Every Thursday, Maple Grove’s offense runs through the two-minute drill at football practice.

It paid off Friday, Oct. 14, in a key West Metro South Sub District home victory over Prior Lake, 28-27. Senior quarterback Brad Davison led the Crimson down field for the game-winning score in the final 2:10 of the game.

“We were really confident going in,” Davison said. “We had all three timeouts left, we were going with the wind and we had two minutes to go.”

Prior Lake (3-4) had just scored a go-ahead touchdown on a 43-yard run by Preston Jelen. The Lakers running back put in the two-point conversion on a sweep for a 27-21 lead.

“It was an easy time to put their heads down, but they didn’t,” Crimson head coach Matt Lombardi said.

Maple Grove (4-2), ranked No. 8 in Class 6A, then responded with a 63-yard scoring drive capped by 7-yard TD pass from Davison to senior wide receiver Jack Dugan. It put the team up to stay, 28-27.

“Offensive line had a great possession [and] gave me a lot of time to find receivers, and they did a great job of getting open,” Davison said.

Davison went 20-32 passing for 243 yards, two TDs and one interception. He also rushed for 95 yards on 24 carries and two scores.

Dugan stepped up in the passing game with six catches for 42 yards and the game-winning score. Fellow senior receiver Ky Carlson also had a solid game with five catches for 54 yards and a TD.

Carlson’s 25-yard TD connection with Davison in the first quarter put the Crimson up 14-0. Prior Lake didn’t go anywhere though with 12 unanswered points in the second quarter.

“We made some big mental breakdowns that allowed for some touchdowns,” Lombardi said.

Maple Grove’s special teams kept the lead with a stop on a two-point conversion and a missed extra point by the Lakers. Conversely, Crimson junior kicker Andy Peterson hit all four extra point attempts.

Despite letting the Lakers back into the game, the Crimson did have their share of bright spots on defense. Junior linebacker Jake Hanson had another big game with a team-high 12 tackles.

Eugene Horton, a junior defensive lineman, had two sacks and tallied three tackles. Defensive backs Curtis Haugen and Teddy Raasch each picked off passes.

Maple Grove remained committed to the ground game with 159 yards rushing on 4.4 yards per attempt. Senior running back Ryan Hanscome garnered 64 of those yards on 12 carries. He also helped in the passing attack with five receptions for 109 yards.

Maple Grove will need strong performances from both the running game and the defense in order to make another deep playoff run. Last year’s Crimson reached the state semifinals before East Ridge escaped to the Prep Bowl.

With a win over Shakopee (1-6) on Wednesday, the Crimson could lock up a No. 1 seed in the Class 6A playoffs. It would give the Crimson at least two home games in the postseason.

“It’s fun to get as many home games as you can,” Lombardi said, who’s team had senior night on Oct. 14.

Wednesday’s contest with the Sabers took place after press deadlines. State playoffs begin on Oct. 22.