Jackets ride storm out in 43-6 win
With threats of impending rain from the remains of Hurricane Gordon, the Chester YellowJackets and the Hamilton County Foxes kicked off its Sept. 7 contest 15-minutes early to attempt to avoid the rapidly approaching storm.
In spite of the head start, the Black Diamond foes were able to only complete one quarter of action prior to the first lightening flash and clap of thunder. The YellowJackets had already established a firm 20-0 lead, after one quarter of play.
Chester's Tristin Hobeck struck first with a 7-yard touchdown run to give CHS a 6-0 lead at the 9:49 mark. The two-point conversion failed and the score remained 6-0. Hamilton County failed to score on their possession giving the ball back to the Jackets.
On the next possession, quarterback Nick Meyer connected with Ethan Rayburn on a 42-Yard touchdown pass for the Jacket's next score with 4:36 to play in the first quarter. The two-point conversion failed and Chester led, 12-0.
The Jacket defense managed to hold the Foxes from scoring again after which they turned the ball over to CHS on downs.
Chester's Ethan Bert then came into the limelight with just 26-seconds remaining in the first quarter. Bert managed to block a Hamilton County punt, pick up the ball and run it into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown to increase the Jacket's lead to 18-0. The Jackets then added two more points on a two-point conversion run by Drake Bollman to give Chester a 20-0 lead after one quarter of play.
As the second quarter began, just 40-seconds into the period, lightning flashed and the skies opened up. All players and fans then experienced a two-hour game delay until the rain and lightning subsided. Once conditions permitted, the game continued, but under unusual, but allowable circumstances.
With the agreement of Athletic Director Jeremy Blechle, Principal Missy Meyer, Hamilton County Head Coach Jeff Rush, and the officials, the game was continued with a continuous-running clock and with no halftime. Even with those timesaving efforts, the game did not finish until 10:45 p.m.
In the second quarter, Hamilton County managed to score a touchdown when Garrett Webb scored from 7-yards out. The two-point conversion failed and Chester still led, 20-6. The quarter ended with neither team scoring again. The third quarter was a bust also as neither the YellowJackets or the Foxes were able to score. After three periods the score remained, 20-6.
In the fourth quarter, Drake Bollman scored at the 10:38 mark on a 2-yard run into the end zone. Meyer took care of the two-point conversion on his own and Chester increased its lead to 22 points, 28-6. The Chester defense closed the door on all Foxes attempts throughout the final stretch and Bollman added another six points for the Jackets on a 2-yard run to score Chester's final touchdown of the contest. The two-point conversion failed and Chester led, 34-6.
With the win Chester improved to 1-2 for the season and in the Black Diamond Conference.
For the game, Meyer was perfect in the passing category with 7-of-7 for 65 yards. Bert led the Jackets in rushing with 44 yards on five attempts. Ethan Rayburn led in reception yardage with one catch for 42 Yards and one touchdown. Bollman had two touchdowns on 38 yards of rushing with just eight attempts.
For the night, Chester ran 42 plays vs. Hamilton County's 41. Chester racked up 321 yards to Hamilton County's 81. Chester recorded 65 passing yards with 166 rushing yards. The Foxes had 34 passing yards and 34 rushing yards.
In the contest, Chester fumbled the ball five times and Hamilton County had four fumbles. Hamilton County intercepted one Chester pass. CHS had no interceptions. The Jackets committed four penalties for 29 yards while the Foxes had five penalties for 50 yards.
The YellowJackets will now be on the road for two consecutive weeks. CHS will travel to Vienne Sept. 15 for an afternoon contest, then travel to Johnston City Sept. 21. The Jackets will return to W.O. Smith Field Sept. 28 when Sesser-Valier comes to town for Chester Homecoming.