Ryan Shea came up big for a short-handed Maple Grove defense in the team’s first shutout of the season.

Grant Hemze, a senior linebacker, went down with injury during the Crimson’s 28-0 win over Shakopee on Friday, Oct. 9. Shea, also a senior linebacker, stepped in his spot and led the team with ten tackles and three for a lost yardage.

“Ryan Shea did a great job,” Crimson coach Matt Lombardi said. “There was some adversity that the kids faced. I thought they played really well. They really were kind of the key for the whole game.”

Hemze had 39 tackles in six games this season for sixth on the team. Shea had eleven tackles going into the season finale.

More playing time may come Shea’s way this Friday as the Crimson, a No. 1 seed in the Class 6A playoffs, begin the postseason on Friday with Eastview (0-8) at 7 p.m. While the Lightning haven’t won a contest yet, their recent tradition at caliber of competition alone give reason for the Crimson to not look past the Apple Valley school.

Crimson senior tight end Jared Martinson said, “they’ve been a really good team historically, so their record is going to be deceiving. So, we have to come in with a level head and prepare just like any other week. This is the biggest game of the year so far, and we need to prepare like it.”

Eastview last went to state two years ago in 2013, and it plays in tough district with three top tiers in the 6A playoffs. That resume includes Lakeville North (7-1), Rosemount (7-1) and Burnsville (7-1).

“They’ve got a running back who’s 210 pounds [and] who’s fast,” Lombardi said of Eastview. “They’ve got a good quarterback [too].”

Maple Grove has gradually improved over the course of the season on defense and now allows 108 yards per game on the ground. The Crimson gave up 140 yards total offense to Shakopee in a game where the Sabers did hang around in terms of the score.

“We came out a little flat against Shakopee, but credit to them, they’re a good, tough team that gave us problems on offense,” Martinson said.

Isaac Collins got the Crimson on the board first with a 45-yard TD run at 4:06 in the first quarter. Brad Davison then put the Crimson up 14-0 early in the second quarter on a 25-yard TD pass to Teddy Raasch.

Despite a strong seven-minute stretch in the first half offensively, the Crimson didn’t get anymore points until 2:23 left in the third quarter. Collins broke away for a 50-yard TD that time.

Davison went on to seal the game with a 10-yard TD run at 7:16 in the fourth quarter to give the Crimson a 28-0 lead. The junior quarterback rushed for 21 yards on six carries, and he threw for 83 yards on 6-13 passing. Raasch and Eddie Lee both caught two passes to aid the aerial attack.

Shakopee picked off Davison twice, but neither resulted in much momentum for the Sabers. Gabe Hanson returned the favor for Maple Grove once with an interception in the game.

“Shakopee’s a team that played a lot better than the did early in the year,” Lombardi said. “They’ve got a brand new coach. They’ve really played well of late.”

Just ask Edina, which lost to the Sabers, or at Prior Lake team that escaped by a point. The Crimson needed a big rushing game of 286 yards to keep Shakopee at bay.

“We had to stay patient with it,” Lombardi said. “I think early on, they did a nice job, and they stopped us pretty well. They made us work.”

Collins led the Crimson with 184 yards, and he reached 1,189 yards for the season. The senior running back could hit 2,000 yards depending on how deep the Crimson go in the playoffs.

After a big run last year, the Crimson know the challenges of getting to the final three rounds. If they beat Eastview, either Armstrong or Woodbury in the next round have strong defense and high-powered offenses.