Mankato West sinks Chaska in high school football clash pitting section rivals

On a college football Saturday, flipping through games on the TV will reveal a variety of turnover props given to players who force a fumble or snag an interception. Miami’s chain. Texas’ turnover sword. UNLV’s slot machine.

If Mankato West had a turnover prop, it would have gotten plenty of use on Friday night.

The Scarlets, ranked ninth in Class 5A, forced six turnovers to beat Chaska 17-14 in a matchup of Section 2 teams. Since 2018, the Scarlets (3-1) and the Hawks (2-2) have met every year in section postseason play, with Mankato West’s win streak stretching back to 2020.

A first-half fumble recovered by senior linebacker Franklin McAninch and an interception, both in Mankato West’s favor, teed up 10 of the Scarlet Knights’ 17 first-half points.

Mankato West head coach J.J. Helget said the team identified Chaska’s out routes and was able to take advantage, and other times “just get hats to the ball.”

A blocked field goal turned into a rushing touchdown by Hawks senior wide receiver Jacob Welter, giving Chaska the chance to take the lead in the fourth.

”They bent, but they didn’t break,” said Helget. “We were lucky to get them early.”

Two fourth-quarter interceptions and a fumble dashed Chaska’s hopes. Scarlets junior linebacker Stihl Koberoski snagged his team’s third interception, and the Hawks fumbled the ball on their own 3-yard line with 2:36 left in their next possession.

And yet: Chaska got the ball back again, after a goal line stand on a pass broken up by Malaki Ledesma. Another interception let Mankato West run the clock down.

”We have to emphasize how important the ball is,” Chaska head coach Bryan Dahl said. “Credit to those kids, we still had an opportunity to win it at the end.”

Even Helget counted five turnovers at first, rattling off Koberoski, Johnston, senior linebacker Grady Hadlestad. “Six? Should have gotten more than 17 points,” he said, smiling but shaking his head — room to improve before hosting Chanhassen, the defending 5A state champ, next week.

Scarlets’ junior quarterback Charles Bobholz tossed two first-half touchdowns to senior wide receiver Eleazar Staley. For the Hawks, junior quarterback Matthew Welter threw one passing touchdown, a 64-yarder to sophomore wide receiver Maxwell Epple.

Chaska next hosts Northfield.

”There’s a lot of good teams in our section,” Dahl said. “And our kids look forward to it. It’s hard to play teams twice, so we’d love another shot at [Mankato West] at some point.”