Varsity Football : Courtland Cougars vs. Chancellor Chargers
Not only was Friday night's match up between the Chancellor Chargers (4 - 2) and Courtland Cougars (2 - 4) the Chargers' homecoming game, but it was also an intense rivalry match up which was bound to see huge hits and incredible plays. Most of those incredible plays fell the Chargers way, as a balanced running and passing game led them to a strong 38-23 win over a tough Courtland defense, pushing the Cougars to give up more points than they had all season. Charger junior running back Lovell Armstead ran for 128 strong yards, which helped set up almost every scoring drive for Chancellor.
A long-standing record was also broken Friday night. Senior Yetur Gross-Matos notched his place in Chancellor Chargers history with his 2 sacks tonight,breaking the all time record at Chancellor that was set 26 years ago. Both of his sacks came in monumental moments in the game, forcing Courtland into situations they couldn't come out of successfully.
This electrifying rivalry game started off just like you'd expect any high-intensity game. With something nobody saw coming. The Chargers won the coin toss, electing to differ and receive the ball in the second half which gave Courtland the ball to start, or so they thought. There was a fumble on the punt, and it was recovered by Charger No. 23 Jeff Pates which gave both the ball and good starting position to the Chargers who cashed it in for seven points thanks to a rushing touchdown from Jason Brown from nine yards out. Both teams' defenses held well for awhile, until a quick minute long drive by the Chargers hooked them up with another seven points to extend their lead over the Cougars. Two passes from Jason Brown that went over 20 yards, and then a 30 yard rushing touchdown by Lovell Armstead was enough for a Charger touchdown.
The Cougars weren't ready to just lay down and get steamrolled, however, as they opened up the second quarter with a rushing touchdown of their own from Senior Christian Coleman who pushed in seven points for Courtland. A penalty and sack killed the Chargers attempt at returning the favor with a touchdown of their own, as they failed to convert a fourth and long to give the ball back to the Cougars. The Chargers would get the ball back quickly, and march down the field again where it seemed like they came up just short and were going to punt. Instead, head coach Bob Oliver sent out the field goal team, and No. 12 Austin Seipp kicked an unbelievable 45 yard field goal through the upright. This gave the Chargers a ten point lead which would come greatly in handy as a 45 yard pass from Courtland's Junior James Banks shortened that lead to an uncomfortable three points. The Chargers were able to push into the red zone on their next drive, but failed a 4th down conversion at the goal line and went into the half with a score of Courtland 14 Chancellor 17.
As the third quarter rolled along, the Chargers wasted no time finding a way into the end zone as they charged down the field and ended with Jason Brown's second rushing touchdown of the night. Both defenses stood strong again, preventing any landslide of points to come across. Offenses stalled until there was 3:47 left on the clock and Jason Brown tossed a fade pass to his favorite target E.J Jenkins into the end zone for seven more Charger points. And just to make things more sweeter for the Chargers, when the Cougars got the ball back, they were met by the fierce power of Yetur Gross-Matos who punched in his first sack of the night to end the third quarter. The Chargers left Courtland completely scoreless for the entire quarter.
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| No. 1 E.J Jenkins before catching a fade TD pass from his QB. |
The fourth quarter brought both worry and joy to Chancellor fans. Things seemed to be going the Cougars' way early as they returned a fumble in their own territory for 75 yards and seven points to draw closer to the Chargers. Then, the Chargers had their punt blocked on their next drive which put the Cougars in a very good position to strike a quick 14 points on the board. But, possibly saving the Chargers' night, No. 11 Cameron Kniebbe picked up a fumbled ball to turn things back over to the Chargers, who then muffed a punt to give the Cougars two more points on a safety and making it a one score game. Tempers flared as some brush ups blew up on the sideline as the rivalry showed it's nasty side. Nothing severe ever occurred though, and tempers were calmed down and the game was finished. On the Cougars' next drive, they turned it over again, and this time it was No. 23 Jeff Pates who picked up another fumble and ran it all the way in for a touchdown to secure a win for the Chargers who ran the clock down for the rest of the night.
This win was extremely important for the Chargers who were playing on a short week after losing Monday to James River. This puts them back in the win column, and back on track for a successful playoff run. Everybody stayed healthy, and there was plenty of great performances to go around. There are still some miscues, but they are easy to fix and improve on for next week as the Chargers travel to take on a hot James Monroe Yellow Jackets team who currently has a five game winning streak going. The Chargers will have something in store for them, though, as they look to start divisional play off well.
Notables
Passing : Chancellor - Jason Brown (14/22, 196 Passing Yards, 3 TDs) . Courtland - James Banks (4/12, 1 Interception, 90 Passing Yards, 1 TD)
Rushing : Chancellor - Lovell Armstead (21 Carries, 128 Rushing Yards, 1 TD), Damonte Pratt (4 Carries, 20 yards), Jason Brown (28 Rushing Yards) . Courtland - Dakota Woodward (6 Carries, 28 Rushing Yards), Ryan Lynch (2 Carries, -3 Rushing Yards), Dj Jones (5 Carries, 15 Rushing Yards), Zin White iv (6 Carries, 46 Rushing Yards), Christian Coleman (13 Carries, 35 Rushing Yards, 1 TD), James Banks (-23 Rushing Yards)
Receiving : Chancellor - C.J Washington (3 Receptions, 28 Yards), E.J Jenkins (7 Receptions, 114 Yards, 1 TD), Lovell Armstead (2 Receptions, 21 Yards), Deion Atkinson (1 Reception, 20 Yards) . Courtland - Dj Jones (1 Reception, 7 Yards), Cayden Taylor (2 Receptions, 51 Yards, 1 TD), Zin White iv (1 Reception, 32 Yards)
Penalties : Chancellor - 7, Courtland 3
Sacks : Chancellor - George Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos (2), Noah Manuel. Courtland -Kam'ron Taylor, Mychael Williams
Photo Credit : Sierra Brooks
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