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Forest Lake refuses to give up

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 10/02/11, 10:52PM CDT

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After three consecutive losses and missing its starting quarterback, Forest Lake could have packed it in when it fell behind 21-6 in the second quarter at Roseville on Friday.

After three consecutive losses and missing its starting quarterback, Forest Lake could have packed it in when it fell behind 21-6 in the second quarter at Roseville on Friday.

But the Rangers regrouped, got huge games out of running backs Glen Miron and Tommy Tyson and quarterback Dan Johnson, who was filling in for injured J.T. Jurasin (broken hand), and pulled out a 43-42 overtime victory. Tyson provided the winning points, scoring on a two-point conversion on second and third efforts.

Tyson not only saved the game for the Rangers, he might have saved the season.

"These kids have had to persevere through the losses," Forest Lake coach Paul Kendrick said. "Every day I've tried to focus on attitude and effort. There's a little saying I use: 'Great games are made little by little.' They haven't given up."

A loss to Roseville would have dropped the Rangers to 1-4 with No. 3, Class 5A Cretin-Derham Hall up next.

"[Cretin-Derham Hall] is a big team and we're a big team and matchups are important," Kendrick said. "If we can slow them down, we might surprise them. Hey, we feel we do have a shot."

SCREECHING HALT

As surprising as Elk River's 4-0 start was, it was just as surprising how the streak ended. The Elks were cruising, leading Becker 48-20 in the third quarter, when things went astray.

Becker then scored 29 consecutive points as nothing went Elk River's way. Becker scored after a fumble, after a successful onside kick and even got a safety. Elk River managed just one first down in the final period. And, according to the Elk River Star News, the Bulldogs were not penalized all game.

Elk River's loss also highlighted an often-overlooked yet important part of the game: kicking. The Elks have not had a successful extra-point kick all season. They have tried two-point conversions on all 26 of their touchdowns, scoring on 15 of them, but failed on four of seven attempts Friday.

ILL WINDS BLOWING

How quickly things might be changing for Minnetonka. The Skippers, boasting one of the metro's stingiest defenses, went into Friday's battle against No. 2, 5A Wayzata undefeated and feeling confident, which it parlayed into a 7-6 halftime lead.

But Wayzata was physically dominant in the second half. The Trojans pounded the ball with running back Antonio Ford, scoring more points after halftime in the 35-7 victory than Minnetonka has given up all year.

Making matters worse, Minnetonka likely will face No. 1, 5A Eden Prairie on Thursday without starting quarterback Scott Benedict. He left Friday's loss on crutches and is being evaluated to see if he broke a bone in his leg.

OUTSTATE REPORT

Brainerd was in jeopardy of losing three games in a row for the first time since 1988 Friday when it faced undefeated St. Cloud Tech. The Warriors responded, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season, 28-13.

HISTORY TO BE MADE

When St. Paul Academy plays at Blake on Friday, it will mark the 100th anniversary of the first football game between the two schools, making it the oldest high school rivalry in Minnesota. Blake leads the series 56-23-6.

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