Lakeville North Gets Offensive in 42-17 Win Over No. 8 Eastview

Somebody forgot to tell the Panthers they were supposed to lose this game.

The Panthers came in with a chip on their collective shoulder and administered a 42-17 beat down of eighth-ranked Eastview in the season opener for both teams Thursday at Lakeville.

“We got ranked No. 5 in the South Suburban,” said Lakeville North head coach Brian Vossen. “And I felt like we were extremely overlooked. We finished second in the conference last year. That was definitely a statement game for us.

“It’s not the last one though because there’s still three teams ranked ahead of us,” Vossen added. “And we feel we can be as good as anybody when we play well. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not going to be easy. I think this conference is dang good. And so I look forward to the challenge. But I’m happy with tonight.”

Lakeville North rolled up 409 yards in total offense, led by senior quarterback Trey Heid. Heid completed 19 of 23 for 224 yards and a touchdown, and ran five times for 30 yards and a another score.

“They’re a great team,” Eastview coach Kelly Sherwin said of the Panthers. “That quarterback, he’s just dangerous. They’ve got a lot of skilled guys and they protect him well. It’s the type of deal that even when the pocket collapses, he can make plays out of it.

“That’s a tough team to play,” Sherwin added. “Unfortunately for us we’re going to see a lot of teams (like that). We’re going to see the same thing next week in Lakeville South. We’re young; we’re going to get better. And that’s the thing with our guys; they got to understand it’s a journey. And our goals at the end of the year, we need to get better next week obviously at doing a lot of things.”

After fumbling away a possession near the Eastview goal line early in the game, Lakeville North went up 13-0 on a 8-yard run by Heid and then a 20-yard interception return for a score by senior cornerback Zach Creighton.

Eastview cut the margin to 13-7 on a 27-yard pass from Ryan Reger to Kenyon Phillips with 10:14 to play in the second quarter. The two teams traded touchdowns before the Panthers went up 22-14 on a Heid 31-yard field goal to end the first half.

The Panthers dominated Eastview after the break, rolling to three straight touchdowns while holding the Lightning to a 25-yard field goal by Sam Fluegge. Brandon Morgan scored on two short runs, followed by a 8-yard run by Isaac Sandberg.

Lakeville North rushed for 185 yards, led by Morgan who had 12 rushes for 83 yards and two touchdowns and Sandberg who had 11 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Charlie Hayes of the Panthers caught 11 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.

“(Receivers) Charlie Hayes, Joel Oxton , Ben Blake, those guys worked their butts off,” said Vossen.

The play of the Panthers offensive line also made Vossen smile.

“Today they came out tough,” Vossen said. “They gave Trey the time that he needed to make plays.

On defense, the Panthers had four sacks and five tackles for losses.

Eastview had 179 yards rushing and 102 passing for a 281 total.

Lakeville North (1-0) plays at Apple Valley Friday, Sept. 9, kicking off at 7 p.m.

It doesn’t get any easier for Eastview (0-1) next week as the Lightning hosts fourth-ranked Lakeville South Friday, Sept. 9, starting at 7 p.m.