11/9/2009 3:52:00 PM Skippers stumble in section football final
By Matt Thomas
When the Minnetonka Skippers won the 2004 Prep Bowl, they had to get past the high school football machine known as the Eden Prairie Eagles in the section finals. The Skippers ran into that same machine last Friday night in the Section 6-5A final and found themselves on the short end of a 38-7 final score.
"They beat us fair and square. They really played well in all phases," Skippers head coach Dave Nelson said. "We really felt we were playing well and peaking at the right time, but my hat is off to them."
Both teams relied heavily on running the football this season and so the game could be summed up by looking at the rushing statistics.
The Eagles ran the ball 37 times for 309 yards. The Skippers ran the ball 30 times for 23 yards. End of story.
"You get out there and you're not quite sure if they were going to be able to run the ball like they've done all year," Eagles head coach Mike Grant said. "I give credit to our defensive coaches for getting the kids prepared for shutting the run down. Our interior defensive line played well and our linebackers were flying to the ball."
The Skippers never got things going offensively as 10 of their offensive possessions ended in punts and two more possessions ended with turnovers.
It wasn't until their final offensive possession of the game when they got on the scoreboard as Dre Thompson scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 1:06 remaining.
The Eagles built a 38-0 lead thanks to a powerful running attack, a stout defense and a little help from their special teams.
Already leading 7-0, the Eagles received a huge momentum boost when senior Jordan Price returned a Minnetonka punt 55 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
The Eagles added a 29-yard field goal with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter to take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
The Skippers received the second half kickoff, but were backed up close to their own endzone and forced to punt from their own seven yard line.
The Eagles capitalized on good field position on their ensuing drive as senior T.J. Fisher scored on the drive's third play on a 28-yard run to put the Eagles ahead 24-0.
With the score at 24-0, the Skippers forced two Eden Prairie turnovers, but they were unable to turn those turnovers into points on either occasion.
With 1:23 left in the third quarter, Skippers quarterback Tom Ahrens was intercepted by Eagles' junior defensive back Mitch Hallstrom.
It took the Eagles only five plays to drive 64 yards for another touchdown and a 31-0 lead.
Senior running back Gage Shaeffer, who ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns, scored from 30 yards out to put the game out of reach.
Shaeffer was one of two Eden Prairie running back to go over the 100 yard rushing mark. Sophomore Andrew Larson rushed for 111 yards on 13 carries.
Thompson led the Skippers' rushing attack with 14 yards on 11 carries. Ahrens finished the game 11-of-19 for 192 yards with no touchdowns and one interceptions. Senior wide receiver Nick Wenner led the receiving corps with four receptions for 80 yards.
For the Skippers, the loss ended a seven game winning streak that started back on Sept. 25.
"We showed a lot of character," Nelson said. "We were 1-2 at one point and we were looking at the schedule going geese we've got Stevens Point and Wayzata and Hopkins and our kids did a really nice job. We have a lot to be proud of."
The Skippers will lose 32 seniors to graduation this year including Ahrens, Thompson, safety and wide receiver Dan Carney, safety and kicker Zach Siemens, linebacker Jimmy Gildea and defensive linemen Alex Zapka and Beau Allen.
"They've been awesome and our five captains have been awesome," Nelson said. "They've been tremendous leaders and they've been a blast to coach. They've left a nice legacy and we're going to miss them."
Wayzata advances
Eden Prairie will move on to the state 5A quarterfinals where they will meet up with the Wayzata Trojans.
The Trojans advance to the state tournament with a 21-7 victory over Champlin Park in the Section 5-5A final.
The Trojans jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a six-yard touchdown run by senior running back Chris Kroeten and a 55-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Sasha Doran to senior tight end A.J. Tarpley.
The Rebels got on the board in the second quarter with a one-yard touchdown run by their all-everything running back Brandon Marquardt, but were never able to draw even with the Trojans.
Senior running back Chris Lindsey added a nine-yard touchdown run for the Trojans late in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
Doran finished the game 7-of-11 for 134 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Kroeten led the running attack with 90 yards on 24 carries. Tarpley made three catches for 92 yards and also added nine tackles and three sacks on defense.
Seniors Ryan Young and Grant Olson were also big contributors on defense. Young made 17 tackles and added a sack. Olson made 17 tackles and made a key interception late in the game.
Eden Prairie and Wayzata will play their state quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 at the Metrodome.
"Brad Anderson is a great coach. We have all the respect in the world for Wayzata," Grant said. "You know, it's probably a state championship game."
