Varsity Football: King George Foxes vs. Chancellor Chargers
By: Greg Wolfe
So far for the Chancellor Chargers (1-7) 2017 campaign, it has been a long series of rough losses and “what-if’s”. On Homecoming Night however, the Chargers changed that narrative. Facing the King George Foxes (2-6), the Chargers quieted all those who thought the season would end without a win with a hard fought, 23-21 victory.
The Chargers set the stage early, forcing the Foxes to try for a Field Goal from 30 yards out that ultimately failed and put the Chargers on the 1 yard line. 99 yards later and headed into the second quarter, the Chargers put points on the board grabbing an early lead for only the second this season. Jeff Pates, who would go on to have a phenomenal night, pushed the pile into the end-zone to put up 6 points.
As the Foxes charged down the field, looking to retaliate, the Chargers defense forced a turnover. The defense stepped up big all night, silencing a Foxes’ defense that had ran well against many opponents this year.
With 3 minutes remaining in the first half, the Foxes would not go away quietly. Jermaine Davis, the Foxes’ playmaker of the night who rushed for a team leading 68 yards, fought his way 4 yards to the goal line to give the Foxes a 7-6 lead.
As time started to run out, the Chargers were faced with a rough decision sitting on their opponent’s 30 yard line. Go to a first year kicker for a long field goal attempt, or heave it with a young back up quarterback. The decision was made to test Josh Reed’s leg, and he took full advantage over the season. Reed, usually in the net of a soccer field for Chancellor, booted the 40 yard attempt through the uprights to give the Chargers a 9-7 lead headed into halftime.
The Chargers wouldn’t slow down going into the second half, as Pates and Trevin Edwards made huge runs to push the Chargers down the field. The drive was capped off by Julius Martinez who pushed his way in from 2 yards out to grow the Chargers’ lead to 16-7.
The big quarter didn’t stop, as the Chargers continued to make big stops on defense and get the ball back. The Chargers relied on the run game for a majority of the night, but when they tapped into the passing game, it came up clutch. Edwards, on 3rd and 21, heaved it to Brandon Johnson who then took it to the house for 65 yards and 7 more points for the Chargers.
Going into the final quarter, the Chargers sat comfortably with their biggest lead of the year at 23-7, keeping the Foxes’ offense at bay. The Foxes, however, were not going to go down quietly.
Working against the clock, the Foxes tried a heave pass of their own. Sammy DelGrande was able to toss one deep, to a wide open Davis who was able to run into the end-zone untouched. The Foxes then converted the two point conversion, pulling the score to 23-15 and reducing the Chargers lead to just one score.
With under two minutes left to play, the Foxes had possession again. Davis, again, pulled out the big play with another huge touchdown reception of 40 yards. With just the two point conversion looming for a tie game, an ominous feeling filled the field as the home crowd got loud. After a false start penalty, a short pass into the endzone came up short as the Charger defense held strong, keeping the Charger lead 23-21.
After a failed onside kick attempt, the Chargers were able to run the clock down to just 8 seconds. The Foxes were going for a heave, and got two attempts thanks to a pass interference. Neither of those attempts worked, and the Chargers celebrated. The Charger Chaos student section rushed the field, and the season felt saved.
The running game came up clutch for the Chargers all night, in a game where the running game was to be expected on both sides. Cannon Zylonis and Julius Martinez had quiet nights, but they were big when it counted, moving the Chargers down the field and converting multiple third downs into first downs.
The Chargers are looking to build off this momentum, as they will host the Caroline Cavaliers for senior night next week. Coach Jeff Glessner will be looking to finish his first season with the Chargers on a high note, looking forward to building the Charger football program back up over the next couple years.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F
0 | 9 |14| 0 | 23
0 | 7 | 0 |14| 21
Stat Section
Chancellor Chargers
King George Foxes
