Frosh Provides ‘O’ In Gopher Shut-out Win

He’s young.  From a boys high school sports perspective, he’s oh, so young.  At an age where most athletes are hoping to start and excel on JV, he skipped a level.   He’s excelling on the varsity level (without even playing much JV).  He’s played two “big boy” games, amassing two one-hundred-yard efforts, five total TDs, and a pair of interceptions.  And he looks the part, from a physicality and speed perspective.  There is a long way to go for Chatfield’s Sam Backer.  Youthful success sometimes doesn’t necessarily breed humility (and hopefully he winds up with a lot of both).  But if the first two games of the 2019 season are merely any indicator of the future for Chatfield football’s newest stand-out, oh wow.  Versus #10 in AA D-E in week two of the football season, the sixth-ranked Gophers rode their frosh tailback offensively.  The defense pitched a shutout, a feat considering the Eagles are quarterbacked by fifth-year starter Brady Williams.  The first half was a dog fight.  Chatfield’s first drive made the red zone, yielding zero points. Two three-and-outs followed.  D-E had a pair of double-digit play drives that yielded zero points.  In the second quarter, junior QB Reid Johnson hit Max Aug on a 69-yard completion to the four yard-line.  Backer TD and conversion runs made it 8-0 Gophers, the score at halftime.  The second half was all Chatfield.  Backer’s first “oh wow” run of the game resulted in a TD.  Taking a carry off left tackle in the third quarter, the 5’10” 180-pounder sped into the D-E secondary only for Williams, a freak athlete in his own right, to come flying in for a tackle.  The 6’8” 205-pound safety had already hammered a couple Gopher ball carriers to the ground.  This collision sent Williams to the ground, while Backer stayed up-right, then sped up to glide in for a 42-yard TD run making it 14-0.  D-E subsequently fumbled.  Backer ran for 18 yards.  Johnson found Tate Karver for a 7-yard screen pass TD, Chatfield’s second score in a minute.  The conversion made it suddenly 22-0.  Early in the fourth, Backer authored his second ‘oh wow” run.  Again going off left tackle, behind a kick-out block from brother Chance and down-blocks from large mammals Johnny Frank and Isaiah Froese, Backer bounced and went through a hole, turned on the jets, out-running a host of Eagles, for an 85-yard TD gallop.   A year ago, D-E dealt Chatfield a 31-12 defeat.  Getting revenge, the Gophers blanked their northern rival 30-0.  Backer’s first 11 carries yielded 21 yards and a TD.  His last three carries yielded 145 yards and 2 TDs.  He went for 166 and 3 TDs plus added an interception.  Ben Roline helped on the ground (7-41 rushing).  Johnson had his second strong game at QB (8-13, 151 yards, TD, two conversions).  He hit all six passes in the second half (4-4, 56 yards, TD, two conversions).  Max Aug (2-94 receiving) and Karver (3-42, TD receiving) led the WRs.  Masyn Remme caught both conversions and had an interception.  Austin Koenigs was in on all three Chatfield sacks.  Collectively, the defense held Williams in check (7-22, 49 yards, two INTs passing; 17-80 rushing).  He had 318 yards and 3 TDs passing in last meeting.  Chatfield improves to 1-0, 2-0.  Jeff Johnson’s group are the only county-team left unblemished through two weeks.