Chad Clendening had high expectations for his Apple Valley football squad entering his initial season at the helm.

It took a little longer than expected for his unit to realize its potential, but the Eagles are peaking at the right time.

"We had to persevere through a tough start to the season," Clendening said. Apple Valley (6-5) opened the season with four consecutive losses, but has since won six of its past seven games. The Eagles advanced to the Class 5A state tournament quarterfinals and play Owatonna at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lakeville North.

"We want to be playing our best football at the end of the season, and that's what we're doing," Clendening said. "It's gratifying right now."

The turnaround has been fueled by a defense that hasn't allowed more than two touchdowns in any game since the last week of September. It has recorded two shutouts in that span, including 28-0 over Minneapolis Washburn and its highly-touted running back, Jeff Jones, in the Section 3 finals.

"Our defense played great," Clendening said. "They did a good job getting to the ball and making great tackles."

Jones was limited to 35 yards on 14 carries. It was only his second game of the season below 100 yards.

The Eagles had senior defensive back Davionte Young track every move Jones made on the night.

"We didn't use him as a spy," Clendening said. "He was our lockdown guy."

Senior running back Da'Shawn Lewis rushed for 131 yards on 25 carries and two scores against the Millers. In the Eagles' past four games, Lewis has run for 710 yards on 93 carries and 11 touchdowns.

Looking to add sports

Belle Plaine and Jordan are exploring adding two adapted sports programs.

The two schools are looking to combine with New Prague and Tri-City United for floor hockey and softball. New Prague and Tri-City United are currently combined for softball.

New Prague is currently combined with Burnsville, Farmington and Lakeville for floor hockey as well as soccer.

Trojans coach resigns

New Prague football coach Jim Benick resigned after five seasons at the helm of the program. The Trojans finished seventh in the eight-team Missota Conference, and wound up 1-8 overall this year. He went 24-26 during his tenure.

Top performances

• Eagan junior Anna Van Wyk took fourth place in the Class 2A girls' cross-country state meet on Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield. She covered the four-kilometer course in 14 minutes, 30 seconds. Van Wyk finished in 58th place in 2012.

• Rosemount junior quarterback Jackson Erdmann completed 12 of 14 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-7 triumph over Mounds View on Friday in the Class 6A football playoffs.