Forest Lake football overcomes Eagan rally to reach second round of playoffs

The No. 5-seed Forest Lake Rangers (7-2) defeated the No. 4-seed Eagan Wildcats (6-3) 27-21 in the first round of the Class 6A football state tournament Friday night at Eagan High School.

Forest Lake had a 27-0 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Eagan rallied to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and it came one onside kick recovery away from trying a game-winning drive.

Forest Lake built its lead on a strong running game. Running back Leyton Patzer rushed for over 160 yards and a touchdown while the Rangers compiled 270 yards of rushing offense.

Three takeaways from the game:

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers and one fourth-quarter rally

Eagan will look back on this performance and believe it would have had a great chance to win had it held on to the football.

Senior running back Landon Tonsager fumbled on the first drive of the game for Eagan. Quarterback Brooklyn Evans fumbled at the end of the first quarter, and Tonsager fumbled again with nine minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats kept giving the ball away, and Forest Lake capitalized, building a 20-0 lead into halftime. Eagan only had 38 yards of offense in the first half.

“The defense was awesome,” Forest Lake head coach Brad Beeskow said. “They kept us in it the whole time.”

The Rangers scored on two rushing touchdowns, one by Westin Hoyt and the other by Patzer, to build a 13-0 lead. After Tonsager’s second fumble, Ranger wide receiver Jake Johnson made a toe-tap touchdown in the side of the end zone.

The second half started all the same. Instead of a fumble, Eagan turned the ball over on downs. The Wildcats drove to the red zone, but once again the Forest Lake defense made significant plays to stop an Eagan drive.

And the Ranger offense capitalized again. Quarterback Keagan Zeidler rushed for a 3-yard touchdown to put Forest Lake up 27-0 entering the fourth quarter.

But Eagan rallied to get within one possession of the Rangers in the fourth quarter. Evans scored on a 1-yard touchdown run for the Wildcats first touchdown.

Eagan got the ball back and scored on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Evans to Tonsager, where he fought off a Ranger defensive back and grabbed the ball while falling into the end zone.

The Wildcats then recovered an onside kick, but once again, the Ranger defense stopped the Wildcats in the end zone with a turnover on downs. But it was Forest Lake’s turn to fumble. Patzer put the ball on the turf in the red zone, and the Wildcats proceeded to score on a Tonsager 1-yard touchdown with 39 seconds left in the game.

Forest Lake recovered the ensuing onside kick, however, and the game was over.

The Rangers fantastic season continues

Forest Lake was 2-7 five of the last six years, and the sixth year it was 1-8. But this season, the Rangers have reached the second round of the state tournament and defeated or competed with the top teams in Class 6A.

“Just a bunch of kids who work,” Beeskow said. “I love these kids. They just continue to work every single day, and it’s going to continue in this program.”

The Rangers face their toughest challenge, facing a Maple Grove team that is perhaps the top team in Class 6A in the second round of the tournament.

“I feel good about where we’re at,” Beeskow said.

Strong Eagan season comes to an end

Many Eagan players stayed on the field to cry and hug long after the game had ended. For seniors, it would be the last time they play on it.

“It’s just so surreal,” Tonsager said. “I can’t believe I’m never going to play with these guys again. I’ve been playing with them since third grade. This has been my entire life, and now that it’s over, I can’t believe it.”

Eagan was in the midst of a turnaround season as well. The Wildcats last three records were 2-7, 1-6 and 0-9. So the seniors who entered the program in that 0-9 season end with a program at 6-3.

“This was all teamwork.” Tonsager said. “Nobody did this by themselves. Everyone kept their head up. … We all have each other's backs.”

Forest Lake vs. Eagan in first round of state tournament

All photos by Jeff Lawler