Chanhassen vs. Holy Angels – Defensive standouts

240 and four, 105 and one, 360 and five, 110 and five, 222 and four, 416 and five. Those were Holy Angels star running back [player_tooltip player_id="18427" first="Emmett" last="Johnson"]’s rushing yards and touchdown totals for each of the Stars’ first six games. While it is true, the Storm defense kept an extra man in the box almost every play; I am sure others have too – without the success of the Storm. The fact that the Chanhassen Storm defense kept him to just 109 yards and two touchdowns while not giving up any explosive game-changing runs makes the Storm’s front seven the center point of my defensive standouts. <strong>Chanhassen front seven</strong> <strong>Defensive line Gabriel Lindsay-Wartnick, Dominic Castagnetto, Bode Nyen,</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="105369" first="Sam" last="Macy"] <strong>Linebackers [player_tooltip player_id="116485" first="Alexander" last="Carstens"], John Dahl, Gabe Porthan</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116485" first="Alexander" last="Carstens"] Chanhassen LB</strong> Carstens was all over the field. He recorded 17 tackles on the night. He was a big reason Johnson was held to a great game and not his standard dominating game. Carstens didn’t allow the best running back in the state room on the outside. Some of the plays that stood out to me included Carstens stopping a sweep for one yard. He stopped an option run for a short gain. While drawing a holding penalty, he slowed up the runner enough for his teammates to make the tackle. <strong>Bode Nyen Chanhassen DL</strong> Nyen was not fooled and dropped a running back for a one-yard loss on a draw play. He made three other tackles on inside runs – one was a tackle for a loss. <strong>Gabe Porthan Chanhassen LB</strong> Porthan registered ten total tackles in the game. A few that stood out included a tackle on the outside for a short gain. Late in the game, he made a pair of tackles that helped prevent a Stars comeback. [player_tooltip player_id="105369" first="Sam" last="Macy"] <strong>Chanhassen LB</strong> - forced a running back to move laterally into a teammate. <strong>Gabriel Lindsay-Wartnick Chanhassen DL</strong> - tackle on the inside <strong>Dominic Castagnetto Chanhassen DL</strong> Within his ten total tackles on the game, he was a handful inside, making a pair of tackles on the inside for short gains. [player_tooltip player_id="112068" first="Joe" last="Miller"] <strong>Holy Angels DL</strong> Miller stuffed a quarterback draw for a short loss. He also made a pair of tackles for minimal gains – one on the goal line preventing a touchdown. Later, he didn’t get a sack but put a hit on the quarterback as he released the ball. <strong>Dylan Kendrick Chanhassen DB</strong> Kendrick didn’t get sucked in and defended a jet sweep for a short gain. He did a good job supporting the run – making a tackle on the inside near the line of scrimmage. <strong>Vincent Thull Holy Angels DL</strong> Thull was able to scrape down the line of scrimmage to make a tackle for a short gain. Then, he stuffed an inside run. He found himself in the right place at the right time, recovering a fumble. <strong>Jacob Pung Holy Angels LB</strong> Pung stuffed a run near the goal line. He read a misdirection play and made the tackle for a big loss. Later, he stuffed a run on the outside for a short gain. [player_tooltip player_id="206076" first="Tyrique" last="Williams"] <strong>Chanhassen DB</strong> Williams knocked a pass away on a crossing route in the end zone. Later, while in one-on-one coverage, he outjumped a receiver for an interception. <strong>Kurt Schaefer Chanhassen DB</strong> Schaefer made an open-field tackle for a loss. Then, he cut in front of a short pass and nearly intercepted the pass - settling for a pass break up. On a fourth-down play, he knocked away a pass, giving the ball back to his offense. <strong>Quick hits</strong> <strong>Charles Gilbert III Holy Angels DB</strong> - deflected a deep ball [player_tooltip player_id="116273" first="Ryan" last="Bercich"] <strong>Holy Angels LB</strong> - tackle near the goal line <strong>Matthew Cullen Holy Angels DB</strong> - forces the quarterback inside so a teammate could clean up [player_tooltip player_id="18427" first="Emmett" last="Johnson"] <strong>Holy Angels DB</strong> - forced a fumble