Football season is right around the corner. Both the Chaska Hawks and the Chanhassen Storm compete in Section 2AAAAA and the Northstar Conference South-Gold Division, which means they share a conference schedule — and face each other every fall for the Battle for the Jug. Games kick off at 7:00 PM unless otherwise noted. Schedules are sourced from Minnesota-Scores.net and verified as of July 30, 2026.
Chanhassen is coming into 2026 as the team to beat in the conference. The Storm went 11-2 last year, won the conference title with a 4-0 record, and reached the Class 5A Prep Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium before falling to Spring Lake Park 21-24 in the state championship. Chaska finished 7-3 and has a challenging early non-conference slate this year with back-to-back road trips to Rochester to open the season.
Chanhassen Storm — 2026 Football Schedule
Section 2AAAAA · Northstar South-Gold Conference · Head Coach: Cullen Nelson · 2025 Record: 11-2
| Date | Opponent | Home / Away | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Sep 4 | Alexandria | Away | Alexandria | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 11 | Burnsville | Away | Pates Stadium, Burnsville | 6:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 18 | Waconia (conf/section) | Home | Chanhassen | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 25 | St. Thomas Academy | Home | Chanhassen | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct 2 | Mankato East (conf/section) | Away | Mankato East | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct 9 | 🔥 Chaska — Battle for the Jug (conf/section) | Home | Chanhassen | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Mankato West (conf/section) | Away | Mankato West | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 21 | Rochester Mayo | Neutral | TCO Performance Center, Eagan | 7:00 PM |
Notable: The Storm close the regular season at a neutral site — the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, the same complex where the Vikings practice. Chanhassen faces two straight road games to open the year before hosting Waconia in their first home conference game September 18.
Chaska Hawks — 2026 Football Schedule
Section 2AAAAA · Northstar South-Gold Conference · 2025 Record: 7-3
| Date | Opponent | Home / Away | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Sep 4 | Rochester Mayo | Away | Rochester Mayo | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 11 | Rochester Century | Away | Rochester Century | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 18 | Hastings | Home | Chaska | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Sep 25 | Mankato East (conf/section) | Away | Mankato East | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct 2 | Mankato West (conf/section) | Home | Chaska | 7:00 PM |
| Fri, Oct 9 | 🔥 Chanhassen — Battle for the Jug (conf/section) | Away | Chanhassen | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Waconia (conf/section) | Home | Chaska | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Oct 21 | New Prague | Home | Chaska | 7:00 PM |
Notable: The Hawks open with back-to-back road trips to Rochester — Mayo on September 4 and Century on September 11. Their first home game isn’t until September 18 against Hastings. They close the regular season at home against New Prague on October 21.
Battle for the Jug — Friday, October 9
The Battle for the Jug is the marquee matchup on both teams’ schedules every year. It’s a conference and section game with real playoff seeding implications, and it carries even more weight in the community as a tradition of raising funds for childhood cancer research through the Tackle Cancer initiative.
In 2026, Chanhassen hosts at 2200 Lyman Blvd., kicking off at 7:00 PM on October 9. After Chanhassen’s run to the Class 5A Prep Bowl last year, this edition will be one of the most anticipated games of the entire fall season. If you haven’t been to a Jug game before, it draws large community crowds well beyond what you’d expect from a typical regular-season matchup.
About the 2026 MSHSL Football Season
Both programs compete in Class AAAAA (5A), the second-largest classification in Minnesota high school football. The MSHSL season officially begins with practices on August 17, 2026. Regular-season play runs from early September through late October, followed by the Section 2AAAAA playoff tournament to determine who advances to the state tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Schedules and game times are sourced from Minnesota-Scores.net and MaxPreps. Always verify current information with each school before traveling to games, as times and locations can change.