The Edina Football team headed into the state semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on Nov. 17 for the first time in 45 years, winning their game against their undefeated rivals Eden Prairie and moving onto the state championship game. Although they began their season with three consecutive losses, the Hornets have been unstoppable since then, taking down even the most competitive teams in their path — namely Maple Grove and Eden Prairie.
“Climb was [our motto in the beginning] when we had to start climbing a mountain basically to try and be better than we were last season with constant improvement,” senior defensive lineman Cole Edam said.
As the Hornets hike towards the peak of their success, no matter what happens in the state tournament, they will be able to reflect back on this past season with pride. Edina’s impressive seven-game winning streak saw them defeat defending state champions Maple Grove 35 – 24 to take home the section champs trophy.
“To know that Maple Grove is a heck of a program and good every year [and] the defending state champs, [yet] we were able to beat them so [we] feel like now, going into future games, we don’t have fear, we have just the focus on play,” Head Coach Jason Potts said.
Still, the Hornets’ climb hasn’t been easy and their success was not just a chance. Rather, the entire team has been putting in the extra hours and going the extra mile in order to be as prepared as possible going into every game. “Going into each week, there’s a few little wrinkles that we add,” Potts said, “and so now we’re in the late [end] of the year and now we have a lot of wrinkles. So we have a lot of options to play different styles of the game, whether it’s run the football, throw the football, or play different coverages or different strategies.” From a constantly changing playbook to showing up with extra energy to a lift session, all members of the team have been ready to do what it takes to do their very best this season. “I think we’ve had so much dedication and commitment. We’ve been showing up to lifts doing all this extra work, just constantly grinding it out,” Edam said.
There seems to be an overarching goal that all members of the team are striving toward: reaching their full potential. “I just feel like we’re all very close together, like brothers. We [all] bring a lot of love to the game of football,” junior wide receiver and tight end Meyer Swinney said. “So we’re constantly giving it 100%, no matter what, because we know [any game] could be our last game.”
Heading into the state championship game is always an exciting time, even more so for this tight-knit team. “It means a lot [to be going with this group specifically]. My team has been so much to me. Honestly, we’ve worked through everything…our blood, sweat, tears, everything,” Edam said.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on November 30, 2023.
