Eagles fly past Prior Lake and land on winning track

There was only one thing the Eden Prairie Eagles were looking forward to more this week than the bright lights of Friday night.

That would be the bright lights of Thursday night.

A Thursday kickoff meant one less day of waiting for a team eager to get back on the field. The No. 7-ranked Eagles wanted nothing more than to erase the memory of last week’s uncharacteristically lopsided loss to then No. 2 Edina.

The Eagles responded to that setback six nights later with an inspired performance against Prior Lake, securing a 40-13 victory in their home opener at Aerie Stadium.

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The informal poll taken after the win indicated most, if not all, of Mike Grant’s players were grateful for the chance to get back in the win column one night earlier. But for the coach, it meant one less day of preparation and coaching.

“A three-day week is not ideal, because you’re still teaching, you’re still trying to learn, you’re still getting better,” Grant said. “And so the short week was tough, but it will be nice to be in a normal week next week.”

For players like senior linebacker James Anderson, who posted three solo tackles and two assisted tackles in the game, Thursday couldn’t come soon enough. 

“We were ready to play probably three days ago. So, yeah, we were ready to be back,” he said. “We’ve been ready, and we’ve been looking forward to this game.”

The Eagles picked up their second win of the season by doing what they do best: playing stubborn defense and controlling the ball with a punishing running game.

Junior quarterback Jackson Bakkum, who completed 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, said the team made good use of their practice time to get back on track.

“This week was focused. Focus, focus, focus. You know, get every detail down; get it done,” Bakkum said. “We know to have a short memory and learn from our mistakes. Tidy up and get it going.”

The Eden Prairie offensive line certainly kept the running lanes tidy, dominating the point of attack for senior running backs Jeremy Frederick and Elijah Rumph, leading to 306 rushing yards in the game. 

“I thought our offensive line came off the ball,” Grant said. “We controlled the line of scrimmage. We didn’t punt until late in the game down there. So, I thought they played great tonight.”

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

“We said it last week, it’s how you respond,” junior guard Ethan Sather said. 

Sather gave his fellow offensive linemen a spirited pep talk immediately after the Edina loss last Friday. His words had an impact, as the Eden Prairie offense controlled the ball with staggering efficiency, holding onto possession for 33:59 to Prior Lake’s 14:01.

The Eagles recorded 27 first downs, converting on 10 of 14 third-down plays and a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down.

“Obviously, it started in practice. Monday, we got there, we put in the work. We worked on getting low, we worked on the fundamentals. We hit this sled for a long time,” Sather said. “We were tired, but it’s how you respond.”

Despite the possession advantage, Eden Prairie only led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter following Fredericks’ 4-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles went up 14-0 with a misdirection play, handing the ball off to 6-foot-2, 250-pound nose 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 answer, scoring twice in the first half, and the Eagles held a 20-13 lead at halftime.

“At the start, we had problems,” junior tackle Jake Gau said. “At halftime, we figured out our problems. We figured out how to go against their defense, and we had our mindset right.”

Eden Prairie wasted no time taking back momentum at the start of the third quarter.

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

“Obviously, we kind of had a tough end to the first half,” Kukla said. “So to be able to get going like that, put the offense in a good position for them to go down and score, definitely a huge momentum.”

The play was a defining moment in the game, as the Eagles’ offense took full advantage of the short field.

Fredericks converted on a third down situation with a 13-yard run to the Prior Lake 1-yard line. He plunged in on the next play for his second touchdown of the game. 

“It was kind of the perfect feeling to come out and have a big stop to start,” Kukla said. “Then we just kept stopping, and I don’t think they scored in the second half.”

Eden Prairie’s defense held Prior Lake scoreless throughout the second half, bending but not breaking while giving up 251 yards of total offense.

More importantly, the Eagles’ defense held the Lakers to just 1-of-8 on third-down conversions, making key stops throughout the second half.

“They had that one swing play with the running back that was killing us,” Anderson admitted after the game. “At halftime, we adjusted it, and I think that had a big impact on the second half.”

Bakkum found junior receiver Cooper Fahning from 11 yards out at the start of the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles a 33-13 advantage.

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

The final score of 40-13 put the finishing touches on the six-day purge of any remnants from the past week.

The Eagles, meanwhile, look forward to a longer week as a chance to rest and prepare for their next challenge at Shakopee this Friday night.

“I know they’re big. I know they’re physical,” Kukla said. “They’ve got a big O-line that they run behind. I know they’ve got a few good running backs, their quarterback is good, so it’s definitely going to be a battle.”

As Grant often points out, the competition on the Eden Prairie schedule leaves no time for complacency. Every week features a staunch opponent in Class 6A.

“We’ll watch film on them,” Grant said, looking ahead. “Typical Shakopee team, they’ve got speed. They’ve got good athletes. They’re a good team.”

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

“Good team. We’re always playing good teams,” Bakkum said. “We’re Eden Prairie. We gotta win.”