Southwest Minneapolis senior Preston Engen had not played a down of high school football as he headed into his junior season less than 14 months ago.
On Friday, his touchdown pass to teammate Andrew Gregerson in overtime helped the Lakers (3-0, 1-0) win a wild 36-35 game at subdivision opponent Richfield.
Engen was already off to a fast start this fall, compiling six touchdown passes in two games before Friday night. And in a wild game, the senior added four more touchdown passes and threw for more than 200 yards in the overtime win.
And he had little experience playing the sport before his junior year.
A blocked extra point kick helped Minneapolis Southwest escape with a 36-35 overtime victory over subdivision foe Richfield after four quarters of offense Friday.
The Lakers (3-0, 1-0) appeared to hold control of the game as they headed to halftime with a 29-7 lead thanks to three passing touchdowns from quarterback Preston Engen and one rushing score from running back Graham Knapp.
But the Spartans (1-2, 0-1) stormed back in the second half, scoring 22 unanswered points on two rushing touchdowns and another through the air from quarterback Mitchell January.
With the Lakers getting the ball first in overtime, Engen found receiver Andrew Gregerson for a touchdown and seven points. The Spartans responded with a fourth-down touchdown pass from January to Kaleb Olson. However, the Lakers blocked the following extra point kick to finish off the win.
Engen completed 23 passes for 196 yards for Minneapolis Southwest. Richfield’s January countered with 22 completions for 336 yards.
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