Griffen Dean couldn’t have picked a much better time to have a career night.
The junior set school records with 292 yards rushing and six touchdowns, and Lakeville South pulled away in the second half Friday night to dethrone defending state champion Maple Grove 49-31 in a Class 6A football quarterfinal in Apple Valley.
Dean scored on runs of 40, 73 and 1 yard in the second half as a two-point lead turned into a rout. Nic Swanson had a 72-yard run during the stretch in which the Cougars scored 28 straight points.
Lakeville South (9-2) will bring its Power-T rushing attack to U.S. Bank Stadium for a Nov. 14 semifinal game with pass-happy Moorhead (7-4). The Spuds beat Centennial 35-21 Thursday.
James Engle ran for two scores and Kaden Harney threw for one touchdown and ran for another, but the Crimson (10-1) lost for the first time in 24 games.
Lakeville South did not attempt a pass; its lone punt came with backups in the game.
A 3-yard run by Engle got Maple Grove within 21-19 early in the second half, but Dean capped an 80-yard drive with a 40-yard dash.
Three plays after a Maple Grove punt, Dean went 73 yards to paydirt to make it 35-19 late in the third quarter.
Swanson scored early in the fourth, and Dean completed his night from the 1 midway through the final frame to make it 49-19.
Lakeville South led 21-13 at the break as both team’s offenses scored as they traditionally do: ball control drives for the Cougars and quick strikes for the Crimson.
Running its Power-T offense to perfection, a 25-yard run by Dean capped a 12-play opening Cougars drive. But Maple Grove needed just five plays to tie the game on a 32-yard reception by Josh Thompson.
Dean’s 6-yard run early in the second quarter capped a nearly eight-minute drive for a 14-7 Lakeville South lead.
Following a Crimson punt, the junior then capped an eight-play drive with a 21-yard burst with 2:03 left in the half. But Engle scored from the 6 with 32.5 seconds left to complete a 60-yard drive that took 90 seconds.
Maple Grove running back James Engle (24) pushes his way past Lakeville South defenders for a touchdown during the second half of a football quarterfinal in the State Football Tournament at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Friday, Nov. 07, 2025. Lakeville South won 49-31. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
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