Springfield's Brayden Sturm (17) yells in celebration after securing a big contested catch during the section 3A title game against Murray County Central on Friday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.

SPRINGFIELD — Three consecutive state tournament trips is not something that every football program can claim to have accomplished.

But for the Springfield Tigers, the focus is the same as it has been for the rest of the season — eyes on the game ahead.

“Honestly, there hasn’t been a lot of talk about this game being largely different than games we’ve played this season,” Springfield head coach Adam Meyer said. “We understand the process we need to take to be prepared and that we need to play really well to keep advancing. Our team does a great job of keeping focus on what’s right in front of them and taking it day by day, and the excitement builds throughout the week.”

Meyer doesn’t believe that being familiar to the state tournament gives the team any leg up on the other teams, aside from perhaps being more prepared for the difference in the pregame.

“Once the game starts, it’s just about football and I don’t feel like there’s much of an advantage or disadvantage that comes with being there before,” Meyer said. “We do feel like we have a pretty set schedule for how we want to operate before games. State tournament games are run slightly differently as far as time allowed on the field, lining up pregame, announcements and so on, so it’s nice for our guys not to be scrambling in those moments.”

Springfield will be facing off against Goodhue on Thursday in the opening round of this year’s Class A Football State Tournament, with the game being played at Rochester Mayo High School at 7 p.m. Goodhue, like Springfield, is undefeated coming into the game, with both teams sporting 11-0 records. Goodhue defeated Filmore Central, a team that Springfield faced during last year’s state tournament, 52-7 to advance to state. Springfield defeated Filmore Central 22-12 in last year’s matchup, so Goodhue looks to be a tough opening-round opponent this year, reflected by the Wildcats’ No. 2 seed in the south bracket to Springfield’s No. 3 seed.

“They’ve been very successful this season running the football,” Meyer said. “They have a pair of running backs that are very efficient and are talented runners. Their quarterback also is a dual threat player and can run the ball as well. They have a very strong front on both sides of the ball and they lean on the line to open up plays on both sides of the ball. I don’t think we’ve seen a team with the depth up front that Goodhue has to rotate big bodies in and out on both sides of the ball. They’ve also been great in the turnover margin this year, giving the ball away less than five times all season and turning their opposition over 25 plus times.”

Turnovers are always a crucial piece of winning a football game, but this rings especially true of a unit that is +20 in the turnover differential on the season.

Leading the backfield for Goodhue will be Nathan Beck, who has run the ball 117 times for 1,073 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Joining him will be Jack Carlson, who has 106 carries for 778 yards and 18 touchdowns. Luke Roschen will be throwing the ball for the Wildcats and has 12 passing touchdowns on the year, with his favorite targets being Sean Matthees (21 catches, 278 yards, 3 TDs), and Henry Caswell (16 catches, 206 yards, 3 TDs).

“Their running backs on offense are both strong players for them on both sides of the ball,” Meyer said. “It will be really important for us to slow their running game down and put them in passing situations. Their quarterback also plays free safety and has been a key player on both sides of the ball. He does a really nice job extending plays on offense and makes a lot of plays outside of the pocket. Their front on both sides is also strong. I wouldn’t say any one in particular stands out, but they all play well and have size.”

Getting an advantage over that strong defensive line will be key for Springfield, as they rely on keeping quarterback Parker Kuehn upright to run the offense. This will allow Springfield’s talented receivers to take advantage of the man-to-man scheme that Goodhue runs if they have time to get open.

“If we can protect our quarterback, I think we will have some opportunities for some explosive plays in the pass game,” Meyer said. “They are a man-to-man team for the most part, which limits completion percentage, but also provides opportunities to make some big plays.”

The trenches are especially important in this game for Springfield. Defenders like Aiden Moriarty and Gavin Vanderwerf are going to have to try to find a way to defeat blocks to stop the run game if the Tigers want to slow down the backfield trio of Beck, Carlson and Roschen.

“The line of scrimmage will be the number one factor in this game in my opinion,” Meyer said. “Slowing their running game down and establishing our own ground game will be crucial. Explosive plays will be another important aspect to watch. They have made some big plays, both on the ground and in the passing game this year, and so have we, so it will be important to see where the edge goes there. Lastly, special teams this time of year is really important. Limiting big returns to keep the field position in our favor will be important.”