Author: Steve Mulholland

At the conclusion of every football game, Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant gathers his team on or around the 30-yard line to share his thoughts on their performance and impart a few words of wisdom before they disperse. But the coach’s postgame speech was interrupted on Friday night by the strains of The Spaniels’ 1953 hit single, “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight,” coming over the public address system at Aerie Stadium. The serenade could have been directed toward the Eagles’ opponent, No. 3 Shakopee, who left Eden Prairie in defeat after a 42-28 dismantling compliments of the top-ranked home team. The…

Wall Street may want to take notice; those high-finance types just might learn something. Crowd-funding? That’s for amateurs. The Eden Prairie Lacrosse Association (EPLA) and the EPHS Girls’ Lacrosse Booster Club have discovered the best way to raise money for their program: have fun. That was the strategy at the Land of 10,000 LAX tournament, an annual event, which attracts over 40 teams from schools all across the state. Players came together on a beautiful Sunday in September for a day of friendly competition on the fields in and around Aerie Stadium on the Eden Prairie High School campus. “It’s…

It happened quickly. With Eden Prairie leading 14-7 and five minutes gone in the third quarter on Thursday, Luca Ratkovich’s punt landed in the arms of Prior Lake’s Jaxson Barrett at the Lakers 33-yard line.  Barrett returned the ball to the Prior Lake 40-yard line. Three plays followed, and in a flash, the Lakers went 60 yards in 1:22 to tie the game at 14. Eagles head coach Mike Grant wasn’t surprised his team would be in for a battle, given both teams’ size and strength, with Prior Lake featuring several players weighing in at 300 pounds or more. “Physical,…

Blink and you might miss it. Time flies when you’re winning football games. And Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant knows all too well how quickly the season can pass by. “We’re only a couple games away from being halfway through the season, and it goes so fast,” he said after his Eagles team took down Edina Friday night at Aerie Stadium in Eden Prairie. “So we’ve got to enjoy this and start getting ready tomorrow for Prior Lake,” he said, already thinking about the Eagles’ next game. The season has been fast and furious. Eden Prairie, ranked No. 1…

Clear skies, low humidity and temperatures in the mid-70s at kickoff created an idyllic setting Thursday night at Aerie Stadium in Eden Prairie. The conditions for a football opener against Buffalo could not have been better. And after rolling to a 48-7 victory to kick off the 2023 campaign, one might conclude Mike Grant’s Eagles, ranked No. 1 in the Star Tribune Metro Top 10, could not have looked better. Or could they? “You’re never as good as you think you are or as bad as you thought you were,” Grant said. “So even though we won big, you’re not…

The Eden Prairie Eagles football team closed the book on their preseason camp as they always do, with the annual four-team mega-scrimmage known as the Football Jamboree at Aerie Stadium. Hopkins did not make it to the event on Saturday, leaving three teams – Champlin Park, Chanhassen and the host squad – to run through a dress rehearsal for the upcoming campaign. 2023 marks a first for the Eagles and, most notably, for Mike Grant, who will be starting his 45th year as a head coach and 31st at the helm in Eden Prairie. This will be the first football…

Former EPHS football player Rob Evert recently retired from a 25-year Air Force career. As “Vet of the Day,” he threw the first pitch for the Twins.

Penn State gained its reputation as “Linebacker U” decades ago, but if you wanted to place that distinction on a high school, you might want to consider Eden Prairie. Three football players, each a year apart in school, went from Mike Grant’s program, to the Big Ten, to the NFL, where all three are currently playing linebacker. Last weekend, Blake Cashman, Ryan Connelly and Carter Coughlin journeyed back to where it all began, and spent an afternoon demonstrating to young athletes just how much fun football can be, at their third annual Cashman Connelly Coughlin Youth Football Camp. “We were…

It’s happening in Eden Prairie and across the metro region. And there’s a pretty good chance you are unaware of its presence, even though it’s taking place right in plain sight. The sport of cricket is gaining popularity around the Twin Cities, but its growth hasn’t happened overnight. Cricket has been played on “pitches” throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul seemingly under the radar for several decades. “If you can believe it, the league’s been around for 30 years,” says Nick Pocock, a cricket player and enthusiast. “It was started by about 10 clubs and I think they’re at 25 now…

The Jordan family household in Eden Prairie is about to get a bit quieter. After a year highlighted by trips to both the football and girls basketball state semifinals, and more recently, six top-ten finishes in the boys and girls state track and field meet – which included a first, second and two fourth-place finishes – the Jordans are anticipating a brief but unusual break in the hectic pace they’ve been keeping for more than a decade. “It will be a little bit more calm and serene around our house, yes,” Crawford Jordan said, looking ahead to the coming year.…