By air, Lakeville South cruises past White Bear Lake in football playoffs

For White Bear Lake, Friday's 30-0 loss at Lakeville South in the Class 6A playoffs was a matter of too much, too many and too few.

Too much Carson Hansen, Lakeville South's brilliant running back. Known for his combination of speed and power, he showed off previously unseen — but not unknown — receiving skills, catching three 30-plus-yard touchdown passes in the second quarter as Lakeville South built a 21-0 halftime lead.

Hansen had just nine receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown before the game. Friday, he was a remarkable facsimile of a wide receiver, splitting out wide and heading downfield on fly routes. All three of his catches resulted in touchdowns, and all were impressive, including a one-hander when he reached around the defender to haul in the pass.

"Sometimes you've got to make plays like that to try to control the game," Hansen said. "I used to play catch with my dad a lot, so that brought me back to my childhood days, playing wide receiver."

Cougars coach Ben Burk just smiled and nodded when asked if he knew Hansen had such dependable hands.

"We see it in practice all the time," he said. "That's why he's a special player."

Too many mistakes, as the Bears turned the ball over seven times, often killing promising drives. Lakeville South linebacker Owen McCloud accounted for three, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He acknowledged that it was a one-of-a-kind evening for him.

"I haven't had a game like that before. Maybe in the youth level," McCloud said with a grin. "It was a special night."

Defensive back Reece Volk returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, capping the strong night for the defense.

"We've got some things to fix and we'll see them on film," Burk said. "But we feel really good moving forward,"

Save for a few electric runs by Hansen, who finished with 123 yards rushing on 17 carries, the Bears stymied the Lakeville South running game.

"I don't think you can defend the run better than we did tonight," Bears coach Ryan Bartlett said. "We made Lakeville South throw the ball, and we said if we can get them to throw the ball, we'll take our chances."