Running back Levi Eiter accounted for over 200 total yards and scored three total touchdowns as the fifth-seeded Prior Lake Lakers defeated the fourth-seeded Farmington Tigers 42-14 on October 25 at Farmington High School.
The road playoff victory for the Lakers (5-4 Overall, 1-4 Metro West) was their second in as many seasons while Farmington (5-4 Overall, 2-3 Metro South) lost in the first round for the third consecutive year.
Farmington received the opening kickoff and advanced the ball to midfield on the first drive, but a high snap bounced off of Farmington quarterback Jonah Ask and back towards the line of scrimmage where lineman Lucas Miller jumped on the ball to give Prior Lake possession.
Three plays later, facing third-and-4 at the Farmington 44-yard line, Prior Lake quarterback Myles Greenwood threw to his left on a swing pass to Eiter, who corralled the ball and sprinted down the sideline and into the end zone for the score. Kicker Mason Storlie added the extra point to give the Lakers a 7-0 lead with 8:31 left in the first quarter.
Prior Lake’s defense forced a three-and-out on the next drive, highlighted by a big hit on a screen pass by cornerback Luke Loehlein and a dropped pass to stop the threat and force a punt.
The Lakers then went on a 9-play 70-yard drive, finished off with a 36-yard touchdown run by receiver Aiden Mbinda to increase the Prior Lake lead to 14-0 with 3:55 left in the first quarter.
The Laker defense got another three-and-out on the next drive. Linebacker Dylan Hawley made an outstanding tackle in the backfield on third down to halt the drive.
Prior Lake’s offense then put together a methodical 17-play 75-yard touchdown drive into the early part of the second quarter. Fourth down conversions on a run by Eiter and a pass from Greenwood to Mbinda kept the drive going, and Eiter ultimately finished it off with a 1-yard TD run. Storlie’s extra point increased the lead to 21-0 Lakers with 6:24 left in the half.
It looked as though the Prior Lake defense had forced a three-and-out once again on the next possession after a sack by linebacker Jackson Koenig on third down, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty extended the drive. A long completion on a screen pass from Ask to star receiver Brock Wyandt moved the ball into the red zone, and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ask got the Tigers on the board and cut the lead to 21-7 with 2:02 left in the half.
Prior Lake converted a third down on a pass from Greenwood to Gunderson on the next drive near midfield, but the Tigers forced a fumble as Gunderson was attempting to run out of bounds to give Farmington one more chance to score before halftime.
The Tigers moved the ball into the red zone in the closing seconds, but a pass breakup in the end zone by cornerback Griffin Marshall followed by a sack by lineman Cody Lyons ended the threat and kept the score 21-7 Lakers at halftime.
The Lakers got the ball to start the second half and struck quickly when Eiter took a handoff at his own 40-yard line and sprinted through the middle of the Tiger defense for a 60-yard touchdown and increased Prior Lake’s lead to 28-7 with 11:09 left in the third quarter.
Prior Lake’s defense forced a quick three-and-out on the next possession to give the ball back to the Lakers.
Facing third-and-11 at the Farmington 46-yard line on the next possession, Greenwood dropped back and threw a fade to his right to Gunderson who lept and made an incredible catch over two defenders to move the chains. A few plays later, Greenwood rolled out and connected with Gunderson again for a 5-yard touchdown. Storlie’s extra point was missed, keeping the score 34-7 Prior Lake with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
Farmington would answer with a 44-yard touchdown pass on the next drive when Ask escaped a sack and was able to find a receiver open down the field for the score and cut the lead to 34-13 with 3:38 left in the third quarter.
However, the Lakers struck back quickly when Loehlein fielded the ensuing kickoff at his own 13-yard line and weaved his way through the Tigers’ coverage team until he was brought down at the Farmington 10-yard line after a 77-yard return. Three plays later, Greenwood threw a 10-yard TD pass to Mbinda to effectively put the game away. The pair also connected on the two-point conversion attempt to extend the lead to 42-14 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
There was no scoring for the remainder of the game as the Lakers went on to win 42-14.
Statistically, Greenwood completed 7 of 11 passes for 102 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
Eiter had 22 carries for 157 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He also had two catches for 49 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Mbinda had 12 carries for 91 yards and a rushing touchdown. He also had two catches for 12 yards, a receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion.
Gunderson had three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Koenig and linebacker Sean Nadeau had a team-leading nine tackles. Miler had six tackles.
Section Final/State Qualifier Round Preview: Mounds View
A spot in the state tournament will be on the line on Friday, November 1 when the Lakers travel to Mounds View High School to take on the Mustangs at 7pm in the section final/state qualifier round.
The matchup between the Lakers and the Mustangs is a rematch of the first round of the playoffs in 2023, a game Prior Lake won 17-15 at Mounds View High School.
The Lakers are seeking their fifth state tournament appearance and first since 2017. Prior Lake has never clinched a spot in the state tournament on the road, with the four previous section titles/state qualifier trophies all being won at home at Dan Patch Stadium.
The winner of Friday’s game advances to the state tournament and will play the winner of the Shakopee/STMA game in the state quarterfinals on Friday, November 8 at 7pm at Spring Lake Park High School.
The Mustangs (7-2 Overall, 4-1 Metro East), led by longtime coach Aaron Moberg, finished tied for first in the Metro East District alongside Forest Lake.
The Lakers and Mustangs have three common opponents: Forest Lake, Woodbury and Farmington. Mounds View lost to Farmington 28-26 in overtime in Week 1, defeated Forest Lake 31-7 in Week 3 and defeated Woodbury 50-7 in Week 5. Prior Lake defeated Forest Lake 22-19 in Week 1, defeated Woodbury 52-18 in Week 7 and defeated Farmington 42-14 last week.
Quarterback Jacob Sampson leads Mounds View’s offense, completing 61 of 91 passes for 600 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Running back Mitchell Olson is the Mustangs’ leading rusher with 73 carries for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Sampson has also contributed to the running attack with 36 carries for 208 yards and five touchdowns.
The Mustangs throw to a variety of different receivers. Ben Arnold has been Sampson’s top target this season with 18 catches for 163 yards.
*Mounds View stats are from the 6 games with stats listed on MN Football Hub.
Notes
Kickoff at Mounds View High School on Friday is scheduled for 7pm.
NSPN/Prep Spotlight will be streaming this week’s game at the following link (Note: Viewers will need to subscribe NSPN/PrepSpotlight in order to watch. You may have purchased a subscription already to watch either the Woodbury or Farmington games earlier this season.): https://nspn.tv/MSHSL
Follow @plhsfootball, @pllakers, @PLHSLakers, @PLLakersLive on Twitter for updates and links to the streams throughout the season.
Be sure to check back next week for a recap of the Mounds View game if the Lakers win and a preview of the state quarterfinal matchup.
Taylor Smith can be reached at tay1@me.com or on Twitter at @taysmith2013
