The Maple Grove offense was struggling to sustain a drive. The Crimson turned to their bag of tricks.
Thursday's football roundup: Maple Grove gets tricky in win over Minnetonka
Maple Grove, No. 6 in Class 6A, topped No. 3 Minnetonka with two pass plays that came with a twist.
October 20, 2023 at 1:38AM
Running back Dylan Vokal threw two third-quarter touchdown passes to wide receiver Henry Stang, each with a twist. That broke a halftime tie and propelled Class 6A, No. 6 Maple Grove to a 27-13 victory over No. 3 Minnetonka (6-2) on Thursday in the season finale for both teams.
The senior tandem hooked up for a 65-yard touchdown on a halfback option pass on the first play of the third quarter. They followed that with a 35-yard scoring strike on a lateral pass set up as a screen play. The second touchdown came on the heels of junior Jack Weigel's second blocked punt of the day.
Minnetonka (6-2) pulled within 20-13 on senior Lucas Knox's 2-yard scoring run two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Skippers turned the ball over on downs on their final two possessions.
The Crimson (6-2) answered with a 46-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Kaden Harney to junior wide receiver Bo Draheim less than five minutes later.
The teams traded short touchdown runs in the second quarter.
Maple Grove played without junior running back Charles Langama, its leading rusher with 1,425 yards on 153 carries and 21 touchdowns. He has also caught five TD passes. Langama suffered an ankle injury in pregame warmups and remained on the sideline the entire game.
In other games Thursday, a busy day for Class 6A teams:
Shakopee 56, Blaine 52: Junior wide receiver Brayden Kleine took advantage of his height to haul in a 55-yard Hail Mary touchdown from senior quarterback Leyton Kerns with a second remaining as the No. 10 Sabers (5-3) overcame the Bengals (3-5). Blaine had taken a 52-50 lead on junior Jarod Killian's 29-yard field goal 20 seconds earlier. The teams traded touchdowns throughout the fourth quarter, combining for 52 points. Kleine and Kerns also teamed up for a 44-yard score in the second quarter, and Kerns ran for two scores. Junior quarterback Sam Shaughnessy and senior running back Michael Douglas had a hand in all seven Bengals touchdowns. They each ran for three TDs, and they teamed up on a 21-yard scoring pass.
Eden Prairie 29, Woodbury 7: The stout offensive line of the top-ranked Eagles (8-0) wore down the Royals (4-4), leading to four consecutive touchdowns after Eden Prairie yielded the initial score. Junior running back Jeremy Fredericks scored on two 1-yard runs for the Eagles. Senior running back Terae Dunn broke loose for a 72-yard scoring run, and senior quarterback David Ivey threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Vinny Dykstra.
Lakeville North 56, Burnsville 7: Junior quarterback Riley Grossman threw three first-quarter touchdown passes to classmate Lane Johnson in just over five minutes as the No. 2 Panthers (7-1) overwhelmed the Blaze (2-6). The duo teamed up on 20-, 30- and 49-yard scoring plays. Lakeville North scored 35 first-half points.
Lakeville South 48, Champlin Park 19: The No. 4 Cougars (7-1) were dominant in their season finale. They scored two touchdowns in each of the first three quarters in building a 41-0 lead against the Rebels (3-5). Running back Connor Cade ran for scores of 3 and 76 yards while fellow junior Gaven Dean ran for one and threw an 84-yard touchdown pass to Jay Winters.
Prior Lake 39, Buffalo 6: It was big-play day for the Lakers (4-4) vs. the Bison (5-3). Prior Lake's first four scores covered 46 yards or more. Senior running back Hunter MacGillivray scored on runs of 46 and 62 yards while seniors quarterback Caden Wick and wide receiver Jaxson Barrett hooked up on 51- and 54-yard touchdown passes for the Lakers. Barrett also scored on a 15-yard run.
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
