Southeast-White football team Caledonia is Class AA state champion (beat Minneapolis-North 26-0). Mid-Southeast-West squad Blooming Prairie is Class A champ (beat BOLD 41-15). Respective All-District teams can be released. In the Southeast-White, Chatfield get six A-D players, guys who were two-way playmakers for the Gophers. It was the year of the Brothers Backer. Senior Chance Backer is the White Defensive Player of the Year. The 6’2” 200-pounder flew all over the field making hits, racking up tackles. Offensively, he was key lead blocker who added some receiving stats (25-370, 2 TDs receiving). For his efforts and hitter-reputation, Chance was selected as one of 92 players (all classes) to play in the Minnesota Football Showcase All-Star game on December 7 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Backer is one of only three players from the “Three Rivers” or “Southeast” conferences on Team South. Having a tremendous break-out season was RB/S Sam Backer, Chance’s younger bro. The 5’11” 180-pounder freshman was the Gophers offensive focal point; 194 carries, 1,429 yards, 17 rushing TDs, 20 total TDs! He went over 100 yards rushing and scored at least one TD in every game he played save one. Sam B. scored multiple TDs in seven of ten games, authoring a smorgasbord of highlight-reel plays. His was the best season by a frosh on the football field for a Journal-covered athlete ever. Helping with that was the large and strong All-District left side of Chatfield’s offensive line, Isaiah Froese (6’0” Sr. 250 G/DT) and Johnny Frank (6’5” Sr. 240 T/DT). Frank was an imposing sight on his down-blocks. Froese, a third-year starter, repeats as A-D (2017). Sam behind Chance, Frank, and Froese was Chatfield’s bread and butter. Masyn Remme (5’9” 170 Jr. WR/S > 24-282, 2 TDs receiving) and Austin Koenigs (6’2” 190 Jr. T/DE > probably led Gophers in sacks) also make A-D. Ben Roline (5‘9” 170 Jr. RB/LB > 61-423, TD rushing), Max Aug (5‘9” 165 Jr. WR/CB/P > 13-310, 3 TDs receiving), Corey Ericson (5’10” 150 Jr. WR/CB), and Reid Johnson (6’2” 185 Jr. QB > 81-163, 1,229 yards, 10 TDs, 11 INTs; 2 rushing TDs) made A-D Honorable Mention. These guys helped Chatfield to an 8-3, a Section Runner-Up season.
In the Mid-Southeast-East District, R-P gets seven and FC four selections. Heading the cast for the Trojans is senior RB Triton Meldahl, the sub-District’s Offensive Player of the Year. The 5’10” 170-pound senior used his elite speed to post eight 100-yard rushing games and four 230-plus-yard rushing games. He had a five-game span of 1,157 yards and 14 total TDs. Weeks six thru eight, he amassed 789 yards on 90 carries with 10 rushing TDs. Meldahl finished with 217 carries for 1,738 yards, 17 rushing TDs, and 20 total TDs, the biggest county-season since Noah Carlson. Sharing the MSE-East’s Lineman of the Year award is repeat A-D pick, third-year DE starter Vinnie Mason. Mason (6’4” 225 Sr.) was an imposing force on the edge, notching team-bests in sacks (7) and TFLs (15 ½). He added offensive stats (18-198 yards, 5 TDs receiving) from his tight end position. L-A’s Carter Brummer and Hayfield’s Dylan Ehmke were Mason’s co-award winners. Also repeating as A-D is Kobe Lind (6’2” 170 Jr. WR/S). He led the Trojans in receiving (21-343, 6 TDs) and chipped in some rushing yards (13-105 yards, TD rushing) despite missing a pair of games. Earning their first A-D selections are Peyton Morrison (5’9” 170 Sr. RB/LB), Malachi Bunke (5’8” 150 So. QB), Halen Schwendinger (5’10” Sr. 190 OL/LB), and Gunner Mierau (6‘4“ 230 Sr. OL/DL). Morrison contributed in multiple ways (36-164, TD rushing; 20-217 receiving). Bunke had a nice sophomore season from behind center (85-149, 1,091 yards, 19 TDs, 6 INTs; 3 rushing TDs), tossing multiple TDs six times. Schwendinger was R-P’s middle linebacker, their leading tackler. He and Mierau were key lineman in Meldahl’s big rushing season. Making A-D HM for the Trojans are Justin Ruberg (6’2” 180 So. TE/LB > 21-247, 6 TDs receiving), Ben Wieser (6’4” Jr. 275 DT), and Carson Thompson (5’10” So. 170 OL/DL > 6 sacks). These guys helped R-P to a 7-3 season, as the Trojans competed for the MSE-East title (lost 28-27 to champion L-A). Fillmore Central’s four-man list is headed by repeat pick, Carson Kiehne (5’8” 150 Jr. WR/LB). He was Mr. Big-Play with his elite speed, catching 32 passes for 773 yards and 8 TDs. He had four 100-yard receiving games. His average TD-catch was 45 yards. Kiehne nearly topped 1,000-yards total offense (35-206, TD rushing) and was one of FC’s top tacklers. Hadrian Williams (5’11” 220 Sr. FB/LB) also repeats as A-D. Transitioning from two-way lineman, Williams scored TDs three different ways (53-342, 5 TDs rushing; 10-72, TD receiving; 66-yard KOR TD) and was FC’s middle linebacker. Earning their first A-D honors are Zach Haugerud (5‘11“ Jr. 150 QB) and Grant Kennedy (6‘0“ 170 Jr. WR/DB). Haugerud threw often (97 of 202, 1,624 yards, 13 TDs, 12 INTs, rushing TD). He eclipsed 100-yards passing in every game, tossing multiple scores five times. Kennedy (28-398, TD receiving) was another key target who added three interceptions. Nick Whalen (5‘11” Sr. 211 C/DE > team-best four sacks, 8 ½ TFLs), Ajay Ristau (5‘6” 135 Jr. LB), and Theo Lehmann (6’1” 150 Sr. K > 21-22 PATs) were named A-D HM.
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