Eden Prairie takes Class 5A crown

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Eden Prairie's defense shut down high-scoring Cretin-Derham Hall for all but about five minutes.

And when it counted most.

The top-ranked Eagles claimed the Class 5A title with a 24-14 victory Friday over the defending champion Raiders.

Eden Prairie dominated all but the game's first four and final two minutes.

The Eagles (13-0), who held opponents to 8.8 points per game, limited the Raiders (13-1), who averaged 48.3 points, to just 31 yards total offense over nearly three quarters.

The Eagles grabbed a 21-14 lead on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Mike Erickson to John Bradley with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

Brandon Archer's interception with 2:32 remaining gave the Raiders a final chance, but an interception by Eagles sophomore Greg Winegarden finished them off.