BleedGopher
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per the STrib:
No Minnesota prep sports program has the polarizing effect of Eden Prairie football. This year should be no exception. The Eagles, winners of the past four big-school football state championships — a feat no other program has done — are the preseason favorites to do it again. No team has defeated them since Wayzata did it in 2012. They haven’t lost in the state tournament since 2010. That is what gets football fans so fired up. For all who marvel at the Eagles’ remarkable success, others roll their eyes and plead for someone, anyone, to knock them off.
The longtime Stillwater football coach, who retired with four state championships, stood with old friend Mike Grant last fall on the TCF Bank Stadium turf. He offered Grant, Eden Prairie’s coach, congratulations for a fourth consecutive state title and 10th overall.
“They should move Eden Prairie to Class 7A,” Thole joked.
Some prep football fans shake their heads and smile about the Eagles’ dynasty. Others, from parents with sons in competing programs to rabid fans, renew their bitterness with each conference title and section victory of its November reign.
They are tired of the winning, of course. Eden Prairie’s current postseason run of 20 consecutive victories includes four state titles. The Eagles also have a 30-game winning streak overall. Most grinding, though, are Eagles’ fans views of why the team is successful. This idea that hard work and sacrifice are qualities unique to Eden Prairie.
Football is a numbers game. Eden Prairie is one of two high schools (Wayzata is the other) in the state hovering near 3,000 students.
The affluent community invests in its sports programs. Grant is the son of Minnesota football royalty. And Vikings headquarters are within city limits.
Such advantages really cannot be replicated by other communities.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/546062
Go Gophers!!
No Minnesota prep sports program has the polarizing effect of Eden Prairie football. This year should be no exception. The Eagles, winners of the past four big-school football state championships — a feat no other program has done — are the preseason favorites to do it again. No team has defeated them since Wayzata did it in 2012. They haven’t lost in the state tournament since 2010. That is what gets football fans so fired up. For all who marvel at the Eagles’ remarkable success, others roll their eyes and plead for someone, anyone, to knock them off.
The longtime Stillwater football coach, who retired with four state championships, stood with old friend Mike Grant last fall on the TCF Bank Stadium turf. He offered Grant, Eden Prairie’s coach, congratulations for a fourth consecutive state title and 10th overall.
“They should move Eden Prairie to Class 7A,” Thole joked.
Some prep football fans shake their heads and smile about the Eagles’ dynasty. Others, from parents with sons in competing programs to rabid fans, renew their bitterness with each conference title and section victory of its November reign.
They are tired of the winning, of course. Eden Prairie’s current postseason run of 20 consecutive victories includes four state titles. The Eagles also have a 30-game winning streak overall. Most grinding, though, are Eagles’ fans views of why the team is successful. This idea that hard work and sacrifice are qualities unique to Eden Prairie.
Football is a numbers game. Eden Prairie is one of two high schools (Wayzata is the other) in the state hovering near 3,000 students.
The affluent community invests in its sports programs. Grant is the son of Minnesota football royalty. And Vikings headquarters are within city limits.
Such advantages really cannot be replicated by other communities.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/546062
Go Gophers!!