Royals tested early, take control late

The fireworks started early for the Woodbury Royals when they traveled to Eagan to take on the Wildcats. But the highly ranked Royals would be in for a dog fight against the much improved Wildcats. In the end, Woodbury's superior talent was too much. A late touchdown would put the game away and give the 3-0 Royals a 23-14 victory.   The Woodbury offense couldn't get out of its own way on their first possession – until they did. Back-to-back offensive penalties backed up the Royals to their own five-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='105394' first='George' last='Bjellos'] threw a perfect strike down the seam to [player_tooltip player_id='242497' first='Charlie' last='Jacobson'] for an 83-yard touchdown.   The early big play would not rattle Eagan. Although the offense couldn't generate much on their first drive, the Wildcats' defense forced a turnover on downs – giving their offense a first down near mid-field. Faced with a third and ten, Eagan quarterback Carson Schwamb found George Anderson in the flat for a first down. Later in the drive, Eagan rolled the dice on fourth and three. [player_tooltip player_id='313010' first='Landon' last='Tonsager']'s cutback run not only picked up the first down, Tonsager's run resulted in a 37-yard touchdown run.   Eagan defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='287254' first='Keenan' last='Wilson'] might have been the best player on the field in the first half. He was consistently in the backfield, and with the game tied at seven, he exploded into the backfield and forced a fumble. Eagan recovered in Woodbury territory.   Woodbury's defense would answer. Eagan was caught in no man's land and went for it on fourth and eight; defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='242496' first='Quentin' last='Cobb-Butler'] read the jet sweep and dropped the running back for a five-yard loss.   Bjellos used his legs to keep a Woodbury drive alive. His run around the corner picked up a fourth and two. He used his arm to get into the red zone – finding Jacobson on a deep crossing route for a first down. A middle screen to receiver Liam Frommelt gave the Royals a first and goal at the two-yard line. The Eagan defense did not give up those last two yards. Woodbury went backward and settled for a short field goal.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2022/09/The-Pit-scaled-crop-1552x1019-1663300773.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-447112"/><figcaption>The Pit was on fire in Eagan</figcaption></figure>   "(The deep cross) is a part of our offense," Bjellos said, "it is just what we do."   Down 10-7, Eagan's running game started to click, but they ran out of time – going into the half down three.   The break didn't do anything to slow the momentum the Wildcats' offense had generated. They took the second-half kickoff right down the field – mainly on the ground – converting a third down and then springing Schwamb around the corner for a 49-yard touchdown run.   "Eagan is much improved from last year," Bjellos said. "They executed well, but our defense made some stops, and we scored when we needed to."   Woodbury's offense – especially Bjellos – found its stride. The junior quarterback repeatedly found Jacobson on deep crosses and Frommelt underneath to keep moving the chains. Frommelt caught a bullet from his quarterback on a slant to regain the lead with an 11-yard touchdown.   Eagan's offense would move the ball on the Royals' defense, but Woodbury would come up with big plays when they needed them. The first play of the fourth quarter saw Eagan successfully running a fake punt on fourth and long for a first down. Woodbury's Joey Lucius would recover a fumble in the second play of the quarter.   The Wildcat defense stuffed the Royals – forcing a punt – but a muffed punt gave the ball back to the Royals deep in Wildcat territory.   Frommelt from Bjellos gave the Royals a first and goal from the two-yard line, and Bjellos would get into the endzone on his own this time – from two yards out.   "We made some adjustments at halftime and got more into the game," the junior quarterback said. "I played alright, but our offensive line and receivers played great."   Up 23-14, the Woodbury defense again gave up yards, but the defense stood tall when Eagan got into scoring position. After a penalty, Eagan was set up with a first and goal at the eleven with under five minutes remaining. The Royals' defense had just about had enough. [player_tooltip player_id='383734' first='Jordan' last='Dunigan'] stuffed an inside run on first down. Linebacker Mason Rudlin read the option coming his way and made an open-field tackle for a ten-yard loss. That would force a missed field goal from the Wildcats and sealed the deal for the Royals. The 23-14 road win moved Woodbury to 3-0.

The fireworks started early for the Woodbury Royals when they traveled to Eagan to take on the Wildcats. But the highly ranked Royals would be in for a dog fight against the much improved Wildcats. In the end, Woodbury's superior talent was too much. A late touchdown would put the game away and give the 3-0 Royals a 23-14 victory.