It’s a measure of the toughness of a game when the most important drive resulted in no points.

Maple Grove outlasted Prior Lake 10-7 on Friday in a game that had players fighting for inches rather than yards, and any double-digit gain seemed huge.

“Our job is to make it tough for the other team to score and we did,” Maple Grove coach Matt Lombardi said. “They read their keys, they flew to the ball. It was a great effort.”

Prior Lake took the lead on a 5-yard run by Jacob Rosonke. Maple Grove answered with a 2-yard run by Kyle Anderson. It was 7-7 after one quarter, a relative offensive onslaught.

Then, recess was over and the two teams got down to the business of stopping the other guys.

Maple Grove took the lead after its best drive of the second half when Tyler Knutson drilled a 29-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. 
Quarterback Brad Davison completed five of six passes for 52 yards before the drive stalled.

The Crimson then sealed the victory with a 66-yard fourth quarter march that drained six minutes off the clock. They turned the ball over on downs at the Prior Lake 5-yard line with less than two minutes left and held on for the victory.

“We just played the football that we knew, which was pounding them up front,” Maple Grove offensive lineman Ben Shoults said. “We didn’t score, but our offensive line did its job.”

The victory is the first in state tournament play in Maple Grove’s 19-year history.

JIM PAULSEN

For one quarter, Maple Grove and Prior Lake, two teams known for defense, took turns making big plays. But, with the game tied 7-7, the two teams settled back into their traditional roles and the defenses took over.

Maple Grove’s Tyler Knutson hit a 29-yard field goal in the third quarter and that stood up. The Crimson (10-1) won 10-7 and will advance to the Class 6A semifinals Friday against Eden Prairie.

The Lakers’ offense suffered a loss when Alex Hart, their biggest backfield threat, left the game in the third quarter with an apparent head injury. He never returned and Prior Lake’s offense was stagnant after that.

Check back later for more on the game.