By Ryan Falk
Murphy News Service
Perennial Minnesota high school football power Eden Prairie High School has again plowed its way through the state section tournament toward a fourth straight chance at the state 6A championship this Friday night.
Nothing new there.
What has been different this season for the undefeated Eagles has come in the form of running back Will Rains, who transferred for his senior year from Eastview High School.
Rains will bring impressive season and sectional stats into Eden Prairie’s Friday winner-takes-home-the-trophy 7 p.m. game against Totino-Grace at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
Rains has scored 35 touchdowns this season — seven during the playoffs — and averaged a little more than 7 yards per carry during the regular season. He ran for 159 yards in his team’s 13-7 sectional victory Nov. 14 game against Maple Grove.
Rains’ speed, vision, strength and balance are all qualities of a talented running back, Eden Prairie Head Football Coach Mike Grant said.
Grant said Rains is always smiling and enjoys being at practice.
“He’s a coach’s dream,” Grant said. “He’s a good player, but a better person.”
The move from Eastview High to the Minnesota high school superpower was different for Rains.
“It’s more that we have that winning mentality and we come in thinking that we are the best and that we’re good enough to play and win,” Rains said.
Different, but not difficult. That’s how Rains described his switch from one school to another.
“All the kids have accepted me,” Rains said, “I like the community, the teachers, the coaches and the kids here.”
Such acceptance has helped Rains put up big numbers, as he did in Eden Prairie’s Oct. 2 game against Minnetonka where he finished with 153 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
“We always have one guy who’s our scoring machine,” Grant said, “He’s been our touchdown guy.”
Rains’ success near the goal line fits with his style of running.
“I’m a downhill runner,” Rains said “I just try to run as hard as I can every time.”
Rains said he doesn’t believe he has breakaway speed or a “juke” move yet, but it’s something he said he’s working on.
Grant, however, knows that Rains brings versatility to his offense.
“He can play tailback, fullback,” Grant said of his 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound star. “He has the ability to run outside plays.”
Rains said having Grant as a head coach has helped him become an even better player.
“He’s taught me a lot,” Rains said, “taught me steps differently, being more of a downhill runner instead of dancing so much in the backfield and trying to get three or four yards instead of getting a big 30-yard run.”
Rains said Grant tells his running backs to keep going, get the little runs — and eventually they’ll break for a long one.
Rains said one of his favorite aspects of football is being a student of the game — learning new plays and practicing.
A large part of Rains’ preparation before a game consists of watching film of the next opponent and players he tries to emulate on the field.
“Before every game I watch highlights of Adrian Peterson or Emmitt Smith and some of my own highlights and film of the game to see what I have to improve on,” Rains said. “I watch film a lot during the week to get prepared.”
Watching film is nothing new for Rains. He says he’s looking to see the tendencies of the defense he’ll next be facing.
All that hard work is in preparation for a goal Rains has been working for ever since he started playing varsity football: to win the state 2014 Mr. Football award.
Rains, one of 10 finalists named recently by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, said, “It’d probably be one of the biggest achievements so far in my life to win Mr. Football.” But Rains added he has been taking it game-by-game. The Mr. Football winner will be announced at a Sunday, Nov. 30 banquet in Minneapolis.
If Rains keeps up his current level of play Mr. Football could be a real possibility, but for now he’s enjoying spending time with teammates, playing the game and setting his sights on doing his part to win a state championship this weekend.
“He fits right in,” Grant said.
And the facts certainly prove that.
Reporter Ryan Falk is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.