Local players dot the rosters of small-college playoff teams

Dec. 3—ROCHESTER — Sam Backer and Adam Glynn were two of the best running backs in southeastern Minnesota — and the state — when they ran up and down the fields for their high school teams earlier this decade.

Backer was a star for Chatfield, while Glynn was a workhorse back for the Byron Bears.

Now, the two former local stars are doing it at a higher level, not all that far from home.

Backer is the top running back for Division II power Minnesota State University, Mankato, while Glynn has worked his way into the mix this fall for the Mavericks, who are 10-3 overall after back-to-back road playoff wins against Findlay (Ohio) and the University of Indianapolis over the past two weeks.

Those victories have MSU in the national quarterfinals. They'll play at No. 1-ranked Ferris State (Big Rapids, Mich.) at noon on Saturday.

Backer led the Mavericks in this past Saturday's win at UIndy, running for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and catching six passes for a team-best 47 yards and a touchdown. He has 1,159 total yards and 21 total TDs this fall. That includes 933 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.

Glynn has played in nine games and has totaled 30 carries for 117 yards.

That backfield duo is among nine local players on the Mavericks' roster. They are the only former local players still remaining in the Division II playoffs.

LeRoy-Ostrander graduate Tanner Olson is one of the team's top defensive linemen; he has 26 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Century grad Miles Prochnow has played in 10 games and has eight total tackles, while John Marshall grad Keondre Bryant has four total tackles in nine games played.

Century's Jake Wills has also appeared in seven games.

Other local players on the roster are freshmen Parker Wangen (Stewartville), Camden Hungerholt (LeRoy-Ostrander/Lyle-Pacelli) and Jacob Stevens (Chatfield).

Here's a look at local players still alive at other levels of college football playoffs:

—North Dakota State: Zach VanderPool (Byron) is a redshirt freshman defensive lineman for the No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Bison (12-0), who had a bye in last weekend's first round of the 24-team FCS tournament. VanderPool has played in every game, has 17 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 recovery. ... Pine Island's Blake Schiltz is a true freshman for the Bison. NDSU hosts unseeded Illinois State, a Missouri Valley Football Conference rival, in Saturday's second round.

—North Dakota: Caledonia native Isaac Fruechte is the offensive coordinator for the unseeded Fighting Hawks (8-5), who upset No. 13-seeded Tennessee Tech (11-2) on Saturday, 31-6, at Cookeville, Tenn. Fruechte is in his second season as UND's coordinator. The Hawks offense averages 398.0 yards and 34.5 points per game. North Dakota plays at No. 4 Tarleton State in suburban Dallas on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

—Stewartville's Graysen Schneider (Montana State), Kasson-Mantorville's Caisen Thome (South Dakota) and Winona's Krayton Bergstrom (South Dakota State) are on teams still alive in the postseason, though all three are freshmen taking redshirt seasons this fall. Montana State is the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs, while South Dakota is No. 11 and South Dakota State is No. 14.

—Wisconsin-River Falls: The Falcons have loaded up on southeastern Minnesota athletes, with 10 of them on their roster this fall. They are 10-1 overall after blowing out Chapman 58-7 last Saturday in a second-round game. UWRF will host Saint John's in a second-round game this Saturday at noon.

Three local players — junior defensive back Conner Preston (Zumbrota-Mazeppa), sophomore defensive back Peter Ladu (John Marshall) and senior defensive lineman Carter Quam (Z-M) — have been keys to a UWRF defense that allows 318.6 yards and 17.9 points per game. Preston has 17 solo tackles and 24 total tackles this season; Ladu has 30 total tackles, 3 pass breakups and 3 interceptions (second-most on the team); and Quam has 18 total tackles, 1 sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.

Chatfield's Rory Lane, a freshman defensive lineman, has played in nine games and has five total tackles; and Z-M grad Oliver Liffrig, a freshman tight end, has appeared in two games.

Other local players on the UWRF roster include: Lewiston-Altura grads Owen Sommer (Fr., linebacker) and Levi Oevering (Fr., offensive line); Z-M's Jack Boraas (Soph., offensive line); Rochester Mayo's Jax Breitenfield (Fr., linebacker); and Red Wing's Rhowan Smith (Soph., offensive line).

—Red Wing's Keegan Knutson is a freshman wide receiver for Saint John's (10-1), which won a second-round national tournament game 49-15 at home against Monmouth last Saturday. St. John's goes to No. 3 UW-River Falls this Saturday for a national quarterfinal.