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CHATFIELD – Defending state Class AA champion Chatfield got a quick scare from Lourdes on Friday night.
That seemed to be just what the Gophers needed.
After allowing a quick touchdown after being picked off in its own territory, Chatfield scored five unanswered touchdowns to beat the Eagles 35-14 in the Southeast District season-opening game.
The contest was called with 10 minutes to go due to lightning.
“(Lourdes) punched us in the mouth right away,” Chatfield coach Jeff Johnson said. “But we responded. And we came out in the second half and had a nice defensive stand and drove down the field (to score again).”
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Chatfield star quarterback and runner Sam Backer owned much of the game. The senior finished with 226 yards on 19 carries, with touchdown runs of 60, 43, 10 and 23 yards. Chatfield totaled 295 rushing yards overall.
“Sam made some big runs, breaking tackles,” Johnson said. “That was huge for us. He turns 8-yards gains into 60-yard gains if you don’t wrap him up. That’s the nice thing about a runner like that.”
Lourdes’ first touchdown came on a 1-yard run by quarterback Adam Sellner. The Eagles wouldn’t score again until there were just under 3 minutes left, with Caleb Akinbolu finding the end zone on a 4-yard run. Akinbolu was Lourdes’ leading rusher with 57 yards.
Sellner was 5-for-15 passing for 113 yards and two interceptions.
Lourdes coach Mike Kesler came away pleased with his team’s effort.
"(Chatfield) is the defending state champ, and I think they're well on their way to making another deep run," Kesler said. "We played a pretty good first half, but then had a couple turnovers and they capitalized,”
"I'm proud of our effort," Kesler said. "We just have to get ready for next week."
The Eagles host St. Charles next Friday at 7 p.m.
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Chatfield 35, Lourdes 14
Lourdes 7 0 7 0 – 14
Chatfield 6 14 15 0 – 35
First quarter
L – Adam Sellner 1 run (Aidan Jahns kick), 5:12.
C – Sam Backer 60 run (kick failed), 1:32.
Second quarter
C – Backer 43 run (Backer run), 8:22.
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C – Backer 10 run (Backer pass), :42.
Third quarter
C – Kailan Schott 1 run (Drew O’Connor pass from Parker Delaney), 7:49.
C – Backer 23 (Jacob Erickson kick), 4:46.
L – Caleb Akinbolu 4 run (Jahns kick), 2:40.
TEAM STATISTIC
L Chat
First downs 10 17
Total net yards 196 352
Rushing yards 30-83 37-295
Passing yards 113 57
Pass at.t-comp.-int. 5-15-2 6-12-1
Fumbles lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties yards 4-41 4-55
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing
Lourdes — Caleb Akinbolu 17-57, Adam Sellner 9-18, Eli Haight 3-8, Deacon Langsdale 1-0. Chatfield – Sam Backer 19-226, Kailan Schott 9-47, Jackson Schild 8-30, Parker Delaney 1-(minus 8).
Passing
Lourdes — Adam Sellner 5 completions, 15 attempts, 2 interceptions, 0 touchdowns for 113 yards. Chatfield — Backer 6-12-1-0 for 57 yards.
Receiving
Lourdes — Aidan Jahns 2-64, Hudson Fix 3-49. Chatfield — Jackson Schild 3-31, Luke Carrier 2-17, Cole Johnson 1-9.
