Video: Watch Lakeville South’s upset of Maple Grove in 6A state quarterfinals
Griffen Dean set a school record with six touchdowns, leading the Cougars into the semifinals.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
Maple Grove, unquestioned as the cream of Class 6A football all season, won’t be playing for a repeat state championship next week at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Lakeville South and Griffen Dean made sure of that.
“They did it to us a couple years ago. So that really lit a fire under us and we wanted to get back at them. And we did,” Dean said, referring to the Cougars’ 2022 Class 6A state semifinal loss to Maple Grove.
Click the video box above to see game highlights and hear more from Griffen Dean and Ben Burk.
Dean rushed for six touchdowns Friday night at Eastview High School, and eighth-seeded Lakeville South ended Maple Grove’s 23-game winning streak with a 49-31 victory. Maple Grove was the top overall seed in Class 6A’s 32-team bracket.
The Crimson (10-1) had not lost since the second round of the 2023 Class 6A tournament, when they fell at home 35-24 to Edina. They went 13-0 in 2024 as the 6A champion and had won their first 10 games of this season, making them the only undefeated team in 6A.
But on Friday, they were run over by Lakeville South (9-2) and Dean, whose first five touchdowns came on runs of 26, 6, 21, 40 and 73 yards before his final one was from a yard out. His three first-half TDs put the Cougars up 21-13 at the break, and after Maple Grove got within 21-19 on James Engle’s second TD run of the game, South put the game away.
Dean soon scored his fourth and fifth TDs, and Nic Swanson added a 72-yard TD run in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Dean’s final score with 7:21 to play made it a 30-point lead.
For his success Friday night, Dean had his offensive line to thank.
“The men up front. Those dudes get probably a 5- or 6-yard push every time. I just have so much room to run,” Dean said.
“Really excited for him,” Lakeville South coach Ben Burk said. “[Griffen] is a kid that had dealt with some injuries as an underclassmen. He’s had a couple games where he’s had 200-some yards rushing and not getting into the end zone. So he really was excited today.”
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Lakeville South moves to the semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium, where it will take on Moorhead, another surprise story. The Spuds (7-4) have won four in a row since quarterback Jett Feeney returned from a shoulder injury.
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