Eden Prairie defeated Lakeville South, handing the Cougars their first defeat in nearly three years with a 21-6 victory Friday night at Aerie Stadium. The Eagles, ranked 2nd in the Star Tribune Metro poll, improve their record to 3-0, while top-ranked Lakeville South slips to 2-1.
The Eagles’ defense set the tone early, stopping the Cougars’ opening drive on a fourth down in Eden Prairie territory.
In the following defensive series, Eagles’ senior cornerback Devin Jordan intercepted a pass, returning it to the Cougars’ four-yard line.
The Eagles’ offense wasted no time converting on the takeaway. Junior running back Dominic Heim’s touchdown on the next play was followed up with a two-point conversion and an early Eagles lead.
A short yardage TD gave the Eagles the lead, but a long 85-yard strike from Nick Fazi to Michael Gross gave EP a 14-0 advantage.
Lakeville South found their only score on a first-half touchdown. Quarterback Jacob Royse converted on fourth down, connecting with Jay Winters from 30 yards out. There on out, EP’s defense won the battle as they allowed just six points to a Lakeville South offense that averaged more than 50 points in its first two games.
Senior running back Tyler Walden scored the final Eden Prairie touchdown, securing the win over the defending Class 6A champions.
Eden Prairie travels to Rosemount on Thursday night to take on the Irish.
