Anoka 30, Osseo 27

Anoka coach Jeff Buerkle rolled his eyes a couple of times after he could finally let his guard down Friday. He had the look of a man who had watched two teams make his life difficult for nearly three hours — Osseo and his own.

But when the clock showed zeroes, he could heal himself with the salve of victory. Anoka (2-0) took an early 10-0 lead and led 27-12 before holding on for a 30-27 victory over an upstart Osseo (1-1) looking to make a name for itself in the Northwest Suburban.

"I thought we had it rolling in our favor two or three times," Buerkle said.

Anoka embarked on a 19-play touchdown drive to start the second half, cramming those plays into barely more than six minutes. Anoka, which sprints to the line and snaps the ball as though it believes the play clock lasts eight seconds, wears defenses down with its rapid-fire approach.

"We rotate a lot of guys, and we're really deep," Buerkle said. "Especially against a team like Osseo, we want to set a really fast pace."

Anoka's 19-play drive gave the Tornadoes a 20-12 lead. Osseo, pinned deep on its next possession, went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 17 and was stopped. Five plays later, Anoka led 27-12 late in the third. Momentum clear. Game over. Right? Wrong.

Facing third down from his own 14 on the ensuing possession, Osseo junior quarterback Tate Christopherson escaped a furious rush and fired an 86-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Ryan Spading. A two-point pass cut Anoka's lead to 27-20.

Kyle Griffin's 32-yard field goal bumped Anoka's lead to 30-20. Osseo came within 30-27 and had the ball with less than five minutes left. Osseo drove as far as Anoka's 42, but Anoka's Josh Wicklund knocked away a fourth-down pass and the Tornadoes held on to the victory.