The second-ranked Minnetonka Skippers leaned on their ground game Friday night, rushing for 417 yards behind dual-threat standout Caleb Francois to defeat Prior Lake 33–15 on Sept. 19 at Dan Patch Stadium.

It marked the third straight season the Skippers (4–0 Overall, 2–0 Metro West) have defeated the Lakers (1–3 Overall, 1–1 Metro South) in their regular-season matchup.

Minnetonka opened the first quarter with a statement drive, marching 70 yards in 14 plays and finishing with a touchdown run by quarterback Caden Gutzmer for a 7–0 lead.

Later in the quarter, the Lakers’ defense delivered a stop that forced the Skippers to punt for the first time all season. The possession also included Minnetonka’s only two pass attempts of the night—a sack by defensive lineman and North Dakota State University commit Skyler Werner, and an incompletion deep downfield.

Prior Lake then answered. Long runs by Luke Watkins and Dylan Hawley moved the chains, and on 4th-and-13 quarterback Drew Brinkman found receiver Aiden Mbinda down the middle inside the 10. On the next play, Watkins followed left tackle Ethan Beckman, an Iowa State commit, into the end zone on a 6-yard toss. Daniel Vannett’s extra point tied the game at 7 with 9:22 remaining in the first half.

The second quarter brought missed chances and late swing for the Lakers. On Minnetonka’s next drive, a reverse handoff went awry as Francois lost control of the ball, and after a scramble safety Cole Brinkman dove on it for the recovery. The play also sidelined Gutzmer with an injury, forcing Minnetonka to move Francois from running back to quarterback—a role he played last season.

The Lakers couldn’t capitalize, but Vannett’s booming punt rolled deep into Skipper territory and was muffed by the returner. In the scramble for the ball, Colten Gunderson, a Northern Iowa commit, emerged with the recovery near the red zone. Once again the Lakers had prime field position, but the offense stalled and Vannett’s 25-yard field goal attempt missed left, keeping the score even.

Minnetonka seized the momentum just before halftime. With the Skippers out of timeouts and the clock running down, Francois broke a tackle at the goal line and stretched the ball across for a 3-yard touchdown with only four seconds left. If he had been stopped short, the half would have ended with no points, but instead the Skippers carried a 14–7 lead into the break.

After forcing a quick punt in the third quarter, Francois and running back Quinton Restrepo drove the Skippers 97 yards. Francois finished the march with a 4-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 20–7.

Prior Lake threatened on the ensuing possession with big gains through the air to Gunderson and Mbinda, pushing inside the red zone. But the drive ended on back-to-back lob passes to the end zone—both falling incomplete—turning the ball over on downs. As the Lakers’ chance slipped away, a heavy rain began to fall, thrilling the student section but less welcome among the parents in the stands.

The No. 2 Skippers continued to dominate on the ground and managed to wear down the Lakers in the fourth quarter. Restrepo ripped off a 20-yard gain to set up Francois’ third touchdown of the night, and he later added an 18-yard score to make it 33–7 with less than two minutes remaining.

The Lakers answered with a late spark as Mbinda broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion from Dearis Hubbert. But Minnetonka recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to seal the 33–15 victory.

Notable Stats

• Receiver/running back Aiden Mbinda – 4 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 52 yards
• Receiver Colten Gunderson – 2 catches, 32 yards
• Defensive back Griffin Marshall – 13 tackles
• Safety Cole Brinkman – 11 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
• Linebacker Sean Nadeau – 10 tackles
• Defensive lineman Skyler Werner – 8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for loss
• Linebacker Jackson Didion – 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
• Linebacker Ryan Block – 8 tackles
• Kicker/punter Daniel Vannett – two punts of 60+ yards

Next Up: Lakeville North

Next on the schedule for the Lakers is a trip to Lakeville North to face the Panthers on Friday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at Lakeville North High School.

The teams met annually—and occasionally in the playoffs as well—for nearly a decade from 2010 through 2018 after the South Suburban Conference was formed. They haven’t squared off since 2022 due to section and district reshuffling, but with both back in the same district this fall, the rivalry resumes.

In the mid-2010s, the matchup was even dubbed the “Blue Collar Bowl” by the coaching staffs. Longtime head coaches Brian Vossen (Lakeville North) and Matt Gegenheimer (Prior Lake) have a strong relationship off the field despite the fierce competition when their teams meet.

Prior Lake won the two most recent meetings, defeating the Panthers 31–14 at home in 2022 and 17–14 on the road in 2021.

Like the Lakers, the Panthers enter this week at 1–3. Lakeville North opened with losses to Blaine (21–14), Farmington (7–3) and Lakeville South (28–12) before bouncing back with a 17–0 shutout of Eagan last week.

The Panthers have rotated between two quarterbacks. Mason Eberle is 13-for-33 for 105 yards and one touchdown, while Gavin Holmquist is 6-for-19 for 59 yards and an interception. Running back Zion Davis leads the ground game with 56 carries for 203 yards and two scores. Konsta Maenpaa has added 161 yards on 35 attempts, while fullback Roman Johnson has chipped in 71 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Lakeville North spreads the ball among multiple receivers, with Anders Erickson and Brady Kemp serving as the primary targets. Defensively, Riley Forar, Jack Juffer and Toney Johnson lead Panthers in tackles.

Notes

• Kickoff at Dan Patch Stadium on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.
• PL Lakers Live will stream the game in partnership with LNHS Panthers Live: https://gametimemn.com/pl-lakers-live/
• Follow @plhsfootball, @pllakers, @PLHSLakers, @PLLakersLive on X for updates and stream links throughout the season.
• Check back next week for a recap of the Lakeville North game and a preview of the homecoming matchup against Shakopee.
• Contact Taylor Smith at tay1@me.com or on X at @taysmith2013.