackles. Luke Dehnicke added five tackles and an interception, while Charlie Amundson also picked off a pass to go along with four tackles in the game.
Chanhassen enters the state tournament with a record of 11-0 on the season, having survived a couple of scares in its last two games. The Storm earned a trip to the state tournament with a last-minute touchdown in the section final against Mankato West. In their first game of the state tournament, the Storm used a 14-point fourth quarter to defeat Mahtomedi High School 28-22.
