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Metro Football Top 10: Observations at the halfway point.

By Jim Paulsen, Star Tribune, 09/23/18, 9:51PM CDT

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Undefeated Lakeville North is the most complete team in Class 6A and likely the state while Eden Prairie looks vulnerable, at least by its own standards, and the biggest surprise might be Blaine.


Blaine players, including linebacker Emmual Mensah, celebrated their 56-20 win over Cretin-Derham Hall. Photo: Aaron Lavinsky * aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com

We’re at the halfway point of the regular season and what have we learned?

Undefeated Lakeville North is the most complete team in Class 6A and likely the state.

Eden Prairie looks vulnerable, at least by its own standards, and could conceivably be 2-2 right now.

The biggest surprise is Blaine, which had to replace most of its offensive production, as well as its coach, from 2017. The 4-0 Bengals are improving each week.

Maple Grove might be the poster boy for the muddled mess in the state’s largest class. One week after rolling over then-No. 1, 6A Minnetonka, the Crimson laid an egg in a 17-7 home loss to Burnsville.

Only nine of the 31 teams in Class 3A are above .500, while 15 teams are sitting at 2-2.

New coaches are having early success. Blaine’s Ben Geisler and St. Thomas Academy’s Dan O’Brien are off to 4-0 starts while Champlin Park’s Nick Keenan is 3-1.

The midseason MVP is Buffalo quarterback Aidan Bouman, who’s put up a season’s worth of statistics in just four games: 122 completions on 187 passes (65.7 percent) for 1,640 yards, 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Metro Top 10

1. Lakeville North (4-0): Behind three TDs and 168 total yards from Raja Nelson, the Panthers ran their winning streak over rival Lakeville South to nine in a row, 28-3.

2. Blaine (4-0): Any lingering doubts about the Bengals’ place in the rankings dissapted after they crushed Cretin-Derham Hall 56-20.

3. Eden Prairie (3-1): Very Eden Prairie: finding a way to win, this time on a failed two-point conversion attempt by Wayzata. Not so Eden Prairie: 34 points allowed, the most scored against the Eagles since Oct. 1, 2010.

4. Minnetonka (3-1): The defense played its best game of the season, bottling up Prior Lake 9-7.

5. Wayzata (2-2): Tough-luck Trojans have two losses in the game’s closing minutes by a total of four points. It doesn’t get easier. They travel to Lakeville North on Friday.

6. Champlin Park (3-1): The Rebels go as quarterback Bennett Otto goes. He threw two touchdown passes against Osseo, giving him 10 in four games.

7. East Ridge (3-1): The Raptors showed resilience, surrendering a 12-point lead but getting a field goal by Jack McKenzie to beat Roseville 24-22.

8. Edina (3-1): The Hornets did all their scoring in the second quarter, then leaned on a scrappy defense to defeat Eastview 16-3.

9. Prior Lake (2-2): Two losses, yes, but they were back to back — at Eden Prairie and at Minnetonka. Cut ’em some slack.

10. St. Thomas Academy (5A, 4-0): The Cadets have not allowed a point in 14 consecutive quarters.

Others worth a mention: Woodbury (3-1), Elk River (5A, 4-0), White Bear Lake (3-1), Maple Grove (2-2), Rosemount (2-2), Cooper (5A, 4-0), Tartan (5A, 4-0).

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