skip navigation

Big Third Quarter Topples Prior Lake

By Coach Lombardi, 10/04/15, 9:45AM CDT

Share

As we went into the Prior Lake game, I felt while talking to our student body and parents that this game had an element of mystery because they were a school that not many knew what to expect.   Other than the playoff game last year that was a great football game, it’s a place and a tradition that many around the state do not understand and appreciate.   However, as our team walked into their stadium and felt the atmosphere that was growing, we realized quickly that this was a great opportunity that not only was going to make us better in football but was also going to be a blast!    With a crowd approaching 10,000 fans, a marching band of well more than 200 people, and a homecoming atmosphere, we were lucky enough to play a game that was a great experience against a reputable, well-coached team and we prevailed 42-21. 

Offensively, we did a great job maintaining possessions and capitalizing on situations that were presented.   Isaac Collins again had a great game with 31 carries for 170 yards and 5 TD’s while Ryan Hanscome  ran for 53 yards on 12 carries and 1 TD.  Brad Davison did a great job all night moving the chains through the air with 209 yards passing on 12 – 17 passing.   Also, Eddie Lee played a great game with 82 yards receiving on 3 catches and Jared Martinson went for 78 yards on 4 catches from his Tight End position.   However, what best encapsulated the evening was the final drive of the night.   After Prior Lake just scored to cut our lead to a two-score game, we manufactured a 9-minute drive on 17 plays to close the game and preserve the victory.   Credit for any moments like that go to the offensive line and their resilience play in and play out.   We still have many areas we need to improve upon, but we competed and battled all night and took advantage of moments where momentum was available.

Defensively, we pursued, swarmed to the football and did some great things.  Even though there are things that need to be improved, we are making progress week in and week out.   Also, they did a good job putting the offense on the field in great position.   Our team’s first two touchdowns were on possessions that started inside Prior Lake’s 40-yard line, and later a touchdown in the 2nd half resulted from similar field position.  That’s why defense is so critical to our success.   They put us in those positions that allow our offense to thrive and get points on the board.   We can keep improving in this area, but our defense impacted the game greatly creating these opportunities.   Lukas Burrington led the team with 8 tackles, and Kayode Awosika and Tyler Little did a great job creating pressure up front and making big plays in the backfield.  We are an improving unit, and we got one more week to get to the level we want before entering the playoffs.   It is fun to watch this group take shape!

Our Special Teams is still the area that needs solidifying.   Tyler Knutson kicked a huge kick for us at the end of the half that gave us the lead, but there are other elements we clearly need to address.   Nobody can underestimate the importance of special teams because in close games it often is the factor that makes the difference.   If you replay every game from this year, you can see countless examples of where our kicking game has either helped us or hurt us immensely during the course of a game.   We need this to be a constant positive for us, so our preparation will constantly improve in this area. 

All in all though this was a great win against a State-caliber team in a rowdy environment.   It recorded our third consecutive win.   Getting three wins in the row is extremely important to the momentum for an entire season.   Hard as it is to believe, we now enter our final week of the regular season against a much-improved Shakopee team.   Shakopee lost a one-point game to Prior Lake and beat Edina in the past three weeks, so they are playing good football and have a new coach that does a great job motivating kids.   We look forward to playing them this week because they play with great enthusiasm and emotion and are growing in front of your eyes every week.   However, what makes this exciting is our goals still are out there in front of us, and this is a big game leading into this process.  This game will have a big impact on our position entering the playoffs, so it will have a playoff intensity throughout the week.   That should be fun!   Let’s get the Grove rocking and have a great Senior night!  Let’s finish this regular season right!  GO CRIMSON!

Lombo