On Senior Night at Eden Prairie High School, Eagles' standout and likely Mr. Football Award finalist JD Spielman put on another show and made another statement with his play about why he might be the best player in the state.

The Nebraska recruit scored four touchdowns and recovered a fumble at midfield to put Eden Prairie in the driver's seat during its Class 6A top-10 showdown with Wayzata, a game the Eagles won handily 33-13.

"To beat a team of this caliber and to have the game in control, we're very happy," Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. "I thought we played very, very well."

The Trojans defense had no answer for the speedy and shifty Spielman, who finished with 13 carries for 107 yards. He scored four TDs, all of which came during the first three quarters.

Wayzata, ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated Press state high school football poll, raced to the game's first score less than two minutes into the first quarter. The Trojans took the opening drive 74 yards on five plays for a touchdown on a 24-yard run from Keeshawn Aleksuk.

However, that would be the extent of Wayzata's offensive production until the final minutes when the Aleksuk scored against Eden Prairie's backup defense. Between those two touchdowns, the top-ranked Eagles simply outmuscled the Trojans on all sides of the ball.

Eden Prairie answered Wayzata's first touchdown a short time later on an 8-yard TD run from Spielman. The Eagles staked the lead for good with 4:05 remaining in the first quarter on Spielman's second rushing touchdown, this time from 4 yards out, and they kept on from there.

It was another instance of Eden Prairie spotting its opponents an early lead, only to revoke it cruelly.

No need to panic in the first quarter when your team has a winning streak that dates back to 2012.

"You can't worry about that as much as you need to be prepared to be able to do your thing," Spielman said of an early deficit. "We believe that if we stay focused and keep playing like we are capable of, then everything will work out in the end."

"It's kind of an unfortunate routine," quarterback Jackson Randle said with a smirk. "I don't know what it is about this year, but we always find a way to come firing back."

The Eagles' group of big boys on the offensive line performed well against the rare combination of size and speed that the Trojans bring up front, and running lanes opened enough to spring Spielman and fellow senior captain Alec Hetherington, who finished with 14 carries and 76 yards to complement Spielman's heroics. 

"Credit the offensive line," Spielman said. "Without them, I wouldn't have been able to do anything against a defense like this. Their play has just been outstanding."  

Wayzata ends the regular season with a 6-2 record, with losses to the Eagles and Maple Grove (24-6 on Sept. 18).

The victory for the Eagles (8-0) is the program's 38th straight. Eden Prairie begins the Section 6 playoffs next week on a trek for its fifth consecutive state championship.

This latest win for the Eagles is the fifth win over a top-10 ranked team this season, and perhaps the team's most impressive in another strong body of work. Playing such a schedule on an annual basis is perhaps what feeds the program what it needs to compete in November.

"Teams that look for easy schedules don't tend to make it to the state championship," Grant said. "We found that out a long time ago. Even though it's difficult to play the best teams week after week, it prepares you like nothing else. We always say we're battle tested by the time we get to the Prep Bowl."

On Senior Night at Eden Prairie High School, Eagles' standout and likely Mr. Football Award finalist JD Spielman put on another show and made another statement with his play about why he might be the best player in the state.

The Nebraska recruit scored three of the game's first four touchdowns and recovered a fumble at midfield to put Eden Prairie in the driver's seat during its Class 6A top-10 showdown with Wayzata, a game the Eagles won handily 33-13.

The Trojans defense had no answer for the speedy and shifty Spielman, who finished with 13 carries for 107 yards. He scored four TDs, all of which came during the first three quarters.

Wayzata, ranked No. 6 in the latest Associated Press state high school football poll, raced to the game's first score, taking the opening drive 74 yards on five plays for a touchdown on a 24-yard run from Keeshawn Aleksuk less than two minutes in.

However, that would be the extent of the Trojans' offensive production until the final minutes when the Aleksuk scored against Eden Prairie's backup defense. Between those two touchdowns, the top-ranked Eagles simply outmuscled Wayzata on all sides of the ball.

Eden Prairie answered the Trojans' first touchdown a short time later on an 8-yard TD run from Spielman. The Eagles staked the lead for good with 4:05 remaining in the first quarter on Spielman's second rushing touchdown, this time from 4 yards out, and Eden Prairie kept on from there.

The victory for the Eagles (8-0) is the program's 38th straight. Eden Prairie begins the Section 6 playoffs next week on a trek for its fifth consecutive state championship. Wayzata ends the regular season with a 6-2 record, with losses to the Eagles and Maple Grove (24-6 on Sept. 18).

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