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Minnetonka outlasts Wayzata after back-and-forth second half

Skippers survive Trojans following back-and-forth second half capped by 53-yard TD reception

September 8, 2018 at 5:51AM
Wayzata High School wide receiver Jacob Wildermuth (12) tried to chase down Minnetonka High School cornerback Raheem Brown (25) after he intercepted a Wayzata High School pass late in the second half. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE ï anthony.souffle@startribune.com Minnetonka High School played Wayzata High School in an MSHSL football game Friday, Sept. 7, 2018 at Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minn.
Minnetonka cornerback Raheem Brown, left, pulled down a clinching interception near the end of the Skippers’ victory over Wayzata. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minnetonka's wild 27-24 comeback victory over Wayzata, coupled with No. 1 Eden Prairie's loss, makes the No. 2 Skippers the favorite for the top spot next week.

What does Minnetonka senior quarterback Aaron Syverson think?

"It's nice — and I don't mean this in a bad way — but we know what we're capable of," he said. "We think we can be pretty good."

Such confidence helped Minnetonka outlast No. 10 Wayzata, with the Skippers taking the lead for good on Braden Fiske's 53-yard touchdown catch from Syverson with 2 minutes, 28 seconds to play. That was the last of five lead changes in the second half.

Trailing 12-10 at halftime, Minnetonka got a second field goal from Grant Altman, this one from 30 yards, to go ahead by a point. That came two plays after a penalty nullified a Skippers touchdown pass.

Wayzata missed a field-goal attempt for a second time. But on the Trojans' next possession, Keaton Heide hit Nicholas Kallerup for their second touchdown, this one for 26 yards. Wayzata led 18-13 into the fourth quarter.

Ben Tolkinen changed that for Minnetonka on a 1-yard TD run and the Skippers led 20-18.

Wayzata used a fourth-down conversion to propel a scoring drive finished by Bennett Fragomeni. But the 24-20 lead would not stand, as Syverson hit Fiske behind the defense for the final score.

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On the game's first drive, Fiske, a receiver who sees spot duty, ran the same route incorrectly.

"He goes the right way the next time and caught the game-winning touchdown," Syverson said. "That's unbelievable."

Raheem Brown's interception at the Minnetonka 25-yard line stymied Wayzata's final push.

"I loved the way our kids fought and made big plays when they had to on a big stage," Minnetonka coach Dave Nelson said. "Wayzata is a great team so this a big win."

Wayzata coach Lambert Brown said his team "just ran out of time. I loved our kids' effort."

about the writer

about the writer

David La Vaque

Reporter

David La Vaque is a high school sports reporter who has been the lead high school hockey writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2010. He is co-author of “Tourney Time,” a book about the history of Minnesota’s boys hockey state tournament published in 2020 and updated in 2024.

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