Under the lights on a chilly Friday night in Fridley, the 1-0 Totino-Grace Eagles, the current team ranked fifth in state, and 1-1 Hopkins Royals faced off in a non-conference football matchup.

The back and forth battle started late in the first quarter when defensive back Bill Atkins, senior, took an interception back for a touchdown. However, the lead only lasted 2 minutes and 24 seconds. The Eagles took advantage of a fumble and tied the score at seven to close out the scoring in the first quarter.

A field goal by kicker Zach Savitz, junior, put the Royals ahead by three in the second quarter, but the lead was short-lived. An eight-yard touchdown run for the Eagles and a failed two-point conversion gave Totino-Grace their first lead of the night.

Just before the end of the first half, wide-receiver Atkins put the Royals in front once again with a touchdown reception from quarterback Oscar Johnson, junior. With the Totino-Grace dancers performing on the field and the school band playing in the background, the Royals led 17-13 at the break.

During the third quarter, the momentum continued to rise for the Royals, as they forced the Eagles to punt with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter. However, the Hopkins defenders were bewildered when the Eagles perfectly executed a fake punt and found their way into the end zone three plays later. At this point in the game, the previously quiet Eagles student section slowly came to life.

A short pass and long touchdown run from Johnson to running back Deyon Campbell, sophomore, quickly dampened the enthusiasm of the Totino-Grace fans. As the clock continued to wind down, it began to seem possible that the Royals could pull off the upset, especially when a Savitz field goal put the Royals up by seven points with five minutes left in the game.

The energy of the blacked-out Hopkins student section seemed to be feeding the play on the field, but with under 45 seconds left in the game, the Eagles scored a touchdown. Fans were unsure whether the Eagles would attempt to tie the game with an extra point or risk the game with a two-point conversion.

After a pair of timeouts, it was indeed the offense back out onto the field for the Eagles. The crowd on both sides were on their feet, with the brisk air in the late summer night coming up from the grass at Jim Totino Field. Eagle quarterback Lance Benick, senior, took the snap and ran it into the right side of the end zone, putting the Eagles crowd into a frenzy and his team into the lead.

With 40 seconds left, the Hopkins offense tried to manufacture a game-saving drive, getting as close as the Eagles 39-yard line, but a turnover on downs ended the upset hopes for the Royals.

The loss has the Royals 1-2 on the season. Next week, the Royals will travel 266 miles to Kingsford, Michigan for their game against the Kingsford High School Flivvers.