Osseo High School stayed with powerful Maple Grove High for one quarter but the Crimson dominated the last three quarters en route to a 41-6 win Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The victory was a historic one for the Crimson, who clinched at least a tie for their first conference football championship. They can win the conference outright with a home win over second-placed Mounds View Wednesday, Oct. 21. A win over Mounds View will also guarantee Maple Grove a top seed in the upcoming section tournament and a bye in the first round.

"This is really exciting and I'm really happy for the kids," Maple Grove coach Craig Hansen said. "They've worked hard and now they have gotten themselves in position to win a conference championship."

Against Osseo, Caleb Marx put Maple Grove up 7-0 with a 6-yard touchdown run and a two-point con-version run. Osseo pulled to within 7-6 on a 60-yard TD pass from junior quarterback Jesse Howard to junior wide receiver Thomas Mante.

Maple Grove went ahead to stay when quarterback C.J. Woodrow tossed a 52-yard pass to Adam Hamilton in the second quarter to make it 20-6 at halftime. The second half was all Maple Grove. Woodrow threw a 35-yard TD pass to Jeff Hesse, Justin Lehman dashed 17 yards, 3 yards and 1 yard for three straight touchdowns to finish the scoring.

"As the game went on we gained momentum and that's the key," Hansen said. "Osseo has very good players with great quickness. Jesse Howard and Adreian Mitchell are exciting players who are very explosive. Our defense did a good job containing them."

The Crimson earned 179 yards passing and 293 rushing. Woodrow completed eight of 13 passes for 148 yards, all in the first half. Hesse had six catches for 99 yards, Lehman ran 22 times for 158 yards and Marx had 113 yards on 13 carries. The Crimson did not punt all night and had 19 first downs. Osseo's Howard passed for 111 yards and the Orioles had 77 yards rushing.

The Crimson figure to have a tough game against Mounds View. "It will be the most physical team we will play this year," Hansen said. "They have a great football tradition and their defensive front line is huge and physical."

If Maple Grove wins, it opens section play at home Saturday, Oct. 31. The Orioles conclude regular season play Wednesday, Oct. 21, against Park Center and open section play Tuesday, Oct. 27.