Eden Prairie defeats Lakeville North

Eden Prairie's usual formula worked: The Eagles built an early lead, and its defense never let the Panthers get close.

By Ben Goessling, Star Tribune

Last update: September 15, 2007 - 4:49 PM

This is what Eden Prairie has been doing to would-be Lake Conference contenders for more than a dozen years. Friday night was Lakeville North's turn.

The Eagles' 34-3 victory over the upstart Panthers was as methodical and formulaic as most of them are: Eden Prairie got up early, shut down the run, gained huge chunks of yards on the ground and left a trail of dazed Lakeville North players in its wake.

Pretty simple stuff.

"There's not a lot you can do against them," Panthers quarterback Mike Hartwell said, "We thought it was going to be a good game."

No one was suggesting the Panthers, who were 1-8 last season, had proved they were ready to knock off Eden Prairie, but Friday night showed just how big the gap between the two teams still is.

The Eagles held Lakeville North to 41 yards of total offense, intercepting Hartwell twice. Eden Prairie gained 296 of their own on the ground and holding the ball for nearly two-thirds of the game.

"We were playing a very good football team, and we couldn't give them anything," Panthers coach Mike Zweber said. "That was an issue tonight."

Lakeville North (2-1, 2-1 Lake Conference) went three-and-out to start the game, punting to its own 42. It was almost clichéd when Eden Prairie's Matt Swanson blew through the middle of the Panthers' line for a 42-yard touchdown on the Eagles' first play from scrimmage.

The Panthers had a chance to tie the game on their next series when Nick Judkins took a wide receiver screen 54 yards to Eden Prairie's 26. But Lakeville North never got closer than the Eagles' 9, and an illegal block penalty killed the drive.

That, in retrospect, was Lakeville North's only chance.

Eden Prairie (3-0, 3-0) scored 14 points in the next 13:33, throwing the ball on only six of their 24 offensive plays in that span.

And the Eagles' defense overwhelmed Lakeville North's offensive line, giving Hartwell little time to throw and stunting the Panthers' attempts to spread the field.

Instead, he spent much of the night on the run from Division I prospect Willie Mobley, who finished with two sacks.

"I couldn't get going in the pocket. I was a little frantic," Hartwell said. "The first two games, I had a clear view. But they had guys in, getting their hands up. That's the best defense I've seen."

Lindner fumbled on the Eagles' first play of the second half, giving the Panthers the ball on Eden Prairie's 26.

But once again, a penalty killed the Panthers' drive. This time it was a third-and-goal false start from the two.

After the drive only a field goal, Swanson and Lindner took turns tearing off big gains on another long, measured Eden Prairie touchdown drive.

This one went 77 yards on 11 plays, consuming 5:39 and ending on a slick four-yard play-action pass from Ryan Grant to Carter Bykowski that put Eden Prairie up 28-3.

The Eagles visit 3-0 Eastview next Thursday, while Lakeville North travels to 0-3 Burnsville.

"You never want to lose," Zweber said, "but we needed a game to set the tone of where we need to be."

Ben Goessling • 612-673-7252

Ben Goessling • bgoessling@startribune.com

Recent South Metro stories

South metro business briefs - September 15, 2007

South metro business briefs - Haupt Antiek Market will celebrate a grand opening at its new Apple Valley location with a preview party tonight from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. More