Eden Prairie's defiant defense never buckles against Edina

Collin Penn wasn't worried. Even though Edina had been having moderate success moving the ball, the Eden Prairie linebacker/occasional running back knew his defense had the perfect plan to stop the Hornets.

The Eagles shut out Edina 21-0 to finish the regular season with six consecutive victories.

Eden Prairie scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the game, then stood firm in the face of repeated Edina forays into Eagles territory. The Hornets' first five drives ended inside the Eden Prairie 40-yard line, with nothing to show for them.

"We came prepared," Penn said. "We weren't worried. Our defense played well, we got some turnovers. We felt like we had the game all along."

The first half was Eden Prairie at its most efficient. The Eagles turned back Edina on the game's opening possession, dropping Jake Boltmann for a 10-yard loss on fourth-and-6 from the Eden Prairie 28-yard line.

"That was the biggest play of the game," Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said.

A 62-yard, 10-play drive followed, culminating in a 13-yard scoring pass from Cole Kramer to Matt Sherman.

The Eagles led 14-0 at halftime and had only had three possessions, the last for only one play before time ran out.

In the second half, Edina continued to move into Eden Prairie territory, only to come away empty. The Hornets didn't punt until 7:19 was left in the game but never seriously threatened to score, either. J.D. Cowan, a converted wide receiver playing his first game at defensive back, ended two Edina drives with interceptions.

"That was the plan," Eden Prairie linebacker Quentin Matsui said. "Bend but don't break."

Grant chalked it up to preparation.

"We watched a lot of film," he said. "We knew what they wanted to do. Seven games into the season, you don't sneak up on anybody."