Winners of 23-straight games, including the 2021 6A state championship, the Lakeville South Cougars football team knows any game with their name attached to it will draw attention, especially when it's against the second-ranked team in the state.
#1 Lakeville South (2-0) faces #2 Eden Prairie (2-0) on Friday night in Eden Prairie and both teams have had almost identical starts to the season.
For the Cougars, they've outscored their opponents 103-14 in the first two weeks. The Eagles hold an 85-14 point advantage through their first two games of the year.
Cougars head coach Ben Burk says they have a lot of respect for what the Eden Prairie program has accomplished over the years, including winning 11 state championships.
The Eagles are tied with Caledonia for the most state football championships in Minnesota State High School League history.
"This game shows us that we're achieving the things we set out to do from a program," Burk said. "We want to model ourselves after programs like Eden Prairie that are sustained success. To be able to get a chance to play them is really fun, it's a measuring stick both our team and program about how we're doing."
On the field, Lakeville South will rely on the T-offense which has racked up 796 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Eden Prairie also relies on their running game, averaging 247 yards per game, but will also go to the air, tallying 294 yards and five touchdowns through their first two games.
"The excitement around the state is felt and it's awesome not only for our players, but for our school and community," added Burk. "We've talked about this in our athletic department the last couple of years that the way the football season goes kind of helps the school year go."
If Lakeville South wins Friday night, it would put them two wins away from matching Starbuck and Stillwater at 26 consecutive wins, tied for 10th most in state history.
Stephen-Argyle Central holds the longest winning record at 76 games.
