Longtime Eden Prairie defensive coordinator Mark Ritter enjoys joking with his players each week about having three plays worth of game action left in his aging bones.
Aware the top-ranked and defending state champions from Lakeville South were coming to face the second-ranked Eagles, even Ritter couldn't ignore the hype.
"This week I said, 'I've got two series in me. As long they are three-and-out and they run the other way,'" Ritter said.
Eden Prairie's inspired defensive effort made the difference throughout a 21-6 victory over Lakeville South — the Cougars' first loss since 2019. Friday's victory at Eden Prairie came one year after South demolished the Eagles 42-7.
"Last year we got romped, and that's the truth," junior lineman Will Sather said. "I hated that. We wanted this game bad. They are a great team, and we knew that if we were going to beat them, we'd have to play angry and get after it."
Sather, typically a starter on the offensive line, was plugged into the defensive line against South. The Class 3A wrestling state champion at heavyweight as a sophomore last season, Sather played both ways until suffering a cramp late in the game.
His work inside helped render South's power-T mostly powerless. Star running back Carson Hansen, typically a home run threat on any carry, got his longest run of the evening chasing down Eagles defensive back Devin Jordan after Jordan's interception return that covered about 80 yards.
One play later, Dominic Heim ran the ball into the end zone. He added a two-point conversion and the Eagles led 8-0 after one quarter.
Eden Prairie (3-0) maintained its pressure on Lakeville South (2-1) on the next drive. Quarterback Nick Fazi hit Michael Gross in stride. Gross, who ran the second leg of the winning 4x200-meter relay at the Class 3A state track and field championship meet in June, blazed to an 85-yard touchdown.
South cut its deficit when Jacob Royse found Jay Winters for a 30-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. But the Cougars got no closer.
"Tonight was a big moment," South coach Ben Burk said. "Maybe we weren't quite ready for it. So, it was a good learning experience."
