Maple Grove Football Dominates Eden Prairie To Reach Title Game

MAPLE GROVE, MN — The Maple Grove Crimson football team will play for its first-ever state championship next week after knocking off Eden Prairie on Thursday night.

The Crimson dominated Eden Prairie during the Class 6A semifinal game at the U.S. Bank Stadium, walking away with a 35-3 win.

St. Michael-Albertville and Lakeville South play Friday night in the other Class 6A semifinal for the right to take on Maple Grove on Nov. 26 in the state final.

Maple Grove started the game slowly — having arrived late due to traffic, the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports — with two turnovers helping Eden Prairie to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, according to statistics from MN Football Hub.

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But the Crimson kicked into high gear in the second quarter.

Junior Jacob Anderson scored on a 33-yard pass from junior quarterback Jacob Kilzer halfway through the second quarter to give the Crimson the lead and turn the tide of the game.

Once Maple Grove took the lead, it never looked back.

Senior running back Derrick Jameson broke off a 77-yard touchdown run with just over five minutes left in the second quarter, after senior defensive back Jackson Powers came up with an interception to stop Eden Prairie’s previous drive.

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Several minutes later, Anderson returned a fumble 38 yards for Maple Grove’s third touchdown of the night, giving the team a 21-3 lead at halftime.

The Crimson defense stifled Eden Prairie throughout the first half and picked up right where it left off after the break.

On Eden Prairie's second play of the third quarter, senior Kiers Brevik returned a fumble for the Crimson’s second defensive touchdown of the night, adding to Maple Grove’s lead over Eden Prairie.

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Jameson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter to seal the Crimson’s victory and etch his name into Maple Grove record books.

Jameson’s second touchdown of the night extended the Crimson’s lead to 35-3 and set a new single-season school record for rushing touchdowns, with 23, Pioneer Press reports.

Jameson surpassed Isaac Collins’ previous record of 22, which was set in 2015, according to school records.

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Jameson finished the game with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Kilzer completed six of 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Maple Grove’s defense had a number of standout players during the Class 6A state semifinal game Thursday, including Anderson, Brevik, Michael Ross, Cade Cook, Jackson Powers, Sawyer Skanson and Mason South, according to statistics on MN Football Hub.