Here are some of Thursday’s top high school football games involving East Metro teams:

Rochester Mayo (2-5) at East Ridge (4-3), 6 p.m.

The Raptors have won three of their past four games, the last of which was an upset of then-No. 1 Lakeville North, which sparks the thought: Does East Ridge have another deep postseason run in it? If the defense can continue to create turnovers, anything is possible. Rochester Mayo may be 2-5, but its offensive firepower will make it one of the scarier lower-seeded opponents in the Class 6A bracket. OUR PICK: East Ridge 28, Rochester Mayo 20

Champlin Park (3-4) at Lakeville South (4-3), 1 p.m.

Champlin Park is riding high after knocking off defending state champion Centennial last week. These are two teams who are a play or two away from significantly better records and could be scary early-round playoff opponents. One thing to watch: Will the Cougars continue to get St. Thomas commit Bo Bokman more involved in the receiving game after he had three catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns last week against Eastview? That could be an X factor for the Cougars’ offense in the playoffs. OUR PICK: Lakeville South 33, Champlin Park 20

St. Michael-Albertville (3-4) at Mounds View (5-2), 1 p.m.

Mounds View likely has a No. 1 seed in sections wrapped up by virtue of its head-to-head victory over Forest Lake, which it finished next to atop the Metro East subdistrict standings. But the Rangers do enter the week with a slim advantage in the QRF, which could be a talking point at the postseason seeding meeting. A win Thursday over St. Michael-Albertville could erase that margin, while a loss would figure to strengthen Forest Lake’s argument for the top spot. OUR PICK: Mounds View 30, St. Michael-Albertville 17

Maple Grove (7-0) at Minnetonka (6-1), 1 p.m.

This West Metro clash is far and away Thursday’s most tantalizing tilt. On paper, these look to be two of the three or four best teams in Class 6A. Do they go all out Thursday for bragging rights in a game that likely won’t have much of an impact on playoff seedings, or keep most of their tricks in their bag in case they meet again sometime in November when there is far more on the line? While the latter makes sense, at some point, competitive juices may prevail Thursday. OUR PICK: Maple Grove 24, Minnetonka 21