Eden Prairie three-peats with 28-7 victory over Rosemount

Friday's Prep Bowl championship game showcased one of the state's best Class 6A football teams this season aiming to upset a team for all seasons.

With a 28-7 victory against Rosemount, Eden Prairie (12-0) solidified its place as the ultimate dynasty in the ultimate team sport.

No other program has ever won three consecutive state titles in the largest class. Eden Prairie won its ninth state title overall.

"I would like to say so," said senior running back Charlie Venable when asked if this was the finest of the Eagles' three recent title teams. Eden Prairie's two previous championship teams did not finish undefeated. "Being a senior, I'd like to say this is the best team, but you never know. It's hard to judge."

Rosemount coach Jeff Erdmann offered a telling assessment.

"The thing that stinks is, you've got to play a perfect game against them," Erdmann said. "Because their offense is what it is. They are very hard to stop."

Well-known for a methodical, physical approach to moving the football, Eden Prairie's offense added to Rosemount's burden with explosive plays. The first touchdown, a third-down screen pass from Ryan Connelly to Venable, covered 51 yards.

The Eagles went ahead 14-0 later in the first quarter as running back Anthony Anderson got free behind the defense and hauled in a 54-yard touchdown pass from Connelly.

"Connelly is the greatest quarterback I've ever seen," Venable said. "If we did have a passing team, he'd be all-state, all-metro, All-America, all-everything."

Conversely, Rosemount (11-2) struggled to move the chains.

The initial Irish first down came on the final play of the first quarter.

But Rosemount launched what could best be described as a classic Eden Prairie drive. The Irish gained chunks of yards primarily on the ground and converted twice on fourth down. The second one, a 4-yard Tyrek Cross touchdown, cut the Eagles' lead to 14-7.

Eden Prairie answered as Anderson, a 6-2, 235-pound bruiser, scored from 10 yards and carried a Rosemount defender much of the trip for a 21-7 lead.

Both defenses stiffened after halftime.

Rosemount reached the Eden Prairie red zone twice in the third quarter, but the Irish turned the ball over on downs each time.

"That killed us," Erdmann said. "We've got four downs to get 10 yards. We've got to get that in."

Eden Prairie's defense wouldn't budge.

Middle linebacker Johnny Heller led all players with 12 solo tackles.

"I was exhausted," Heller said. "It was a grind. But we did what we came here to do."