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FILLMORE COUNTY JOURNAL
Monday, November 26, 2012
The FCJ reaches over 12,000 households each week.
Fillmore County Sports Football players of the year By Paul Trende Football in Fillmore County in 2012 wasn’t quite as good as volleyball. Just three of the six teams (versus four) came out with winning records. The Chatfield Gophers essentially fulfilled the promise they showed ever since the end of last season. They were the county’s headliner. Finishing with a record of 9-2, the Gophs were 9-0 versus all teams not nicknamed Warriors. Their 6-0 loss to Caledonia was one of the Warriors few nail-biters enroot to another Class AA state championship game. The Rushford-Peterson Trojans had the most impressive turnaround by any team, going from 2-7 to a highly competitive 6-4. They also played Caledonia (lost 15-7), as well as Class A state finalist Faribault B.A. (lost 14-7), tough. The Lanesboro Burros also finished above .500 (6-4), with Mabel-Canton (3-5), Fillmore Central (2-7), and Kingsland (1-8) having their struggles. There wasn’t a shortage of good players on those teams. Here are, the 2012 Fillmore County Sports Football Players of the Year. In Lanesboro, one only need to say one name; Niko. Announcers called it a lot in Burro games. Niko Anderson (5’9” 185-pound junior RB/DE) was the Burros one-man offensive gang. The young man with an already extensive two-year
varsity career added a splendid year #3 in 2012. He added to his 9-man gridiron reputation. Lanesboro scored 52 TDs on the season. Anderson had 33 of them. He was the horse the Burro ground-game was latched Niko Anderson to, racking up Lanesboro 1,914 yards on 240 carries (8.0 per), including 30 rushing TDs. He added TDs each via reception, interception return, and kickoff return. The shifty and durable Anderson amassed over 30 carries in a game four times, amassed 200 or more yards rushing six times, and scored four or more (total) TDs in a game five times. Included was a 300-plus yard rushing game versus Lyle/Pacelli and a 7-total-TD effort versus LeRoyOstrander in an opening round play-off game. Defensively, he finished 4th on the team in tackles, recorded three sacks (a safety), three interceptions, while also doing a lot of work on kick-off returns, and doing almost all of the punting. He was, as made famous by The Matrix movies, Mr. Anderson, or the Burros ‘chosen one.’ For the Chatfield Gophers, Jake Neis (5’10” 170-pound junior TB/
CB Chatfield) wasn’t necessarily the ‘chosen one.’ He was just the one who seemingly got Chatfield the big play when they needed it (or otherwise). Ankle-breaking Jake was the quick, agile, and speedy straw that stirred the Chatfield Gopher multipronged wishbone groundand-pound drink. Coming Jake Neis off a breakout Chatfield sophomore year that twice saw Neis go for 250-yards-plus, 2012 saw Jake be the definition of consistent (excluding games against Caledonia). Jake rushed for over 100 yards in six of 11 games while going over 100 total yards (rushing and receiving) in two more (8 of 11). All told, Neis only finished with less than 75 yards of offense in a game once. He scored TDs in every game his team scored TDs (the nine not against Caledonia). He finished with just shy of 1,400 yards total offense (1,229 rushing, which led the 3-Rivers), 15 total offensive TDs, plus a 16th TD on one of his three interceptions. He was the best offensive player in the 3-Rivers South. His efforts were pivotal in putting the Chatfield Gophers in the Class AA top 10 mid-season, where they stayed until the end. A junior, 3-Rivers foes will get another
season of Mr. Neis being not so nice to deal with. They’ll get another season of the Gophers being ranked in state. In Mabel, the M-C football program endured a transition year. They lost a lot off a 6-4 2011 squad, and thus had a lot of spots to fill with few bodies (20 players out 9 thru 12, Hunter Johnson with only one Mabel-Canton senior). Junior Hunter Johnson (6’0” 170-pound RB/LB) was one player who filled one of those roles, quite effectively. Manning the full-
back position (as opposed to teammate Noah Manning who manned the tailback spot) in M-C’s Wing-T offense, Johnson ran a lot of traps and dives, and ran a lot into the clear. Through eight regular season games, Johnson amassed just short of 1,400 yards with 20 TD’s. He finished the year with over 1,500 yards Dan Gatzke Fillmore and 20-plus Central TD’s (all on the ground). Johnson only once was denied of the century mark rushSee SPORTS Page 15
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