Nachtigall, Johnston enter record book

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/10/2018 (2017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When looking back on this Winnipeg High School Football League Division 2 season, most people may overlook the accomplishments of the Neelin Spartans.

The team went winless, dropping its season finale 38-29 to the visiting Portage Trojans on Friday, but there were still a few incredible stories. There was debate whether there would be enough players to field a squad this season, but people who had never played the game before came out and took to the gridiron.

Then there’s the performances of Evan Nachtigall and Kaleb Johnston.

After spending three seasons playing with strong-armed quarterback Dayton Black, Nachtigall took over under centre and played behind an offensive line that features four players in Grade 9 or 10. That didn’t stop him as he unofficially tied, and may have broken Black’s single-season record for passing yardage. He also set the new mark for most pass attempts.

Johnston was one of his favourite targets, and he broke the single-season receiving record as well.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Nachtigall said after Friday’s contest. “Playing with (Black) and watching him in Grade 9, 10 and 11. I looked up to him hugely. He’s an unbelievable leader. Just an unbelievable person.

“I think lots of it was just mobility with my feet and extending plays. Getting out of the pocket and receivers did a great job all year scrambling and getting open for me while I was running around back there.”

Friday’s game was filled with tension on the sideline. Not only were the Spartans (0-7) within a point of the Trojans (4-3) with two minutes left, but Nachtigall was close to the record. He came in 219 yards behind Black’s mark of 1,981 yards and 18 attempts behind Black’s record, both of which were set last season.

A late 33-yard touchdown run by Kaiden Banfield followed by a two-point convert made it a nine-point Portage advantage with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter.

Nachtigall, who surpassed Black’s single-season pass attempts standard of 219 in the third quarter when he connected Johnston for a touchdown, drove the ball down to the Portage 26. However, the drive stalled. He was unofficially 17-for-29 for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

He never got a chance to pull ahead as a Neelin punt return in the dying seconds was fumbled and lost.

Although he knew he was close to the records coming into the contest, Nachtigall tried to put it out of his mind.

“I didn’t think about any of the records until there was about four minutes left and I was short by about 40 yards,” said Nachtigall, who had to deal with a strong wind during the contest. “Every play of the game before then I didn’t want to think about it. Before the game I talked myself into not worrying about it because I just wanted to play good. I thought we played decently but we didn’t get the win.”

Johnston came into the game with 750 receiving yards and needed 56 to break the record. He unofficially finished with six receptions for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Johnston’s mark was even more impressive considering he started the season as a running back. During the team’s opener he felt he could beat some defensive backs deep and finished compiled more than 200 yards receiving at the final whistle.

He battled with shin splints during the year, but kept putting up impressive numbers, and enough to enter the record book.

“It feels great. I had no idea I could do it,” Johnston said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t know I was going to be that good. I just pushed through I guess and worked as hard as I could. I practised quite a bit.

“My speed (was key to being successful), and Evan was a big part of it. I don’t know anyone who can throw like Evan.”

Johnston’s toughness impressed Neelin head coach Robert Cullen as well.

“Today was tough and he took himself off a couple of times,” Cullen said. “Did I think he could have this season? I knew he was a greasy young player and I knew he could do some good things. I didn’t think he could have as well of a season as that 806, but he did.”

As happy as Johnston and Nachtigall were for the records, they would have traded them in for a win. The team came close though.

Nachtigall had a pair of completions and three long runs to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Levi Kanski to open the scoring early in the first quarter. However, the Trojans took advantage of the Spartans’ young, undersized and inexperienced defensive ends after that.

Portage started running Banfield and Ian McCutchin to the outside to get its offence going. It resulted in a pair of touchdowns and a 15-15 tie with 3:14 left in the first half. The Trojans managed to score another touchdown with 1:02 remaining to go up 23-15 and then again with 11 seconds left to open up a 15 points edge at the break.

Nachtigall gave his team life when he intercepted a Portage pass three yards deep in his own end zone and returned it to the Trojans’ 13-yard line. He connected with Johnston for their second touchdown pass of the game on the next play. A five-yard run to the end zone by Kanski with 6:12 left in the fourth quarter got Neelin to a 30-29 deficit.

“I think we played a good ball team,” Cullen said. “Much bigger and much more athletic than our team was, but we showed we still have that fight. We came back and were down 30-29. You give up two quick scores at the end of the half with the wind. That basically was the ball game.”

That fight is what Nachtigall and Johnston, who both hope to continue playing sports at the university level next year, will remember the most from this season.

Although they entered the record book, they took more pride in being part of a team that refused to give up despite all the difficult circumstances.

“It was a huge learning experience,” Nachtigall said. “When we came in August, for the first two or three weeks of practice, we had 16, 17, 18 guys and we needed a 22-man roster each week to participate in the game. We had kids in Grade 9 and Grade 10 and Grade 11 and Grade 12 who joined that had never played a snap before or had never watched football on TV, so they had no idea what they were doing. They were just coming in and wanted to join the team so we could have a team this year and help us do whatever we could.

“I think it’s awesome and great.”

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