Rochester Lourdes football prepares for season opener with experienced offensive line
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 2, 2026, 5:17 PM
Last updated Sep 2, 2026
FootballRochester Lourdes opens its 2026 football season at 7 p.m. Thursday at home against Chatfield. Coach Mike Kesler returns an experienced offensive line that averages 240 pounds across the front, a notable increase in size for the program. Quarterback Chase Carroll, who recorded nearly 1,100 yards of total offense last season, leads the option attack alongside running backs Sam Wackel and Eli Hust. The team faces a personnel shift in the backfield following the graduation of Caleb Akinbolu and a season-ending knee injury to Max Pederson. Defensively, the Eagles rely on a rotation of six to eight linemen to maintain freshness, aiming to build upon a unit that allowed 13.7 points per game in 2025. The program looks to maintain its defensive success under Kesler in his 22nd season as head coach.
- •Rochester Lourdes hosts Chatfield at 7 p.m. Thursday to start the 2026 season.
- •The offensive line features five experienced starters averaging 240 pounds.
- •Chase Carroll, Sam Wackel, and Eli Hust will share primary ball-carrying duties.
- •Max Pederson is sidelined for the season after suffering a knee injury in July.
- •The team defense aims to repeat its 2025 performance of allowing 13.7 points per game.
- 5:17 PMYahoo Sports — For a change, Lourdes gets to build around size up front
"Sep. 2—The first thing Mike Kesler mentions when it comes to Rochester Lourdes' offensive line is experience. The Eagles will have plenty of that in 2026, with three seniors, a junior three-year starter, and a sophomore who knows the team's quarterback quite well. In almost the same breath as experience, though, Kesler mentions something the Eagles haven't had an abundance of for some time: ...
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