Minnetonka ends Park’s football season

By John Molene
Posted 10/29/24

Unranked Park ran into one of the best teams in the state Friday in the fifth-ranked Minnetonka Skippers and the results were predictable as Minnetonka cruised to a 47-7 victory. Minnetonka held Park …

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Minnetonka ends Park’s football season

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Unranked Park ran into one of the best teams in the state Friday in the fifth-ranked Minnetonka Skippers and the results were predictable as Minnetonka cruised to a 47-7 victory.
Minnetonka held Park to just 34 total yards on the night, the lowest of the season by far for the Wolfpack, while rolling up 464 yards of its own.
The Skippers led 13-0 after one quarter, 34-0 at the half and 47-0 after three quarters. Park’s only score came on a 10-yard pass from wide receiver Zach Carr to Naod Tewelde in the fourth quarter.
Minnetonka totally shut down the Park offense. The Wolfpack ran the ball 19 times for a total of minus 1 yard. The passing game didn’t fare much better as Park completed just 9 of 23 passes for 35 yards.
“I would say that Team 86 battled in every game that we played this season, and while our playoff run ended sooner than we had hoped, I am proud of their grit and commitment to finish the season against top seed Minnetonka,” said Park head coach Rick Fryklund.
Park senior quarterback Miskir Esayas connected on 7 of 20 passes for 19 yards but lost 19 yards on six rushes. Junior running back Kody Aikens could never get going either and gained just 22 yards on eight attempts. Bryan Wright led the Wolfpack receivers with three receptions for 13 yards.
Minnetonka’s offense rocked for 364 yards rushing and 100 yards passing. The Skippers were 10 of 15 on third downs and successful on 2 of 3 on fourth downs. Park, in contrast, was just 1 of 11 in third-down efficiency. The Wolfpack also committed seven penalties for 90 yards to 20 yards in infractions for the hosts.
Defensively, Park was led by defensive back Anthony Giadyu and linebacker Aidan Boche with eight total tackles each. Lance Hayes had seven stops, Carr six and Kellen Simmons five. Boche also recovered two Minnetonka fumbles and Chris Dinwiddle recovered another.
Minnetonka came in with a 6-2 record, losing only at sixth-ranked Eden Prairie (20-21) and to top-ranked Maple Grove (21-31). The Skippers meet Rochester Mayo in the next round of the playoffs.
Park ends the season with a record of 2-7, the Wolfpack’s sixth-straight losing season.
It was a bad playoff night for all six members of the Metro-Maroon division Friday, each of which lost decisively against high-powered opponents:
n No. 1 Maple Grove 55, Burnsville 6
n No. 2 Shakopee 56, Eastview 7
n No. 4 Lakeville North 50, Hopkins 7
n No. 5 Minnetonka 47, Park 7
n Forest Lake 45, Buffalo 7
n Anoka 49, Roseville 6