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Sports

Tonka Football Falls to Rival Wayzata

The Minnetonka Skippers fell in their biggest challenge so far this season, losing to the Trojans 35-7 in a big Lake Conference matchup.

Watching the Wayzata backfield run through the Minnetonka defense Friday night was like watching a bowling ball destroy the pins at your local bowling alley.

Wayzata running back Antonio Ford was an unstoppable battering ram throughout the game. He notched 194 yards rushing on 22 carries and two touchdowns against the Skippers. But that was just one facet of the game in which the Skippers failed to beat the Trojans.

“You got to hand it to them– they are a good football team,” said Dave Nelson, Minnetonka's head coach. “They just handed it to us.”

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Field position also played a big factor in the loss. Accurate punting by Wayzata’s Nick Martin constantly kept the Skippers digging out from their own end zone, and the Minnetonka offense didn’t get anything going in the second half.

The Trojan’s unstoppable rushing combination of Ford and Erik Roti—combined with a short field—allowed the Trojans to put points on the scoreboard quickly and run away with the game.

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Game Recap

The first points of the game came when Minnetonka quarterback Scott Benedict snuck the ball into the end zone from a yard out. At that point the Skippers were up 7-0, but that would end up being the only time that the Skipper offense was allowed to move the ball.

The Trojans responded in the second quarter when Ford dove over the offensive line for the score. They missed the extra point, but would make it up later in the night. Minnetonka led at halftime, 7-6.

The Trojans came out of halftime rolling offensively. They pounded the ball off tackle with both Ford and Roti until they got the ball close enough for Martin to toss the ball to wide receiver Jeff Borchardt, who was running a fade route into the end zone. Roti then ran in the two-point conversion to give the Trojans a 14-7 lead.

The next Trojan points of the game also came from the arm of Martin. This time he connected with wide receiver Ethan Zeidler, who caught the ball for the touchdown after it was deflected by a Skipper defender.

Then, with a two-touchdown lead, the Trojans kept at their dominant running attack as Ford ran in his second touchdown of the game from eight yards out. The score was 28-7.

But the Trojans weren’t done quite yet. The defense wanted in on the scoring fun, and defensive end Kit Snyder picked up a Skipper fumble and ran it for a 14-yard score. Skipper quarterback Scott Benedict injured his ankle on the play. It was unclear how serious the injury was after the game.

Next Game

Thursday, Oct. 6 at Eden Prairie. Game starts at 7 p.m.

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