Eden Prairie advanced to its 13th Prep Bowl in program history with a convincing 26-0 win over Maple Grove.
The Eagles started slowly against a formidable Crimson defense, taking just a six-point lead into intermission. They scored on their first two second-half drives, however, to lead 20-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Here's how they did it.
Antonio Montero
Montero didn't just play all three phases for Eden Prairie in the win over Maple Grove, he was the Eagles offense, defense and special teams.
He accounted for 20 of the team's 26 points via two rushing touchdowns, two first-half field goals (37, 30 yards) and two extra points. He finished with 74 rushing yards on offense, and had a pivotal reception early in the third quarter to move the chains on third down. He capped that drive with a nine-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 13-0 advantage -- and some breathing room.
The 6-foot, 215-pound senior was also the Eagles best player on a defense that earned its second shutout of the season. Montero tallied eight tackles, including two-and-a-half for loss, and a pass breakup.
Halftime Adjustments
Mike Grant and his coaching staff are the kings of in-game adjustments. No team does a better job of diagnosing the opponent's scheme and making changes.
That was evident after intermission on Thursday against the Crimson. Matt Lombardi's defense had shutdown the Eagles inside trap and off-tackle power plays in the first half. In the third quarter, the Eagles used bootlegs and false pulls to loosen up the Maple Grove front-seven.
The most effective of these adjustments on a play-action pass from Cole Kramer to Montero on third down. The offensive line and tailback gave misdirection action to the front side, while Montero slipped out of the backfield away from the pulling linemen. Kramer sold the fake and spun out on a bootleg to find Montero for 14 yards and a first down.
The Eagles ran a similar play on fourth down early in the final quarter. Kramer elected to tuck the ball and run for the first down, setting up Montero's second touchdown.
Strength and Stamina
Eden Prairie simply wore down Maple Grove's speedy, but undersized defense in the second half.
The Eagles three scoring drives totaled 36 plays, 210 yards and 16 minutes, 40 seconds. They only passed the ball three times in the second half, one of which was Kramer's 20-yard touchdown strike toJack Tuttle that ended the scoring.
Montero and Solo Falaniko were the bellcows for the Eagles, each carrying the ball over a dozen times in the final two quarters. Falaniko strength was apparent, as he carried Maple Grove defenders on multiple attempts.
The trio of marches turned a nerve-wracking, one-possession lead into a four-possession blowout. The dominance flipped the time of possession battle in favor of the Eagles, which ended with a four-minute time advantage. The Red-and-Black had trailed the Crimson at half by more than four minutes in that department.
