Game recap: Wayzata
Three touchdown passes from quarterback Myles Greenwood to receiver Colten Gunderson were the difference as the Prior Lake Lakers defeated the Wayzata Trojans 21-7 on Oct. 4 at Dan Patch Stadium.
The win for the Lakers (2-4 Overall, 1-4 Metro West) over the Trojans (2-4 Overall, 1-4 Metro West) snapped a four-game losing streak and could loom large for seeding purposes as both teams reside in Section 6AAAAAA.
Prior Lake and Wayzata each punted on their opening drive as the teams settled in.
The Lakers got on the board first late in the opening quarter. After a pair of unsportsmanlike penalties on the Trojans kept the next drive moving, Greenwood dropped back and threw to his right to Gunderson who jumped in the end zone. and caught the ball over a Wayzata defender for a 13-yard touchdown. Kicker Mason Storlie’s extra point was good to give Prior Lake a 7-0 lead with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
Prior Lake’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive in the early part of the second quarter, highlighted by a sack on third down by linebacker Sean Nadeau.
A short punt and a successful double-digit run on a reverse play by receiver Aiden Mbinda set the Lakers up in the red zone.
A few plays later, Greenwood connected again with Gunderson on the same fade route into the end zone; this time a perfect throw from Greenwood right into Gunderson’s arms for a 15-yard touchdown. Storlie’s extra point increased the lead to 14-0 with 7:24 left in the second quarter.
Both teams played strong defense on the next few drives, exchanging multiple punts.
In the closing moments of the half, Wayzata attempted a screen pass but defensive lineman Cody Lyons jumped in front of the pass for an interception and set the Lakers up near the Wayzata 30-yard line in the closing seconds.
Four plays later, the Lakers brought out Storlie for a 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired but his kick sailed left to keep the score 14-0 Lakers at halftime.
Wayzata then got on the board on the opening possession of the second half with a 16-play 77-yard touchdown drive. The drive was capped with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal where it looked like the Prior Lake defense had initially stopped the running back short of the goal line but he fell into the end zone on the second effort. The extra point was good to cut the Prior Lake lead to 14-7 with 3:30 to go in the third quarter.
A short kick on the ensuing kickoff set the Lakers up near their own 40-yard line to start the next drive. Two plays later, Greenwood dropped back and threw the ball down the middle of the field to Gunderson, who caught it for a 31-yard gain.
Two plays later, Greenwood threw to Gunderson on the same fade route as the previous touchdowns and Gunderson corralled the ball over a Wayzata defender for a 19-yard touchdown. Storlie’s extra point increased the lead to 21-7 with 1:23 left in the third quarter.
Wayzata moved the ball into Prior Lake territory on the next possession into the fourth quarter, but facing fourth-and-9 at the Prior Lake 27-yard line, lineman Skyler Werner pressured the Wayzata quarterback and forced an incompletion and turnover on downs.
The teams each punted on their next possession.
Prior Lake then looked to run out the clock on their next drive but ultimately had to punt. However, Storlie’s punt effectively ended the game after cornerback Luke Loehlein dove and knocked the ball out of bounds at the 1-yard line to give the Trojans possession at that spot in the closing seconds.
The Laker defense then made a stop on fourth down a few plays later and Prior Lake kneeled out the remainder of the clock to secure the 21-7 victory.
Statistically, Greenwood completed 5 of 12 passes for 82 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Levi Eiter led the way on the ground with 21 carries for 88 yards while Mbinda had six carries for 34 yards.
Gunderson had four catches for 78 yards and three touchdowns.
Linebacker Dylan Hawley was the top tackler for the Lakers with 12 tackles. Nadeau had 9 tackles. Linebacker Jackson Didion and safety Cole Brinkman each had 7 tackles.
Week #7 Preview: Woodbury
The Lakers will travel to Woodbury to take on the Royals at Woodbury High School on Oct. 11 at 7pm.
Prior Lake and Woodbury matched up in Week 7 in 2023, a 39-13 Prior Lake win at Dan Patch Stadium.
The Royals (2-4 Overall, 1-4 Metro East), led by longtime coach Andy Hill, have struggled as of late and enter Friday’s contest on a three-game losing streak. Woodbury beat Roseville 13-10 in the season opener, lost to Stillwater 34-15 in Week 2, beat White Bear Lake 28-13 in Week 3 before losing to East Ridge 54-7 in Week 4, Mounds View 50-7 in Week 5 and Forest Lake 34-6 last week.
Woodbury’s offense is led by quarterback Emmett Snuggerud.
Mark Mathis and Brandon Fortune are the top running backs for the Royals.
Season stats for Woodbury were unavailable at the time of publishing.
Notes
Kickoff at Woodbury High School on Friday is scheduled for 7pm.
Woodbury will be streaming the game at the following link (Note: An NSPN subscription is required to watch):
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 Woodbury game and a preview of the matchup against Buffalo.
Taylor Smith can be reached at tay1@me.com or on Twitter at @taysmith2013.
Photo by Taylor Smith