Coming off a solid 35-14 road win over Hastings on Sept. 12, the Chaska Hawks (3-0) were excited to face fourth-ranked Mankato East (3-0) at home for their homecoming game.

While rain unfortunately cancelled the annual parade, the team embraced the challenge — and fun — of playing in the elements.

On their first possession after an East four and out, quarterback Matthew Welter connected with Trey Castilla III on an impressive 62-yard touchdown pass at the 9:07 mark, giving Chaska an early lead and proving the offense from the Hastings game was still clicking.

Mankato East struggled to find its rhythm most of the night, stalling on the Chaska 4-yard line and turning the ball over on downs on a key series in the first quarter.

Chaska extended its lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Welter to Luke Raser at 5:31. The Hawks controlled both the clock and field position, and with just 10 seconds left in the half, Welter again connected with Castilla — this time from 20 yards out — for a dominant 21-0 halftime lead.

Heavy rain picked up late in the second quarter and into the third. Chaska received the second-half kickoff and consumed more than eight minutes on a sustained drive before giving the ball back.

East continued to struggle offensively, while Chaska’s defense faced few plays thanks to the Hawks’ effective ball control. The final touchdown came with 4:26 remaining, when Welter capped off the night with a 5-yard rushing score.

The 28-0 victory was punctuated by post-game fireworks, making for a memorable homecoming celebration.

Welter led the Hawks’ offense with 118 passing yards on 4-of-8 passing and a team-high 149 rushing yards on 16 carries. He was supported by Jacob Bellmont, who added 83 yards on 14 carries. Castilla was the top receiver with 82 yards on two catches.

Defensively, Mason Davis tallied five shared tackles, while Smith Meiler led with three solo stops.

After the win, Offensive Coordinator Josh Schoaf praised the team’s execution.

“We executed as planned and played physical,” he said.

Head Coach Bryan Dahl added: “We saw great leadership from all the guys. Both of our offensive and defensive units didn’t allow them to establish their game.”

Players echoed the same sentiment as their coaches. Leading receiver Trey Castilla III described the win as: “Amazing. We worked hard and it feels great to have this momentum at this point in the season. We did our job, and I’m blessed to be part of it.”

Defensive stand-out Michael Gillette emphasized the team’s chemistry.

“We were focused and we trusted each other,” he said. “We’re a family and we’re going to show up for each other. It’s the little things that are adding up. We hit the weight room and focus on what needs to be done each play.”

Mason Davis highlighted the physical edge.

“Our physicality was focused on both sides of the ball,” he said. “We knew our assignments and were able to execute.”

All players agreed that the weather had little impact on their performance.

Northstar-South-Gold action on Friday saw Chanhassen fall to St. Thomas Academy 24-22, while Waconia defeated Mankato West 30-14.

The Hawks’ (4-0) next game is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, against Mankato West (1-3).