Maple Grove High School gave third-ranked Blaine a good fight before falling 29-20 in a Northwest Suburban Conference football game Friday, Sept. 8.
"It was a very exciting game and I was proud of our kids," Maple Grove coach Craig Hansen said. "We competed well. Blaine is a terrific team. They just do things really well and are so physical. We are young and it's relatively early in the season. But we hung in there and competed with them."
The Crimson led for most off the first half before Blaine exploded two quick touchdowns late in the half to grab the lead.
Maple Grove scored the only touchdown in the first quarter on a 25-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Koch to receiver Brent Sorbel. Jon Hicks kicked the point after for a 7-0 lead.
The Bengals put together a drive and scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter but the extra point kick failed and Maple Grove still led 7-6.
That lead quickly went back up to seven points when on the ensuing kickoff, the Crimson’s Jake Johnson caught the ball on his 5-yard line and dashed 95 yards for a touchdown. Hicks' kick gave Maple Grove a 14-6 lead.
Blaine's defense stiffened and its offense led by running back Mike Owens started to take charge. The Bengals scored on their last two possessions of the half. They tied the score 14-14 on a short TD run by Owens and scored a 13-yard TD strike with seconds left to grab a 20-14 halftime lead.
"We just couldn't move the ball," Hansen said. "They got the ball back and scored just before halftime. That hurt."
The Crimson's offensive woes continued in the second half and the Bengals pulled away in the third quarter, scoring on a safety when they tackled Koch in the end zone, and adding a 15-yard Owens TD run.
“We had good field position to start the second half after a good return to midfield but we just didn’t move the ball,” Hansen said. “Blaine ended up winning the battle for field position. We got pinned depp in our end and gave up a safety.”
The Crimson made the final score close when Koch hit fullback Josh Throndson with a 33-yard TD strike with 3 minutes left in the game.
Blaine gained 190 yards passing and 125 yards on the ground. Owens finished with 120 yards.
"Our defensive unit did well because that was a tough offense and we did a great job,” Hansen said. "Blaine has a big fullback and is very balanced. We did give up some big plays but overall our kids competed really well with them.”
Defensive tackle Kris Johnson had nine tackles, one fumble recovery and cause two fumbles. Andy Greeder and Luke Greeder had big night with 20 and 10 tackles respectively. Luke also intercepted a pass and caused a fumble.
Safety Ryan Schulz had nine tackles.
However the Crimson struggled against the big and sticky Blaine defense. The Bengals sacked Koch five times and held Maple Grove 80 yards rushing and 100 yards passing.
"We were inconsistent,” Hansen said. "We had a rough time running, because their defense was tough against the run. In our passing game, when we connected we did really well, but we needed to be more consistent."
Still, Hansen was proud of the way his young team battled the state's third-ranked team.
"We are glad we were up there with them and competed with Hansen said. "We felt we did good things but had some miscues. Our inexperience caught up with us and we made some mental errors. That's not to take anything away from Blaine. But I am proud of our kids. You can tell and tell them what it’s like to play top-level football but sometimes you have to experience it. It’s good for our kids to play a mature, experienced team like Blaine. This is what it’s about. We just learn and move on.”
The Crimson next take on Osseo on Friday, Sept. 15, at Carl Tonn Field.