High school football: Week 7 Thursday predictions
Oct. 13—A look at some of the Thursday night high school football games involving East Metro teams:
Lakeville South (6-0) vs. Shakopee (5-1), at Shakopee West Middle School, 7 p.m.
Shakopee lost quarterback Dominic Jackson to injury in last week's 23-0 loss to Eden Prairie, and now must pick up the pieces in a hurry before squaring off against the top team in the state. Not one Lakeville South victory has appeared to truly be in doubt yet this season, with the Cougars winning every game by double-digits. The defense has proven to be every bit as good as the Cougars' explosive rushing offense. Our pick: Lakeville South 27, Shakopee 7
Lakeville North (2-4) at Farmington (3-3), 7 p.m.
The insertion of freshman quarterback Riley Grossman helped spark the Panthers' offense in Lakeville North's 46-20 win over Edina last week. Grossman provided a more legitimate passing threat, throwing for 171 yards after Lakeville North had been shut out in three of its previous four games. But will Lakeville North be able to keep up with Farmington's balanced offense? Our pick: Farmington 21, Lakeville North 14
Rosemount (3-3) at Prior Lake (3-3), 7 p.m.
Rosemount has lost three straight after a 3-0 start to the season, the product of a stagnant offense that has managed just a total of 20 points over those three defeats. If there is a time to get right, it's against a Prior Lake defense that hasn't been dominant since shutting Hopkins out in the season opener. Credit to the Lakers, though, for being within a score of Lakeville South in the second half last week. Our pick: Rosemount 17, Prior Lake 10
Two Rivers (0-6) vs. Cretin-Derham Hall (1-5), at Concordia-St. Paul, 7:30 p.m.
Two teams in need of a win, perhaps the 22 points Two Rivers scored in the fourth quarter of its loss to Hastings last week will spark the Warriors over the final stretch of the season. Cretin-Derham Hall looks to rebound from its latest heartbreak, as it surrendered a 1-point lead in the final minute last week against Irondale. Our pick: Cretin-Derham Hall 35, Two Rivers 20
