The last Friday night under the lights this fall did not disappoint.
A week after convincing blowouts in the state semifinals, the two best football teams in Class 5A met for a second time this season in the 30th edition of the Prep Bowl.
Locked in another field goal battle five weeks after defending state champion Wayzata closed out the Lake Conference schedule with a 9-0 victory over Eden Prairie, this time the Eagles found the end zone once in a 13-3 triumph.
"Our defense is so phenomenal," said Eagles running back Andrew Larson, who rushed 33 times for 124 yards in the victory. "They shut down every team so it's kind of pressure on the offense to match the defense."
Larson's 10-yard touchdown run with under 3 minutes to play proved to be the only touchdown scored in 96 minutes of football between the two powerhouses this season.
How the score was set up and what it ended are equally impressive.
Facing 4th-and-14, the Eagles executed a reverse flea-flicker down to the 5-yard line. Larson rumbled in two plays later, and an interception on the ensuing drive sealed the championship.
It marked the first loss for Wayzata in 742 days, a 6-3 defeat at the hands of -- who else? -- Eden Prairie in the 2009 state quarterfinals. Since going 5-5 in 2006, Wayzata is 55-5 with the combined margin of defeat being 23 points.