Chatfield vs. West Central Area/Ashby: Defensive standouts
In a game where first downs were almost as hard to come by as offensive points, the Chatfield Gophers and the West Central Area-Ashby Knights defenses nearly outscored the offenses. There were plenty of outstanding defensive players and performances during Chatfield’s 14-13 win – none more significant than the interior of the Gophers’ defensive line stuffing the Knights’ two-point conversion attempt late in the game. Here are some of the individual performances I felt stood out.
<strong>Ethan Ruskell Chatfield</strong>
Ruskell was all over the field for the Gophers. He made an early tackle for loss. Then, he forced a runner wide, allowing his teammates to make a tackle for loss. He ran down a runner from behind for tackle for loss. He put a hit on the quarterback, forcing a bad throw and an interception by Isaac Erding. His penetration set up a Grady Schott tackle for a short gain. He was in the backfield, forcing a run for no gain. On the next play, he hit the quarterback and forced an incompletion.
[player_tooltip player_id="154572" first="Anthony" last="Sykora"] <strong>West Central Area-Ashby</strong>
Sykora made four total tackles, with his best stretch coming on back-to-back plays. He made a tackle for loss on the outside, and on the next play, he made an open-field tackle on a screen pass for a short gain.
<strong>Grady Schott Chatfield</strong>
Including cleaning up after one of Ruskell’s many trips into the backfield, he stuffed a run to the outside. Later, he forced a run inside – allowing teammates to make a tackle for a short gain.
<strong>Tyler Stone West Central Area-Ashby</strong>
Stone did a solid job setting the edge and keeping the Gophers from making any big runs to the outside. Included in his four tackles on the game, one was a tackle for loss.
<strong>Luke Carrier Chatfield</strong>
Carrier forced a pair of runs inside for short gains. He made a big tackle on the outside right after the Knights’ deep pass out of the locker room. With a total of five tackles, one of his last tackles was for a loss.
<strong>Isaac Erding Chatfield</strong>
Erding supported the run well, making an open-field tackle for a short gain. His interception basically ended the game-sealing the state championship.
<strong>Kailan Schott Chatfield</strong>
With six tackles on the game, he made a tackle for loss. Later, he got off a block and stuffed an inside handoff.
<strong>Carter Daniels Chatfield</strong>
Daniels made two of the biggest defensive plays of the game. He caught a fumble in mid-air and returned it for a touchdown. Then, he tipped a pass allowing <strong>Eli Hopp</strong> to pick it off.
<strong>Quick hits</strong>
<strong>Campbell Berge Chatfield</strong> - forced the fumble that Daniels caught in mid-air for a touchdown
<strong>Drew Schindler Chatfield</strong> - open-field tackle for a short gain
<strong>Nas Dotts West Central Area-Ashby</strong> - picked off a crossing pattern
<strong>Isaac Stevens Chatfield</strong> – came across the formation for a tackle for a short gain
<strong>Cole Anderson West Central Area-Ashby</strong> - broke up a pass
<strong>Cole Novotny Chatfield</strong> - tipped away a pass
<strong>Carson Spangler West Central Area-Ashby</strong> - tight coverage on a deep ball
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