LAKE MILLS — The Eagle Grove Eagles football team opened their 2025 regular season on Friday night, as they made the trip into Winnebago County to take on the Lake Mills Bulldogs in non-district action at the Lake Mills Football Complex. Friday’s meeting was the 3rd all-time meeting, with Lake Mills winning the first two in 2014 and 2015.
Friday’s first quarter would go scoreless, until Eagle Grove recovered a Lake Mills fumble and turned it into points early in the 2nd quarter, as quarterback Adrian Whipple scored from a yard out to put the Eagles ahead 8-0 after the 2-point conversion. Lake Mills would answer on the ensuing drive on a Zach Stene 2-yard touchdown to bring the score to 8-6 after a failed 2-point conversion. Eagle Grove would then go to the air as Adrian Whipple hit Gavin Pedersen for a 46-yard touchdown pass to put Eagle Grove up 14-6 at the halftime break.
Eagle Grove would turn the ball over on their first 2 drives of the 2nd half, but a long pass from Adrian Whipple to Gavin Pedersen set up an Eagle Grove touchdown early in the 4th quarter as Whipple kept an option play and scored from 8 yards out to put the Eagles ahead 22-6. Lake Mills would answer with an Asher Stensrud 72-yard touchdown pass to Zach Stene to make the score 22-12, but that’s all the closer it would get as Eagle Grove closed a 22-12 victory. It was Eagle Grove’s first season-opening win since 2017, when the Eagles defeated Southeast Valley 27-23.
Adrian Whipple would go 3-for-9 with 119 yards and 3 touchdowns, with all 3 completions going to Gavin Pedersen, as Pedersen also added 1.5 tackles and an interception. Trenton Robinson was the Eagles leading rusher, rushing for 100 yards on 22 carries. Hayden Schafer led the Eagles with 7.5 tackles.
Eagle Grove football returns to action on Friday, when they host the Ogden Bulldogs in non-district action at Gene Hinrichsen Field in Eagle Grove at 7 PM.