Opportunity at their doorstep

Tonight, Stillwater has a chance to deliver another shocking blow to Minnesota high school football.

It is going for an unprecedented third consecutive win over Cretin-Derham Hall at Pony Stadium.

Hard enough to go even for an elite team, but Stillwater has a chance be in that group once again if it can dethrone what may be the best team in the history of the Suburban East Conference (SEC).

In the 2001 fall sports season, the SEC was born. Four years later it added Cretin and at least in football, the school has been nearly unstoppable.

When Cretin lost its first conference game to White Bear Lake on Oct. 7, 2005, it took more than four years for the Raiders to lose another one, to the Ponies on Oct. 9, 2009.

Despite a tough state quarterfinals loss to Mounds View last year, the Raiders have only really had a problem with the Ponies.

With the SEC race so tight with the main powerhouse teams of Cretin, Stillwater and Mounds View, just one loss can make a huge difference not only for a title, but for section implications as well.

Stillwater and Mounds View are in the same section and have played in the finals for the past two seasons and prior to in the section semifinals.

So even though the Ponies and Raiders are not in the same section, they play common opponents which attribute to the section seeds at the end of the season.

Ask any football team and they will tell you they want to play at home.

Jumping on a bus for a ride is not the most fun thing to do before a playoff game. A team wants to be in their own environment, where they know their surroundings and do not have to get acclimated with uncharted territory.

This is why this game is so important so early in the season.

Being the only two undefeated teams left in the SEC, this could very well set the tone for the rest of the regular season.

Probably more so for the Ponies, because they still have to play Mounds View, a team that has beaten them three straight times.

Also, if the Ponies were to be victorious, you can bet they will be in the top 10.

Perhaps as a bit of a surprise, since they were just on the outside prior to beating White Bear Lake, Mounds View is still ahead of them even though they just lost to Cretin and were ranked No. 10 a week ago.

When Stillwater beat the Raiders back in 2009, it was No. 7 in the state while Cretin was No. 3.

The Ponies were as high as No. 2 in state rankings that season.

Last season, Stillwater again reached a high rank when it beat Cretin.

If there is a third win in the cards, it is all about protecting the ball and field position.

Cretin’s offense has not been as effective as it has in year’s past, but it has taken advantage of short fields with key special teams play and winning the turnover battle. The Raiders have yet to turn the ball over this season.

Ponies coach Beau LaBore knows that and even said that will be a big part of this game.

He would not speculate on what a possible score would be, but mentioned that it should be a pretty good football team.

There is no doubt Cretin is one of the most talented teams in the state. Stillwater has talent, too, but must work harder and not have as many errors in all facets of the game.

Turnovers would be costly, missed tackles could end as touchdowns and lazy special teams play could mean a blocked punt.

Sharp, crisp and fundamentally sound football is what can beat Cretin.

A loss is not something the Ponies should hang their heads about if it does happen tonight as long as they play mentally and physically tough.

LaBore said that practice this week went well and his team is prepared to play.

He never sounded more convincing than he did on Thursday.