In only its third year of existence, Maple Grove has a conference football championship to its name.

The Crimson dethroned tow-time defending conference champion Mounds View with a 14-7 win Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Carl Tonn Field to win the Twin Cities Suburban Conference East Division outright. The Crimson finished 6-0 in the conference (7-1 overall) while the Mustangs were 5-1.

“It’s been very satisfying to see the commitment pay off for the kids.” said Maple Grove coach Craig Hansen. “They bought into the program and have worked so hard in the off-season. There have been down times but they’ve always been competitive and upbeat and they wanted to do well. You always work for a conference championship. If you don’t you are selling yourself short. That’s a goal you can go for and it really comes down to performance. To achieve a conference championship you have to earn it and I think the kids have done that. I’m just so happy and proud of the kids for what they have accomplished.”

The Crimson had to defeat a physical Mounds View team to win the conference outright.

Maple Grove opened the game with an impressive drive that went from the Crimson 11 to the Mounds View four-yard line. But a penalty and a sack later, the Crimson came up empty.

The Crimson finally broke through with a long drive in the second quarter and took a 7-0 lead with one second left in the first half on senior running back Justin Lehman's one-yard run. Lehman’s score capped a 16-play drive. Junior split end Brent Lawson had two big catches and his 13-yard reception took the ball to the one and set up Lehman’s score.

Maple Grove made it 14-0 on its first possession of the third quarter on a 60-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback C.J. Woodrow to Lawson on a sideline pattern.

The Mustangs scored midway through the fourth quarter on a 13-yard run, but the Crimson defense held firm. Pass interceptions by Pete Corneia and Adam Byum late in the fourth quarter helped preserve the victory for Maple Grove.

“Our defense had an outstanding night because Mounds View has been a powerhouse all year.” Hansen said. “Their quarterback and wide receiver were top threats and our kids did really well throughout the night.”

Inside linebackers Justin Davis had eight tackles and Mickey Baker had six to lead the Crimson. Josh Muro and Chris Dykhoff each made five tackles and caused a fumble. And Brett Schendell had four tackles.

Offensively, Woodrow completed 13 of 28 passes for 211 yards. Jeff Hess caught five passes for 68 yards, Lawson had four receptions for 89 yards and Justin Derring had two for 23.

The Crimson had 132 yards rushing, with Lehman leading the way with 24 rushes for 70 yards.

The punting of back-up punter Jeremy Oligmueller and the special team play also contributed to Maple Grove's win. 'We had seven punts on the night and they had returns for two and nine yards. On the rest, they had no returns. That gave us good field position all night.'

The win not only gave Maple Grove the conference title, but also the No. 1 seed in the Section 5 tournament. The Crimson host the winner of the Armstrong-Cooper game at 1 p.m. Saturday. Oct. 31.

“I think we have a very competitive section with Wayzata, Hopkins, Cooper and Armstrong," Hansen said. "I think the team that comes out of this section has to be a good team. I think we will be really competitive. That's what we've hoped for all along is a chance to compete and be on a par with the other teams. Then it comes down to execution.”