4th and goal set the tone in South’s cross-town rivalry victory

Fourth and goal from the one-yard line with sixteen seconds to play in the first half; that was the scenario for Lakeville South, who had been moving the ball against their cross-town rivals – Lakeville North, but would come up short. A scoreless game late into the second quarter, the final meaningful play of the first half held the most meaning in the game. If South could punch it in, it would put pressure on North’s offense – who had not put together a consistent drive all half. If North made the stop – they would go into the locker room tied and at least on defense – full of confidence. With these two run first, defensively sound programs, it was no surprise that each possession was going to be important because there would not be many possessions. North gambled on the first possession of the game. They moved the ball out near midfield but faced a fourth and short. Rolling the dice, the Panthers picked up the first down. The next series of downs was highjacked by a penalty and an excellent open-field tackle by South defensive back Caleb Goodman. After the punt, Lakeville South’s offensive line and running backs went to work. They methodically moved the ball down the field using their trio of running backs – on this drive, mainly Carson Hansen Carson Hansen 6'1" | 200 lbs | RB Lakeville North | 2023 State MN and Josh Jacobson. They were especially finding success behind the right side of the line – Alex Vazquez, Zach Stienhagen, and tight end Will Chlebecek. The South Cougars chewed up the rest of the first quarter and were still driving to start the second quarter. Early in the quarter, North’s defense was faced with a goal-to-go situation, and aided by a fumbled snap; they stood tall. North linebacker Hayden Oster made one of many of his first half tackles for a short gain forcing a fourth and goal from the five-yard line. South tried a rollout pass that North defended well and got the turnover on downs. North couldn’t generate much offense coming off their own goal line, and South was given good field position late in the first half. South was soon inside the ten-yard line for the second time. North’s defense fought for every inch, and as the clock neared zero, South faced a fourth and goal from the one-yard line. Quarterback Camden Dean Camden Dean 5'11" | 170 lbs | ATH Lakeville North | 2022 State MN burrowed his way forward behind center Brecken Klien for the go-ahead score. "That was all heart. That is all it was," tight end Chase Androff Chase Androff 6'6" | 230 lbs | TE Lakeville North | 2022 State MN said. "We came to play. That is really all it was." The South offense came out in the second half and continued to move the ball. This time, they wouldn’t need four downs as running back Ian Segna hit a cutback lane to score the game’s second touchdown from six yards out. Leading 12-0, the Cougars’ defense took over. Cougars’ defensive end, Zach Juckel Zach Juckel 6'3" | 200 lbs | LB Lakeville North | 2022 State MN , was often un-blockable. In a sequence that personified Juckel’s night, the defensive end strung out a play wide and threw the ball carrier emphatically to the ground. Then, he forced the back to bow his route wider than he wanted, allowing his teammates to make the tackle. Finally, he strung out the running back again, and as the back made his cut, Juckel beat the blocker and drew a holding penalty. "We were mentally prepared; we were physically prepared," Juckel said. "We knew the hype was going to be huge with the rivalry game. We stuck to our keys, stuck to what our coaches taught us. We trusted each other out there, played like the brothers we are, and we got it done." North mixed the run and pass nicely late in the third quarter and was putting together its best drive of the game. However, they threw a pass into coverage that never should have been thrown. South’s Joey Ulman could have signaled for a fair catch and still would have had time to make the pick. Hansen hit a cutback run that – if not for a lone Panthers’ defender – would have likely ended in the end zone. Later, DI recruit Androff made a nice adjustment on the throw to the sidelines. His diving catch on third and long picked up twenty-five yards, moved the sticks, and kept the clock moving. Although the drive didn’t result in points, it chewed up the clock and pinned the Panthers’ offense deep in their own territory. The Cougars’ defense would make one more stand – capped off by a big stop on fourth and short by linebacker Payton Schultz – sealing a Lakeville South 12-0 victory over cross-town rival Lakeville North.