After Lakeville South football knocked off defending Class 6A state champion and top seed Maple Grove in the upset of the season last weekend, one thing was clear before coach Ben Burk celebrated with his players.

These Cougars had the mental toughness to overcome much more than a seemingly unbeatable opponent.

Months before the Cougar’s 49-31 blowout of the Crimson advanced them to Friday’s Class 6A state semifinal against Moorhead at U.S. Bank Stadium, Lakeville South football received a huge blow. The coach was taking another job.

In early February, Burk approached players before an offseason lifting session to say he was leaving for Cretin-Derham Hall.

“We respected it, but we were kind of shocked,” said Cougars running back Griffen Dean, who had 286 rushing yards and six touchdowns in that victory over Maple Grove.

What happened next likely set the tone for Lakeville South’s season. Burk decided two weeks later to stay with the program where he won a state title in 2022. His family was the big reason for changing course.

“To yank them all through that I learned a ton,” Burk said. “I think I’m a better coach going through that process.”

More important to Burk, the Cougars (9-2) are better because they became a player-led team. Seniors decided they should take more ownership of the season. Burk admitted he had to win some players over again.

Cretin-Derham Hall graduate and first-year coach Kim Royston had a solid season that ended in the 5A quarterfinals, losing to Chanhassen. Burk said Royston was the better fit for CDH and wished the Raiders well, and he feels fortunate the Cougars learned early lessons from a tough situation.

“The hallmark of this team is they’re the most connected I’ve ever been around,” Burk said. “For a little bit they were running it on their own. I came back to a group of seniors who were highly invested in each other and carried on the things they had been learning. That was really fun to see.”

Two-back attack

Few players on the Lakeville South roster were more thrilled to see Burk back than Dean, his nephew.

The team’s leading rusher with 1,502 yards, the 5-10 junior was a relatively hidden talent after suffering a season-ending back injury as a freshman and missing time again as a sophomore because of a torn labrum.

“Seeing how hard my teammates were working flipped the switch for me,” Dean said. “My parents also really kept me going and helped me get back on track.”

Previously a return specialist, senior Nic Swanson was also unknown, but not for long. He had more rushing yards in his opening start vs. Mounds View than he accumulated in the entire 2024 season (251 compared to 196).

Lakeville South dominated Maple Grove through its classic Power-T rushing attack, featuring three backs lining up behind the quarterback, to rush for 518 yards and seven touchdowns.

The success of the two-headed monster — two 1,000-yard backs in Dean and Swanson — came after an intense competition and amid a developing friendship, which included their third back, Finn Mehren.

“We have a brotherhood in that running back room,” said Swanson, who rushed for 180 yards against Maple Grove. “We think of it as they have to be able to stop one of us and we’re happy for each other’s success. I love that our team is more focused about winning than personal success. Everyone is bought in.”

Mentally tough

Lakeville South lost to Shakopee and Rosemount this season, but bouncing back from mistakes has been a strength in the playoff run.

A few years ago, Burk leaned on former Cougars player and assistant D.J. Hillier, a fitness coach and mental performance expert, to toughen his team beyond the physical side.

Since summer, Hillier has met with players regarding visualization and meditation techniques. During the season, the Cougars work on their mental game before Saturday film review and pregame meals on Thursdays.

“Just because you have a weight room program doesn’t give you a mental edge, so what we thought was what are some of the next things you can get an edge from,” Burk said. “I just know that it’s paid off because I see how our kids respond. Kids can access and implement it into their own life. It’s been a huge benefit for us.”

After the players responded to hard times, especially that coaching rollercoaster before the season, Lakeville South is peaking at the right time.

“There was an energy in the air,” Dean said. “Everybody was working hard, and it was cool to see how badly everybody wanted it after that incident. That was definitely one of the reasons we’re as close and as disciplined a team as we are now.”