Chanhassen did just enough scoring in the first half Friday to hang on for its fifth consecutive victory.

The host Storm rode a strong rushing game and a stout defense to a 14-10 victory over Shakopee to take over sole possession of second place in the Missota Conference.

Chanhassen (5-2, 5-1 Missota) started slow, being stopped on fourth down twice in the early going. But when the Storm finally did decide to punt, a 15-yard roughing penalty handed them a first down. On the ensuing play, senior running back Ryan Licau found a hole off right tackle, broke free from one defender and raced down the sideline for a 47-yard touchdown.

From there, the Storm dominated both lines of scrimmage, using a quartet of strong tailbacks to move the ball at will behind a massive offensive line. Cole Kirchoff scored from 2 yards just ahead of halftime to give the hosts a 14-3 lead at intermission.

Still, there was some good fortune involved for Chanhassen. Besides the crucial penalty on a punt attempt, the Storm also recovered all four of its fumbles in the first half.

Shakopee (4-3, 4-2) mounted a terrific drive to open the second half, cutting the lead to 14-10 on a 5-yard touchdown run by Austen Leadstrom.

But the Storm chewed up most of the clock in the fourth quarter, leaving Shakopee with not enough time to mount a potential winning drive against a strong wind.

Recap: Chanhassen was intentionally grounded, unleashing a quartet of punishing tailbacks to drain the clock, move the chains and send Shakopee home wondering what had hit it.

The Storm won its fifth consecutive game despite completing only one pass, thanks to a massive offensive line anchored by major-college prospect Frank Ragnow at 6-foot-6, 300 pounds. Behind that beef, running backs Ryan Licau, Raymonte Maynard, Nathan Johnson and Cole Kirchoff took turns chewing up yardage. Licau scored on a 47-yard burst down the right sideline and Kirchoff capped a lengthy drive with a 2-yard plunge for a pair of second-quarter touchdowns that proved enough to push Chanhassen (5-2, 5-1 Missota Conference) into sole possession of second place in the league.

Shakopee (4-3, 4-2) mustered only one sustained drive at the outset of the second half, which ended with Austen Leadstrom scoring from 5 yards out.

Key of the game: Chanhassen repeatedly went for it on fourth down, but the one time it attempted a punt wound up being a turning point. Shakopee was called for roughing the kicker, and the 15-yard penalty was immediately followed by Licau’s touchdown jaunt. The senior burst off tackle, shook loose from one defender and showed impressive speed to find the end zone.

Quote: “That’s what got us going and we started actually hitting people and everyone started to get excited and want to come back for the next play,” said Maynard, of the momentum shift provided by Licau’s touchdown run.

One thing to know: Shakopee prefers to keep the ball on the ground out of its wing-T formation as well. But when forced to pass into the wind in the fourth quarter, the Sabers put a scare into Chanhassen. Diminutive quarterback Travis Larsen (5-6, 140) did his best Doug Flutie impression, twice evading pressure to complete fourth-down passes to fellow sophomore Drew Hanbury. Ultimately, after a pair of Chanhassen sacks, Larsen couldn’t come up with a final miracle on a fourth-and-18 play that sealed the Storm victory.

MARK EMMERT