The Prior Lake football team has no time to rest after its first defeat of the season.

The No. 7-ranked Lakers are back in action Sept. 21 at No. 5 Minnetonka at 7 p.m. It's a rematch of last year's Class 6A state quarterfinals, which was a 10-6 Skippers' win.

Both Prior Lake (2-1) and Minnetonka (2-1) head into the game off a loss. The Lakers fell 35-12 at No. 2 Eden Prairie Sept. 14, while the Skippers lost 36-16 at No. 6 Maple Grove.

Lakers coach Matt Gegenheimer said his team is looking forward to putting the Eden Prairie game behind it.

"It doesn’t get any easier for us," Gegenheimer said.  "I feel like we have one of the toughest schedules out there and Minnetonka will be another very good team. It's tough to play many of the top teams during the regular season, but you hope that gets you battle tested to make a run in playoffs."

Will senior quarterback Collin O'Connor play against Minnetonka? He suffered a concussion in Week 2 in the Lakers' 29-11 home win over Maple Grove and had to sit out out the Eden Prairie contest.

Junior quarterback Nate Raddatz made his first-career start and finished 20 of 34 for 229 yards and two touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times.

Gegenheimer said his team just didn't play well on offense and defense against the Eagles, the defending Class 6A state champions. Eden Prairie went went into the 1-1 scoring just two touchdowns in its first two games. 

"I feel like we have one of those games each year and the guys learn from it and are better for it in the end," Gegenheimer said. "Eden Prairie showed they are still one of the top teams in the state and you can’t give up big plays or turn the ball over like we did and expect to win."

Eden Prairie flexed its muscle on defense, slowing down the Lakers' speedy spread offense and taking advantage of some big plays on offense to build a 21-6 lead at the break.

The Eagles scored on a 12-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left before the break. Down 14-6 with 1:33 to go in the first half, Prior Lake took a huge gamble on its own 44-yard line.

Gegenheimer decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 and the Eagles' defense came up with the big stop on a run right up the middle from senior Spencer Shaver.

Why the gamble? Prior Lake was going to get the ball to open the second half.

Eden Prairie took advantage of the prime field position after the fourth-down stop, converting a 4th-and-4 of its own en route to the momentum-changing touchdown.

Eden Prairie scored on two short touchdown runs in the third quarter to build a 35-6 lead. The first one was set up by a interception, where the Eagles started on the Lakers' 25-yard line.

The Lakers were picked off on their second possession of the second half, this time at the Eagles' 41-yard line.

Prior Lake scored in the fourth quarter when Raddatz hit junior Parker Ellis on a 12-yard scoring strike. It was Ellis' fourth touchdown catch of the season. He finished the game with six catches for 106 yards

The Lakers' other touchdown came on an 80-yard drive in the first quarter. That was capped off when senior Keaton Schroeder took a screen pass from Raddatz and scored from 13 yards out to tie the game at 6-6.

Prior Lake had 1st-and-goal at the 3-yard line down 14-6, but Raddatz was intercepted on 3rd-and-goal from eight which ended that threat.

Shaver led the Lakers on the ground with 12 carries for 43 yards. Senior Spencer Marlier had nine catches for 91 yards.

Senior Noah Benson led the Lakers' defense with 13 tackles.

In Week 5 (Sept. 29), Prior Lake will be home against Burnsville at 7 p.m.