Football coaches with years of shared big-game history, Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant and Maple Grove’s Matt Lombardi read the other’s mind before two key plays in their teams' Class 6A semifinal Thursday.

Grant anticipated a Maple Grove fake punt call in the first quarter and his defense knocked down the pass attempt. Crimson coach Matt Lombardi sensed the Eagles would run a quarterback bootleg and pass to the flat in the third quarter, yet they executed the play for a first down.

Two plays with vastly different results were indicative of both team’s fortunes. Eden Prairie left U.S. Bank Stadium with a 26-0 victory built on finishing drives.

Maple Grove (8-4) came in riding a remarkable quarterfinal comeback against St. Michael-Albertville. The Crimson erupted for three touchdowns in the final 59 seconds for a 29-27 victory.

Maple Grove found no football miracles Thursday and got no mercy from Eden Prairie (12-0). The Eagles advance to their 13th Prep Bowl championship game, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 24. The Eagles are 10-time winners seeking their first title since 2014. They will play the winner of the semifinal Friday between Minnetonka and Cretin-Derham Hall.

Ahead 6-0 at halftime, Eden Prairie took control on a touchdown drive to begin the third quarter.

Solo Falaniko and Antonio Montero tag-teamed the ball-carrying duties as the Eagles went ahead 13-0 on a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 9-yard Montero scoring run. They ran with purpose, with attitude. They broke tackles and carried defenders and finished the game with a combined 159 yards.

“I think they won this game in the weight room,” Lombardi said. “How many times did they bounce off tackles and gain eight yards? You could see it wearing down our kids.”

Montero’s 14-yard catch – the one Lombardi saw coming – kept that drive alive. Montero, Eden Prairie’s standout linebacker, running back and kicker, accounted for 20 of his team’s points on two touchdowns, two extra points and two field goals.

Meanwhile, Maple Grove misfired on its fake punt. Then running back Evan Hull got stopped on fourth-and-2 at the Eagles’ 9-yard line.

“Those two plays came back to haunt us,” said Lombardi, now 0-7 against Eden Prairie, including three playoff losses.

Maple Grove found no football miracles Thursday and got no mercy from Eden Prairie.

Tough runs by backs Solo Falaniko and Antonio Montero and a stout defensive effort produced a 26-0 victory for the Eagles in the Class 6A semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The victory sends Eden Prairie (12-0) to its 13th Prep Bowl championship game, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 24. The Eagles are 10-time winners and seeking their first title since 2014. They will play the winner of the semifinal on Friday between Minnetonka and Cretin-Derham Hall.

The Crimson entered the game 0-6 against Eden Prairie in coach Matt Lombardi’s tenure, including two playoff losses. But familiarity with the Eagles brought Maple Grove confidence.

In addition, Maple Grove (8-4) came in riding a remarkable quarterfinal comeback against St. Michael-Albertville. The Crimson erupted for three touchdowns in the final 59 seconds for a 29-27 victory.

The Eden Prairie game would be different, Crimson players believed, because they weren’t going to be flustered by the Eagles’ aura.

Instead, Maple Grove received more frustration.

Ahead 6-0 at halftime on two field goals by Montero, Eden Prairie took control on a touchdown drive to begin the third quarter.

Falaniko and Montero tag-teamed the ball-carrying duties as the Eagles went ahead 13-0 on a 10-play, 65-yard drive capped by a 9-yard Montero scoring run. They ran with purpose, with attitude. They broke tackles and carried defenders.

Montero, an excellent linebacker, added a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.

The game started a lot like the teams’ regular-season meeting, when Eden Prairie led 7-0 at halftime en route to a 28-7 victory. This time it was the two Montero field goals, covering 37 and 31 yards.

The second field goal came with 10 seconds left in the half. It was set up when DJ Johnson, running out of his shoe, ran 67 yards to the Maple Grove 12-yard line.

Maple Grove didn’t break. Quarterback Curtis Haugen, moonlighting as a defensive back, knocked away a would-be touchdown catch by Eden Prairie’s Davis Jaeger.

The Crimson squandered a scoring opportunity earlier in the second quarter when Evan Hull got stopped on fourth-and-2 at the Eagles’ 9-yard line.

Check back later for more on the game.