Halloween night was the perfect setting to showcase just how scary defending Class 6A state champion Maple Grove’s offense has been this season.

The Crimson’s reign as the state’s most dominant big-class football program continued when they extending their winning streak to 23 straight games with Friday’s 55-18 second-round home victory against East Ridge.

“Our offense is a high-powered machine right now,” Maple Grove coach Adam Spurrell said. “We can score whenever we want with whoever we want. Our key is obviously staying healthy. I feel like we have a lot of ammunition with our offense.”

Senior running back James Engle Jr. scored all of his four touchdowns in the first half, including on a 76-yard opening catch and runs of 36 and 44 yards. He finished with 233 total yards.

But Engle, who is headed to Minnesota State Mankato, also set the team single-season rushing touchdown record with his 24th and 25th scores.

“Honestly, I never thought I’d be here,” said Engle, a backup running back last year. “I was confident from the start of the season that I was going to work my [tail] off and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

South Dakota State commit and senior quarterback Kaden Harney threw for 190 yards in the first half and recorded three total TDs.

“We’ve got weapons all around the outside, and this offensive line does a phenomenal job,” Harney said. “We’re super well coached, and schematically we do all the right things. Our coaches put us in position to succeed every week.”

The Crimson (10-0), who advanced to play Lakeville South in next week’s 6A quarterfinals, haven’t lost a game since the second-round playoffs vs. Edina in 2023.

After their last Prep Bowl title three years ago, the Crimson got bounced early from the playoffs. They also missed making the state tournament in 2018, ending a streak of five consecutive appearances.

The Crimson hadn’t played East Ridge since the 2022 season, when they won their second state championship.

The Raptors lost 24-17 in the Class 6A quarterfinals that year. This year’s matchup was nowhere near that close.

Entering the game, the Crimson averaged 40.6 points per game and had the biggest scoring margin among Class 6A playoff teams. Meanwhile, the Raptors (5-5) averaged just 16.5 points, after being without a major piece of the offense for most of the season.

Gophers basketball recruit Cedric Tomes played in his fourth game Friday after missing several weeks with a broken finger. Tomes threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns to Akeed Ali in the first half, but his two turnovers kept East Ridge from staying within reach.

In the first quarter, the Raptors trailed 14-6 and had picked up a first down into Maple Grove territory, but Tomes’ fumble flipped the momentum for good.

The Crimson converted on third-and-17 on the ensuing drive with Harney’s 43-yard pass to Henry Knutson. Five plays later, Harney scored on a 16-yard run that was part of 21 straight points.

History was made on Maple Grove’s fourth touchdown of the game with 5:28 remaining in the first half.

Engle’s offensive line created a gaping hole up the middle for him to sprint ahead untouched for a 44-yard run that broke Derrick Jameson’s season record of 23 rushing touchdowns in 2021.

“Our offense did our job,” Engle said. “We are Maple Grove. We live by that. We’re not going to [let] up until we win another state championship.”