Lakeville South overwhelms Stillwater, reaches Class 6A football semifinals

Snow fell like winner's confetti late in the fourth quarter of Lakeville South's 37-14 victory against Stillwater on Friday in the Class 6A football state tournament quarterfinal at Eden Prairie High School.

The defending state champion Cougars were again high school football's ultimate all-terrain vehicle. They powered through cold, wind and even snow to reach the semifinals scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium. They will face undefeated and top-ranked Maple Grove in a rematch of Prep Bowl teams from a year ago.

"That's why we have this Power-T offense; this is the time of year it's meant for," senior running back Ryder Patterson said. "It's cold and windy and we can't really pass that much, so we'll ground and pound and do our jobs."

Senior running backs Carson Hansen (three touchdowns) and Patterson (two) led the fourth-ranked Cougars (9-2) to a lopsided victory against a Stillwater team playing in its first state tournament since 2006.

Lakeville South scored on its first six possessions through three quarters and attempted just one pass during that span. No. 6 Stillwater (9-2) couldn't stop the Cougars' ground game or keep pace on the scoreboard.

"We played a really complete game," South coach Ben Burk said. "It was a great overall team effort."

The Cougars' defensive game plan was to permit 5- to 10-yard completions from Ponies quarterback Max Shikenjanski and his talented receiving corps but deny big plays. In the second quarter, Shikenjanski and Joseph Hoheisel connected on three consecutive passes, bringing their team to the doorstep of the Cougars' end zone. Shikenjanski scored from 1 yard out, cutting Stillwater's deficit to 10-7.

Stillwater, with the wind at its back for the ensuing kickoff, planned to do the same to South. Instead, a Cougars return to the 43-yard line kick-started a third consecutive touchdown drive.