Eden Prairie football seals win with late drive against Minnetonka

The Eagles 9-minute fourth-quarter drive sealed the win over the Skippers

MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA — The No. 1 Eden Prairie Eagles (6-0) defeated the No. 5 Minnetonka Skippers (5-1) 28-14 Thursday night at Minnetonka High School. 

The Eagles led 21-0 at halftime, but the Skippers scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to cut the game to one possession. 

Eden Prairie received the ball with one minute remaining in the third quarter. The Eagles proceeded to drive 92 yards in 22 plays to score a touchdown and walk away with a win. 

Critical Conversions

Minnetonka had all the momentum in the game after scoring two third-quarter touchdowns. The Skippers had a drive, aided by multiple Eden Prairie penalties, finish with a 10-yard touchdown pass from receiver Hudson Poole to Joran Thomsen on a reverse. Chase Conrad ran in a 1-yard touchdown for the Skippers' second score in the quarter. 

The Eagles needed a long drive to stop Minnetonka's momentum, and the Skippers had opportunities to get them off the field.

Early in the drive, the Eagles had 3rd-and-9 and the possibility of a three and out. Quarterback David Ivey completed a pass to Liam Berndt, and the Eagles kept marching. 

With eight minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles converted a 4th-and-two. The next series, the Eagles again converted on fourth down. 

Eden Prairie was close to the Skippers' goal-line when they were penalized for a false start on third down. Now the Eagles had a 3rd-and-goal on the 9-yard line.  Running back Dominic Heim rushed for a hard seven yards, and on the next fourth down play, Heim rushed into the endzone for a touchdown.

"[Minnetonka] started to pick up energy," Berndt said. "We knew that if we score right here and run out the clock they're going to let up."

Running Back Rotation

The Eagles' running game is a powerful force pushing the top team in Class 6A. And they have multiple ball carries to rely on. 

Against the Skippers, the Eagles used five different ball carriers throughout the game. Three of them had over five touches.

"What's really special about all of us is that we all want the ball, and they give it to us pretty easily," Berndt says. "Everyone is staying happy. ... We are just happy for each other. If my teammate gets more carries than me, I'm happy for him."

Junior Elijah Rumph led the team in carries against Minnetonka, but who gets the ball is less of a science and more of an art for longtime Eagles head coach Mike Grant. 

"I wish I could tell you I had an absolute plan, but I don't," Grant said. "It's instinct and 43-years of coaching."

Minnetonka missing stars

The Skippers were undefeated entering Thursday's game. They had survived despite an injury to senior quarterback Milos Spasojevic this season, and running back Roman Johnson was also not in the game against Eden Prairie. 

Sophomore quarterback Caleb Francois stepped in for Spasojevic, and the underclassmen completed some key passes in the third quarter on the Skippers' touchdown drive. 

But the Minnetonka offense could not muster enough against the top team in the state. But Grant told his team after the game that the Skippers are a team they could see again deep in the Class 6A playoffs.

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-- Jack Butler | butler@scorebooklive.com | @sblivemn