Coming off their closest loss of the season, Hopkins will look to rebound tomorrow night against the Prior Lake Lakers.

After starting the season with a record of 4-1, the Lakers have lost two straight games. Their recent losses have come at the hands of two of the best teams in the state: Eden Prairie and Maple Grove.

Hopkins will look to end their own two-game losing streak and continue the Lakers’.

In order to do so, the Royals will look to exploit Prior Lake’s run defense. The Lakers have allowed 170 rushing yards per contest, along with 14 touchdowns on the ground in seven games.

While their run defense has been questionable, the Laker defense has made up for it by holding opposing passers to a quarterback rating of 65.2 (on a scale of 0-158.3). They have intercepted quarterbacks more often than they’ve allowed them to score a touchdown through the air.

The Royals will need to run the ball effectively in order to have a chance to beat the 4-3 Lakers.

On the defensive side of the ball, Hopkins will look to build on Maple Grove’s recipe for success last week – get Prior Lake into third down situations. Last Friday, the Lakers converted only one time on third down in nine chances.

In order to head into the playoffs on a winning note, the Hopkins Royals need to get JaMichael Ellis, senior, going early in the run game. Their defense must get Prior Lake into tough third down situations and stop them.

Tomorrow night, the Royals will travel to Prior Lake High School Stadium to face the Lakers at 7 pm.