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With a late, long burst, Lakeville South seizes the Class 6A state championship

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 11/26/21, 7:00PM CST

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Camden Dean's touchdown run in the fourth quarter broke a tie and some Maple Grove hearts.


Camden Dean surged into the clear on the winning touchdown run. ALEX KORMANN, Star Tribune

Lakeville South quarterback Camden Dean entered the postgame news conference after the Cougars pulled out a 13-7 victory over Maple Grove in the Class 6A championship game sporting a massive ring.

“What’s the bling?” he was asked.

“Championship ring from last year,” Dean said, referring to the Cougars’ 8-0 record and unofficial state championship in 2020’s COVID-shortened season. “But this, this feels three times better.”

The Cougars had their hands full with Maple Grove all game Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium. They failed to score in the first half for the first time all season. They trailed 7-0 in the third quarter.

But it was just a matter of time, Lakeville South coach Ben Burk said, before the offense would do what it had done all season.

This time, it was quarterback Camden Dean — a defensive back a year ago — who stepped forward.
Dean scored on a 28-yard run around right end in the third quarter to tie the score 7-7 and broke free for a 52-yard touchdown with 3:05 left for the game-winning score.

COLUMN FROM LA VELLE E. NEAL III: Lakeville South and Maple Grove put on a show worth waiting for, and quite a wait it was.

It’s the first state championship for Lakeville South (13-0). Maple Grove, making its first Prep Bowl appearance, fell to 11-2.

“Maple Grove gave us the best game that we’ve seen in about two years, in my opinion,” Burk said. “Credit to them.”

Defense was the theme for both teams in the first half as both offenses had trouble generating yardage.
Maple Grove’s defense in particular did a terrific job of staying disciplined, solving Lakeville South’s Power-T running game. The Crimson didn’t allow the Cougars to develop any sort of rhythm, much less rip off the chunk plays and long bursts that have come to characterize their offense.

“We really played well defensively,” Maple Grove coach Matt Lombardi said. “Our defense played their hearts out.”

The danger of playing the Lakeville South offense is that one missed assignment often ends with the Cougars in the end zone. The only real error the Crimson made on defense led to Dean’s winning score.

“The kid [Dean] made a really good play, made a couple of kids miss tackles, and we didn’t really miss tackles all game,” Lombardi said.

Dean said the Cougars had set their minds to getting the go-ahead touchdown when they got the ball back with 6:04 left in the game.

“We knew that it was coming down to the last drive and we had to score,” he said. “We told the guys, let’s get the game-winning drive here. Six minutes and we’ve got a state championship. I’m super proud of them.”

After a scoreless first half, things loosened after the break. Maple Grove moved quickly into Lakeville South territory.

On third-and-10 from the Lakeville South 24, the Crimson broke the scoring drought when Kilzer, under pressure, escaped to his left and lofted a pass to running back Tanner Albeck, who had slipped behind the South defense. 

He hauled in the pass in the front of the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Lakeville South responded, putting together its best drive of the game to that point. The Cougars went 63 yards in nine plays, capped by Dean’s 28-yard sprint to make the score 7-7 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.

Maple Grove managed to get to the Lakeville South 26 in the game’s final minute, but quarterback Jacob Kilzer’s scramble on fourth-and-10 came up a yard short.

“I was on the side of the field then,” linebacker Zach Juckel said. “I was like, ‘Dear God, let one of our guys get there. When I saw him up short, I just stood there like, ‘Did we just win the game?’ That was something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

First report

Lakeville South did just enough to complete its perfect season, beating Maple Grove 13-7 in the Class 6A championship game Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Cougars, held scoreless in the first half for the first time all season, got a pair of touchdown runs from quarterback Camden Dean in the second half, the last one a 52-yarder with 3:05 left in the fourth quarter.

It’s the first state championship for Lakeville South (13-0). Maple Grove, making its first Prep Bowl appearance, fell to 11-2.

Defense was the theme for both teams in the first half as both offenses had trouble generating yardage.

Maple Grove’s defense in particular did a terrific job of staying disciplined, the key to solving Lakeville South’s Power-T running game. The Crimson didn’t allow the Cougars to develop any sort of rhythm, much less rip off the chunk plays and long bursts that have come to characterize their offense.

Of the 25 plays from scrimmage Lakeville South ran in the first half, 21 went for 4 yards or fewer. Just as significantly, the Cougars only had two plays before halftime that went for 10 or more yards. The defense turned away Lakeville South after the Cougars had recovered a muffed punt, giving up just 5 yards in three plays before the Lakeville South kicker missed a 35-yard field goal attempt just before halftime. 

Maple Grove wasn’t faring much better. The Crimson had its best chance for points stymied when a 15-play drive ended with fumbled snap on a field goal attempt.

Maple Grove finally moved the ball with authority in the final second before halftime, but its second field goal attempt, a potential 52-yarder with 11 seconds left in the second quarter, was blocked.

The teams went into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.

Things appeared to loosen after the break. Maple Grove, making an effort to get the ball into the hands of it’s speedy game-breaking running back Derrick Jameson, moved quickly into Lakeville South territory.

On third-and-10 from the Lakeville South 24, the Crimson broke the scoring drought when Jacob Kilzer, under pressure, escaped to his left and lofted a pass to running back Tanner Albeck, who had slipped behind the South defense and hauled in the pass in the front of the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Lakeville South, now fully motivated, put together its strongest drive of the game to that point.

The Cougars went 63 yards in nine plays, capped by a 28-yard sprint around right end from Dean to tie the score 7-7 with just under three minutes left in the third quarter.

The flurry of touchdowns, if one could call it a flurry, ceased soon after the game was tied, falling back into the conservative approaches that dominated the first half. Both teams went three-and-out on their next two possessions and traded punts, each team hoping to use special teams to generate better field position.

It was Dean, who scored the first Lakeville South touchdown, who finally gave the Cougars the lead. On third-and-4 from midfield, Dean stepped out of a tackle and outraced the Maple Grove defense for a 52-yard score. The extra point was missed and the Cougars led 13-7 with less than four minutes remaining.

Maple Grove drove to the Lakeville South 26 in the game’s final minute, but Kilzer came up a yard short on fourth-and-10, giving the ball to Lakeville South with 47 seconds left.

Lakeville South extended its winning streak to 21 victories dating back to 2020.

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First report