By John Raffel
Sam Forsyth enjoyed a banner season for Chesaning’s football team, which had a disappointing ending by finishing 4-5 and missing the playoffs.
But coach John Mimranek still enjoyed the fruits of having a memorable player like Forsyth on his team.
He played a slot receiver position for the Indians.
“We also used him out of that slot in the backfield a lot of times,” Mimranek said.
Among the highlights has been a school-record setting 95-yard touchdown reception.
“His numbers are much-improved over last season,” Mimranek said. “We were 2-7 last year. He was still our key weapon, but only accounted for a few offensive touchdowns. But this year, he’s accounted for 23 offensive touchdowns. So he’s averaging almost three per game through eight games.”
A key highlight came on week seven during the homecoming game against Shepherd. He had four rushing touchdowns and one receiving score. He hit the four-TD rushing mark four times this season.
“He doesn’t get that many carries,” Mimranek added. “He’s only had 97 carries (after eight games) this season but still accounted for 869 yards rushing.”
He also had 23 catches for 566 yards.
It’s his third year on the varsity team and second under the current coaching staff.
“He’s extremely competitive,” Mimranek said. “He’s a three-sport athlete and never out of competition mode.”
Chesaning had a few close losses, he added.
“I’m here to help the team out,” Forsyth said.
Forsyth was also a long jump state champion during the 2017 track season and helped Chesaning claim a team state title. Track and football complement each other, he agreed.
The Shepherd football game was a highlight, he added. He said it’s been his best football season.
“It’s not all me,” he said. “Our whole offense has come so far as a team. You can have Barry Sanders on your team, but if no one on the offense does their job, it doesn’t matter.”
A lot of Division II schools are looking at him for football, and Forsyth said he’s definitely interested in playing the sport at the next level.