It was a perfect afternoon for playoff football as Chaska (4-4) faced their District 112 rival and current Minnesota Class 5A Champs Chanhassen (5-3) in the Section 2A semi-final on October 26th.
Student sections on both sides of the field were in playoff form. The Chanhassen student section was dressed in alternating blue and yellow, and Chaska students in purple and white.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with each punter seeking to establish good field positions for their teams. Turnovers bit each team. Chaska picked up a fumble, and Chanhassen had an interception.
Big plays dominated in the second quarter. Chanhassen got on the scoreboard first with 8:22 left after a fumble recovery and a 65-yard gain by Carter Carstens (extra point by Griffin Miller) to make the score 7-0.
Chaska got points on the board at 3:41 with a 26-yard field goal off the foot of Quinn Meyer. The score stayed 7-3 Chanhassen into halftime.
Chaska got the opening kick of the second half and fumbled on their first series, giving Chanhassen an opportunity to capitalize.
One minute into the third quarter, Kade Bush ran for a 16-yard touchdown to put Chanhassen up 14-3 (Miller’s extra point kick was good).
Chaska struck back again off a Quinn Meyer field goal (45 yards) to make the score 14-6. Chaska had some opportunities with strong passing and a Chanhassen face mask penalty but could not punch it in.
Chaska’s and Chanhassen’s defenses were strong forces throughout the game and impacted most of the fourth quarter. Chanhassen put together an 11-play, 70-yard drive capped by Noah Kloke’s one yard gain for a touchdown at 4:43 of the fourth quarter. The extra point was no good. The score of 20-6 would hold until the end of the game.
Chaska coach Bryan Dahl commented after the game: “We didn’t get quite enough big plays. We stuck it out and gave ourselves some chances, just a bit short. I am really proud of our seniors and their leadership this year. The team gave a strong effort; when we play Chan, they give their best too — always a great effort on both sides of the ball.”
Chaska ends their season at 4-4 and Chanhassen (6-3) will play Mankato East (7-2) next Friday at 7 p.m. in Chanhassen for the Class 5A – District 2A Championship. Mankato East beat Mankato West Saturday 35-15. Chanhassen and Mankato East played during the regular season and East won 43-19.
