On Friday, Sept. 7, two football teams with different goals met to play each other.

The Maple Grove Crimson wanted to make a name for itself and earn respect. The Blaine Bengals wanted to continue its tradition of playing well early in the season and being contenders for the Prep Bowl late.

By the time it was over both teams had accomplished their goals, although the Crimson had to battle back from a slow start, early errors and a 27-0 halftime deficit to do so. Blaine won the game 27-14, but the Crimson won the second half.

In what Maple Grove head coach Craig Hansen called "two different games," the Crimson played a little intimidated during the first half. The first time the Crimson took the field, it turned the ball over as Blaine intercepted a pass and returned it nearly 60 yards for a touchdown.

That put Maple Grove in a very early 7-0 hole. The mistake seemed to rattle the green Crimson offense and it got nothing going for the rest of the half. Maple Grove's running game was stifled by the swirling Blaine defense and the passing game seemed shaky and was nearly non-existent.

Even though Maple Grove's defense was playing well, by the time halftime rolled around, the number three-rated Bengals had rolled up 27 unanswered points. Fans smelled a blowout, but the Crimson had something else in mind.

In the second half, the Crimson offense seemed to come together. It put together two scoring drives in the third quarter, one ending with a Ross Muewllenberg one-yard touchdown plunge and an-other ending when sophomore quarterback Ryan Iskierka sprinting in from nine yards out.

The two Crimson scores, combined with great Crimson defense, cut the deficit to 27-14. In the fourth quarter, the offense continued to drive the ball well with a nice mix of passing and running, but the Crimson was not able to score more points.

After the game, Hansen was impressed with his team's tenacity. "I was proud of the kids," he said, "How they stiffened out and supported each other. That's why we were able to come back and play such a great second half."

The Crimson did play a great second half, even if Blaine played many reserves.

Indeed the Crimson dominated Blaine in the second half. The Bengals had 179 yards of offense in the first half (57 passing, 122 rushing) but were held to only 42 yards in the final two quarters (22 passing, 20 rushing). Maple Grove had 48 yards of offense in the first half (29 passing, 19 rushing) and had 129 in the second half (102 yards rushing, 27 passing).

Hansen said this game would act as a good lesson for his team. "There were a lot of positive things we can take from this game," he said. "It should act as a confidence builder for us."

The Crimson will continue its quest for respect when it plays at Champlin Park Friday, Sept. 14.