Minnetonka High football fans might want to put the film of their 35-28 victory over Edina Sept. 12 at Einer Anderson Stadium.
It was a remarkable win against long odds for the Skippers who twice trailed by three touchdowns - 21-0 in the second quarter and 28-7 early in the third.
Minnetonka had an answer, though. Usually, a team in those situations would be throwing pass after pass, trying to catch up, but the Skippers had a different tack. Their plan was to run the ball right up the gut until the Edina defense was worn out.
The main weapon in the comeback was the rushing of No. 4, senior halfback Chase Conrad. Then, when the Edina defense packed the middle, Minnetonka’s fleet-footed junior quarterback Caleb Francois swept wide for two touchdowns.
When Minnetonka went to the locker room at halftime, trailing 21-7, head coach Mark Esch told himself to stay calm. The Skippers had two plays go against them in the first half. Alex White of the Hornets picked off a pass and scored on a 22-yard return. Edina’s second touchdown was a 7-yard pass play from junior quarterback Mason West to senior wide receiver Trillion Sorrell, and then West and Sorrell hooked up on a 77-yard pass play over the top of Tonka’s defense for a 21-0 Hornet lead.
With only 54 seconds remaining in the half, Tonka got on the board with a 2-yard touchdown by Conrad.
“With Mason West, we feel we can score from anywhere on the field,” Edina head coach Jason Potts said after the game. “When he is forced out of the pocket, he doesn’t look to run right away.”
When West saw Sorrell get past a Tonka defender, he threw on the run, hitting Sorrell in stride with a 50-yard throw.
Just 14 seconds into the third quarter, Edina scored on another long pass play. West found 6-foot-6 senior tight end Jake Bock over the top for a 67-yard touchdown. More than 8,000 people in the stadium wondered if the Hornets would pull away even further.
But that would be Edina’s last score of the game. Who could have expected that Minnetonka would score the last four touchdowns of the game?
Minnetonka’s offensive line stepped up. Conrad would score his second and third touchdowns on runs of 2 and 4 yards, and then Francois scored touchdowns on sweeps of 5 and 2 yards.
Tonka coach Esch never doubted his team would win the game. “Our offensive line was able to wear them down,” he said. “And defensive coordinator Matt Lombardi had our guys taking care of business.”
Lombardi schemed to take away Edina’s long passes. Minnetonka backs double-covered Edina senior wide receiver Meyer Swinney, who caught four touchdown passes the week before in a 35-14 victory over Eden Prairie.
The win for Minnetonka was the third of the season and the second in a rivalry game. The Skippers kept the Bay Bell traveling trophy the previous week with a 28-14 win over Wayzata.
After beating Edina, Minnetonka’s players lingered on the field for 45 minutes, visiting with fans and accepting congratulations. Coach Esch was hugged by everyone in his family. Conrad posed for photos with his two grandmothers.
“West played a great game [for Edina],” Francois said in assessing the Battle of the Quarterbacks. “But we overcame his performance. Chase [Conrad] had a big night. And our defense found out what we needed to do to stop Edina.”
“Chase did his job and we had their defensive line on the run,” Minnetonka offensive lineman Aiden Zapzalka said.
“West can throw the rock, but our defense stepped up in the second half,” Minnetonka defensive captain Malachi Boadi said. “Plain and simple, we got some stops and turned the game around.”
From Edina’s standpoint, this loss does not affect the season outlook. The Hornets lost three games early in the 2023 season, but still made it to the Prep Bowl.
“Credit to Minnetonka for the mental toughness they showed in that comeback,” Edina coach Potts said. “Minnetonka had some good runs on first down to set up second-and-short, third-and-short. They did a good job of keeping our defense on the field. Defensively, Minnetonka blitzes a lot, and they got us out of our rhythm. When you have high expectations for the season, there are times when you’re going to face adversity. It’s about the process - paying attention to detail and reaching your greatest potential at the end of the season.”
This Friday
Next for Edina (2-1) is a Class 6A South District game at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at Wayzata.
The Trojans are 1-2 after a 17-7 loss to Shakopee Sept. 12.
“Wayzata coach Lambert Brown is a great motivator,” coach Potts said. “He will come up with a great game plan and have them ready. When you win a state title [as Brown did in 2019], you’re a made man.”
Minnetonka (3-0) has another in a series of tough challenges at 7 p.m. Friday night at Prior Lake. The Lakers were hammered by Eden Prairie 40-13 Sept. 12. But the score at halftime was close, 20-13.
Prior Lake has an offensive line that averages 270 pounds per man, so this might be the battle of running games.
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