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The Lakeville South offensive line opens up a hole for running back Josh Jacobson (5) against Lakeville North during the second quarter of a high school football game at Lakeville South High School on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

High school football: Lakeville South edges rival Lakeville North in defensive slugfest

By Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press, 09/10/21, 11:00PM CDT

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Many have attributed Lakeville South’s recent stretch of dominance to its Power-T offense and the big plays and high point totals it’s produced. Lost in the attention the offensive scheme has garnered is the Cougars’ commitment to the defensive side of the ball.

“That’s always been a strength, ever since I’ve been here,” Lakeville South coach Ben Burk said. “We commit our best guys to defense, No. 1. So we’re going to put our best athletes on defense, we’re going to put guys in position to win. That’s what you have to do in Minnesota football, especially in Class 6A, you’ve got to stop the other team from scoring points.”

 

Which is exactly what Lakeville South did against its crosstown rival Friday night. After spending years serving as the proverbial “little brother” in its intracity rivalry, Lakeville South’s football program has seemingly gained the upper hand over perennially powerful Lakeville North.

The Cougars downed Lakeville North for a third straight year Friday, topping the Panthers 12-0 at Lakeville North.

They did so with the defense taking center stage. The Cougars held Lakeville North below 150 yards of total offense as the Panthers struggled to get anything going. The Panthers didn’t have a single play of more than 20 yards.

“Our offense is used to putting up so many points where sometimes people sleep on our defense. … It feels good,” Lakeville South senior linebacker and tight end Zach Juckel said. “The guys and I work for this so hard, and the coaching staff, we’re preparing so hard. We knew they were going to be a downhill running team and we tried our best to stuff them. We were more physical, and the shutout is on the board. That’s just great for a rivalry game. I can’t even put words to it. It’s crazy.”

Such a dominant defensive performance was required on a night where neither offense found much success. The longest play of the entire first half for either team was an 11-yard completion from Dean to running back Carson Hansen.

Lakeville South’s first drive of the game lasted 19 plays but didn’t finish in points as Lakeville North turned the Cougars over on downs inside the Panthers’ 5-yard-line.

The Cougars cashed in on their following drive, though. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the Panthers’ 1-yard-line and the difficult prospects of again coming up empty deep in Lakeville North territory, Lakeville South quarterback Camden Dean broke the plane on a quarterback sneak to put the Cougars up 6-0 with 11 seconds left in a first half that featured just five total possessions.

The Cougars (2-0) carried the end-of-half momentum into the third quarter. Lakeville South took the opening drive of the second half down the field for another score, a 6-yard touchdown run by Ian Segna. The drive was highlighted by a 38-yard run from Hansen to convert a third-and-13.

Hansen led the way for Lakeville South with 85 rushing yards as the Panthers’ defense did a nice job slowing the Cougars’ normally prolific offense.

“Defensively, this is a team that they wear you down, they grind you. Power-T is a tough thing to stop, but I was happy we didn’t have any 70-yard traps that went for touchdowns,” Lakeville North coach Brian Vossen said. “I thought the kids really worked hard on a bend-but-don’t-break (philosophy). … Kids played their butts off.”

Still, Burk said the Cougars’ offense did exactly what it was supposed to do Friday. Yes, the Cougars have generated big plays in the past, but Burk said the goal of the Power-T is to control the clock and average four yards per carry.

Lakeville South ran it 52 times for 232 yards Friday — averaging 4.46 yards a pop.

“If we’re at a four-yard average every carry, to us, that’s winning football,” Burk said.

Vossen noted the Panthers aren’t a team that plays for Week 2. They aim to win in Weeks 9 and 10, in the playoffs. Facing a team like Lakeville South was a good measuring stick. The Panthers now know they’re 12 points short of perhaps the state’s best team.

Lakeville South will face Eden Prairie in a highly anticipated matchup next week. The Eagles and Cougars entered the week ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively in the Associated Press’ Class 6A state rankings. The Cougars finished the 2020 season ranked No. 1, just barely ahead of Eden Prairie for the state’s top spot.

“We get to celebrate this tonight and tomorrow, and then you work into the next week,” Juckel said. “Eden Prairie is going to be a bigger challenge and that’d be a bigger win, too, so looking forward to that.”