It may sound like a broken record, but Maple Grove High football coach Craig Hansen knows he's telling it like it is when he says that his team is getting better with each game.

The Crimson lost to Roseville 31-12 Friday, Sept. 27, but again showed enough improvement to get Hansen excited.

The Raiders used two big plays and cashed in on a blocked punt to build an 18-0 first-quarter lead. They added two second-quarter touchdowns to open a commanding 31-0 lead at halftime. The Crimson, like they have done in four previous losses, never quit and came back with two second-half touchdown runs by Justin Lehman to make the final score respectable.

"A former coach at Richfield came up to me and said, 'Your kids play hard for 48 minutes. You can see that on the film,' " Hansen said. "I was so proud of the kids that people can see that. They played as hard as they can each week and I think it's paying off. I couldn't be more pleased. Every week they are 'getting better. We are on track and we are an improving ball club."

The area that needs the most improvement is to cut down on the major mistakes, Hansen said. "We are still giving up points we shouldn't be giving up, such as giving up a touchdown on our punt and turned the ball over with interceptions and fumbles," Hansen said. "Our offense had three turnovers and two penalties in the first half. If we can eliminate the major mistakes, that will help us a lot."

The Crimson had no turnovers and no penalties in the second half and were able to launch a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive. The defense then forced a fumble on the Roseville 33-yard line and the offense took it in. "The exciting thing about the second half is that we settled down and got more consistent," Hansen said. "They felt the momentum swing. You suddenly feel confident and you are playing more loose, and expecting to do well and perform better. It was a neat experience for our kids to feel that. Roseville was a real good sport. They were the first team to put in their JV team before we did."

Maple Grove finished with 11 first downs, 137 yards rushing on 29 carries and 76 yards passing.

Justin Lehman had 10 carries for 46 yards, Erik Omberg had 10 for 26 and C. J. Woodrow had eight carries for 59 yards. Jeff Hesse had four catches for 28 yards and Ryan Hastings two for 31.

Defensively, the Crimson played with determination and aggressiveness.

"I was real impressed with our defense," Hansen said. "They are playing more aggressively and competing much better. Safety Darren Lindquist did a good job against the run. He came up well on the alleys and made some big plays. Linebackers Brett Schendel, Tom Owens and Kyle Olson and Justin Lehner and Luke Craven on the defensive line also played good games."

The Crimson next host conference leader Elk River Friday, Oct. 4. The Elks blanked Osseo 14-0 last week.