It would have been easy to jump on Edina’s overflowing bandwagon after the Hornets laid a second straight hurtin’ on Eden Prairie on Friday night.
The shocking 35-14 rout signals Edina is for real. I was waiting to see how the Hornets filled the hole in the backfield that was yawning open following the graduation of 1,700-yard rusher John Warpinski. Warpinski’s emergence as a running threat last year was the catalyst for Edina’s run to the Prep Bowl.
Apparently, the Hornets are potent enough that a direct replacement for Warpinski’s yardage and 19 scores isn’t necessary. Senior running back Chase Bjorgaard is a fine runner, but as long as Edina has the scintillating passing combo of junior quarterback Mason West and senior wide receiver Meyer Swinney, there’s no reason to demand Bjorgaard produce stats similar to Warpinski’s.
Swinney and West hooked up eight times for 197 yards and four touchdowns Friday, toying with a typically stout Eden Prairie defense.
Usually, a victory over Eden Prairie would be ample cause to elevate the No. 2 team into the top spot, but No. 1 Maple Grove has looked too sharp to drop.
Maple Grove has outscored opponents 97-21 in two games. We’ll know whether the Crimson are as deep and talented as I believe them to be soon. They begin a three-game test when they travel to play at defending Class 6A champion Centennial on Friday, followed by home games against Anoka and Blaine.
Other thoughts on the Week 3 edition of the Minnesota Top 20:
It’s good to see Blaine back among the top large-school teams in the state. The Bengals are undefeated going into Friday’s matchup at Anoka thanks to 604 yards of total offense — 412 rushing — from fleet and evasive QB Sam Shaughnessy.
