Gahm gets chance for another ëringí
Posted 11/20/02

Zach Gahm has one national championship ring.

And, the 2000 graduate of Milaca High School is sure he could find room for another.

Heíll get that opportunity Friday when he and his Northwestern College of St. Paul teammates face Geneva College of Beaver Falls, Pa., in the 2002 Victory Bowl at 1 p.m. in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.

The Victory Bowl decides the national title for football teams which are members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

In 2000, when Gahm was a freshman, Northwestern won the Victory Bowl and NCCAA crown by topping Greenville College of Illinois 35-28. That game was played in Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, home of the National Football League Hall of Fame.

"It was exciting," said Gahm, a tight end at Northwestern who participated in football, wrestling and baseball at Milaca. "We had a great team and going to Canton and winning the title was something Iíll always remember."

Last season, Northwestern posted a 9-0 mark but didnít qualify for the Victory Bowl, which features the two highest ranked teams in the NCCAA that donít qualify for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national playoffs. The Eagles were one spot away from a Victory Bowl berth.

Northwestern, 8-1 this season, heads into Fridayís title game ranked No. 2 in the NCAAA poll while Geneva, which is 6-5, is ranked No. 4.

Northwestern wrapped up its second straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference title by topping Maranatha College 9-7 Friday, Nov. 1 in the UMAC Dome Day Championships at the HHH Metrodome. Northwestern was the northern division UMAC champion while Maranatha was the southern division champion.

"We played well for the most part in that game but we had some breakdowns," said Gahm, whoís in his second season as a starter after seeing considerable action as a freshman. "But, we had some costly penalties. I caught an eight-yard scoring pass that was called back and we had a couple of long gains also called back.

"But, we pulled the win out and won the title."

Northwestern, led by second-year head coach Kirk Talley, has won eight games in a row since a season-opening 52-7 loss to St. Xavier College of Chicago, Ill.

"Xavier was very good," said Gahm, who caught a 50-yard pass in that game. "We had some veterans back on defense this season but we were young on offense.

"The team has really grown and weíve showed improvement each week."

Gahm says Genevaís record is misleading and Northwestern is expecting a tough game Friday.

"They play in a tough conference which has two teams advancing to the NAIA playoffs," he said.

Geneva offers athletic scholarships while Northwestern, a non-denominational Christian school, does not.

Gahm, whoís 6-foot-3 and weighs 225 pounds, has caught 14 passes for about 250 yards and one touchdown this season. Last year he had 15 receptions for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

"The tight end is primarily a blocker in our offense," said Gahm, a third team all-conference choice in 2001. "Overall, most of the teams in our conference play ësmash mouth footballí and stress the running game."

Gahm, the son of Laurie and Chuck Gahm of Milaca, shared some other thoughts following the Eaglesí practice Monday night.

-On going to Northwestern. "My mom heard about the college while listening to its radio station (KTIS) in the car. We decided to look into it and I really liked what I saw. It has a great Christian atmosphere. Iíve made some great friends, including the other guys on the football team who are like best friends. The players are out there to praise God, whoís made this opportunity available to them."

-On his Rum River Conference teammates. "Dan Matthews (2001 Milaca graduate) is our second-team quarterback and I think he has a great future here. Heís playing behind senior Justin Daggett, whoís a standout. Princeton graduates Steve Gibbs (a senior) and Paul Gibbs (freshman runningback), who are brothers, are on the team, along with Mark Patnode (freshman cornerback). Aaron Gunderson of Mora (junior linebacker) is on the team and brothers Justin Sawyer and Brian Sawyer of Mora are two of our assistant coaches. We were opponents in high school but now weíre teammates working together.

"Steve Gibbs had one of our top highlights so far this season when he kicked a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give us the 9-7 win over Maranatha."

-On how tough the UMAC is compared to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). "St. Johnís is over-powering, especially on offense, and I think itís head and shoulders above everyone else. I think weíre gradually catching up to the MIAC and I think Northwestern could play with teams like St. Thomas, Bethel and Gustavus this season."

Northwestern has topped MIAC teams Hamline and Carlton (twice) during Gahmís three seasons and is 3-0 against the MIAC.

Gahm is majoring in Social Science, with a criminal justice emphasis.

"I think Iíd like to work in the FBI some day," he said.

On Friday, Gahm and his teammates will be trying to lay down the law against Geneva at the Metrodome.