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Friday, September 5, 2008
Building Success One Year at a Time
St. Paul, MN
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By: Tom Carothers
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Photo(s) By: Mark Bloom
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When asked about the legacy of success, the coach praises the work of those done at preceding levels. “We have a great football association here,” he said.
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The heat of summer days has yet to give way to crisp autumn evenings and already, on the practice fields of Minnesota’s most dominant football powerhouse, they are already thinking about the final doorstep to winter — the Prep Bowl.
“There’s no talk about what we did last year,” coach Mike Grant said. “We’re looking forward to what we can accomplish this season.”
The legion known as the Eden Prairie football team has found itself atop the state’s gridiron heap at the conclusion of the last two seasons and has been a commanding playoff presence for the bulk of Grant’s 16 years at the helm.
“We have a super-high standard set here,” said the coach, whose teams have won 13 Lake Conference titles under his tutelage.
“We’re in the best conference, playing the best teams,” Grant, who also serves as Eden Prairie’s Athletic/Activities Director, said. “We have to be ready every week.”
The final four in Class AAAAA has been well represented by the Lake Conference in recent seasons and at the end of the past two, it has been Eden Prairie standing atop the state’s football heap.
The Eagles last title came following a 50-21 demolition of Cretin-Derham Hall last Nov. 22, a victory that completed a 14-0 season in which Grant’s gang outscored the competition by a combined tally of 585-111.
“Last year was unique in that we had a lot of kids returning from the year before,” Grant said.
In 2006, the Eagles soared to the fifth state title in school history after a three-season hiatus — similarly posting a 14-0 slate by scoring 546 total points and allowing its opponents a scant 113.
All told, Eden Prairie is an unblemished 6-for-6 in Prep Bowl appearances as Grant has made the Metrodome as much the Eagles home turf as his father, former Minnesota Vikings head coach Bud Grant made Metropolitan Stadium his squad’s hallowed grounds.
When asked about the legacy of success, the coach praises the work of those done at preceding levels. “We have a great football association here,” he said. “Kids grow up excited about the prospect of playing football on Friday nights.”
Eden Prairie’s inclusion in the Prep Bowl has become almost as much a part of November football as Dallas and Detroit on Thanksgiving. This year looks to be no different.
The Eagles enter the 2008 campaign as the nearly undisputed No. 1-ranked team in the Class AAAAA Minnesota State Coaches Association poll and are a common top-25 mention in the less-formalized national surveys.
“We build our goals in small increments,” Grant said. “First, we look to win the conference; then, section; then, we want to win that first state game and get to the Metrodome — then, the state title.”
However, while the Eagles returned many from 2006 to 2007 in pursuit of those goals, this season the team is dealing with restocking the shelves after a massive loss to graduation.
Quarterback Ryan Grant, the coaches’ son, graduated last spring after passing for 25 touchdowns and 868 total yards through the air. Defensively, Eden Prairie lost crushing defensive end Willie Mobley — and his 92 tackles and 11 sacks — to The Ohio State University.
Also departing the Eagles’ backfield after last November were leading rushers Matt Swanson and Scott Linder. In their senior season alone, the duo managed to run for a combined 1,828 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Yet, in a program where it takes a full section of bleachers inside one of the largest high school stadiums in the state just to seat every player for the team photo, reinforcements are readily available and with 295 kids out this year, the coaching staff has a bevy of talent to choose from.
“There is so much competition to make the team,” Grant said. “These kids have prepared themselves well to get ready for this year.”
For coach Grant, however, the answer to his quarterback question has come from in-house — his own house, that is — as junior Taylor Grant looks to receive the majority of snaps from center this fall.
“Taylor will start the year at quarterback for us,” Grant said. “He can also play tight end.”
One of his main aerial targets could be classmate Brett Ervin, known to Eagles fans as the six-foot-five forward who amassed 247 points last winter on Eden Prairie’s basketball team.
“We like to run the ball,” Grant said. “But we can throw the ball too.”
Last season, the red-and-black attack, known best for their yardage on the ground, churned out 3,367 yards on 43 carries, compared to just 1,035 and 23 through the air. 25 different Eagles either rushed for at least one yard or carried in at least one touchdown.
While the Zach Barbur enters his senior season after rushing for 273 yards and four touchdowns last season, fellow 12th-grader Mark Larson comes off a 127 yard, one touchdown year in 2007.
“Zach played a lot last year and did well,” Grant said. “I think he’ll be outstanding this season.”
Barbur and others will ply their skills behind a solid offensive line, buoyed by returning senior Joe Pesch.
The Eagles’ offense appears ready to pick up where last season left off, as does the defense — where a number of unsung members look to let themselves be known on the big stage.
“We have lots of guys on defense who are unknown to others,” Grant said. “But we know how good they are and what they can do.”
The defense welcomes the return of safety/cornerback Sam Gotham, who sat out last season with a knee injury. He joins Division-I prospect Corey Frazier in the backfield. Grant also extols the virtues of senior linebacker Mike Cook, who looks to shine in Eden Prairie’s speedy defensive unit.
“It’s not a big defense, but it’s fast and uses great team fundamentals,” Grant said. “Very similar to our offense — we can run and play smart.”
While no one can predict whether Eden Prairie can make it three-consecutive 14-win seasons, it would not be a fool’s prognostication to believe that these Eagles will once again fly their way northeast and into their November nest in downtown Minneapolis to once again raise aloft the Class AAAAA championship.
“None of these guys are Superman, they’ve just paid the price to be ready,” Grant said. “We’ve told them that it is their turn to see if they can accomplish the things that our past teams have.”
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