Author: Steve Mulholland

In a game that was scheduled to be played Friday night under the lights in Shakopee, but moved to Saturday afternoon, the fourth-ranked Eden Prairie Eagles fell to sixth-rated Shakopee 31-14 at Vaughan Stadium. Shakopee opened the scoring on their first offensive series with a 74-yard touchdown run by senior Garrison Monroe. Gusty winds were a factor all afternoon, and the Eagles took advantage of having the wind at their backs in their first-quarter passing game. Senior quarterback Nick Fazi connected with senior wide receiver Michael Gross for a 50-yard play down the sideline to the Shakopee 30-yard line. Two…

Under the bleachers at Aerie Stadium on Monday night, the garage door leading to the soccer dressing room was open prior to the Eagles boys’ soccer match with top-ranked and undefeated Wayzata. Eden Prairie co-head coach Jim Williams could be overheard sharing the strategy for the evening’s challenge. “Just go right at ’em,” the coach told his players. That’s exactly what they did. It didn’t matter that the Eagles had lost to Wayzata earlier in the season in overtime. It didn’t matter that Wayzata quickly answered the Eagles’ go-ahead goal with 17 minutes to play. Nor did it matter that…

The Eden Prairie girls’ soccer team was presented with a formidable challenge under the lights on Monday night. Undefeated and No. 1 ranked Wayzata traveled to Aerie Stadium for the second meeting between the two teams. Earlier this season, the Eagles fell to the Trojans in a 4-0 contest.  “I think early in the year, we had a lot of kids trying to grow into roles that were very new for them,” Eagles’ head coach Kelly Taylor said. “And I think we’ve established more leadership and more understanding of who does what when. That takes a lot and it’s one…

It was a night of high drama, thrilling finishes and outstanding performances Monday as the Eden Prairie boys’ and girls’ soccer teams played host to Wayzata. The boys’ game kicked off the evening with the Eagles taking on the No. 1-ranked and undefeated Trojans at Aerie Stadium. The teams traded goals in the first half, with Eagles’ junior forward Ryan Donohue scoring midway through the half to tie the score at one. The Eagles raised the stakes with a physical battle in the second half. Senior forward Sebastian Bocanegra-Lima created numerous chances all evening and it paid off. Bocanegra-Limawove wove…

Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant had a wry smile on his face after the Eagles’ showdown with Prior Lake Friday night. Grant’s team had been upset by Rosemount the week before, and they started this week’s contest by spotting Prior Lake 7 points compliments of the Lakers’ opening kickoff return that went 85 yards for a touchdown. “We had them right where we wanted them at that point,” Grant said with a mix of deadpan and a twinkle in the eye. The coach recalled twice giving up opening kickoffs for touchdowns in two prep bowl games against Cretin-Derham Hall.…

The fifth-ranked Eden Prairie Eagles ensured a happy homecoming Friday night at Aerie Stadium with a 28-14 win over second-ranked Prior Lake. The win boosts the Eagles’ record to 4-1 overall after last week’s upset loss to Rosemount. Previously unbeaten Prior Lake drops to 4-1 with the defeat. The evening began with fireworks and not from the homecoming festivities. Prior Lake senior Joey Krouse returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Lakers lead. The Eagles maintained their composure with solid defensive play and ball control on offense. Junior running back Liam Berndt and senior running…

The winds of autumn blew into Aerie Stadium Wednesday night, bringing a chill to the air and providing some challenging conditions in the EPHS girls’ soccer team’s clash with Edina. The two teams met earlier in the month on the Hornets’ home field, where Edina came away with a 2-1 win. The same team won by the same margin on a gusty evening in Eden Prairie, with the Hornets outlasting the Eagles 1-0 in a match that saw both teams battling the elements. “The wind definitely came into play, you could see it on goal kicks and punts,” Eden Prairie…

If you’re ever in search of a lacrosse wonderland, consider Eden Prairie as your No. 1 destination, at least in early September. That’s when the Eden Prairie Lacrosse Association (EPLA) and the EPHS Girls’ Lacrosse Booster Club take over Aerie Stadium and the surrounding athletic fields for the annual Land of 10,000 LAX tournament. “LAX” is the common abbreviation for lacrosse, but nothing was abridged about this event, which played host to 30 high school teams and six middle school squads this past Saturday and Sunday. Players arrived from around the metro and as far away as Hudson, Wisconsin, and…

They made the trip from all parts of the country, flying in from California and Texas; others arriving from Ohio, Colorado and Tennessee. Many came from parts of the Twin Cities metro and greater Minnesota. All of them gathered under the lights this past Friday night, on the same field they played football 30 years ago. They are members of Mike Grant’s first team at Eden Prairie High School and have become known as “the team that started it all.” They came together to commemorate Grant’s 30 years as the Eagles’ head coach and remember a magical season in 1992,…

The Eden Prairie football team honored their past and took a glimpse into their future Friday night at Aerie Stadium. Head Coach Mike Grant’s 1992 team was introduced in a ceremony before the Eagles clashed with Farmington. The group was Grant’s first team at Eden Prairie, and one that rebounded from back-to-back one-win seasons in 1990 and ’91 to reach the regional playoffs the following year in Grant’s inaugural campaign. “That group from ’92, they were our first champions and the first of 23 Lake Conference championship teams,” Grant said before the game. “It means alot what they did in…