2024 Team Preview: Chanhassen Storm

The Chanhassen Storm is coming off an exciting win in the state championship where they won against St. Thomas Academy on a 4th & Goal touchdown in OT 34-31. However, the Storm lost several of their key players during the offseason, including star RB Maxwell Woods and star QB Brayden Windschitl, who both ended up graduating. The Storm retains a stellar group of starters that still will keep the Storm competitive as they look to retain their title as the Class AAAAA champions, but the losses of these key players leaves questions of how their replacements will fill those shoes.   Chanhassen competes in the highly-competitive Northstar-South-Gold division, which holds strong contenders including Mankato West, Chaska, and Waconia, and the Storm also take on Owatonna in week 2, who is coming off an 8-3 campaign. Their schedule will be tough, and Chanhassen may have a lot more difficult battle this season trying to stay at the top of the division, but the Storm remains very much confident that they will ride through the changes and make a strong claim to go back-to-back in the state championship game.   Here are 9 players that will make a significant impact for the Storm to watch out for this season!    3-star recruit [player_tooltip player_id='490046' first='Owen' last='Linder'] solidified his spot this season as one of the top Offensive-line recruits in Minnesota, and he capped off his junior season with a state title to add to his already impressive resume. Linder explodes off the snap and his hands hit hard on the point of contact with the defender. Linder's numbers may not suggest he's fast, but he moves quickly through the line, and he's been trusted by the Storm as an effective pull-blocker. Linder's power, aggressiveness, and leadership played a key component in the dominant run-game from Chanhassen last season. Linder holds 7 D1 offers, including from Arkansas and California. Linder will remain the primary cog on the trenches for one more season.     The player known as "Boom" Carstens was all over the field on defense last season, and it culminated with his commitment to St. Thomas last month. Carstens had a monstrous year, with 100 tackles, 12 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 interception. Carstens handles both OLB positions very well, and his combination of speed and athleticism makes him a dangerous disruptor when he breaks into the backfield. Carstens' has impressive length, which allows him to handle leverage well to shed off of blockers, and he does a great job reading option plays. Carstens is a game-wrecker on the defense, and Carstens will keep opposing offenses frustrated.     [player_tooltip player_id='1255890' first='Logan' last='Smith'] had a breakout season in 2024 as an effective deep Safety for the Storm. Smith finished 4th on the team last season with 87 tackles, showcasing excellent tracking and closing speed as a run-stopper. That speed translated very well in pass-coverage as well, rarely allowing any yards-after-catch, and showed great handwork and timing in pass-breakups. Smith is a surging prospect for the Storm, and he could finish by the end of his junior season as the top performing DB in the state.     [player_tooltip player_id='447560' first='Oliver' last='Englund'] has been a versatile edge rusher for Chanhassen, and he ended up committing last month to Minnesota-Duluth to play college football. Englund is quick off the snap, bursting around the Offensive Tackle to get to the QB. Englund is a powerful player on the trenches, and he also plays well behind the line at OLB. Englund's size and frame is impressive, and he seems to always look bigger than those who block him. Englund should have a big senior season ahead of him and he could have a lot more results on the stat-line than he had last season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1104620' first='Owen' last='Sevald'] is another huge blocker on the Storm O-line that paved a clean path for a huge run-offense last season. I'm surprised that [player_tooltip player_id='1104620' first='Owen' last='Sevald'] hasn't received the same attention that his fellow blocker [player_tooltip player_id='490046' first='Owen' last='Linder'] has had. Sevald is a powerful specimen, posting a 300 lb max bench and a 495 lb max squat. Sevald uses his size to overpower defenders, and he plays with an aggressive drive that goes to the whistle. Sevald has a low center of gravity and he blocks with a downward force that brings pass-rushers to the ground in an instant. Sevald has been a rock on the line, and he should plenty of attention from D1 and D2 teams by the end of the season.     Noah Kloke has been another spectacular piece of the secondary for the Storm. Kloke finished last season with 45 tackles, 8 passes defended, and an interception en route to earning honorable-mention All-Conference honors. Kloke shined in man-coverage, showcasing great hands and agility as a lockdown CB. Kloke also did a very good job at reading the QB to switch his assignment mid-play and has the speed and acceleration to get to the target before the ball gets there. Kloke has the potential of eliminating half the field with his coverage abilities, and the secondary has played extremely well thanks to his shutdown skills.     Jackson Schleicher is a unique defensive-lineman, winning on the trenches with athleticism, length, and acceleration off the snap. Playing with a low pad level, Schleicher is able to find leverage to shed off blockers to get into the backfield, and he also is a great down-field tackler. If Schleicher can build more weight this season, he could be an unstoppable pass-rusher that should garner plenty of interest from college teams following his senior year.     Josiah Cox was the backup RB last season behind Maxwell Woods and also served as a Punter. Cox impressed with 272 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. His athleticism looks outstanding, posting a 4.5 40 yard dash time, a 32" vertical, and a 385 lb max squat. While he doesn't have film from his junior season, Cox is due to handle the bulk of the carries next season and is due for a breakout season. If Cox can bulk up a bit of muscle, Cox could be the next big RB coming out of Chanhassen to watch.     With Brayden Windschitl gone, Chanhassen is in search of a new QB, and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1255909' first='Nathan' last='Ramler'] has put himself at the front of the line to become the face of the offense. Ramler played outstandingly on the JV team, helping the JV team finish with an undefeated 7-0 record. Ramler stands tall in the pocket and airs the ball out extremely well, showing great power and arc in his throws. Ramler excites me with his deep-ball ability, hitting difficult one-on-one passes downfield with tight accuracy, and has the awareness to scramble when the pocket starts to collapse. There will certainly be high expectations for Ramler coming off a state title, but I believe that when Ramler gets comfortable in the lineup, he will excel, and the Storm has a very good chance of translating their success from last year again this year with Ramler under center.

The Chanhassen Storm is coming off an exciting win in the state championship where they won against St. Thomas Academy on a 4th & Goal touchdown in OT 34-31. However, the Storm lost several of their key players during the offseason, including star RB Maxwell Woods and star QB Brayden Windschitl, who both ended up graduating. The Storm retains a stellar group of starters that still will keep the Storm competitive as they look to retain their title as the Class AAAAA champions, but the losses of these key players leaves questions of how their replacements will fill those shoes.