Sports
8A October 25, 2013 SUN THISWEEK - Apple Valley
Eagles take step toward reclaiming season Apple Valley routs St. Louis Park in section quarterfinal by Mike Shaughnessy SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
After starting with four consecutive losses, Apple Valley’s football season has been one long salvage operation. The Eagles took another step toward rescuing their season with a 52-16 victory over St. Louis Park in the Class 5A, Section 3 quarterfinals Tuesday night. Apple Valley (4-5), which has won four of its last five games, plays at Bloomington Jefferson in the section semifinals at 7 p.m. Saturday. Going into the season, the Eagles talked about competing for the state championship. Defensive backs A.J. Hill and Davis Anderson said after Tuesday’s game that they still can do that. “This is one of the toughest teams I’ve played with,” Hill said. “We lost some close games, but we still believed in ourselves. You don’t see many 0-4 teams come back the way we have.” Apple Valley went in heavily favored against St. Louis Park (0-9), which was last of 48 Class 5A teams Apple Valley’s Matt Morse breaks a tackle during the in the Quality Results Formula Eagles’ 52-16 victory over St. Louis Park on Tuesday (QRF), which Section 3 uses to seed its teams. Apple Valley was 34th in night. (Photo by Mike Shaughnessy)
Playoff pressure on the rise Section football starts for local teams by Mike Shaughnessy SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It’s playoff time in high school football – and time to find out which teams will play the final prep games ever at the Metrodome. The postseason started Tuesday and ends Nov. 29-30 when seven championship games take place at the Prep Bowl. It is the final Prep Bowl scheduled for the Metrodome, which will be torn down to make way for the new Minnesota Vikings stadium. Apple Valley defeated St. Louis Park 52-16 on Tuesday night in a Class 5A, Section 3 quarterfinal. The other teams in the Sun Thisweek coverage area will play at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class 6A, Section 3 quarterfinals. Here’s a look at those games: Farmington (4-4) at Rosemount (7-1) The top-seeded Irish have been rolling, winning seven in a row after losing to Wayzata in double overtime in their season opener. They use a lot of people in their rushing attack – five players have 152 to 516 yards this season – which sets up big plays in the passing game. Junior Dimitri Williams has 15 touchdowns, eight rushing and seven receiving. Quarterback Jackson Erdmann has passed for more than 1,100 yards. Tyler Hartigan has just nine receptions this season, but it seems as if every one is a big play; he averages 27.2 yards per catch and has four touchdowns. Linebackers Craig Syzmanski and Nate Sackett are playmakers on defense, and cornerback Conner Yepsen has returned three interceptions for touchdowns. Farmington won its first four games, after which it appeared in the Associated Press top 10 in Class 6A. The Tigers haven’t won since. Farmington can move the ball through the air, as quarterback Tyler Van Winkle has completed about 55 percent of his passes for almost 1,400 yards. He had two touchdown passes in last week’s 21-14 loss to Shakopee. Jordan DeCroock, Mac Bassett and C.J. Wynings all have more than 20 receptions. Kevin Clifton, Eli Rockett and Mason Auge are among the Tiger defense’s leading tacklers. Burnsville (2-6) at Lakeville North (6-2) Lakeville North won a regular-season game between these teams 41-7 on Oct. 4. The second-seeded Panthers had nine days to recover emotionally from their 36-7 loss at Rosemount on Oct. 16 in a game that decided the South Suburban Conference title. What’s less clear is whether standout defensive lineman Greg Menard can recover physically in time for the playoffs after injuring an ankle in the Rosemount game. Senior running back Jamiah Newell rushed for 1,102 yards and 11 touchdowns in eight regular-season games. Despite allowing 36 points at Rosemount, the North defense still is holding opponents to about nine points a game.
