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Lakers Bounce Back on the Gridiron

By Tom Schardin, 09/15/14, 1:15PM CDT

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The Prior Lake football team bounced back big on its home turf Sept. 12.

The No. 9-ranked Lakers spotted Shakopee a 6-0 lead and rolled from there to a 33-9 South Suburban Conference victory. Senior Alex Hart had two touchdowns for Prior Lake, one on offense and the other on defense.

The Sabers were trying to get points before the break down 19-6. But Hart picked off a pass and went 45 yards for a touchdown with one second left on the clock.

That sealed the deal for the Lakers (2-1 overall), who were coming off a 21-0 SSC loss at No. 2 Rosemount in Week 2.

Senior Josh Dysthe scored from 1-yard out in the third quarter for a 33-6 Lakers' lead.

Shakopee, 0-3 in its first season in the SSC, scored on its first possession of the game, getting a 60-yard scoring run through teeth of the Lakers' defense. The extra point was blocked by junior Jamahl Johnson.

Bu the Lakers didn't panic after that first score. Instead, Prior Lake drove down the field on its first possession getting a 15-yard touchdown pass from senior Lucas Olson to senior Cullen Sowder.

Sowder took the pass in the flat. Two Shakopee defenders converged on him. But he bounced both of them like a rubber ball and dashed down the sidelines. He evaded one more defender before diving into the end zone.

Hart made it 13-6 with a 15-yard touchdown with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. Senior Tyler Hanson added a pair second-quarter field goals from 24 and 34 yards out for a 19-6 lead.

Last year, Prior Lake beat Shakopee 47-7 in the first round of the playoffs. It was their first meeting since 2009 when both were part of the now-defunct Missota Conference.

The Lakers will get a stiff test in Week 4, playing at No. 3 Lakeville North in SSC action Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Panthers are off to a 3-0 start.

Prior Lake has beaten Lakeville North the last two years in SSC play — 20-6 at home last year and 10-6 on the road in 2012.

The Panthers did beat the Lakers in the state quarterfinals in 2012 (23-3) and is 3-2 overall against Prior Lake since the SSC debuted in 2010.

To see more photos of the Lakers' win over the Sabers, go to Scoreboard's Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.866901420001876.1073742205.197190936972931&type=3.