High school football weekend recap: Norwood Young America wins with defense

Chris Goodwin sticks with what he knows best: defense.

Norwood Young America is off to a 6-0 start, yielding 4.2 points per game, under the first-year coach. The Raiders are ranked eighth in Class 2A.

"Our defense has been elite," said Goodwin, sticking with his Gophers ties; he served as a graduate assistant defensive coach under Glen Mason for four years starting in 1996. "When I took the job I had to fit guys into the style of defense we play. I had to move some guys around."

The Raiders have posted three shutouts and beat Class 1A, No. 10 Lester Prairie 14-12 two weeks ago. Lester Prairie (4-2) was ranked No. 1 at the time.

"It's the same defense we ran under Glen Mason," Goodwin said. "Our defensive line has been amazing. We have no holes on our defense."

His front wall is composed of seniors Grant Erickson (6-4, 295) and Aiden Wachholz (6-4, 250), junior Carter Storms (6-5, 210) and sophomore Micah Fenney (6-5, 205). Sophomore Taylor Hackbarth (6-3, 200) adds depth up front.

"We are a big, strong team," Goodwin said. "We play an attacking style of defense."

"Our game against Lester Prairie was critical," Goodwin said. "They run a physical, punishing ground attack. I was curious how our kids would hold up against that kind of team."

The Raiders will face the exact kind of challenge the final two weeks of the season against Mayer Lutheran (4-1) and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (4-1). Both schools are receiving votes in the Class 1A poll.

"Apparently, from what the kids have told me, next week is our Super Bowl," said Goodwin, who spent the previous four years guiding the SMB Wolfpack, a co-op of St. Paul Academy, Minnehaha Academy and Blake, where he compiled a 25-13 record. "I haven't learned about the rivalries yet.

"There is definitely a different atmosphere with small-town football. Everybody in the community is behind what we are doing right now."

Norwood Young America ranks second in the state in points allowed per game. The top five in that category: Mountain Iron-Buhl (3.7), Esko (3.8), Norwood Young America (4.2), Stewartville (4.8) and Caledonia (5.7).

Rosemount coach Jeff Erdmann plays to win. There was no question what Erdmann was going to do against Class 6A, No. 2 Lakeville South after scoring on the final play Friday to pull within one point. He was going for two.

Senior Maki Whelan found junior quarterback Gavin Caswell alone in the corner of the end zone on a wide receiver option pass, giving the Irish (4-2) a surprising 22-21 victory over the Cougars (5-1).

"We practice our two-point plays every week and go into games with three in case we have to use multiple," Erdmann said.

Caswell and Whelan filled reverse roles on the previous play. Caswell threw an 8-yard scoring strike over the middle and to the back of the end zone to Whelan on the game's final play.

"Any time you beat a top five and undefeated team, it's a big deal," Erdmann said.

Winless Hopkins (0-6) suffered its 24th consecutive loss. The Royals have been outscored 284-64 this season.

"Momentum in a Caledonia game is huge. Obviously, Caledonia is the best team we've seen, but we've got better football in us. We need to fix some things up, for sure. We just got out-physicaled." — Chatfield coach Jeff Johnson, to the Rochester Post Bulletin, after his Class 2A, No. 3 Gophers turned over the ball four times while being shut out 27-0 by No. 2 Caledonia.