Eden Prairie’s Quaid Johnson (16), Isaiah Kelly (2), and Mason Hemmesch (14) celebrate a game-winning stop on a two-point conversion against Moorhead on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson
The numbers speak loudly, but they don’t tell the entire story.
Friday night’s clash between Eden Prairie and Moorhead was an offensive slugfest, a heavyweight fight with the Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the Star Tribune’s Top 25 statewide poll, trading blows with the No. 13 Spuds.
The year 2025 marks Moorhead’s first season in Class 6A. Their arrival in the Metro West district with Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Edina, Maple Grove among others, has created a splash.
And their battle with the Eagles on Eden Prairie homecoming produced eye-opening data on the stat sheet.
Eden Prairie senior defensive end Gavin Walden (9) blocks a Moorhead pass attempt. Photo by Rick Olson
Yards rushing: Eden Prairie had 351 to Moorhead’s 136. Yards passing: The Spuds had the advantage with 301 yards to the Eagles’ 96. First downs: Eden Prairie 27, Moorhead 23. Total offensive yards: 447-437 in favor of the Eagles.
But the statistics don’t define the moments, like Eden Prairie defensive end Gavin Walden blocking a pass on fourth-and-goal from the Eden Prairie 5-yard line late in the fourth quarter.
Or Eagles quarterback Jackson Bakkum’s 44-yard completion to wide receiver Cooper Fahning to keep Eden Prairie’s come-from-behind scoring drive alive late in the fourth quarter.
And analytical data means nothing to Eden Prairie defensive back Quaid Johnson, who saved the best for last by breaking up two passes on consecutive two-point conversion attempts.
Eden Prairie running back Justice Bates (33) plunges in for a first-quarter touchdown against Moorhead. Photo by Rick Olson
The final sequence
Moorhead scored with just 24 seconds remaining in regulation to pull within one point of the Eagles, who held a 34-33 lead.
Johnson, a junior, broke up the Spuds’ first two-point attempt, covering Moorhead star receiver David Mack, who had amassed 193 yards on 12 receptions and three touchdowns.
But a personal foul call on the Eagles gave Moorhead a second chance at a game-winning extra point.
Said Johnson of the setback: “We just line up again, do the same thing. Just stay focused.”
Johnson stepped up once more, again covering Mack and breaking up the pass.
Eden Prairie’s Jake Gau (66) and Zane Frost (7) hold their ground against Moorhead during the first half Friday. Photo by Rick Olson
“He’d been going inside all night, and I saw him go inside,” Johnson said. “I had to follow him. I had to break on it quick, and I just put my hand in there and made the play.”
The Eagles recovered Moorhead’s onside kick, exhaled, and celebrated a 34-33 homecoming victory in front of a packed house at Aerie Stadium.
“It just showed how much grit our team has,” senior defensive back Isaiah Kelly said. “When things don’t go right, we just play through it. We just battle through adversity, and we just keep pushing and pushing,”
Added Kelly: “Quaid made three great plays right there in the end zone. And we won. We came out with a win. It wasn’t very pretty, but we did it.”
As Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant told his team after the game, “That was the ugliest, great win we’ve had here.”
Bakkum said he had to agree with his coach’s observation.
“It was a dogfight,” he said. “That offense was incredible. They got a lot of fire, and we had a lot of fire to come back, and our fire is bigger, I guess.”
Eden Prairie defenders Quaid Johnson (16), Mason Hemmesch (14) and Andrew Johnson (1) tackle Moorhead receiver David Mack (1). Photo by Rick Olson
Bakkum’s key throw to Fahning came at a crucial sequence in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles had possession, trailing 27-26 with under six minutes to play. Bakkum dialed in a throw down the middle of the field right on the mark to find Fahning for a 44-yard gain and a first-and-10 on the Moorhead 27-yard line.
“We saw it the entire game. Their safety was coming down and we thought we had to take the shot at some point,” Bakkum said. “Cooper made a good play, catching it over him.”
Eden Prairie scored four plays later on Windlan Hall’s four-yard touchdown run, followed by Bakkum’s completion to Myken Anderson on the two-point conversion.
Eden Prairie led 34-27 with 4:06 remaining in regulation.
“They couldn’t stop our running game,” Grant said. “But we made some mistakes, and I think we weren’t focused in the first half and put the ball on the ground three different times.”
From the opening kickoff, the game evolved quickly, becoming a test of wills between a rugged, ball-control running offense versus a high-flying passing team.
