Brian's Best - Eden Prairie v Lakeville South

It was a good, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2022/09/eden-prairies-defense-nearly-perfect-in-battle-of-one-versus-two/">old-fashioned slugfest </a>Friday night in Eden Prairie between two of the best programs in Minnesota. It was a game where just picking up a first down felt like a game-changing play. Both defenses were stellar. I would not be surprised if Friday night in Eden Prairie was simply round one of a two-round fight between the Eagles and Lakeville South that may well determine the state champion. Here were the individual performances I was most impressed by in the game.   Matthew McFadden, [player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Chiddi' last='Obiazor'], Dennis Rahouski, William Schreiber, Muhammad Saine, and [player_tooltip player_id='105391' first='Will' last='Sather'] Eden Prairie DL   I might have missed some guys who rotated in on the Eagles' defensive line, but as a group, they were the game's stars – holding the Cougars' offense to one score. When they weren't taking up blockers to allow their linebackers to make plays, they were making plays individually. Saine made the biggest defensive play of the first half – outside of Mr. Jordan - who we will get to soon. From his nose tackle position, Saine penetrated and made a tackle for loss on a fourth and short. McFadden stuffed a pair of inside runs. Late in the game – when South looked like they were about to get back into the game – Sather – who also starts on the offensive line - exploded into the backfield and forced a fumble by hitting the quarterback and running back as they tried to complete the handoff. Throughout the game, Obiazor was making his presence felt. He made at least three tackles at or just behind the line of scrimmage. Late in the game, he put good pressure on the quarterback.     [player_tooltip player_id='112137' first='Devin' last='Jordan'] Eden Prairie DB   Now to the biggest play of the game. At this point, the South offense – while not scoring – was controlling the ball and winning the field position battle. They had moved into the red zone and looked like an offense bound to score a touchdown. Jordan had other plans. He dropped into what looked like zone coverage, picked off the pass, and returned the pick 85 yards inside the five-yard line. Later, he made a tackle for a short gain. Then he made a pair of open-field tackles, likely preventing chunk plays. Late in the game, he stopped another run for a short gain.   [player_tooltip player_id='313090' first='Wyatt' last='Ronn'] Lakeville South LB   South's defense was almost as good as the Eagles' defense. Ronn was a huge reason why. He was all over the field. He scooped up a fumble and returned it for twenty yards. He made a couple of tackles on the inside for short gains. Later, he showed range by scrapping down the line of scrimmage to make a tackle for a short loss and showed his speed getting to the outside to make another tackle.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-default"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/EP-fans-scaled-crop-1554x1021-1663806839.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-452861"/></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='383731' first='Adam' last='Mertens'] Eden Prairie LB   Ronn's counterpart on the other sideline – Mertens – was just as good. He showed his speed when he ran down a sweep from behind for a loss. He showed his strength when he held contain and stopped a sweep for a five-yard loss. His toughness and ability to get off blocks were on display as he stuffed at least four runs between the tackles for short or no gain. He got after the passer late in the game and recorded a sack.   [player_tooltip player_id='313089' first='Ryder' last='Patterson'] Lakeville South DB   Patterson played a huge role in slowing the Eagles' outside running game. He came up strong from his corner position and made at least four tackles for short gains or tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Most of those tackles were in space, forcing him to have great feet to stay in position.   [player_tooltip player_id='105390' first='Dominic' last='Heim'] Eden Prairie LB   Heim ensured the running attack didn't get any traction on the outside. He often kept outside leverage and didn't allow the Cougars' backs outside. He made a tackle in space on the outside, preventing a long run. Then, he stuffed a run on third and short. Late in the game, he kept contain – again -and made a tackle for a short loss.   [player_tooltip player_id='313088' first='Owen' last='McCloud'] Lakeville South LB   If you like linebacker play – this was the game for you. McCloud made a nice open-field tackle on the outside. He was responsible for one of the game's biggest hits, resulting in just a short gain. Later, he stuffed a run on the inside for another short gain.   [player_tooltip player_id='112043' first='Carson' last='Hansen'] Lakeville South RB   Everyone reading this knows Hansen is an exceptional football player. The fact that he never got traction in this game shows how dominant the front two levels of EP's defense were. He did make two very Hansen-like plays. He made a catch in the flat on a pass down around his ankles. Then, he had possibly the best run of the night for the Cougars with a 20-yard run up the middle.   Shaun Peterson Eden Prairie LB   Peterson stuffed a run on third and short, forcing a punt. Later, he made another tackle on the outside for a short loss.

It was a good, old-fashioned slugfest Friday night in Eden Prairie between two of the best programs in Minnesota. It was a game where just picking up a first down felt like a game-changing play. Both defenses were stellar. I would not be surprised if Friday night in Eden Prairie was simply round one of a two-round fight between the Eagles and Lakeville South that may well determine the state champion. Here were the individual performances I was most impressed by in the game.