In the aftermath of Maple Grove’s 30-14 come-from-behind victory over Minnetonka, rugged senior linebacker Ryder Skanson said the catalyst for Crimson’s 30-point barrage was their realization of just who they are.

“We just came out flat,” Skanson said, referring to Maple Grove’s early 14-0 deficit. “That’s not who we’re supposed to be. We’re the hammer, not the nail.”

Minnetonka controlled the line of scrimmage in the first quarter en route to a 14-0 lead. Quarterback Caleb Francois led the Skippers on consecutive scoring drives, capping them himself with short touchdown runs.

It was then the Crimson (8-0), No. 1 in the Class 6A media poll and in the Minnesota Top 25, shook themselves out of their self-imposed funk and became the team they’ve been all season.

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They got on the board in the second quarter on a 16-yard pass from Kaden Harney to Josh Thompson.

The Crimson got tough on the always slippery Francois, limiting his long runs and slowly building momentum. They cut the deficit to 14-10 on a field goal by Preston Berg just before halftime, then took over the game at the start of the second half.

Maple Grove took the opening kickoff after halftime and reasserted its dominance with an 80-yard, 12-play touchdown drive. Harney scored on a 6-yard keeper around left end for the finishing touch on a 6-minute, 22-second affair.

Not only had the Crimson taken the lead, they had also taken momentum from Minnetonka (6-2), No. 4 in Class 6A and No. 5 in the Minnesota Top 25.

“As team leaders, we told the team it’s time to put together the best drive of our lives,” Harney said. “We knew if we put a touchdown on the board, we’re in control of the game. So we went to work.”

With Francois under control, the Crimson leaned on senior running back James Engle. A first-year starter, Engle runs hard and angry. He scored on runs of 27 and 20 yards after halftime to put the game on ice.

After the game, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound Engle compared himself to Cam Skattebo, the hard-charging running back for the NFL’s New York Giants.

“I always run as hard as I can. That’s my mentality,” Engle said. “I always say I’m going to run through someone’s face.”