Week #1 Recap: Hopkins

Running back Grayson Spronk rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns as the Prior Lake Lakers defeated the Hopkins Royals 43-0 Sept. 1 at Dan Patch Stadium.

The Lakers (1-0 Overall, 0-0 Metro Gold South) finished the game with 370 total yards while Hopkins (0-1 Overall, 0-0 Metro Maroon South) finished with only six total yards.

The Prior Lake defense set the tone for the game early by forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession. Defensive lineman Martin Owusu and linebacker Bruce Soukup combined for a sack on third down to force a punt and give the Laker offense the ball already deep in Hopkins territory.

Spronk got the Lakers on the board on the ensuing possession with a 4-yard touchdown run, capping off a six-play 29-yard drive to give Prior Lake a 7-0 lead with 7:30 to go in the first quarter.

On the first play of the next Hopkins drive, linebacker Aiden Gegenheimer and Owusu put pressure on the quarterback and forced a difficult throw. Safety Drew Hammerstrom read the play perfectly and intercepted the ball, setting the Laker offense up at the Hopkins 18-yard line.

On the very next play, quarterback Luke Crosby handed the ball off to running back/receiver Joey Krouse on a jet sweep play and Krouse raced down the Laker sideline and into the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Logan Lehrer’s 2-point conversion attempt was no good, making it 13-0 Lakers with 7:19 to go in the first quarter.

Hopkins moved the ball out to midfield on the next drive but ultimately had to punt.

Prior Lake then put together a methodical drive deep into Hopkins territory to start the second quarter but it came to a halt when Crosby’s pass intended for tight end Trace Bowman was deflected and intercepted by the Hopkins defense near the goal line.

The Laker defense then responded however by forcing another three-and-out.

Crosby then opened the next Prior Lake drive with a 22-yard completion to receiver Jaxson Barrett, who caught the ball in the flat and took off down the sideline. A couple of plays later, running back Hunter MacGillivray rumbled into the end zone for a 7-yard score. Lehrer’s extra point was blocked, keeping the score 19-0 Lakers with 9:30 to go in the first half.

Another three-and-out for the Lakers was capped off by an Aidan McGowan and Martin Owusu sack. Two plays later, McGowan came off the edge and blocked the punt to set the Laker offense up at the Hopkins 9-yard line.

On the very next play, Spronk took the ball on a toss play, broke a tackle, stayed in bounds and ran into the end zone for another Laker score.  Lehrer’s extra point made the score 26-0 Lakers with 6:47 left in the first half.

Another three-and-out by the defense got the ball back to the Lakers.

It looked as if the Lakers turned the ball over on a fumble by Spronk on the very next play but an inadvertent whistle by the officiating crew during the play resulted in a do-over and gave the ball back to Prior Lake.

A few plays later, running back Connor Dombrowski broke a tackle, ran over a Hopkins defender, and dove across the goal line for a 12-yard touchdown. Lehrer’s extra point was good to increase the Laker lead to 33-0 with 3:16 left before halftime.

The Prior Lake defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive, highlighted by a sack by linebacker Bruce Soukup where he jumped the snap count and brought down the quarterback in the backfield.

A 15-yard run by Spronk moved the ball deep into Hopkins territory on the next possession before the drive stalled near the 20-yard line. Lehrer drilled a 36-yard field goal to push the Laker lead to 36-0 with 12 seconds left in the half.

The Lakers led 36-0 at halftime.

Running back Levi Eiter added the exclamation point early in the third quarter with a 61-yard touchdown run to put the game away and extend the Laker lead to 43-0, which ended up being the final score.

Statistically, Crosby completed 3 of 7 passes for 38 yards and threw one interception.

Spronk had 11 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Eiter had 8 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown. Dombrowski had 6 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown. McGillivary had 7 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Barrett caught two passes for 30 yards while Bowman caught one pass for 8 yards.

Owusu and McGowan were the top tacklers for the Lakers with six each. Owusu and Soukup each had two sacks.

Week #2 Preview: Shakopee

The Lakers welcome longtime rival Shakopee to Dan Patch Stadium on Sept. 9 at 7pm at Dan Patch Stadium.

Prior Lake and Shakopee have faced each other regularly dating back to their time in the Missota Conference in the 1990s and 2000s. The rivalry was renewed when Shakopee joined the South Suburban Conference in 2014 before district schedules were created in Class 6A football.

Prior Lake has won six of the last seven matchups between the two teams dating back to 2014. The lone Shakopee victory in that span was the 49-27 Sabers win in Week 2 last season.

While only Week 2, Friday’s matchup could have playoff seeding implications later in the season as Prior Lake and Shakopee seed together for playoffs. A head-to-head victory can often be the separator when coaches are voting in a seeding meeting.

The Sabers, known for their triple-option offense and strong run game, defeated Anoka 49-20 in Week 1, rushing for 487 yards.

Fullback Jadon Hellerud leads the rushing attack for the Sabers. Hellerud had 23 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns against Anoka. Running back Garrison Monroe, a Minnesota Gopher commit had six carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns as well. Running back Ari Gaiters also had six carries for 86 yards and a touchdown.

The quarterback position is a bit of a mystery for the Sabers. Star quarterback from last season Dominic Jackson did not play in the season opener against Anoka. Jackson suffered an injury late last season against Edina. Leyton Kerns got the start in Week 1, completing 2 of 3 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown against Anoka.

Both the Lakers and the Sabers are expected to enter this week’s matchup ranked in the Top 10.

The AP Class 6A Poll will not be released until later in the season but KARE 11’s Randy Shaver will be releasing his own ranking every Wednesday until then. Be sure to watch where the Sabers and Lakers are ranked. The Star Tribune/MN Football Hub is also expected to have a Metro Top 10 ranking each week.

Notes

Kickoff at Dan Patch Stadium on Friday is scheduled for 7pm.

PL Lakers Live will be streaming Friday’s game. Friday’s stream with Dom Dandrea, Ben Tressel and John Wahlstrom will be live at the following link:

https://www.plhsactivities.org/lakerslive

Follow @plhsfootball, @pllakers, @PLHSLakers, @PLLakersLive on Twitter for updates and links to the streams throughout the season.

Be sure to check back next week for a recap of the Shakopee game and a preview of the matchup against Edina.

Taylor Smith can be reached at tay1@me.com or on Twitter at @taysmith2013.