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Vintage Eden Prairie quietly puts away Champlin Park 23-0

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 11/18/16, 10:00PM CST

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The Eagles defeated a game Rebels team playing one quarterback hampered by injury and an untested backup.


Eden Prairie running back Solo Falaniko (23) broke through a tackle by Champlin Park linebacker Colton Aydt (45) for a first down in the first quarter Friday. Photo: AARON LAVINSKY * aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

Mike Grant swears his team doesn’t prepare any differently for one opponent over another. Oh, Eden Prairie scouts its upcoming opponents. But knowing that Champlin Park, the Eagles’ latest victim in a 23-0 rout in the Class 6A semifinals, was shorthanded at quarterback didn’t matter.

“I didn’t know No. 3 [Chad Costello] wasn’t going to play until Thursday,” Grant said. “We still prepare for what they do, no matter who the quarterback is.”

The victory was vintage Eden Prairie. The Eagles leaned on their defense, which pitched its seventh shutout of the season and gave up just 80 total yards to Champlin Park.

The offense was no surprise, either. It rolled up 407 yards on the ground, led by junior running back Solo Falaniko, who rushed 26 times for 200 yards. Falaniko, a junior with more unique cuts than a paper snowflake, has rushed for 447 yards in his last two playoff games.

“If you’ve watched Eden Prairie football over the years, you know that’s what we do,” Grant said. “We run the ball.”

Eden Prairie scored on a 99-yard drive the first time it had the ball and never let Champlin Park sniff the goal line thereafter.

Champlin Park, a No. 3 seed in the 6A tournament, was coming off minor upset victories over East Ridge and Rosemount in back-to-back nailbiters. The Rebels hoped to build on that momentum, but defeating Eden Prairie is a tall task even when healthy. It’s gargantuan with a new quarterback in junior Joey Faulds, who had never taken a varsity snap before Friday’s game. Faulds was filling in for senior Chad Costello, who found out Tuesday he had a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, suffered in the victory over Rosemount.

Faulds started and acquitted himself well on the opening drive, going 3-for-5 for 16 yards. But Costello, assured he wouldn’t injure his foot further, put the pain aside and went into the game on the next drive. One quarter later, Costello was back on the bench, the result of a big hit. He returned late in the game, long after the outcome had been decided, but to little effect.

“I knew I could play,” Costello said. “I had to try.”

Eden Prairie’s victory sets up a rematch with Totino-Grace in the Prep Bowl on Friday. Totino-Grace has defeated Eden Prairie the last two times the teams have played, including a 17-14 victory in the season opener.


Champlin Park quarterback Joey Faulds (10) threw a pass in the first quarter. A junior playing in his first varsity game, Faulds replaced injured starter Chad Costello for much of the game. Photo: AARON LAVINSKY * aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

First report

It’s not that Eden Prairie was disinterested. More like, the Eagles knew they were the better team in their Class 6A semifinal game against upstart Champlin Park on Friday, particularly since the Rebels were down to their third starting quarterback this season.

In front of the quietest crowd of the day at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Eagles set up what prep football watchers have been waiting for, a rematch with Totino-Grace in next week’s Prep Bowl, with a workmanlike 23-0 victory.

Solo Falaniko rushed 26 times for 200 yards for Eden Prairie, which scored on a 99-yard drive the first time it had the ball and never let Champlin Park near the goal line thereafter. Falaniko, a junior running back with more unique cuts than a paper snowflake, has rushed for 447yards in his last two playoff games.

Champlin Park, a No. 3 seed in the 6A tournament, was coming off a pair of minor upset victories, defeating East Ridge and Rosemount in back-to-back nail-biters. The Rebels hoped to build on that momentum, but Eden Prairie is a tall task when healthy. It’s gargantuan with a neophyte quarterback; Rebels junior Joey Faulds had never taken a varsity snap before Friday night.

The previous quarterback, Chad Costello, tried to play. On Tuesday, Costello found out he had a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot, suffered in the victory over Rosemount.

Faulds started the game for the Rebels and acquitted himself well on the opening drive, going 3-for-5 for 16 yards. Costello went into the game on the next drive. One quarter later, Costello was back on the bench. He returned late in the game, long after the outcome had been decided.

Eden Prairie’s defense shut down the Champlin Park offense for the rest of the game, pressing its receivers and keying on running back Romelo Adkins. The Rebels finished with just 80 total yards and never got closer than the Eden Prairie 26-yard line.

Check back later for an updated story.

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