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Metro Top 10: For one Friday night, prep football norms took a beating

By Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune, 10/08/19, 1:45PM CDT

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After 18 consecutive victories, defending Class 6A champion Lakeville North lost to intradistrict rival Lakeville South. At the same time, Eden Prairie was being overpowered by Edina.


Players celebrated a Lakeville South touchdown. [Special to Star Tribune, photo by Matt Blewett, Matte B Photography].

“The times, they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan

After 18 consecutive victories, defending Class 6A champion Lakeville North lost to intradistrict rival Lakeville South 34-19 Friday. The result was as decisive as the 15-point margin of victory indicated, with South maintaining the two-touchdown lead for much of the game. The Cougars beat the Panthers for the first time since 2010 and claimed the Big Cat Trophy, the traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the yearly regular-season matchup between the teams, for the first time since 2009.

At the same time, Eden Prairie was being overpowered by Edina 21-14. The Hornets offensive line pushed the Eagles around in the second half, scoring twice on a pair of long second-half drives, the kind that have been a hallmark of Eden Prairie for years.

So, Lakeville North loses for the first time in 19 games. Eden Prairie loses for the second straight week, its first two-game losing streak since 2012. And it marked the first time both teams lost on the same weekend since the 2015 Class 6A quarterfinals

Both Lakeville North and Eden Prairie remain elite high school football programs likely to make deep postseason runs. But for one Friday night, it sure felt like a seismic shift in power in Class 6A.

METRO TOP 10

1. Wayzata (6-0): There was some thought that Wayzata was facing a classic trap game, playing winless-but-still-dangerous Minnetonka after a big victory over Eden Prairie. Nope.

2. St. Michael-Albertville (5-1): The Knights held on to win a close one at Prior Lake. They're finding ways to win tight games.

3. Lakeville North (5-1): Perhaps the most surprising thing about Friday’s loss was the usually stout Panthers defense letting Lakeville South move with relative ease.

4. Mounds View (5-1): The Mustangs’ alway-sound defense rose to the occasion once again, holding Cretin-Derham Hall to six points.

5. Champlin Park (5-1): Safe to say the Rebels’ 17-14 road victory at Rosemount was their most significant win of the season. Another test is coming up, when they host Totino-Grace on Friday.

6. Lakeville South (5-1): The Cougars straight-T offense gave Lakeville North fits Friday. These guys are for real.

7. Totino-Grace (5-1): After going 8-11 in the past two seasons, the Eagles are back. We’ll know how far after Friday at Champlin Park.

8. St. Thomas Academy (Class 5A, 6-0): The Cadets posted their fourth shutout in six games, blanking Park of Cottage Grove 35-0.

9. Farmington (5-1): The Tigers have bounced back from a rough loss to Rosemount in Week 4 the way quality teams do, with back-to-back decisive victories.

10. SMB Wolfpack (Class 4A, 6-0): I’ve had the Wolfpack here all season, a nod to its wealth of talent. But with Hutchinson and Benilde-St. Margaret’s out there, the Wolfpack might not be the best 4A team in the metro.

Honorable mention: Cretin-Derham Hall (4-2), Eden Prairie (4-2), Centennial (4-2), Elk River (5A, 6-0), Armstrong (5A, 6-0), Tartan (5A, 6-0).

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