It’s not going to supplant Montana to Rice, but Irondale’s passing combination of quarterback Brendan White and receiver Aden Price proved every bit as electrifying as the 49ers duo was 30 years ago.

White and Price hooked up six times for 181 yards and two touchdowns, including an 85-yard bomb in the third quarter that was textbook-pretty, in guiding Irondale to a 34-18 victory over Forest Lake.

“Those two have chemistry,” Irondale coach Ben Fuller said. “They work really well together.”

The Class 5A, No. 7 Knights, playing at home, improved to 3-0 for the first time in more than a decade.

They spotted Forest Lake a 7-0 lead — the first time this year Irondale had trailed in a game — but responded with 21 consecutive points and took a 21-10 lead into halftime.

“That was huge,” Fuller said. “We talk about it lot, try to visualize it, but to actually have it happen is different. And they responded. The air went out a little bit, but they worked themselves back into it. We haven’t really won one like this.”

The Knights were facing third-and-15 from their own 15 on their opening drive of the second half when White and Price connected for the long score. It bumped their lead to 28-10 but just as importantly, it made a statement that this is a different Irondale team than those of years past.

“We were shooting ourselves in the foot. Penalties, holding calls, stuff that hasn’t happened too much,” White said. “Last year, we would have fallen apart at the seams as soon as stuff didn’t go our way. This year, we stayed together and picked each other up.”

It wasn’t just White and Price. It was running back Parker Freiberg battling for 111 yards rushing and a game-clinching 19-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was a defense that gave ground but also forced four turnovers.

But the lasting image of the victory was of White lofting long, arcing spirals and Price hauling them in.

“When I saw him run under it, I knew he was gone,” White said of the 85-yard exclamation point. “We just clicked. It was like a feeling of peace came over me. This is what we’ve been working for and now, it’s come together.”

Building a program always means dealing with growing pains. Irondale experienced more than few Friday, yet still managed to defeat Forest Lake 34-18.

The Class 5A. No. 7 Knights (3-0) gave up long drives, missed tackles, consistently yielded field position by letting punts roll and had touchdowns called back because of penalties.

But Irondale could counter them with the lethal combination of quarterback Brendan White, who throws a beautiful deep ball, and receiver Aden Price, and the hard running of Parker Freiberg.

White and Price hooked up five times for 177 yards, including a crucial 85-yard score to begin the second half that gave Irondale a 28-10 cushion. Freiberg scored a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the game at New Brighton-based Irondale out of reach.

Forest Lake showed flashes of life throughout the game, but hurt itself with mistakes. The Rangers turned the ball over four times and had a snap go over its punter’s head and set up an Irondale score.

Forest Lake scored first, going 30 yards in four plays, taking a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game on a three-yard run by Sam Jackomino. It marked a pair of season firsts — the first time Forest Lake owned a lead in a game and the first time Irondale trailed.

After that, Forest Lake turned charitable. The mistake-prone Rangers fumbled inside their own 10-yard line and Irondale’s Joshua Natere scooped up the ball and scored from three yards out, knotting the game 7-7.

The Knights took a 14-7 lead a few minutes later on a five-yard burst by Freiberg. That was set up by a poor snap on a Forest Lake punt attempt that gave Irondale the ball on the Forest Lake 15.

Irondale nearly had another fumble return for a touchdown on a sack by Moses Yang, but the referee didn’t see that ball tumble free and blew the play dead before it could be returned for a score. The Knights tacked on another touchdown on an eight-yard fade pass from White to Price, his favorite receiver, late in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead.

The score soothed the lingering ache of having an 87-yard touchdown reception by Price called back due to an illegal man downfield on Irondale’s previous drive.

Forest Lake cut deficit to 21-10 when Snider boomed a 44-yard field goal just before halftime.