Eagles fly past Prior Lake and land on winning track

There was just one factor the Eden Prairie Eagles had been trying ahead to extra this week than the brilliant lights of Friday evening.

That might be the brilliant lights of Thursday evening.

A Thursday kickoff meant one much less day of ready for a group wanting to get again on the sphere. The No. 7-ranked Eagles needed nothing greater than to erase the reminiscence of final week’s uncharacteristically lopsided loss to then No. 2 Edina.

The Eagles responded to that setback six nights later with an impressed efficiency towards Prior Lake, securing a 40-13 victory of their residence opener at Aerie Stadium.

The casual ballot taken after the win indicated most, if not all, of Mike Grant’s gamers had been grateful for the possibility to get again within the win column one evening earlier. However for the coach, it meant one much less day of preparation and training.

“A 3-day week is just not splendid, since you’re nonetheless instructing, you’re nonetheless making an attempt to study, you’re nonetheless getting higher,” Grant mentioned. “And so the brief week was powerful, however it is going to be good to be in a traditional week subsequent week.”

For gamers like senior linebacker James Anderson, who posted three solo tackles and two assisted tackles within the sport, Thursday couldn’t come quickly sufficient. 

“We had been able to play most likely three days in the past. So, yeah, we had been able to be again,” he mentioned. “We’ve been prepared, and we’ve been trying ahead to this sport.”

The Eagles picked up their second win of the season by doing what they do finest: enjoying cussed protection and controlling the ball with a punishing operating sport.

Junior quarterback Jackson Bakkum, who accomplished 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards with one landing and no interceptions, mentioned the group made good use of their apply time to get again on monitor.

“This week was centered. Focus, focus, focus. You realize, get each element down; get it achieved,” Bakkum mentioned. “We all know to have a brief reminiscence and study from our errors. Tidy up and get it going.”

The Eden Prairie offensive line actually saved the operating lanes tidy, dominating the purpose of assault for senior operating backs Jeremy Frederick and Elijah Rumph, resulting in 306 dashing yards within the sport. 

“I believed our offensive line got here off the ball,” Grant mentioned. “We managed the road of scrimmage. We didn’t punt till late within the sport down there. So, I believed they performed nice tonight.”

The road paved the best way for Rumph, who led the Eagles with 155 yards on 23 carries and one landing within the second quarter. Fredericks churned up 83 yards on 15 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

“We mentioned it final week, it’s the way you reply,” junior guard Ethan Sather mentioned. 

Sather gave his fellow offensive linemen a spirited pep speak instantly after the Edina loss final Friday. His phrases had an influence, because the Eden Prairie offense managed the ball with staggering effectivity, holding onto possession for 33:59 to Prior Lake’s 14:01.

The Eagles recorded 27 first downs, changing on 10 of 14 third-down performs and an ideal 3-for-3 on fourth down.

“Clearly, it began in apply. Monday, we received there, we put within the work. We labored on getting low, we labored on the basics. We hit this sled for a very long time,” Sather mentioned. “We had been drained, nevertheless it’s the way you reply.”

Regardless of the possession benefit, Eden Prairie solely led 7-0 on the finish of the primary quarter following Fredericks’ 4-yard landing run.

The Eagles went up 14-0 with a misdirection play, handing the ball off to 6-foot-2, 250-pound nostril guard Gavin Walden, who waltzed in from 3 yards out.

The play capped off a 15-play, 83-yard drive that burned 8:47 off the clock.

Prior Lake managed to reply, scoring twice within the first half, and the Eagles held a 20-13 lead at halftime.

“Firstly, we had issues,” junior deal with Jake Gau mentioned. “At halftime, we discovered our issues. We discovered the way to go towards their protection, and we had our mindset proper.”

Eden Prairie wasted no time taking again momentum initially of the third quarter.

Senior security Max Kukla intercepted Prior Lake quarterback Myles Greenwood on the second play of the third quarter.

“Clearly, we form of had a tricky finish to the primary half,” Kukla mentioned. “So to have the ability to get going like that, put the offense in a superb place for them to go down and rating, positively an enormous momentum.”

The play was a defining second within the sport, because the Eagles’ offense took full benefit of the brief subject.

Fredericks transformed on a 3rd down scenario with a 13-yard run to the Prior Lake 1-yard line. He plunged in on the following play for his second landing of the sport. 

“It was form of the proper feeling to come back out and have a giant cease to start out,” Kukla mentioned. “Then we simply saved stopping, and I don’t suppose they scored within the second half.”

Eden Prairie’s protection held Prior Lake scoreless all through the second half, bending however not breaking whereas giving up 251 yards of complete offense.

Extra importantly, the Eagles’ protection held the Lakers to simply 1-of-8 on third-down conversions, making key stops all through the second half.

“That they had that one swing play with the operating again that was killing us,” Anderson admitted after the sport. “At halftime, we adjusted it, and I believe that had a big effect on the second half.”

Bakkum discovered junior receiver Cooper Fahning from 11 yards out initially of the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles a 33-13 benefit.

Senior operating again Santosh Bommareddy scored on an 18-yard run with 2:23 remaining to cap the scoring.

The ultimate rating of 40-13 put the ending touches on the six-day purge of any remnants from the previous week.

The Eagles, in the meantime, look ahead to an extended week as an opportunity to relaxation and put together for his or her subsequent problem at Shakopee this Friday evening.

“I do know they’re massive. I do know they’re bodily,” Kukla mentioned. “They’ve received a giant O-line that they run behind. I do know they’ve received a number of good operating backs, their quarterback is sweet, so it’s positively going to be a battle.”

As Grant typically factors out, the competitors on the Eden Prairie schedule leaves no time for complacency. Each week contains a staunch opponent in Class 6A.

“We’ll watch movie on them,” Grant mentioned, trying forward. “Typical Shakopee group, they’ve received velocity. They’ve received good athletes. They’re a superb group.”

Shakopee is ranked sixth with a 3-0 report and is coming off a 17-7 win over Wayzata.

“Good group. We’re all the time enjoying good groups,” Bakkum mentioned. “We’re Eden Prairie. We gotta win.”