Top performers - Minnetonka vs. Wayzata

Last Friday was rivalry night when the Minnetonka Skippers hosted the school across the lake, the Wayzata Trojans. The Skippers used a dominating second quarter to key their 28-14 victory. Here are the individuals who shone brightest under the Einer Anderson Stadium lights.    Francois was hands down the player of the game. His speed and quickness were too much for the Trojans' defense to handle. Early, he didn't like his first read, so he took off around the corner for twelve yards. His command of the read option highlighted that speed and quickness. He found a hole up the middle and made a quick cut for five yards. Later, he started in the middle and cut to the outside for a first down. He used the read option to score his first touchdown from 13 yards out. He didn't have to use his arm a lot, but he completed a quick pop pass for a first down to keep a drive alive. Before sitting out most of the fourth quarter up by three scores, he found the end zone again on a 38-yard touchdown run.     Moore was one of the most impressive players on the field. The left guard routinely mauled his opponent – keying the successful Skippers' running game. He is a big, athletic offensive lineman who moves much better than an athlete his size should.   Moore, left tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1204083' first='Aidan' last='Becker'], and center [player_tooltip player_id='1602687' first='Aiden' last='Zapzalka'] washed the defensive line into the middle of the field, opening a big cutback lane. Later, they opened a big hole for quarterback Francois on a 38-yard touchdown run. Whenever Minnetonka needed a big play, the Skippers went behind the left side of the line. The right side of the offensive line was solid, too. [player_tooltip player_id='1204390' first='Cason' last='Copley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1187339' first='Fletcher' last='Olness'] more than held their own on the other side. The most noticeable play was when they opened a big hole for Francois on a critical third and six – picking up ten yards.     Boutwell was one of the many Trojans' defenders who had to chase Francois around all night. Boutwell might have had the most success. He came off the edge and held contain on the quarterback, allowing his teammates to rally to make the tackle. Then, the Trojans' linebacker closed on the quarterback and made a tackle for loss. He read an inside running play, filled a hole, and made a solid tackle at the line of scrimmage. Later, he shot a gap, got into the backfield, and made a tackle for loss.     Bobda was the most noticeable member of a defensive line that played great all game. Early, he exploded through the middle of the line to make a big hit for a tackle for loss. Later, he got into the end zone when he scooped up a fumble and returned it for a fifteen-yard touchdown. Then, he put pressure on the quarterback to force an incompletion. Late in the game, his pressure on the quarterback set up a sack for a teammate.     Wayzata mostly struggled on offense, but the biggest offensive play of the game came because of the hands and legs of Booh. He ran a deep cross, caught the ball, cut up-field, and scored on a 78-yard touchdown catch and run.     Conrad was an excellent complement to Francois. Conrad made a nice cut at the line of scrimmage to pick up eight yards. Then, he used good vision and found space off the left side for six yards. Later, Conrad showed patience as he picked up three yards in the middle, and then he showed explosiveness as he bounced outside for ten more yards. He was usually quick to the hole, like when he picked up eleven yards behind Copley and Olness.     Early in the game, Brown made a tackle on the outside to stop a sweep. Later, he came off the edge on a blitz for a strip sack.     Restrepo was the third member of the Skippers' running attack to flash. He has quick feet, makes quick cuts, and has good balance. He showed all of those skills when he bounced off a tackle while scoring a nine-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, the run was called back due to a penalty. However, the run that wasn't showed Restrepo's obvious talent.     As mentioned earlier, the Trojans didn't have a banner day defending the run. However, Prowell made a few nice plays on the inside. He shot a gap into the backfield to make a tackle for loss. Later, he got off a block, located the ball, and made a second tackle for loss.     Riedel was effective coming off the edge when rushing the passer. He used his speed and quickness multiple times to put pressure on the quarterback, often forcing a bad throw.     Brown made a couple of nice plays in the passing game. First, he caught a deep ball down the sidelines. Then, he caught a 39-yard touchdown late in the game.

Last Friday was rivalry night when the Minnetonka Skippers hosted the school across the lake, the Wayzata Trojans. The Skippers used a dominating second quarter to key their 28-14 victory. Here are the individuals who shone brightest under the Einer Anderson Stadium lights.