Special teams slippage in fourth quarter leaves No. 6 Shakopee short of No. 3 Prior Lake

Prior Lake football players went the phonetic route when assigning senior Jake Fier a nickname.

"His nickname is 'Fear Him,' " senior Joey Krouse said.

Shakopee will from now on.

Fier's 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown cemented the Lakers' 24-16 victory at Prior Lake. He made the second of two key special teams plays in the fourth quarter that changed the complexion of Friday's meeting of two Class 6A rivals ranked in the Star Tribune Metro Top 10.

No. 6 Shakopee missed a point-after attempt that would have tied the score at 17. On the ensuing kickoff, Fier electrified the home crowd at Dan Patch Stadium with his long scoring run.

"I saw a gap and took it and that was it; it was a great moment to have," said Fier, in his second year as a varsity return man. He said this touchdown was his first return for a score since eighth grade.

Fier's big play capped a night of great returns and comebacks.

"That was so awesome to see him back," Shakopee coach Ray Betton said. "He knocked that rust off pretty quick."

Ashton Kluseman's 22-yard field goal bumped Shakopee's lead to 10-0 in the second quarter.

A 7-yard touchdown run by Grayson Spronk got the Lakers (2-0) on the board. Shakopee (1-1) then tried to convert on fourth-and-2 deep in its own territory and its run failed. Starting their drive at the Sabers 24-yard line, the Lakers drew even on Logan Lehrer's 33-yard field goal.

Another touchdown in the third quarter gave Prior Lake 17 straight points and a lead it never lost.

"We had some unsportsmanlike penalties, as did they," Prior Lake coach Matt Gegenheimer said, adding that a week of talking by players on both teams heightened emotions. "But I was proud of our guys for hanging in there."