Eden Prairie running back Owen Konrad (20) rushed for 143 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown against Moorhead. Photo by Rick Olson
Moorhead likes to spread the field with four wideouts ready to strike at any time.
The Spuds were without starting quarterback Jett Feeney, who suffered a shoulder injury earlier this season. But their high-powered offense didn’t lose a step. Backup quarterback Austin Dryburgh was 21 of 38 passing for 301 yards and five touchdowns.
“When you’ve got the best receiver and running back in the state, it’s hard to cover them both, so shout out to him,” Walden said, speaking of Mack and running back Taye Reich, who had 131 yards on 21 carries.
“But we’ve got some good backers that can make some plays. And they stepped up,” Walden added.
Walden’s critical stop ended a Moorhead threat on their second-to-last offensive series of the game, shutting the door on a 17-play, 85-yard drive to the Eagles’ 5-yard line.
“They’ve been just telling me to watch that slant because they’ve been throwing it all game,” Walden said of the play. “So I got into my guy, put my hands up and happened to hit the ball.”
Eden Prairie quarterback Jackson Bakkum (4) said the Eagles “had a lot of fire to come back” in their 34-33 homecoming win over Moorhead on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson
The stop may have saved the game for Eden Prairie. A Moorhead touchdown would have given the Spuds a two-score lead with 6:45 remaining in the game.
The Eagles’ scoring drive on the ensuing series – highlighted by Bakkum’s clutch throw to Fahning and Hall’s eventual go-ahead touchdown – was ignited by an electrifying run by sophomore running back Owen Konrad.
“They can’t keep him down,” senior tackle Jake Gau said. “It gives us all energy. We just want to keep going. We want to give him more yards.”
On the first play from scrimmage from the Eden Prairie 5-yard line, Konrad found the right edge, broke several tackles and managed to stay on his feet, using his free hand to stay upright and gain 16 yards.
The play moved the Eagles out of the shadow of their own end zone and put the Spuds on their heels.
“I’ve got to shout out to the O-linemen because I wouldn’t have got that far downfield without them,” Konrad said. “But I don’t know to be honest, I just feel like I got lucky there, and just kept going.”
Eden Prairie running back Windlan Hall (5) dives for one of his two second-half touchdowns against Moorhead. Photo by Rick Olson
Konrad churned out eight yards on the next play, setting the table for Bakkum’s strike to Fahning.
“He always runs hard,” Grant said of Konrad. “We know what he can do. We’re trying to keep him healthy, get to game 13 with our backs intact. And Windlan ran hard too.”
“I mean, there’s a lot of yards given up in that game; a lot of yards.”
Konrad, Eden Prairie’s leading rusher on the season, led the Eagles with 143 yards on 19 carries.
His lone touchdown, a 35-yard run with just 36 seconds remaining in the first half, brought the Eagles within a point of the Spuds, 21-20, at the break.
Hall rushed 12 times for 132 yards and two second-half touchdowns.
Eden Prairie running back Bodey Hedlund (30) rushed for 38 yards on six carries and a touchdown against Moorhead. Photo by Rick Olson
Running backs Bodey Hedlund and Justice Bates each scored first-quarter touchdowns for Eden Prairie.
Bakkum underscored the confidence the offense has in its running back corps as well as the spark they provide in critical moments of the game.
“It just brings us all up. It’s amazing hearing the crowds start going crazy when they break every tackle,” he said. “And it just boosts us. It gives us confidence and drive to keep on going.”
Big plays and big numbers combined for a homecoming win; none bigger than back-to-back defensive stops to seal the victory.
“That was huge. You know, we thought we had him finished off right there,” Walden said. “But we came back. We made an even better play, so proud of how the guys rallied there.”
After their win over Moorhead, Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant told his team, “That was the ugliest great win we’ve had here.” Photo by Rick Olson
The Eagles improve to 4-2 on the season and will take their show back on the road to Eastview on Friday night.
“This win was huge,” Kelly said. “It really showed the determination and grit of our team.”
After the game, friends, families and Eden Prairie faithful poured onto the field at Aerie Stadium, basking in the glow of a homecoming triumph under the lights of Friday night and amid the unseasonably warm temperatures in early October.
“This was big,” Gau said. “Last year we lost homecoming. We should not have lost and that just brought us down. But now we’re back up.”
A packed house watched Eden Prairie defeat Moorhead for a 34-33 homecoming victory at Aerie Stadium on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson