#10 Gophers Hand #5 Saints First Loss

St. Charles football came into week seven riding high.  The Saints entered undefeated (6-0), ranked #5 in state (coincidentally coached by Matt Reinhardt, an R-P guy).  But 10th-ranked Chatfield (5-1) lost only to #1 Caledonia, making SC/Chat a pivotal contest in the Southeast-White and Section 1AA.  Jeff Johnson’s crew played tough defense, ran the ball hard, and got four interceptions from one guy.  That equation equated to victory.  Chatfield never trailed, getting a second quarter Reid Johnson to Chance Backer 14-yard TD (plus PAT) for a 7-0 lead.  The Gopher defense largely stymied St. Charles, except for a two plays very late in the stanza.  Drew Maloney’s quarterback-keep 26-yard run, and a subsequent Maloney to Kyler Reps 33-yard pass, led to a Logan Wendt’s 4-yard TD plow.  Chatfield led 7-6 at half.  Out of intermission, the Gophers had the most important drive, 69 yards in 11 plays (ten on the ground).  Gage Tuohy’s 2-yard TD run, and a Johnson to Backer two-point pass, made it 15-6.  Forced into a pair of third quarter three-and-outs, the Saints, a grind-it-out run team (down two scores), then had to take chances.  Gopher senior CB Seth Allen proved the odds were in his favor.  Already with one interception, Allen had another in the third, then two more in the fourth.  His ball skills ended the Saints last three main drives.  A Tuohy 59-yard TD run late was the “!”.  Chatfield prevailed 22-6.  They claimed the Armistice Day Trophy.  The teams formerly always played their rivalry on that day dating back to 1947.  The Batman and Robin rushing attack, Tuohy (28-189, 2 TDs rushing) and Carson Larrabee (13-82 rushing), led the way.  Tuohy eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.  Even with a 79-yard effort versus Caledonia, he’s averaged over 180 yards a game the last four weeks.  Johnson (7-17, 96 yards, TD, INT) gave the Gophers an aerial threat.  The sophomore QB also snuck his way to three rushing first downs.  Lineman Jack Touhy, Zach Roline, Davontae Goldsmith, Isaiah Froese, and Jonathan Frank, plus tight ends Backer and Nathan Goldsmith, did the dirty work for a 287-yard rushing attack.  Roline, Froese, and Frank also anchored Chatfield’s interior defensive line, which held SC to just 137 yards offense (90 rushing, 47 passing).  Wendt (15-54, TD rushing) was the only Saint over 50 yards total offense.  The win pulls Chatfield (5-1, 6-1) into a tie for second with the Saints (5-1, 6-1) in the White behind Caledonia (6-0, 7-0).