MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Andrew Larson ran for 124 yards and a touchdown and Jake Ibach hit a pair of field goals to help Eden Prairie beat Wayzata 13-3 in the Class 5A state championship game Friday night.
Ibach hit a 36-yard field goal in the first half, then added a 35-yarder near the end of the third quarter for the Eagles (12-1).
Larson had 76 rushing yards in the second half and scored on a 10-yard touchdown run with 2:45 remaining to help Eden Prairie win its seventh state title, but its first since 2007.
Wayzata (12-1) was trying to win its third championship in four years. The two teams met during the regular season, with the Trojans winning 9-0 at home.
Heard tosses five TDs in Edgerton-Ellsworth 9-man win over W/H-N
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Isaac Heard picked a good day to set some state passing records.
With Edgerton-Ellsworth's running game shut down, Heard threw five touchdowns and set a Prep Bowl record with 368 yards passing to lead the undefeated Flying Dutchman to a 36-28 win over Wheaton/Herman-Norcross in the Minnesota nine-man title game Friday.
Heard's 368 yards passing eclipsed the old mark of 344 set by Waterville-Elysian-Morristown's Cory Hackett in 1999.
Heard, a junior, threw two touchdowns apiece to Blake Jouwstra and Devin Hulstein. Hulstein also set a Prep Bowl record with 198 yards receiving for the Flying Dutchmen (14-0). The previous record was 171 yards, set in 1994 by Judge Gisslen of Triton-Dodge Center.
"Life's pretty easy when you've got guys running their routes all day and blocking for you all day," Heard said. "It's fun to have the record, but it's even better to have the championship."
The Flying Dutchmen needed every single one of those yards to hold off the Warriors, who held Edgerton-Ellsworth to 22 yards rushing.
"I would've liked more balance, but it was still pretty good," Dutchmen head coach Andrew Fleischman said with a grin.
Wheaton/Herman-Norcross, on the other hand, had 396 yards rushing but managed only 74 through the air.
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Quarterback Tyler Schwagel led the Warriors (12-2) with 117 yards rushing before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with a separated shoulder. The senior quarterback guided his team to the Edgerton-Ellsworth 41 before getting hurt on a rushing attempt. Michael Persing replaced Schwagel at quarterback, but the Warriors turned the ball over on downs, allowing the Dutchmen to run down the clock.
Wolfgang Brink had two rushing touchdowns for the Warriors, and Schwagel and Gregg Cronen each also ran for a score. The Warriors easily provided the toughest test the Flying Dutchmen faced all season. Edgerton-Ellsworth entered the game averaging 54.7 points per game while holding opponents to 16.2.
"It was fun to finally play a close game," Heard said. "It was our first time being down all year, and I was glad we could prove we could handle adversity, we could do whatever it takes to get the job done."
The Dutchmen marched 73 yards on their opening possession to take a 8-0 lead, but fell behind 14-8 on Schwagel's 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Then, in the third quarter, Cronen had a 42-yard touchdown run to put the Warriors up 22-14.
Brink's second rushing touchdown of the day tied the game at 22, but Jouwstra made a bobbling catch in the end zone for a 17-yard score on the ensuing possession to put the Dutchmen ahead for good.
"First thing I said was, 'Hey guys, the sun's coming up tomorrow, you just keep your heads high,'" Warriors coach Tony Thiel said.
Caledonia wins second straight 2A state title
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Senior Connor McCormick was hurt during the early part of the season for the Caledonia Warriors.
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Combined with his time on the defensive side of the ball, McCormick took some time to get into a rhythm for Caledonia's three-headed rushing attack.
There was never any doubt he would be ready when it mattered most though. He'd done it before.
McCormick ran for 189 yards and three touchdowns and the Warriors beat the Moose Lake/Willow River Rebels 27-0 to win their second straight Class 2A state title.
"That kid is a warrior through and through," Caledonia coach Brent Schroeder said. "He has heart and desire. He works hard on and off the field with the extra things he's done. He's unbelievable."
Warriors quarterback Kennan Bruening added 111 yards rushing and 75 passing, connecting with Adam Drenckhahn for a 11-yard touchdown pass as the Warriors (13-1) won their fourth championship in five seasons.
This season McCormick was only third on Caledonia with 129 rushing attempts as Bruening and running back Matt Peterson had 146 and 145, respectively, but McCormick still had a team-high 714 yards entering the state tournament. McCormick also had 153 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors beat Triton 28-7 in last year's Class 2A Prep Bowl.
"As a team we played as a unit and the guys that played in front of me are the same as last year as this year," McCormick said. "They go all out. They hit as hard as they can. I don't want to talk the credit. The whole offensive line last year and this year, they're just unbelievable."
The defense isn't too shabby either. Caledonia intercepted two passes and had two sacks, while posting the first shutout in a Prep Bowl game since 2005 when Becker shut out Albany in Class 3A.
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Moose Lake/Willow River (13-1) was vying for its first state title and entered the state tournament averaging 53.0 points per game.
"It's about gap-control defense and 11 kids out there believing that they can stop anybody," Schroeder said. "(The Rebels) have some great talent and great coaching. My kids just believe they can stop anything and that's what they did today I guess."
Moose Lake/Willow River junior running back Jake Disterhaupt had rushed for over 2,000 yards this season and had 252 yards rushing and three touchdowns in the Rebels' 35-14 state semifinal win last week against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown. Caledonia held Disterhaupt to 49 yards on 15 carries.
"They were able to control the line of scrimmage," Moose Lake/Willow River coach Dave Louzek said. "Their defensive line just smothered our offensive line and then their linebackers are just so quick to the ball that they have a great defense, a great team obviously, and they were able to out-physical us."
The Warriors outscored their opponents 111-12, including two shutouts in the three state tournament games.
