LITCHFIELD -- Dustin Celander admits he isn't the best fullback. But give him the ball near the goal line and he won't disappoint.
The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Litchfield senior has piled up 17 touchdowns on the season with nine coming from the one-yard line. In all, Celander, who has rushed for 719 yards on 148 carries, has scored 14 times from inside the 10-yard line.
"It's because the other guys are making plays before I get the ball near the end zone," said Celander, who has at least one touchdown in the last seven games. "And the (offensive) line blocks great for me."
That line -- which consists of seniors John Anderson, Charlie Hamm, Sam Pautzke and junior Ryan Lindquist and senior tight end Alex Euerle -- have also opened lanes for senior quarterback Kent Johnson (880 yards and eight touchdowns) and sophomore fullback Nic Johnson (753-5).
Juniors Kyle Kusler (three) and Cody Hanson (one) and sophomore Damian Heairet (one) have combined to produce five more touchdowns on the ground for Litchfield.
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"We didn't have much depth at the beginning of the year, but now we have it," said Celander, who has 11 touchdowns in four postseason games. "We have the people that can come in to relieve someone at any point of the game (and the team won't miss a beat)."
Celander can also bust off a long run as evidenced by his four-touchdown game against Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in the first round of the Section 6AAA playoffs. Celander ran for a career-high 202 yards on only 12 carries and scored on runs covering 37, 2, 50 and 29 yards in the 54-27 rout.
"He's always been a quality back, but his role is to put the ball in the end zone," said Litchfield coach Jon Johnson. "He's our short yardage man and had good size and strength. He loves to carry the ball near the goal line."
One thing Celander would like to do, though, is improve his blocking.
"It isn't the greatest," he admits. "It was a little shaky in the beginning, but it has gotten better."
He's hoping to get two more games to perfect on it.
