Tough up front, No. 1 Lakeville North bulls over No. 6 Wayzata

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether it’s the offensive or defensive line, Lakeville North is going to push its opponent around. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wayzata became the latest team to feel the power of the Panthers’ lines Friday as top-ranked Lakeville North (5-0) ran over the sixth-ranked Trojans 42-13 at Lakeville North High School.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Brian Curtis Jr.</strong> rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Panthers on their homecoming game. He had touchdown runs of 11, 46 and 51 yards running in front of an offensive line that features 6-foot-9, 305-pound <strong>Bryce Benhart</strong>, the second-ranked recruit in the state, and 6-foot-3, 310-pound <strong>Jack Hansen</strong>. Curtis Jr. helped show how explosive the Panthers can be by just running the ball.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">“We kind of knew that we were going to have to play well on the offensive and defensive line and we would have to play a full four quarters,” Wayzata head coach Lambert Brown said. “I think we showed sparks of some good stuff, we just didn’t do it for a full four quarters.” </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>RaJa Nelson</strong> complemented Curtis Jr. by rushing for 62 yards on four carries. Nelson scored on a 55-yard run with 11 seconds left in the first quarter to give Lakeville North a 14-0 lead.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wayzata running back <strong>Christian Vasser</strong> cut the deficit to 14-6 in the second quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run with 9:08 to play in the first half but the Panthers closed out the half with two more touchdowns for a 28-6 lead that never got threatened. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Curtis Jr. ran in from 46 yards out with 4:04 to play and then Nelson hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass to close out the first half.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">“We really wanted to line up and make sure we were gap-sound and when we were gap-sound we played well,” Brown said. “They’re good enough team if we get one guy, and heaven forbid, two guys out of the gap, they’re going to exploit it.”</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Lakeville North’s defensive line proved just as impressive with Eli and Will Mostaert, twin brothers who are headed to North Dakota State University next season. <strong>Eli Mostaert</strong> finished with three of the team’s five sacks and had nine tackles. <strong>Will Mostaert</strong> finished with eight tackles. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Lakeville North took advantage of three turnovers from the Trojans and cashed in when <strong>Carter Patterson</strong> sniffed out a screen pass and shot out of a cannon to intercept a pass and sprint 41 yards for the touchdown. </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wayzata got a late touchdown when South Dakota State recruit <strong>Keaton Heide</strong> found <strong>Connor Hale</strong> for a 2-yard touchdown pass on a busted play to make it 35-13 after the extra-point kick with 3:59 left to play.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Curtis Jr. capped the scoring with a 51-yard run on the next series to push the lead to 42-13.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Vasser finished with 104 yards on 24 carries to lead the Trojans (2-3) who lost by one point against third-ranked Eden Prairie last week and by three points to fourth-ranked Minnetonka earlier this year. <strong>Malaki Jackson</strong> added 93 yards on 17 carries for Wayzata.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Heide threw for 138 yards on 12-for-25 passing with one touchdown and one interception.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Wayzata played shorthanded as <strong>Billy Riviere</strong>, a North Dakota recruit, did not play. Defensive lineman <strong>Andrew Yogei</strong>, who has received offers from Minnesota State, Mankato, Southwest Minnesota State and Bemidji State played just a few snaps before leaving the game with injury while Alec Underhill sat out with injury a week after rushing for 60 yards against Edina and 115 against Minnetonka.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">“You gotta double team (Yogei) or he’s going to make a play,” Brown said. “He’s playing a center shade or zero-over, we’ve moved him to a three a little bit and tried to do some different stuff. I think when they’re healthy with him and <strong>Joe (Demro)</strong> and <strong>Marcus Culp</strong> and <strong>Gage (Knutson)</strong> those guys are scrappers and know how to use leverage with everything they’ve got. I think those guys do a great job of doing their job and letting our linebackers run and make plays. I think our linebackers greatly benefit from our D-Line doing their job. We’ve got good linebackers who can run and tackle. We just want to put it together and not give up some big plays.” </span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Lakeville North moves on to face Maple Grove next Friday in Maple Grove while the Trojans will play Eastview in Wayzata.</span>