The Minnetonka defense runs to the sidelines after a fourth down stop in the red zone Friday night at Einer Anderson Stadium in Minnetonka. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The similarities are too obvious to ignore, but this time, it just felt different.

After holding off a second-half surge by Shakopee, Minnetonka improved to 5-0 with a 21-13 victory Friday in a battle of unbeaten Class 6A powers before a homecoming crowd of 8,145.

The Skippers, proudly showing off their new, attacking defense installed by defensive coordinator Matt Lombardi, suffocated Shakopee’s run-heavy veer offense for three quarters.

Meanwhile, the Skippers offense staked a 21-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

Football, however, has a way of humbling teams when things come too easy. For Minnetonka, that appeared to be the case in the second half.

Shakopee got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 21-6.

One touchdown, right?

The fans grumbled slightly, but the game seemed very much in hand.

Minnetonka’s offense, which moved the ball crisply all night, suddenly couldn’t buy a first down. Shakopee, urgently trying to rally, took advantage and cut the lead to a single touchdown midway through the fourth quarter by way of a pass from Judah Forsberg to Emmanuell Taye.

Suddenly, the Minnetonka faithful started to squirm. Could they actually lose a game that, just minutes ago, had seemed all but over?

“We know what can happen, with what happened against Edina this season,” said Minnetonka coach Mark Esch, recalling the Skippers 28-point rally for a 35-28 victory. “We should have finished it when we had the big lead, but to our kids’ credit, they kept fighting. They knew what they had to do and they did it. As a coach, you love to see that from your players.”

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Linebacker Jack Yerhot admitted the late Shakopee rally got the defense’s attention, but he wasn’t worried.

“We’re like a family out there, playing for each other,” he said. “We never felt nervous.”

Minnetonka defensive back Malachi Board-Aboagye stepped in front of a Shakopee pass with two minutes remaining to seal the victory.

Minnetonka’s next test is Eden Prairie, a team they lost to in 2023, starting a slide that saw them lose three of their last five games.

“Same thing as last year, but we weren’t as excited because we were super-banged up,” Esch said. “There’s a different feeling this year. We’re excited and we want to finish the season strong.”