Ten state championships and a string of state tournament appearances that dates back to 1997 makes Eden Prairie the favorites in almost every game it plays. If a team is going to hang with the Eagles, much less pull of an upset, there is a long list of benchmarks that must be hit.

Chief on any list would be putting a cap on turnovers and hope your defense might be able to put up some points.

Cretin-Derham Hall couldn’t stick to the plan Friday night, as the Raiders turned the ball over three times in the first half, including on their first offensive play from scrimmage.

That turnover set up the opening touchdown, a 3-yard-run from Eagles’ junior tailback Solo Falaniko, and things went downhill for Cretin-Derham Hall, who fell hard to Eden Prairie, 41-7 in Class 6A second round playoff action.

“It’s tough when you force yourself to play left-handed,” Cretin-Derham Hall coach Brooks Berringer said afterwards. “We fumble the first play of we get...from there it was just too difficult to play catch-up.

“Against Eden Prairie, the last thing you want to do is dig yourself in a hole early.”

As Cretin-Derham Hall struggled, the Eagles warmed up, scoring from those Raiders’ blunders, and Eden Prairie, ranked No. 2 by the last Associated Press poll, rolled through the Round of 16 with relative ease.

Falaniko finished with 76 yards and two touchdowns on 13 rushing attempts, and Devan Greene added 61 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and three catches for 34 yards to lead the Eagles.

“The biggest difference as the game went on was the play of our O-line,” Falaniko said. “They were really good with their footwork, and it opened huge holes for us to run through.”

The second half started disastrously for the Raiders, who booted the opening kickoff until it was recovered in the end zone by Eagles’ senior captain Tommy Fuller, who fell on it for a touchdown.

Entering the night, Eden Prairie had not allowed a point since a 28-15 victory over Maple Grove on Sept. 23. If not for a Raiders’ touchdown pass with three seconds left Friday, the Eagles’ defense would have notched seven straight shutouts.

It has a cross-over effect for the Eden Prairie offense.

“For us, it all starts with our defense,” Falaniko said. “Our defense gives our offense many, many good opportunities to work. If it wasn’t for them and the work they do, our offense wouldn’t be able to accomplish as much as we do.”

Cretin-Derham Hall (7-3) had six different players catch at least one pass, while Raiders’ junior quarterback Jackson Crawford finished 8-of-22 for 124 yards and one touchdown.

For the most part, the Raiders are a balanced offense,prone to run and pass in equal measure. Against Eden Prairie, not much of anything worked, as Cretin-Derham Hall’s offense netted just 48 yards on the ground and 124 through the air.

“They are great up front,” Berringer said. “We struggled to find any continuity or consistency in our passing game...but credit their front seven. It’s an especially talented group that makes things tough.”

On the back of a steady ground assault and a crippling defensive effort, Eden Prairie fended off visiting Cretin-Derham Hall 41-7 Friday night in Class 6A second-round playoff action.

The Eagles (9-1), ranked No. 2 in the season's final Associated Press state high school football ball, worked out the kinks to build a wedge they would steadily add to, taking a three-touchdown lead into halftime.

Midway through the opening quarter, Eden Prairie staked a lead when junior running back Solo Falaniko punched in a score from the 3-yard line.

The Eagles scored twice more before the half, the second coming when Falaniko scored from 26 yards out with just 57 seconds remaining to deflate the Raiders’ ambition.

The second half started disastrously for No. 10-6A Cretin-Derham Hall, which failed to cleanly field a ball that was booted around until it was recovered in the Raiders end zone by Eagles senior captain Tommy Fuller.

Falaniko finished with 76 yards and two TDs on 13 rushing attempts while Devan Greene finished with 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground and three catches for 34 yards.

Cretin-Derham Hall (7-3) had six different players catch at least one pass, while Raiders junior quarterback Jackson Crawford finished 8-of-22 passing for 124 yards and one touchdown.