Fridley wide receiver Christian Crockett (15) celebrated a 46-yard completion with wide receiver Micah Niewald (3) in the first quarter of the Tigers' game against Minneapolis North. Photo: AARON LAVINSKY • aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com
Michael Ude wouldn’t bite.
As one of Fridley’s cadre of two-way stars — a tough-as-asphalt running back and a stalwart linebacker — he was asked if the Tigers’ 21-0 victory over Minneapolis North was special, considering the Polars’ No. 2 ranking in Class 2A and their litany of offensive stars.
“We wanted this game like we want any other game. We just go one week at a time, one game at a time,” Ude said.
Did Ude think North, with the publicity it has received this year, was a little overrated?
“We don’t care about the ratings or anything like that,” came the reply. “We just want to play our best game, every week.”
Did the Tigers defense, which recorded its third shutout in five games, feel like it had anything to prove?
“Like I said before, we just go one game at time,” said Ude. “We don’t really care about what they have — the stats, the players — we don’t care about any of that. We just go our hardest and do our thing.”
That attitude is perhaps the secret to Fridley’s success this season. The Tigers improved to 5-0 behind a defense that never let the Polars (4-1) crank up their high-octane offense, shutting down a team averaging more than 41 points per game.
Fridley handed Minneapolis North its first loss of the season and improved its record to 5-0, shutting down the Polars’ potent offense en route to a 21-0 victory.
Michael Ude scored on a one-yard run on the first play of the second quarter Friday to give the host Tigers an 8-0 lead.
They leaned on their stalwart defense thereafter until QB Tra’Vione Stevenson hit Micah Niewald with a 15-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone on fourth-and-10 to bump the lead to 15-0.
After North quarterback Zach Yeager threw his second interception of the game, Fridley added a final tyouchdown on a two-yard run by Stevenson with 1:44 left.
It was Fridley’s third shutout of the season. The Tigers dressed just 21 players, owing to a COVID quarantine situation.
The loss for North (4-1) snapped a 57-game regular season winning streak.
Check back later for more on the game.