Any Chaska–Chanhassen football game is a spirited affair—one fraught with tricks and treats. Playing on Halloween for the Class 5A MSHSL Section 2A Championship lived up to the stature of the rivalry.
Chanhassen (8–1 and seeded #1 in the playoff bracket) defeated Mankato West 43–22 to advance to the championship game. Chaska (7–2 and seeded #2) beat Mankato East 36–22. In the regular season, Chanhassen won in Chaska 28–14 on October 3.
The game took place on a cool and drizzly night, which over time impacted several plays with slips and mishandled balls. Chanhassen took the opening kickoff but was held to negative yardage in its first series. Chaska moved the ball effectively on its first possession but was stopped by a stout Chanhassen defense. Both teams’ defenses played a major role throughout the game with key stops, timely sacks, and deflected passes.
Chanhassen scored first with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Rambler, capping a five-play, 55-yard drive. That score held through the second quarter and into most of the third. As one might expect from the top two seeds in the section, both teams played hard-nosed football on both sides of the ball, making plays offensively and defensively as needed. Chanhassen relied on a balanced mix of rushing and passing, while Chaska leaned on its strong ground game. The Storm added another touchdown—a 10-yard pass following an 80-yard drive—as time expired in the third quarter to take a 14–0 lead that held through a hard-fought fourth quarter.
Leading the Storm in passing was Nathan Rambler, completing 12 of 16 for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Peyton Ramsey led the team in rushing with 78 yards on 18 carries. James Kopfmann caught five passes for 44 yards, and Kade Bush added four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Logan Smith led Chanhassen with six solo tackles and six team tackles, while Jack Carlson contributed ten team tackles.
For the Hawks, Justin Greathouse carried the ball 22 times for 104 rushing yards. Chaska quarterbacks combined to complete two of five passes for 31 yards. Colton Wacker and Michael Gillette each had four solo and six team tackles, while Smith Meiler led Chaska with seven team tackles.
After the game, Chaska players received strong support from their coaches, who thanked the seniors for a great season. The coaching staff congratulated the team on a well-played game against a very good opponent and reminded them that a 7–3 season is an accomplishment to be proud of.
Chanhassen will play Cretin-Derham Hall on November 8 at noon at Osseo High School.
