Lakeville South 27

Eagan 7

One of the things Lakeville South’s football team sought coming into the season was a running back with game-breaking potential.

Last Friday, the Cougars might have found one in junior Johnny Shabaz, who scored three touchdowns in the 27-7 victory over Eagan. Shabaz scored in each of the first three quarters as South evened its record at 1-1.

Shabaz got South on the scoreboard on a 53-yard run in the first quarter. In the second, South quarterback George Brekke threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Shabaz. Another South quarterback, sophomore Reid Patterson, threw to Shabaz for a 35-yard score in the third quarter.

Cougars senior Jared Stewart scored on a 6-yard run in the second quarter.

Eagan (0-2) struggled to move the ball for the second consecutive week. Lakeville South sacked Wildcat quarterbacks five times in the first half, and Eagan did not score until the game was well out of reach. Junior Cole Gibson’s 5-yard run in the fourth quarter was Eagan’s first touchdown of the season.

After playing its first two games of the season at home, Lakeville South goes on the road for the first time Friday, when it will play at Burnsville at 7 p.m. The Blaze (0-2) is having some of the same offensive issues as Eagan and lost 20-0 at Eastview last week.

Eagan plays at Rosemount at 7 p.m. Friday. The Irish, thought to be one of the Metro South’s district’s top teams in the preseason, have started 0-2 and lost at Edina 17-14 last week.