High Five: Lakeville South vs. Prior Lake

Points and rushing yards were plentiful Friday night in Prior Lake when the undefeated Lakers hosted undefeated Lakeville South. There were plenty of offensive stars with 84 points on the scoreboard and nearly 700 rushing yards between the two teams. Despite those stats, a defensive player – well - a two-way player made this week’s list. Here are four players and one unit of five players that stood out to me in South’s big victory. <strong>Luke Thompson, Derick Ashland, Jack Graham, Jonas Person, Jonathan Elliot Lakeville South OL</strong> When your offense runs for nearly 400 yards and averages over seven yards per rush, the offensive line needs to get the first spot on this list. The line allowed virtually no penetration – so much so that the offensive line didn’t allow a negative play until the second half. The timing – especially running their inside traps – between the interior of the line was impressive. If they were not running up the middle, their lead, off-tackle play, was nearly as effective. The Cougars’ front five was not pushing around a soft defense either. In the two previous games combined, the Lakers’ defense had not yet allowed three hundred yards rushing. <strong>Carson Hansen RB Lakeville South</strong> The biggest benefactor of the offensive line’s dominance was Hansen. Going strictly off the numbers, the sophomore rushed for 182 yards, averaged over ten yards a carry, and scored four touchdowns. Beyond the numbers, Hansen showed great feet and patience letting his linemen set up their blocks. He showed his speed on his first touchdown run – a sixty yarder that, after getting to the second level, he outran any angle defenders had on him. However, his most impressive run of the game was his second touchdown. Late in the first half, he broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage and turned what looked like a loss – and a drive that would run out of time – into a 27-yard touchdown run with less than 30 seconds to play in the half. [player_tooltip player_id="18098" first="Reid" last="Patterson"] QB/DB Lakeville South Patterson rushed for 24 yards and scored a touchdown but playing quarterback in the Cougars’ offense is not going to generate many stats. However, playing quarterback in this offense does require sure hands and precise footwork. Patterson made all his play fakes look simple and never put the ball on the ground. He was four for eight throwing the ball, but most of his completions came on a game-changing touchdown drive late in the first half. Patterson is a two-way player. As a defensive back, the senior recorded fifteen tackles and forced a key fumble. <strong>Joseph Krouse RB Prior Lake</strong> Krouse was the Lakers’ workhorse in the first half. He scored the game’s first touchdown on a 45-yard run – using his speed to outrun the Cougars’ defenders on an end-around. He was a force on special teams and again using his speed to return a kickoff for his second touchdown of the game. [player_tooltip player_id="18179" first="Tyler" last="Shaver"]<strong> RB Prior Lake</strong> Somewhat surprisingly, Shaver didn’t get many opportunities in the first half. Whatever changed in the game plan in the second half, it certainly included getting Shaver more touches. He rushed for 100 yards and scored a touchdown. One of his best runs forced him to make three Cougars’ defenders miss him in the backfield. He turned a three-yard loss into a five-yard gain. Shaver is also a threat in the passing game. He caught four balls, one of which set up a Lakers’ touchdown.