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For Bishop Garrigan, playing on a Thursday in November is nothing new.
For North Union, this is all uncharted territory.
Both the defending state champion Golden Bears and Warriors compete in eight-player state quarterfinals on Thursday night.
No. 5 Garrigan (9-1 overall) heads to third-ranked Woodbine (9-0) in a rematch of the 2025 state championship game won by the Golden Bears, who have won two titles and reached the final four in three straight seasons.
Despite the loss of starting quarterback Michael Joyce to an injury, Bishop Garrigan had no trouble eliminating Remsen St. Mary's last week, 64-27. The Hawks are the only program over the last three years to defeat the Golden Bears in the postseason.
CJ McGregor ran for 157 yards and scored four touchdowns, as Carter Cink had 166 yards on the ground and three TDs as part of a 375-yard rushing performance. Jerad Graves threw a touchdown pass to Weston Rosenmeyer.
On the year, McGregor has 1,456 yards and 23 touchdowns, with Cink adding 830 and 17 scores.
Woodbine (9-0) had its closest game of the season, rallying for a 34-26 victory over Lenox. Cal Pryor threw for 325 yards and Penn State commit Landon Blum caught 14 passes for 211 yards with a TD.
Pryor has thrown 33 touchdown passes and ran in 10 more, as Blum has 56 receptions for 1,036 yards and 15 scores. Micah Moores has 405 yards rushing and Reagan Blum 386.
Eighth-ranked North Union (9-1) will head to No. 1 Audubon, as the Warriors have won four straight since a six-point loss to Bishop Garrigan. That includes a 68-50 triumph over ninth-ranked Kingsley-Pierson in the playoffs last week.
In the second half vs. Kingsley-Pierson, North Union scored 48 points, as Greyson Colegrove had six rushing touchdowns and 179 yards. He also had 154 passing yards and three scores, with Carson Crouch rushing for 154 and a TD.
Audubon has scored 126 points in two playoff wins, including a 72-30 victory over Clarksville. The Wheelers are led by junior Aiden Kjergaard, a two-year starter who has 1,568 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns, with 679 passing yards and 12 more scores.
The other two quarterfinals feature Coon Rapids-Bayard at No. 6 Gladbrook-Reinbeck and seventh-ranked Edgewood-Colesburg at No. 2 Iowa Valley.