Backer, fourth down stops, key Chatfield’s victory

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tied at twelve in the fourth quarter, the Eden Valley Watkins offense faced a fourth and short at their own 29 yard line. During the Class AA state semi-final game, the Eagles moved the ball well between the twenties against the Chatfield defense. They would outgain the Gophers by over one hundred yards. When the chips were down – specifically when the down was fourth - the Gophers' defense made the play. It wasn't a 'have to' moment, but Chatfield's<strong> Drew O'Connor</strong> made a play on the edge – stopping the Eagles short of the first down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two plays later, Chatfield had taken an eight point lead. Based on how their defense had been playing, the lead felt more like a two score lead than a one score lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now up by eight points, O'Connor made his second big play of the quarter. Facing fourth and seven from midfield with seven minutes to play, O'Connor blitzed and hit Eden Valley Watkins quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1148647' first='Nolan' last='Geislinger']</strong>, forcing an incompletion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chatfield quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='112047' first='Sam' last='Backer']</strong> – the best player on the field all game - and the Gophers' offensive line took over from there. After <strong>Luke Carrier</strong> broke a tackle on a throw to the flat from Backer to turn a five yard loss into a five yard gain and a first down, Chatfield got a break. A horse collar tackle gave Chatfield a first down on third and long. Facing another third and long, Backer spun out of a tackle and drove his way - dragging tacklers - for a first down. All on his own, Backer then picked up three yards when he should have lost three yards. Behind a block by <strong>Kailan Schott</strong> that took out two Eagles – Backer's eighteen yard run gave Chatfield a first and goal. Backer would punch it in a couple of plays later, sealing the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game-turning fourth down stop was not the first time the Gophers' defense stood tall on fourth down. Chatfield defensive lineman <strong>Isaac Stevens</strong> put pressure on Geislinger, forcing a bad throw to get the defense off the field in the first half. The incompletion came on a fourth and seven at the Gophers' 36 yard line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Late in the first half, Chatfield was clinging to a 12-6 lead when the Eagles – behind dual-threat quarterback Geislinger – were posed to tie the game on fourth and goal from the one. On the snap, Backer sliced through the line and took out the Eagles' lead blocker, freeing up Carrier – who also beat a block – to stuff the run short of the goal line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming out of the locker room, the Eagles' defense forced a punt, and the offense went deep into the playbook. A double pass – Geislinger threw behind the line of scrimmage to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1582424' first='Wyatt' last='Moehrle']</strong>, who threw deep to <strong>Landon Neiman</strong> for a 58 yard touchdown and a tie game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a Chatfield punt, Eden Valley Watkins' offense was on the move again. Like many times before – Chatfield's defense made a play when it had to. This time, the play came on third down. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='313189' first='Rory' last='Lane']</strong> and O'Connor stuffed a run on third and short. On fourth down, the Gophers got some luck when the Eagles' runner tripped in the backfield – falling short of the first down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next opportunity for the EVW offense resulted in O'Connor's fourth down stop – paving the way for Chatfield's 27-12 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->