It didn't matter to Edina coach Jason Potts, nor his players, that they gave up a quick touchdown to Stillwater in their Class 6A quarterfinal Thursday at Park Center.
Edina surges past Stillwater and keeps going, advances in Class 6A football playoffs
Edina, propelled by running back John Warpinski, won its seventh game in a row.
November 10, 2023 at 3:50AM
The Hornets had played at a high level during their winning streak. There was a lot of game to go. Nothing would be gained by fretting over a single touchdown.
They responded with a touchdown drive of their own, cutting the deficit to a single point. The Hornets kept adding points — 35 total before halftime — and came away with a 49-21 victory and a berth in the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium next week.
"We just worry about ourselves," said Potts. "We say all the time: reach your highest potential. We don't make excuses, we don't talk about the weather, we don't do all that stuff. We just want to play our best game. We put the focus on us."
Things nearly got worse for the Hornets (8-3), who won their seventh straight game, before they got markedly better.
After Stillwater (8-3) scored, the Ponies tried an onside kick that, originally, looked successful. But the officials, after a brief huddle, ruled that Stillwater had touched the ball before it traveled the required 10 yards and awarded Edina the ball at midfield.
The Hornets scored in about every way possible. Quarterback Mason West threw two touchdown passes to Sonny Villegas before halftime, and threw four TD passes total. Running back John Warpinski stacked another big game on top of the numbers he'd posted previously, rushing for 254 yards and two touchdowns.
Edina got a gift safety from Stillwater, courtesy of a bad snap. And senior defensive end Kade Chrysler blocked a first-half punt and recovered it in the end zone to cushion what was then a narrow lead.
"I just saw an open lane and I took it," Chrysler said of his game-changing block. "Nothing special. I saw a gap wide enough for me to slip through and there was nothing but the punter right in front of me."
Potts said the key to Edina's winning streak has been believing in itself after an early three-game losing streak.
"It's all about our resilience," he said. "We lost some early games, but we learned a lesson that we don't let those things bother us."
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
