Maybe the bar has been set too high. Maybe Eden Prairie’s string of excellence this season has fans expecting a walkover.
Whatever the reason, the No. 1-ranked Eagles looked almost human in their 42-14 victory over Lakeville North in the Class 6A quarterfinals Friday.
Well, at least for most of one half.
Eden Prairie (10-0) muddled through the first 23-plus minutes, plagued by turnovers and penalties and what seemed to be a general malaise. Lake-
ville North, which had lost to the Eagles in the 2012 Prep Bowl, was the better team despite a 7-7 tie. Running back Jamiah Newell, looking every bit like a Barry Sanders clone, dipped and darted for 106 yards in the first half alone.
“I think we were a little unfocused,” Eden Prairie senior running back Dan Fisher said.
All it took was one drive to turn everything around.
Eden Prairie got the ball at its own 30-yard-line with 52 seconds remaining in the first half. Run out the clock and start fresh in the second half?
Not Eden Prairie’s style.
Quarterback Ryan Connelly led the Eagles on a five-play, 70-yard drive that took all of 35 seconds. He accounted for every yard — either passing or running. His two-yard touchdown pass to Josh Lanasa with 17 seconds left gave them a 14-7 halftime lead.
“Ryan can do that,” Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. “People think we only run the football, but Ryan can throw. He did that in the second half, too.”
On its first possession in the second half, Eden Prairie marched 78 yards on 11 plays, with Connelly completing two swing passes to Charlie Venable for 28 yards, and took a 21-7 lead on the first of Fisher’s two touchdown runs.
Just like that, a close game was on its way to becoming a rout. Eden Prairie scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions spanning the two halves.
“Going into halftime, that was a huge momentum swing for us,” said Fisher, who rushed for 136 yards on 17 carries in just his second game back from a concussion. “And to come right out after halftime and score again was big. It feels a lot better to lead by 14 points than seven.”
