by Andy Rogers
Thisweek Newspapers

At the beginning of the season, the players and coaches knew they had a good team on their hands.

How good? They weren't exactly sure. They liked how they matched up against some of the top teams in the conference and saw an opportunity to make their senior years special.

The Lakeville South Cougars football team beat nearly everyone they faced all the way up to the state finals where Eden Prairie got the best of them in the Class 5A title game Nov. 24 at the Metrodome.

Manned by mainly seniors, the Cougars gave the favored Eden Prairie a solid run, but lost 21-14 to take the second-place trophy.

"I know the kids are pretty disappointed, but I'm happy with the way they played," coach Larry Thompson said.

It was quite the ride this year for the second-year program.

The team was previously undefeated, won the Lake Conference, defeated the favored Cretin-Derham Hall for the Section 5-5A title and advanced to the state finals with a convincing win over Anoka and a tight one over Rosemount.

South made it the first close game Eden Prairie has seen all year.

No team had come within 20 points of their total all year.

South had their chances to win at the end, but Eden Prairie's defense came up big.

With Eden Prairie ahead 21-14 and four yards from another touchdown, Cougar Chris Ewanika forced a fumble that Brady Soule recovered with six and a half minutes left.

The turnover gave Lakeville South new life and a serious chance to at least tie the game.

South drove 36 yards on the next drive only to have quarterback Marcus Brumm slip on a third-and-11 play.

"We had a great play called, but there was something different with the turf there," Thompson said. "I think that's where second base is. It's too bad because Joe Everson was wide open on that play."

South punted on fourth down and never got the ball back.

South couldn't get much of anything going in the second half as it was.

"They changed from zone coverage to man-to-man," Thompson said. "They were much more aggressive up front. They had guys coming from all over."

Brumm went 16-for-32 for 185 yards and a touchdown. He tossed two interceptions, but they were both off long passes on third down.

"He was outstanding," Thompson said. "He was drilling passes in there."

Zach Martens saw the most action since the game against Lakeville North months ago leading the receivers with four catches for 49 yards.

Nick Andreas led the team with 12 tackles.

At first it looked like it was going to be a day for the offenses.

Eden Prairie came out firing. In their first drive, once they got to midfield quarterback Ryan Grant connected with Black Johnson for 30 yards. On the next play Matt Swanson rushed the ball off the left tackle 21 yards for the score.

But Lakeville South answered right back with a heavy dose of running back Logan Flannery, who had run for 80 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Quarterback Marcus Brumm connected with Brady Soule five yards out to tie the game.

On the next drive, Eden Prairie went for it all. Grant connected with Andrew Rotschafer for a 42-yard bomb that turned into a touchdown.

South answered right back again with a seven play, 80-yard drive that include a number of big passes by Brumm.

Flannery tied it up with a 1-yard rush with about five minutes left in the half.

But in the second half, Lakeville South had a hard time getting its offense rolling.

Both teams' defenses tightened up, but Eden Prairie was the only one to squeak one through.

In the first drive of the second half, Eden Prairie took the final lead capitalizing on good field position with a Zack Armstrong 2-yard rush.

After that it became a field possession game, with Eden Prairie holding the advantage.

Andy Rogers is at sportswriter.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.