Maple Grove football coach Craig Hansen issued a challenge to his team after the Crimson suffered a disappointing loss to Park Center two weeks ago.

"We were very disappointed with our intensity and focus in the Park Center game," Hansen said. "We faced adversity and didn't respond well. All week long, we talked about what we need to overcome that."

Hansen and his coaches must have done some kind of coaching job. The Crimson won at Coon Rapids Friday, Sept. 29. The Cardinals entered the game undefeated and as the fourth-ranked team in the state, but the Crimson rose to the occasion and played what Hansen called "one of the finest games we've played at Maple Grove."

"As far as intensity, competitiveness and execution, that rates as one of the top games we've played here," Hansen said. "We played with great intensity and concentration for 40 minutes. It's a big step in maturity for our players."

Offensively, the Crimson executed to almost perfection. Defensively, they were pursued and tackled extremely hard and bottled up the Cardinals' potent attack.

Maple Grove drew first blood the first time it touched the ball. Mixing running and passing effectively, the Crimson marched methodically down field and scored on Josh Throndson's six-yard touchdown run. The extra point failed and the Cardinals responded with a touch-down and extra point to grab a 7-6 lead after one quarter.

The teams continued to trade touchdowns in the second quarter. Maple Grove scored on a seven-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Koch to Pete Dering and Koch ran in the two-point conversion for a 14-7 lead. Coon Rapids came right back with a 64-yard touchdown bomb to tie it 14-14.

Unlike the Park Center game, the Crimson did not crumble under pressure. Instead, they retaliated with a touchdown just before halftime. Koch again was on target as he hit Throndson for a 20-yard touchdown pass. The two also hooked up for a two-point conversion and a 22-14 halftime lead. That turned out to be the final points of the game as defense ruled in the second half, The Crimson threatened twice, once in the third quarter and once late in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals had little success against the sticky Maple Grove defense, which successfully protected the lead.

"The defense played solid," Hansen said. "Our front played well and our kids were pursuing well and our coverage was great. We stuffed the run and our secondary kids did well on their coverage.”

Defensive ends Justin Kokales and Travis Iskierka, both juniors, had outstanding nights. On the last Coon Rapids drive, Kokales came up with a big sack. He also added a team-leading eight tackles. Outside linebacker Dennis Bilancia had six tackles, Iskierka had four tackles and two hurries, and Kris Johnson added five tackles and one sack.

On offense, the Crimson almost achieved Hansen's prime goal of a 50-50 run-pass attack. Koch completed 13 of 25 passes for 221 yards and the Crimson ran for 224 yards. The Crimson picked up 19 first downs and punted only twice.

"Ryan had his finest game," Hansen said. "He did an outstanding job reading the defense and handling the ball. That's a big step forward for him."

Jake Johnson caught six passes for 135 yards, Dering had one reception for seven yards, Brent Sorbel had three for 23, Throndson had two for 36 and Jon Hicks had one for 26 yards.

In rushing, Hicks had 105 yards on 18 carries and Throndson had 78 yards on 14 carries.

"The big difference in this game is that our young offensive line is really starting to click," Hansen said. "Paul Jay at left guard, Chad Blalock at left tackle, Brian Rebhorn at center, Erik Brost at right guard and Justin Radd at right tackle really came together this week. They really clicked and that helped our offense gain momentum."

Next up for the Crimson for their homecoming Friday, Oct. 6, is Champlin Park and its star running back Riza Mahmoud. A state champion in the high hurdles last spring, Mahmoud has been one of the leading rushers in the state this fall. Asked how the Crimson plan to contain Mahmoud, Hansen said: "I don't know. Nobody has stopped him yet. He's one of the most incredible athletes I've seen. He is incredibly strong and has great speed. That's why it's fun to play in this league. Every team has great players like that."