On a Thursday night when former Vikings coach Bud Grant’s old team looked overmatched, his son Mike’s team was having similar difficulties.
The difference was that Mike’s Eden Prairie team got things together after halftime to defeat Lake Conference rival Minnetonka 36-12.
The No. 1-ranked Eagles (6-0) exploded for 22 points in the second half, putting an end to any thoughts the Skippers (3-4) had of an upset.
“In the first half, things went their way,” Grant said. “I told them in the third quarter, the breaks would go our way. The great thing is the kids believe this stuff. I had no doubts they would go out and play their best in the third quarter.”
Grant clearly knows his team well. The Eagles got an electrifying 74-yard touchdown run from J.D. Spielman on their first drive of the second half, bumping the lead to 21-12. Running back Will Rains then took over on offense, scoring two more touchdown en route to his best game since transferring to Eden Prairie from Eastview. Rains finished with 153 yards rushing, caught a pass for 17 yards and scored four touchdowns.
“Our line has been playing out of their minds lately,” Rains said.
The first half was a lesson in meaningless statistics. Eden Prairie got a pair of Rains touchdowns on its first two possessions, then sputtered and stumbled through the second quarter.
“Our first two drives were perfect, then it seemed like we had a little letdown,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minnetonka kept after the Eagles. Thanks to a couple of first-half Eden Prairie turnovers and a big kickoff return, Minnetonka spent most of the first half in the Eden Prairie end of the field.
But it wasn’t until late in the half that quarterback Braden Sikes scored on a 7-yard run. Until then, the Skippers had settled for two field goals and twice turned over the ball on downs. By halftime, Minnetonka had outgained Eden Prairie in yardage 169-109, had a distinctive advantage in time of possession and field position, and ran 38 plays to Eden Prairie’s 18.
But the Skippers still trailed 14-12.
“We knew what we had to do and we weren’t going to lose,” Eden Prarie linebacker Bill Koop said. “We know we’re going to get everybody’s best shot. And when J.D. scored in the third quarter, we knew that was it. Game over.”
After spending so much time in the Eden Prairie zone before halftime, Minnetonka barely sniffed the Eden Prairie side of the field in the second half. The Skippers didn’t cross midfield again until the game was well out of reach.
“We figured out what worked and just took it play by play after that,” said defensive end Scott McNeill, who had two sacks. “There was never any worry.”
