Offensive line powers the Lakers into the second round

Prior Lake went into Farmington as the lower-seeded team, but not – in my opinion – an underdog. It took three drives to show why – in this case – seeds meant nothing. The group that meant the most during the Lakers' 42-14 6A first-round victory – the offensive line.   The Lakers got an early break when Farmington fumbled a shotgun snap near midfield. Lucas Miller pounced on the ball, and Prior Lake was in business.   The Prior Lake offensive line – Brock Zurn, Cody Field, [player_tooltip player_id='1248643' first='Liev' last='Jacquemart'], [player_tooltip player_id='1248659' first='Zach' last='Kuehn'], and [player_tooltip player_id='592222' first='Ethan' last='Beckman'] set the tone from the game's first offensive play. After a solid run on first down, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='362279' first='Myles' last='Greenwood'] lofted a pass down the sidelines to running back [player_tooltip player_id='930598' first='Levi' last='Eiter'], who sprinted the rest of the way untouched for a 56-yard touchdown.   After forcing a punt, the offensive line started to go to work. Working between the tackles, Eiter picked up twenty yards on three carries. That set up [player_tooltip player_id='592226' first='Aiden' last='Mbinda'] to come across the formation, take a handoff, and cut up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown.   Prior Lake's defense got off the field quickly for a third straight time – a tackle at the line of scrimmage by Jackson Koenig on third and short – forced a punt.   The Tigers' defense looked like they were about to get off the field. But on fourth and two, Kuehn and Beckman got a push and helped the offense move the chains. Eiter and Mbinda carried the ball effectively after converting on fourth down. However, the Lakers faced fourth down and short inside the five. Greenwood quickly rolled to the right and flipped a pass in the flat to Mbinda. Mbinda lunged forward just enough to set up first and goal. The offensive line blew the defensive line into the end zone – giving Eiter an easy one-yard touchdown.   "We have always taken pride in the running game at Prior Lake," Lakers head coach Matt Gegenheimer said. "We got a couple of guys back on the offensive line. Levi is an impressive young man. He has a 4.2 grade point average, is a captain on the hockey team, and is a three-year starter in football. He is a tremendous young man and a terrific football player, too."   Down three scores, Farmington's offense found its rhythm. Prior Lake had them in third and long twice, but the Tigers converted both times – once by penalty and once by the wizardry of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='234773' first='Jonah' last='Ask']. He got around the corner and bounced off a couple of tackles. He kept his balance down the sidelines until he was knocked out of bounds inside the five-yard line. Three plays later, Ask finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown.   Farmington had a chance to get back into the game after they recovered a fumble near midfield. Ask picked up a first down with his feet. Then he found Cole Wilcek with his arm for fifteen yards. Prior Lake's defense stepped up. Griffin Marshall broke up a pass in the end zone. Then defensive lineman Cody Lyons got pressure on Ask and sacked him, setting up a fourth and 17. An incomplete pass would end the drive. The first half would end with Prior Lake in control 21-7.   "We knew 7 was a dude, and he was going to make some plays," Gegenheimer said. "If we could contain him, we would be okay on defense. We did a good job of keeping him in the pocket."   Two plays into the second half, the Lakers all but put the game away. As he had in the first half, Eiter found room behind the interior of the offensive line – Field, Lacquemart, and Kuehn. Eiter broke into the clear and added a sixty-yard touchdown run to his stat line.   "I was not getting touched," Eiter said. "The (offensive line) has improved every week – they have been great."   The Lakers continued to pour it on – this drive using the arm of Greenwood and the length of receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1522534' first='Colten' last='Gunderson']. They just missed connecting on a couple of deep balls in the first half. They finally hooked up when Gunderson out-jumped two defenders for a twenty-yard gain. Greenwood found him again in the end zone for a short touchdown pass.   After hitting his receiver – [player_tooltip player_id='234770' first='Brock' last='Wyandt'] – in stride on a crossing route for a first down, Ask made the play of the game. The Lakers' defensive line was all over Ask right off the snap. Three guys had a shot at him, but like Matthew Stafford against the Vikings last night – too soon – sorry – Ask spun out of trouble and lofted the ball down the sidelines to find [player_tooltip player_id='245682' first='Cody' last='Rezny'] down the sidelines for a 44-yard touchdown catch.   The Tigers still had a big hill to climb, but they cut the lead to 34-14 with plenty of time to play. However, like every other time Farmington got some traction, the Lakers struck back. Luke Loehlein took the kickoff back to the ten-yard line. Greenwood threw his third touchdown pass of the game. The pass allowed them to convert on a third and goal from just inside the ten-yard line. Mbinda was in the end zone for a second time. The two-point conversion would put the Lakers back up 42-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Prior Lake would start subbing down early in the fourth quarter. They would cap off a 42-14 win and an invitation to the second round of the playoffs.

Prior Lake went into Farmington as the lower-seeded team, but not – in my opinion – an underdog. It took three drives to show why – in this case – seeds meant nothing. The group that meant the most during the Lakers' 42-14 6A first-round victory – the offensive line.