Every once in a while Eden Prairie will go a year, maybe two, without winning a state championship. Sometimes — not very often — the Eagles might even fail to reach the final eight of the state tournament (last year’s quarterfinal miss was the Eden Prairie’s first since 2004). But just when you think there might be a tiny hint of slippage in a program that has been the state’s big-school standard bearer since the arrival of coach Mike Grant in 1992, the Eagles go and have another banner year.
The Eagles, who won their most recent Class 6A title in 2017 and have 11 state championships in all, are ranked No. 2 in the Class 6A Associated Press statewide poll from Oct. 28. Eden Prairie (5-0, 5-0) closes its regular season at home against St. Michael-Albertville (5-0, 3-0) on Wednesday.
A dominant Eagles’ offensive line led by 6-foot-7, 300-pound senior right tackle Forrest Scheel and 6-3, 260-pound senior tight end Trent Jones II busts locomotive-sized holes in opposing defenses, providing plenty of room for backs such as junior Javon Palmer-Pruitt and senior Johnny Hartle, among others, to run wild.
St. Michael-Albertville senior David Collins, a 5-9, 185-pound Mack truck of a running back, is tied for third in the state with 998 rushing yards. He’s run for more than 200 yards in three games this season and has amassed 14 touchdowns, tied for second most in the state. He had 227 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the No. 3-6A Knights' 49-21 win over Centennial last Friday.