Edina makes it a pattern, knocking off Eden Prairie in Class 6A high school football

Eden Prairie sought payback after losing to Edina in the Class 6A semifinals last November. Observers throughout the state were curious whether the Hornets could sting the Eagles again.

And how. Junior quarterback Mason West connected with senior receiver Meyer Swinney on four touchdown receptions, highlighting a 35-14 Edina victory Friday before an announced home crowd of 6,000 fans at Kuhlman Stadium.

”They played great,” Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said. “They threw the ball as well as any high school team we’ve ever seen. Their guy made big throws in big situations.”

West “made big throws right on the money,” Grant said. “But we intercepted one early, and we thought we were on him.”

Wrong.

The showdown of No. 2 Edina and No. 3 Eden Prairie, their rankings published by the Minnesota Star Tribune, became lopsided in the second quarter.

West and Swinney set a blistering pace with two touchdowns — though their signature connection covered 52 yards to set up a 5-yard scoring pass to finish the drive. Swinney earned a cheer from the crowd that appreciated his relentless effort.

”He’s a rare breed,” West said. “There are not a lot of guys like him in Minnesota or around the country.”

Swinney returned the kind words.

”I appreciate everything about him,” Swinney said. “He trusts me, that’s the biggest thing.”

West to Swinney was a connection that lasted into the second half. They hooked up for an 85-yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead less than one minute into the third quarter. They did it again less than one minute into the fourth quarter for a 35-7 lead.

West and Swinney were aligned in matters of focus as well. After all, Edina fell one game short of a Class 6A title last season. Swinney touted his team’s practices this week. West went further back, mentioning strong summer workouts.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness, consider Grant’s view of where his team can look to improve. Running too often into Edina’s defensive front led nowhere.

”We’ll be all right,” Grant said. “Maybe we found out we need to throw it more.”