We're at the midpoint of the season, or thereabouts, and what has been a wildly entertaining ride only promises to offer more thrills, starting with Saturday's big showdown between the top two teams in Class 1A — and possibly the entire state — in Hermantown and Warroad.

Longtime rivals in the northeast corner of the state meet Tuesday when Red Lake Falls (9-5-0), which ranks second in the state with 86 goals, hosts Kittson County Central (3-8-1) and top scorer Tyler Hennen (17 goals, 18 assists). Red Lake Falls senior Ty Kennett ranks second in the state with 53 points. ... No. 14-1A Orono (5-6-1) and leading scorer Bradley Walker (10 goals) would likely accelerate their recent ascension in the Class 1A rankings with a victory over No. 7-1A Minneapolis (9-3-1) Tuesday. ... Chanhassen (7-3-1), which has lost just once in its last nine games, faces a difficult challenge Friday when it meets Sartell-St. Stephen (7-4-0) and top scorer Tory Lund (16 goals). ... Park of Cottage Grove (6-4-0) and scoring leader Jackson Rudh, a freshman with 20 points, square off Saturday against one of the longtime power brokers in the Suburban East Conference in White Bear Lake (5-4-0). ... Blaine (6-3-3) and its defense will be put to the test by Spring Lake Park (8-6-0) and scoring phenom Blake Lueck, the state goal-scoring leader with 30.