After Lakeville South starting quarterback Will Heller exited Friday’s game against Eagan just before halftime with a knee injury, backup Cole Engstrom entered and had a less-than-desirable first snap. 

Engstrom, who started the game at tight end, forgot to take off his sweat-soaked gloves and fumbled the ball when he tried to throw a pass to a receiver in the end zone.

The senior, however, didn’t let the victory slip out of his hands. 

Engstrom threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Soda Simphilavong with just over five minutes left in the game to help the Cougars to an 8-0 victory over the Wildcats in an East Metro White subdistrict matchup Thursday at Lakeville South High School. 

Even with Engstrom’s shaky start under center, Lakeville South coach Larry Thompson wasn’t surprised his backup quarterback got the job done. 

“He is just a calm and collected dude,” Thompson said. 

This persona was much needed with the type of game Lakeville South (1-2) found itself in. 

Both teams had success at times moving the ball, but neither could finish drives. Whether it was penalties, giving up sacks or miscommunication, neither the Cougars nor the Wildcats could string together enough offensive plays to score. 

That was until Engstrom closed the game. 

He drove the Cougars’ offense down the field with confidence, going 3-for-5 passing for 39 yards while closing out a 68-yard drive late in the fourth quarter with a 3-yard TD pass. 

Not bad for a quarterback who gets - at most - four reps at practice. 

“He might get a few more now,” Thompson said with a smile. 

He may not spend much time as a signal-caller in practice, but Engstrom is familiar with playing the position, having grown up playing quarterback.

He decided to move to tight end for his senior season after gaining about 25 pounds of muscle during the offseason, enduring many 1 a.m. workouts at Lifetime Fitness with his teammates in order to be physically ready for his final high school season.

The coaching staff took notice.

“No one worked harder in the offseason than him in the weight room,” Thompson said. 

The coaches knew Engstrom could play tight end since his body “filled out,” but the staff also knew they had a decent backup quarterback if Heller ever went down, Thompson added.

Thompson, who is in his 10th year as the Cougars’ head coach, was glad to see Engstrom receive the benefits of his offseason labor, even if it was at quarterback and not tight end. 

“Sometimes, kids like that bust their tail but never get an opportunity to do something special,” Thompson said. “Tonight, he got in and did something special.” 

The Cougars will need Engstrom to continue to produce something special in coming weeks. Thompson said he doesn’t know the extent of Heller’s knee injury, adding that it “doesn’t look good.” 

“I hope it’s not too bad because he’s a good leader and a good thrower,” Thompson said. “He does a lot of good things.” 

Engstrom isn’t the same type of quarterback as Heller, but he doesn’t have to be if he can continue to manage the offense while the Lakeville South defense plays like it did against Eagan. 

“The offense feeds off the defense,” Engstrom said. “If they get a big hit or big stop, we want to reward them for how hard they worked.” 

No matter how the defense plays, though, Thompson knows Engstrom will need to step up if Heller misses extended time. 

“Quarterback is so important to your team,” Thompson said. “If you don’t have a quarterback, it doesn’t really matter what else you have. They have to make some throws and be calm under pressure.” 

The victory over Eagan was the Cougars’ first of the season, and Thompson told his team it is starting to get a “swagger.”

Once Engstrom got past his slippery gloves, he began to find this swagger as well, which Lakeville South hopes will continue to grow if he’s needed to take snaps again. 

“I’m getting (a swagger),” Engstrom said. “Maybe not at first; I was a little rough. When I threw a touchdown pass, I got a feeling of knowing I can do it again.”

Backup quarterback Cole Engstrom tossed a late touchdown pass to lift Lakeville South over Eagan 8-0 in an East Metro White subdistrict matchup at Lakeville South High School on Thursday.

Engstrom completed 7 of 14 passes, but his touchdown to wide receiver Soda Simphilavong with five minutes to play was enough to give the Cougars (1-2) their first victory of the season.

Engstrom, the starting tight end, entered the game with less than a minute left in the first half after starting quarterback Will Heller hobbled off the field. Lakeville South head coach Larry Thompson said after the game that Heller appeared to have suffered a knee injury but didn't know the extent of it. 

Eagan (1-2) threatened to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats started with great field position when a penalty on the kickoff after the Lakeville South TD put the ball at the Cougars’ 37-yard line. Eagan drove to the 5-yard line, but an interception by senior linebacker Kyle Martin with less than a minute left in the game sealed the Lakeville South victory. 

Eagan quarterback Gus Kluender finished 8-for-15 passing on the night. 

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