At times Burnsville has shown it can play competitively against other South Suburban teams, but scoring points and staying healthy have been issues for the Blaze. Burnsville closed the regular season with a 41-12 loss to Prior Lake last week, marking the seventh time in eight games the Blaze has been held to 17 points or fewer. Will Reger has taken on a lot of responsibility as Burnsville’s quarterback as well as a full-time defensive player. Linebacker Brett Shepley is one of the Blaze’s top defensive players. Eagan (2-6) at Lakeville South (5-3) South defeated Eagan 20-17 on Sept. 13, scoring the winning points on a free kick from kickoff formation late in the fourth quarter. It’s been an upand-down season for the Cougars, who beat Wayzata in Week 2 but at other times have struggled to move the ball. Lakeville South re-tooled its offense to emphasize the run, and last week Mark Ruhl gained 196 yards and scored twice in a 28-7 victory over Bloomington Jefferson. Linebackers Josh Corcoran and A.J. Westrude are among the leaders on defense. Grant Mosser has been a twoway standout as a defensive back and receiver. Eagan goes into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak. The Wildcats lost 28-7 at Apple Valley last week as they were unable to get into the end zone until the fourth quarter. Sam Zenner, who did not play in last week’s game, has been a breakaway threat as a running back and quarterback. T.J. Sands also has had some carries. Ian Entzion has been the quarterback when the Wildcats want to throw, with Scott Danielson being one of his top targets. Linebackers Joe Kovach and Hogan Marshall have been among the Wildcats’ statistical leader on defense all season. Park of Cottage Grove (3-5) at Eastview (4-4) After butting heads with rock-solid defenses from Rosemount, Lakeville North and Prior Lake during the regular season, one thing Eastview might find to its liking is a Park team that allows almost 35 points a game. The Lightning drubbed winless Bloomington Kennedy 35-0 last week, scoring all five of its touchdowns on the ground. If the Lightning has its way, it will want to keep it on the ground with running backs Will Rains and Tommy Hutsell – not only because that’s what the Lightning does best, but because it would sideline a Park offense that has the ability to score. While Park is likely not a threat to go deep in the playoffs, its three victories in 2013 are more than the previous four seasons combined. Expect the ball to be in the air a lot when Park is on offense; the Wolfpack puts it up more than 30 times a game and has five receivers with 19 catches or more. Park’s most dangerous offensive player is Elias Arlington, who has 50 receptions for 706 yards, both team highs, and another 183 on the ground. Quarterback Brandon Alt has thrown for more than 1,700 yards.
the QRF. Although the Eagles were aware of St. Louis Park’s record, “we had to treat them like any other team,” Anderson said. “You can get in trouble if you don’t do that.” Apple Valley was up 21-0 before the game was four minutes old. Da’Shawn Lewis ran for a 65-yard touchdown on the Eagles’ first offensive play. St. Louis Park lost a fumble on its first play, which led to a 9-yard touchdown run by Lewis. The Orioles lost another fumble on their next possession, setting up Lewis’ third touchdown of the night, a 34-yard run. Tommy Singer (1 yard), Kieran McKeag (21 yards) and Adrian Lally (51 yards) also had rushing touchdowns for the Eagles. Singer also threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Matt Morse, and Paul Cheney kicked a 34-yard field goal. Lewis had 155 yards on 11 carries for an Eagles offense that gained 486 yards. Apple Valley used reserves for most of the second half, and coach Chad Clendening welcomed giving the starters a break because the Eagles have just three days to rest and recuperate before playing Jefferson. “We’ve had a number of injuries, which every team does, and we’ve
had kids who have had to step in for guys who got hurt,” the coach said. “But we didn’t have any new injuries tonight.” Apple Valley lost to Bloomington Jefferson 12-6 in the second week of the regular season, which is why Jefferson was seeded ahead of Apple Valley in the section (Jefferson was second and Apple Valley was third). “The kids have been good about coming to practice ready to work,” Clendening said. “But we had to call them out after the Jefferson game because we weren’t seeing the kind of intensity we needed to have. Our intensity has been much better the second half of the season, and we’re making fewer mental mistakes.” Bloomington Kennedy, which was winless in the South Suburban Conference, crushed Minneapolis Southwest 62-13 in another Section 3 quarterfinal Tuesday, scoring all of its points in the first half. Kennedy plays at No. 1-seeded Minneapolis Washburn on Saturday, with the winner facing Apple Valley or Jefferson for the section title Nov. 1. Email Mike Shaughnessy at mike. shaughnessy@ecm-inc.com.
Eastview soccer: still underdogs? Defending champion Lightning seeded third at state by Mike Shaughnessy SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
It’s Eastview’s title to defend at the state Class AA boys soccer tournament, yet not everybody looks at the Lightning as the team to beat. Eastview is the thirdseeded team in the state tourney that began Thursday. Eastview played Owatonna in a quarterfinal game at Park High School in Cottage Grove that took place after this edition went to press. Top-seeded Minneapolis Southwest is 16-1-1 and was 32nd in one national high school soccer ranking. The Lakers defeated Eastview 3-1 in a non-conference game early in the regular season. Eastview could only play Southwest in the final round of the state tournament. Eastview (13-3-1) played in the state title game the last two years. “There’s still a target on us, but at the same time we’re kind of seen as underdogs,” coach Scott Gustafson said. “I don’t think many people expected us to get back to the
state tournament. We have some players who have been through this before and some who will be going through it for the first time, and they’ll probably be nervous (Thursday).” Eastview senior Pierce Erickson earned All-State recognition after getting 16 goals and four assists through the Lightning’s first 17 games. Goalkeeper Kyle Lamott was an AllState honorable mention player and has specialized in stopping penalty kicks. Sam Fluegge (13 points) and Jack Teske (12) are other offensive threats; Teske scored the winning goal in Eastview’s 3-2 victory over Eagan in the Section 3AA final. Owatonna (15-1-2) played several South Suburban Conference opponents. The Huskies defeated Apple Valley, a team Eastview was 1-1 against in the regular season. “They’ve got a good forward (Jared Santibanez) who’s athletic and can cause problems for a defense,” Gustafson said. “And they have an AllState goalie (Carter McCauley) who’s good in the
air. They balance the field well with those two guys at the ends, and they have a lot of good players in the middle.” The winner will play No. 2 seed Edina or unseeded Elk River in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Monday at the Metrodome. The championship game is 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31, also at the Metrodome. Eastview appears to be playing its best soccer right now. The Lightning avenged regular-season losses to Eagan and Apple Valley in the Section 3AA playoffs and might yet get a shot at Southwest, the other team to beat Eastview in the regular season. The Lightning lost 3-0 to Eagan in its final regular-season game but defeated the Wildcats in the section final less than two weeks later. “That last week of the regular season was a rough one for us,” Gustafson said. “We tied Rosemount the game before we lost to Eagan. Eagan does a lot of things well. We had some opportunities but didn’t capitalize.
