Eden Prairie senior Gavin Walden (9) congratulates senior Justice Bates (33) on his first-quarter touchdown in the Eagles’ 25-12 win over Eastview on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson
After two weeks of nail-biting finishes – with one game resulting in a heartbreaking loss to Minnetonka and the other a thrilling goal-line stand in the closing minute to seal a win – the Eden Prairie Eagles traveled to Eastview on Friday for a game that lacked drama.
And that was just fine.
The No. 8-ranked Eagles took care of business, dispatching Eastview in a 35-12 win, despite a sluggish start to the game.
“We made mistakes, and I’m not going to lie to you,” Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant said. “They saw (Eastview’s) record and thought we weren’t going to have to play as excited as we were against the Skippers, or all these other people, but we got our job done.”
Eden Prairie senior Andrew Johnson (1) had 69 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 35-12 win over Eastview. Photo by Rick Olson
In the final analysis, the Eagles did what they do best – control the line of scrimmage, churn out yards and force opposing offenses to throw the ball.
Eden Prairie rolled up 281 yards rushing and 329 yards of total offense.
Even more impressive was the Eagles’ run defense, which held Eastview to minus-3 yards rushing.
“I feel like we were pretty good,” senior captain and linebacker Zane Frost said. “After those last two games, we kind of came out a little slow, and then it made it close when it shouldn’t have been. So I feel like this game, we were kind of ready.”
“We’ve got our eyes on the playoffs,” Eden Prairie senior captain Zane Frost (7) said. Photo by Rick Olson
The defense held Eastview scoreless in the first half, forcing two punts and capitalizing on two fourth-down stops.
Offensively, the Eagles were once again led by sophomore running back Owen Konrad, who had eight carries for 101 yards.
Senior Andrew Johnson had 69 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown and senior Justice Bates picked up a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 29 yards on seven carries.
Bates’ 1-yard run on the first offensive series capped a seven-play, 50-yard drive to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
Eden Prairie’s season rushing leader is sophomore running back Owen Konrad (20), who had eight carries for 101 yards Friday against Eastview. Photo by Rick Olson
“I think our starters came out there hard and fast and really set the tone for the rest of the game,” junior running back Bodey Hedlund said.
Hedlund had three rushes for eight yards, gained 49 yards on three kickoff returns, and had a 24-yard reception at the end of the first quarter that sparked an Eagles scoring drive resulting in Johnson’s 4-yard touchdown that gave Eden Prairie a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“It’s great to see the team coming together like that,” Hedlund said. “I think our backfield is one of the best in the state, if not the best. And I love to see all of our backs eating out there.”
“I think our backfield is one of the best in the state, if not the best,” says junior running back Bodey Hedlund (30). Photo by Rick Olson
Quarterback Jackson Bakkum added to the rushing totals with three carries for 21 yards, and his 7-yard touchdown capped an impressive five-play, 57-yard drive that gave Eden Prairie a 21-0 lead with just eight seconds remaining in the first half.
The Eagles started the drive with just 1:11 to play before halftime.
“The big thing was we got that drive right before half to make it 21-nothing and we drove the field,” Grant pointed out. “And that’s all good stuff.”
Hedlund returned the second-half kickoff 18 yards to the Eden Prairie 43-yard line, giving the offense good field position for its opening series.
Eden Prairie quarterback Jackson Bakkum’s (4) second-quarter touchdown gave the Eagles a 21-0 lead over Eastview. Photo by Rick Olson
The ensuing drive was highlighted by Konrad’s 20-yard run, giving the Eagles a first down at the Eastview 29-yard line.
Bates and Johnson traded carries before Bates plunged in from the 3-yard line to give Eden Prairie a 28-0 advantage.
“We showed that we were the better team and a more put-together team,” Hedlund said. “And I thought that really gave us the confidence to really close the game out.”
Kicker Harrison Serk was a perfect four-for-four on extra-point attempts.
The Eden Prairie defense forced Eastview to go three-and-out on the next series.
Eden Prairie’s Bryce Jensen (22) and Taylor Hussong (94) bring down an Eastview ball carrier. Photo by Rick Olson
Eden Prairie junior Windlan Hall fielded Eastview’s punt at his own 21-yard line and raced 79 yards for a touchdown.
“I fair caught the punt before that, and I thought I saw an alley on the first one,” Hall said. “So this one, I didn’t fair catch it and broke one tackle, and I saw the edge and scored.”
The 35-0 lead by the Eagles provided opportunities for reserve players to see valuable playing time.
“It definitely felt better to have a commanding victory, not having to worry,” Frost said. “But obviously, we can’t take these games lightly. Wayzata is going to be a great conference matchup next week, and we can never take any game lightly now.”
Eden Prairie junior Windlan Hall (5) had a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown against Eastview on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson
The Eagles will return to their home field to face Wayzata on Wednesday night, with their final week of the regular season shortened by MEA break across the state.
Grant is happy to be entering the season finale with his best players intact.
“We came through without any injuries, and kept our people healthy,” he said. “And now we can get back at getting ready for Wayzata.”
The Eagles take a 5-2 record into the final week and now begin to look ahead to the postseason.
“We’ve got our eyes on the playoffs,” Frost said. “We’ve got to make a run, and that’s our main focus right now, for sure.”
“We don’t have to teach a lot anymore,” Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant said. Photo by Rick Olson
For the head coach, late-season preparation means a return to the basics for his players, with the team playbook now committed to memory.
“We’re kind of back to fundamentals, because now they should know everything that we do,” Grant said. “We don’t have to teach a lot anymore. We’ve just got to make sure we’re doing fundamentals. That’s what practice will be about.”
Kickoff between Eden Prairie and Wayzata is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Aerie Stadium.
Eden Prairie picked up a 35-12 win at Eastview on Friday. Photo by Rick Olson