FAIRMONT — The strength of Fairmont’s regular-season football schedule proved a pivotal factor behind the Class AAA No. 5-ranked Cardinals (7-1) edging the No. 2-ranked and undefeated Jackson County Central Huskies for the No. 1 seed in the Section 3 playoffs.

“At the end of the day, it paid off that we opened this season by playing a pair of (Class) 4A schools in Marshall and St. Peter,” said Fairmont head coach Mat Mahoney, whose fall campaign also consisted of five 3A opponents and just one 2A program in Norwood Young America.

JCC, who outscored its opponents by a staggering 51.0-7.8 margin, squared off against one 3A rival, six 2A teams and one 1A program in Martin County West.

While Fairmont leapfrogged from a QRF rating of 70.0 to 76.6 following its 42-8 win over Class 3A opponent Sibley East on Wednesday night, JCC actually dropped from 71.8 to 69.8 on the heels of its 60-13 triumph over Class 2A foe St. James Area during Week 8.

“It’s a good feeling that every one of those two-a-day practices and all the hard work these guys put in over the summer paid off in being the top seed in the section,” said Mahoney. “The biggest advantage to being one of the top two seeds is that you earn a first-round bye Tuesday and allows you to take some time off and get away from football.”

Fairmont awaits the winner between No. 5-seeded Sibley East (2-6) and No. 4-seeded Tri-City United (1-7) in a 3 p.m. sectional semifinal Saturday, Oct. 26, at Mahoney Field in Fairmont. The Wolverines square off against the Titans in a 7 p.m. Tuesday night quarterfinal in Montgomery.

“Either opponent we could face in the semifinals we played during the regular season, so we (coaching staff) already know their respective personnel and coaching styles,” said Mahoney, whose team shut out TCU, 41-0, during Week 4 and downed Sibley East by 34 points during the regular-season finale two days ago.

No. 2-seeded JCC (8-0) awaits the winner between No. 6-seeded Worthington (0-8) and No. 3-seeded Luverne (6-2) in a 3 p.m. sectional semifinal Saturday, Oct. 26, in Jackson. Luverne plays host to Worthington in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

“I’m glad we had Luverne on our schedule this season because they’re a quality team and made us work hard for a win coming down the home stretch,” Mahoney said in reference to Fairmont’s 40-20 victory over Luverne during Week 5. “If, that’s if, Luverne beats Worthington Tuesday, that’ll be an interesting semifinal matchup for JCC.”

Junior Bailey Cowell, who passed for 164 yards and two TDs against Fairmont, has transitioned from quarterback to flanker for Luverne during the last couple of weeks, while Casey Sehr has stepped in under center during the stretch run.

Cowell rushed for 90 yards and three TDs on 10 totes in Luverne’s 33-12 triumph over Belle Plaine on Wednesday night, while Casey Sehr completed 5 of 12 passes for 78 yards and one score. Zach Kruse added 60 more yards and one TD on eight carries for Luverne.

Rudy Voss, a lethal double-threat from his quarterback position, threw for 158 yards and two TDs in the Huskies’ Week 7 win over Pipestone Area, while running back Elijah Meium-Bratrud ran for 103 yards and two more scores.

If JCC and Fairmont live up to their respective QRF billings and advance to the Section 3 championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, on the turf in Janesville, it would be the fifth consecutive showdown between the two state-ranked programs.

Head coach Tom Schuller’s Huskies have split the last four clashes against Fairmont, with JCC winning in 2015 and 2016. Mahoney’s Cardinals, however, have won the last two meetings, including in 2018 en route to capturing second at the Class AAA Prep Bowl.