What was expected to be a must-see matchup between two of the metro's most accomplished football programs turned out to be little more than a reinforcement of what most already knew: Eden Prairie is very, very good.
On the strength of beefy senior running backs Anthony Anderson and Dan Fisher, Eden Prairie put Totino-Grace through its customary meat grinder, churning out an impressive 42-7 victory.
Anderson, who is much more nimble than his 6-2, 235-pound frame would suggest, ran for a career-high 195 yards on 15 carries. He broke the game open in the second half with touchdown runs of 42 and 35 yards on back-to-back possessions.
Fisher, a 6-foot, 205-pound fullback, rumbled his way to 100 yards and a pair of first-half touchdowns — an 11-yard screen pass reception for to give Eden Prairie a 7-0 first-quarter lead and a 4-yard burst in the second quarter to regain the lead 14-7.
"We're not very big, we're not very fast — well, except for our two running backs," Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. "We told our guys that we were going up against a championship program and this would be a championship-caliber game. You're never sure how your team is going to respond, but they stepped up."
Media requests to cover the game nearly overwhelmed the Totino-Grace athletic staff. The game, a matchup of 2012 Class 6A champion Eden Prairie and Class 5A champion Totino-Grace (Grace has since moved up to Class 6A), took on added significance because it came on a Thursday night in observance of Yom Kippur.
For one quarter, it was as close as many hoped. Fans settled in for what looked to be a slugfest when Totino-Grace's Ben Mazzenga returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards after Eden Prairie's initial score to tie the score 7-7.
"I thought 'OK, here we go,' " Grant said. "We're going to have a war. But our kids responded well."
Eden Prairie retook the lead on Fisher's second touchdown on its next possession, then changed the complexion of the game completely when senior linebacker Matt Cheesman intercepted a pass and returned it 32 yards for a 21-7 lead.
Meanwhile, Eden Prairie's offense was taking control of the line of scrimmage, creating huge holes for Anderson and Fisher.
"Our offensive line did it all," Anderson said. "I just have to do my job and run. After a while, I could see they were wearing down and looked intimidated."
Totino-Grace coach Jeff Ferguson said he knew his team had to play a nearly perfect game to win.
"We have such a little margin for error," he said. "We couldn't make mistakes and hope to win. Not against that team."
