High Five: Wayzata v Eden Prairie

In front of a packed house Friday night, the undefeated Wayzata Trojans went into Eden Prairie. They came out with a win over the previously unbeaten Eagles. It was their biggest victory of the season in a defensive 17-7 game. Here are five guys I thought stood out. <strong>Joe Demro Wayzata Defensive line</strong> No one stood out as much as the Trojans' senior. From the first play of the game, Demro wrecked the Eagles' offense. He made the first two tackles of the game – for a net two-yard loss – and made two back to back plays to stop an Eagles' drive when it looked like Wayzata might be on the ropes. Demro would switch back and forth between the right and left end, but that didn't stop the Eagles from trying to run away from his side of the formation. It didn't work very often. Demro isn't the biggest lineman in the state, but his quickness gave the Eden Prairie offensive line fits. <strong>Christian Vasser Wayzata Running back</strong> The first time Vasser touched the ball, his team was facing a 2nd and 20. He promptly took the handoff, bounced it to the outside, and rumbled to a first down. Later, Vasser showed his power with a third and one conversion. After getting the first yard, he powered through tacklers for five more yards. Just before the end of the half, Vasser scored on an eight-yard touchdown run right up the middle. <strong>Sam Robertson Wayzata cornerback</strong> Robertson had tight one on one coverage at corner all game. With the defense geared up to stop the run, Robertson was on an island most of the night. Late in the game, Eden Prairie tried to throw deep on him, and still with one on one coverage most times, he defended every play perfectly. "I think they targeted him three times in a row (late in the game)," quarterback <strong>Thomas Schmidt</strong> said. "You don't do that on Sam. He will lock you down." <strong>Jac Carver Wayzata offensive tackle</strong> Most of the game Carver was lined up across from Eden Prairie's highly regarded junior <strong>Justice Sullivan</strong>. Although Sullivan had a few moments, Carver controlled the matchup. "He is a great player," Carver said about Sullivan. "I just went out there and did my best to open up holes for Christian." Carver did just that. Wayzata picked up a first down behind him on a fourth and one. Later he opened a hole for a nine-yard gain. Carver didn't allow Sullivan to put much pressure on his quarterback either. <strong>Malaki Jackson Wayzata defensive tackle</strong> Jackson didn't have the splashy plays like Demro, but he was very effective. I don't care what year it is; if you are going to hold the Eden Prairie Eagles to seven points, you are doing something right on the defensive line. Jackson stuffed some runs on his own, but his more significant contribution was getting penetration and forcing the Eagles' offensive line to account for him. He helped keep the linebackers clean.