Football: Defensive Stands Again Huge as #1 Gophers Make Prep Bowl

They say defense wins championships. The Chatfield defense wasn’t lights out in the 1AA state semifinals versus #5 Eden Valley-Watkins (Section 5AA Champion, 11-0), but it was pretty salty (as Gopher Hall of Famer Ken Jacobson would say). Chatfield (Section 1AA Champion, 12-0) notched two more key 4th down stands to a post-season resume already peppered with stymies. Both were huge. The latter swung momentum, propelling Chatfield back to the Prep Bowl. With the score 12-12 in the fourth quarter, EV-W went for it on 4th and one in their own territory. It was a bold move, but something the Eagles have aggressively done all season. They don’t typically punt. But it backfired, as Gopher linebacker Drew O’Connor stopped EV-W quarterback Nolan Geislinger for a five-yard loss. Chatfield quickly capitalized on the short field, as Sam Backer hit Cole Johnson for a 20-yard pass play to the two. Backer then hit Luke Carrier who made a bobbling 2-yard TD reception. Carrier then got a push from lineman Michael Greiner to narrowly secure the conversion run. With 8:40 left in the game, the Gophers critically went ahead by eight, 20-12. An ensuing Eagle drive was turned away on downs. Chatfield salted away the game itself with a 12-play, 51-yard drive. Huge in the series was a Backer 18-yard run on 3rd and 18 (which came a few plays after a TD run was nullified by penalty). A 1-yard Backer TD followed (0:44), icing the 27-12 win for Chatfield. Two long pass plays were key in EV-W’s two scores. On their first series, Geislinger hit Landon Neiman for a 52-yard bomb. It set up a Geislinger 1-yard TD run for a 6-0 EV-W lead. Chatfield responded later in the first quarter. A

nine-play drive was capped when Backer hit Johnson for a 10-yard TD pass to make it 6-6. The Gophers then went ahead in the second. Chatfield went 64 yards in eight plays, aided by a pass interference penalty (which negated an EV-W interception). A Backer 11-yard TD run put Chatfield up 12-6. But the Gophers clung to said lead by the skin of their teeth late in the quarter. The Eagles marched 65 ½ yards in 12 plays, to the Gopher half yard-line. With 0:42 seconds left in the half, EV-W faced a 4th and goal. Carrier then stymied a Geislinger run, as Chatfield’s defense came up with its first huge stop, and second huge ½-yard-line stop of the playoffs (see Caledonia). Jeff Johnson’s crew went to half up 12-6. EV-W then tied the score with their first second half series, as Geislinger hit Wyatt Moehrle, who hit Neiman on a double-pass 58-yard TD. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 12-12, setting up Chatfield’s second big stand and the final sequence. The Gophers outscored EV-W 12-0 in the fourth while holding the Eagles, who came in averaging 38 PPG, to their lowest total of the season. Backer (29-152, 2 TDs rushing, 7 of 9, 55 yards, 2 TDs passing) naturally carried a heavy load, accounting for all four Chatfield TDs. Johnson (3-36, TD receiving) and Carrier (3-13, TD receiving, conversion run) caught scores. Kail Schott (11-39) added rushing yards. Rory

Lane, a 6’3” 265-pound linebacker, was credited with a team-best 13 tackles. Geislinger (23-79, TD rushing, 9 of 17, 127 yards, INT passing) and Samuel Nistler (15-79) combined for 38 carries for the Eagles. Neiman (3-112, TD receiving) had two big catches while Myles Dziengel (3-53 receiving) also caught three. Anthony Fink, a 6’2” 215-pound junior linebacker, led EV-W with 12 total tackles including four for loss. Chatfield was actually out-gained 343 to 251, though the Gophers had more first downs (18 to 15). Chatfield rushed for 196 yards while passing for 55. EV-W rushed for 158 while passing for 185. EV-W was just 2 of 7 on fourth down. The #1 Gophers (13-0) make their second straight Prep Bowl and will face #3 Barnesville (12-0), which beat Jackson County Central 41-12 in the other semifinal. Chatfield beat Barnesville in the state semis last year. Coach Jeff Johnson on the EV-W game: “We’ve had some huge 4th down stops. I’m not terribly surprised about our defense sticking in there… We didn’t make great plays all game long. But when we needed it, we did… Flat out; our defense is tough. ‘Cause we put the work in in the off-season. Give a lot of credit to EV-W. They were strong. I thought we’d be stronger. It was a stalemate (in the trenches).”