Spring Lake Park Beats Fridley in Football Rivalry Game

A banged-up squad rallied in the second half to pull away from Fridley on Wednesday night for a 26-13 win over the Tigers.

Tied 7-7 with the Tigers at halftime, the Panthers—who played without several starters and with more players banged up—were able to take the lead for good with a touchdown on their first possession of the second half.

The Tigers answered with a touchdown of their own with 2:10 left in the third quarter, but their extra-point attempts was wide left and the Panthers held onto a slim 14-13 edge.

Spring Lake Park scored on the second play of the fourth quarter and again on its next possession, but missed both PATs to lead 26-13.

Spring Lake Park (7-1, 6-1 North Suburban) shares the conference title with St. Francis, which also went 6-1 in league play. went 6-0 in league play, but was ineligible for the conference championship due to only playing six league games.

Fridley falls to 1-7 with the loss.

“We played the conference champs, and this was our best game of the season,” Fridley coach Adam Fischer said. “We're excited coming into the playoffs.”

Despite the teams being on opposite ends of the conference standings, Spring Lake Park coach Jeff Schlieff said he expected a close game.

“If you go back the last 20 years, it doesn't matter what our records are,” Schlieff said. “The crosstown rivalry always brings out the best in both teams.”

Ejodamen Ejiya had 130 yards and two scores for the Panthers.

Fridley quarterback Nick Rathke provided most of his team's offense, completing 14 of 22 pass attempts for 136 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 31 yards.