COUGAR FOOTBALL PRIDE
The Lakeville South Cougar football tradition was born in the fall of 2005. With a group of players that did not include a single senior on the football team, the predictions by most were for a difficult learning experience for the young Cougar team that took the field in the fall of 2005. The inaugural members of the Cougar Football team shocked most observers with wins against our neighbors at Lakeville North and a State Playoff appearance in their first season. The players and coaches from this team set the tone for the future of Cougar Football.
The Cougar tradition continued to build quickly in 2006 with an undefeated regular season, the Cougars first Lake Conference Championship and a remarkable come from behind win against a heavily favored nationally ranked Cretin Derham Hall team in the Section Championship Game. Only a loss in the Class 5A State Championship Game prevented a perfect season for the second edition of Cougar Football and the Cougars finished the season with a stellar 13-1 record.
The third edition of Cougar Football continued to exceed expectations in 2007. With the loss of almost every starter from 2006, many experts predicted a zero win season in 2007 and a last place finish in the always tough Lake Conference. The 2007 Cougars finished with a strong 3rd place 5-2 record in the Lake Conference and a #1 seed in their Region for the playoffs.
For the 3rd year in the 4 years of Cougar Football, the team once again exceeded many prognosticators' expectations and earned a spot in the State Tournament in 2008. After narrowly losing their regular season finale to nationally ranked Eden Prairie in the closing minutes, the Cougar team entered the Section 1AAAAA tournament seeded #4 and faced the prospect of competing in a region that included two teams ranked in the top ten in the State and also the defending Section Champions from Lakeville North. The Cougars put together an exciting playoff run with three consecutive victories and earned their third berth in the past four years to the MSHSL State Tournament in 2008.
2009 was another great year for the Cougars. The season started with a tough last second loss and an immediate drop from a pre-season #5 ranking, but the Cougars fought back all year long to finish in third place in the always tough Lake Conference. The Cougars finished the regular season with a 6-2 record and ended up ranked #10 in the state in the final AP State Polls. The Cougars earned a #2 seed in the Section 1AAAAA tournament and a disappointing loss in the section semifinals does not diminish a great season of team and individual accomplishments. The Cougars finished their season with a 7-3 record, the second best winning percentage of any team in Cougar history.
In 2010, the Cougars accomplished many milestones and had a great season. The regular season was uneven for the first six games, but the Cougars finished strong with 5 straight victories and a 32 point win in the section championship game. The Cougars entered the section playoffs as the #3 seed and outscored their three section opponents 108-32 and won their 4th section championship in 6 years. The team entered the state playoffs as prohibitive underdogs and dominated their quarterfinal game statistically, only to come out on the short end on the scoreboard. The 2010 edition of Cougar football was second only to the 2006 team in many statistical categories at the conclusion of the season, including earning the 2nd most victories in school history.
In 2011, the Cougars began the season highly ranked statewide and started the season with a perfect 5-0 record, steamrolling through their opponents. After a tough two game stretch near the end of the regular season, South got a very tough break in the section seedings and ended up being seeded #5 in their 7 team section, despite a 6-2 regular season record. After winning their first section road game, South took on the #1 seeded Lakeville North team in the section semifinals. The Cougars fought hard down to the end of the game, but ended up losing a very close game the #3 state ranked Panthers to end their season. This Cougar team set several individual records during the season and had many great highlights throughout the year.
Head Coach Larry Thompson and the Cougar Football Team look forward to continuing to grow the Cougar Tradition in 2012!
