38-14 victory over Bloomington Jefferson runs win streak to 29
By Daniel Huss
Mike Grant has never lost a season opener as head coach of the Eden Prairie High School football team.
Counting Thursday’s 38-14 over Bloomington Jefferson, his win streak stands at 17.
“I’m relatively happy with what happened,” he said, of Thursday’s victory. “We really didn’t know what to expect and that goes for Jefferson too.”
For starters, the Jaguars were bigger, and better, than Grant had anticipated.
“Their offensive line outweighed us by 30-40 pounds per guy,” he said. “Still, I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage.”
If rushing the ball is a means of control, Eden Prairie won that battle hands down, outrushing the Jaguars 348-31.
To be fair, the Jaguars threw for 183 yards, while Eden Prairie only threw for 34, but you know what? You don’t throw many passes when you average more than 6.5 yards per carry.
For the record, Eden Prairie (Taylor Grant and Sam Gotham) completed 9-11 passes for 34 yards. Jefferson (Moses Alipate) completed 11-24 passes for 183 yards.
Interestingly, Eden Prairie went with two quarterbacks, Taylor Grant while Eden Prairie was running its base offense, Gotham while Eden Prairie ran its short-yardage, or Eagle, offense.
The reason for this is that Taylor Grant is Eden Prairie’s best tight end. In theory, that means they can run the ball better when he lines up off tackle. In reality, and based on the notion that everyone was thinking run, Taylor Grant was on the receiving end of three of Gotham’s passes (two touchdowns and one two-point conversion).
When asked if he plans to split his quarterbacking duties for the rest of the season, the elder Grant said he’s not sure. “Let’s just say it’s evolving,” he adds.
Expect to get better
Not counting a Hail Mary pass to end the first half, Eden Prairie was without a turnover.
Not counting a few (three) motion penalties, Eden Prairie was without a penalty.
“I’m impressed,” said Grant, “especially for a first game.”
That said, Eden Prairie was far from perfect. A long kickoff return led to Jefferson’s first touchdown, an ill-conceived blitz led to their second, and a bite on a down-and-out led to big gain on a third possession.
“We’re inexperienced,” explains Grant, “but we’re going to get better, especially after we see some film.”
Turning point
For all practical purposes, the game changed, for good, late in the second quarter. Trailing 14-13, Eden Prairie’s Mitch Hallstrom blocked a punt with 1:49 left in the half. Just like he does while playing baseball, Gotham played the ball cleanly, and then rumbled into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
The second half was all Eden Prairie as the Eagles outscored the Jaguars 17-0.
Like they’re wont to do, the Eagles utilized lots of ball carriers, 13 to be exact. Mitch Wheeler finished with eight carries for 94 yards. Zach Barbur was 15-77, Gage Shaeffer 10-77.
Chaska next
On paper, Chaska, Friday’s opponent, doesn’t look to be much of test. They were, after all, the only team in the section to lose their opener.
Add to that the fact that they’re not very big and they appear to be in a world of hurt.
“To tell you the truth,” said Grant, “I’m more concerned about us than I am about them.
“What I really want,” he adds, “is to see some improvement.”
Expect it.
Friday’s game, at Eden Prairie, begins at 7 p.m.