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Lakeville North storms back

By BRIAN STENSAAS, Star Tribune, 10/28/11, 9:15PM CDT

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A critical drive to open the second half set the tone for a comeback 24-14 win.


Lakeville South's Devon Bzoskie rolled over on his head after making a catch with Lakeville North's Grant Erickson defending during the first half Saturday night. Star Tribune photo by Kyndell Harkness.


Lakeville North's Kevin Eskuri avoided being tackled by Lakeville South's Matt Mehlhorn and ran in for a touchdown during the second half Saturday. Star Tribune photo by Kyndell Harkness.

Fed up after his team settled for two field goals after 24 minutes of play Saturday night against its cross-town rival, Lakeville North head coach Brian Vossen had seen enough.

“At halftime I kind of asked [the offense] — politely — 'Where in the heck is the 'O-Show?’” Vossen said. “And they showed it to me. Credit to them.”

Down eight points to start the second half, quarterback Trey Heid executed a nine-play, 68-yard drive, capped by a 37-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Hayes. The two hooked up again on the two-point conversion and the wheels were in motion for a 24-14 home-field victory in the Class 5A, Section 1 semifinals.

“That was so key for them,” Lakeville South coach Larry Thompson said, adding that he wasn’t sure Hayes got his foot inbounds on the conversion. “Had we stopped them, we’re still in.”

Instead, top-seeded North used it as momentum.

“We didn’t really make any adjustments,” said Heid, who finished 10-for-19 for 131 yards and the TD to Hayes through the air. He added another 105 yards on the ground and kicked three field goals. “We just finished. We knew if we came out and tied it, it would be a whole different ballgame.”

Impressive as Heid was, Kevin Eskuri’s first touchdown of the season with 4:29 left in the third quarter broke the 14-14 tie. The Panthers defense took over from there. Fifth-seeded South, which lost to North 30-6 during the regular season, took the ball on offense only three times the rest of the game and went punt, turnover on downs, fumble.

South quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for 206 yards but was under heavy pressure more and more as the game went on. He was sacked three times in the second half.

“We just had to calm our coverage down and stick to what we do best, and that’s blitz as hard as we can,” Vossen said.

The Cougars played the game without standout wide receiver Matt Heller, who sat out because of a concussion suffered in last week’s quarterfinal victory over Rochester Mayo.

South added sophomore tight end Tyler Lattery to the roster for the game and drew up some little-before-used formations, including a surprise “swinging gate” play in the fourth quarter that confused just about everybody in the stadium.

But it wasn’t enough to stop a determined North defense.

“Our guys are unreal; I’d say the best in the state,” Heid said. “You look at them, and they’re not big at all. But they’ll fight to not give anybody an inch.”

 

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