TAGS South compulsory teams earn third place at Harvest Invite The TAGS South Level 4 and 5 teams placed third in the Harvest Invitational at North St. Paul High School, hosted by Rising Stars Gymnastics on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19 and 20. The Level 4 team had a strong start with a secondplace team finish on the balance beam. Lauren Foyt of Rosemount earned her season high and third place with an impressive 9.3. Kailey Tomzak of Lakeville pulled in 9.225 (fourth) and Maren Sundberg of Eagan finished with 9.0 (10th). All three girls made improvements in their scores from the previous meet For the second week in a row, Sundberg led the team to a third-place finish on the floor exercise, earning 9.150 for second place. Kajsa Thrawl of Eagan scored 8.575 and Foyt rounded out the top three
with 8.55. On the vault, Sundberg continued to prove her dominance as she took first place with 9.0. Athena Zahn of Apple Valley broke into the top three with her season high of 8.4 and Thrawl finished with 8.225. On the uneven bars, Emily Renn of Eagan burst onto the scene with her season high of 9.4 to win the event. Sundberg was a close second with 9.375. Thrawl earned 9.275 and helped the team to a first-place finish on the event. In the all-around, Sundberg earned second place with her season high of 36.525. Thrawl remained in the team’s top three with 34.925 (10th) and Foyt earned her season high of 34.5. The Level 5 team placed third in the balance beam. Cecilia Gerlach of Prior Lake earned the team’s
highest score with 9.075 (fourth). Olivia Gore of Lakeville received her season high of 8.5 (fifth) and Keegan Messner of Rosemount rounded out the top three with 8.4 (third). Isabela Krulich of Rosemount earned her season high of 9.0 (fourth) and led the team to a second-place finish on the floor exercise. Kailey Renn of Eagan received 8.85 (8th) with Gerlach’s 8.8 close behind. Krulich had an impressive showing on the vault where she took first place with her season high of 9.375. Gerlach and Messner also posted season highs with 9.1 (6th) and 8.65, respectively. In the all-around, Gerlach came away with a second-place finish and her season high of 35.775 Krulich earned her season high of 34.175 for 10th place and Renn brought in 34.15 for 11th place.
Local teams compete in state youth soccer fall tourney Several teams from the Sun Thisweek coverage area qualified for the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association fall state tournament Oct. 12-13 in Rochester. The tournament is for Classic 1, Classic 2 and Classic 3 teams at the Under 11 through U14
age groups. Lakeville won the boys U11 C1 championship, defeating Edina 2-1 in the championship game. Dakota Rev won the boys U13 C2 division with a 7-0 victory over Blaine in the championship game. It is a hybrid team of sorts,
with some players coming from the Dakota Rev core area of Apple Valley and Rosemount, and others coming from Lakeville. The Lakeville players were part of a Lakeville Soccer Association team that won the Under 11 C1 championship at the MYSA sum-
mer state tournament. The team is made up of U12 players who are playing up one level. Eagan was runner-up to Minnesota Thunder Academy West in the girls U13 C1 tourney. The Thunder Academy team defeated the Wave 5-4 in
the championship game. Valley United was the girls U14 C1 champion, defeating Tonka United 1-0 in a shootout in the final. Valley United did not allow a non-shootout goal in three state tournament games. Other local boys teams
qualifying for the state tournament were Valley United boys U11 C2, Valley United boys U12 C3, Lakeville girls U11 C1, Dakota Rev girls U11 C2, Dakota Rev girls U13 C3, Eagan girls U14 C2 and Dakota Rev girls U14 C2.