Injuries costly for Longhorns in loss to Mitchell

    Chase County’s football game against Mitchell Friday got off to a poor start, and even though it improved in the middle, the fourth quarter was even worse.
    Mitchell returned the games opening kickoff for a touchdown and took the quick 7-0 lead.
    The Longhorns responded well, however. On Chase County’s fourth play from scrimmage quarterback Ryan Bernhardt split the Tigers’ defense and out ran them to the end zone.
    Mitchell’s offense looked to have the answer. The Tigers drove to Chase County’s five-yard line where the Longhorn defense held on fourth down. But a fumble on Chase County’s first offensive play set Mitchell up at the one-yard line for a quick touchdown.
    CCS still battled. Buoyed by a 32-yard throw and catch between Bernhardt and Kade Anderson, the Longhorns scored on a 21-yard run by Dawson Mollendor.
    On an 11-play drive that spanned the first and second quarters, Mitchell took a 20-12 lead on a two-yard run.
    After trading punts with the Tigers, the Longhorns struck back when Bernhardt found Anderson for a 67-yard touchdown pass. With the two-point conversion, CCS tied the game at 20.
    With time running out in the quarter, neither team scored. Carter Leibbrandt ended one Mitchell threat with an interception.
    CCS Head Coach Nathan Gaswick said he believes his team responded well to the adversity that they faced in the first half.
    The opening kickoff being returned for a touchdown and a defensive stop followed by a fumble on the one-yard line were both heartbreaking, Gaswick said.
    “However, our guys responded and found ways to overcome an early deficit to tie the game at half,” he added.
    In the locker room at halftime Gaswick told his players it was their game to lose and the only team that was going to beat CCS was CCS.
    “I still feel like this is true and we cost ourselves opportunities in the second half,” he added.
    CCS opened the second half with the ball, but was forced to punt.
    Mitchell took control of the game with a 30-yard touchdown run.
    Neither team found the end zone for the rest of the third quarter, but Mitchell increased its lead two plays into the fourth quarter on a touchdown run on fourth and goal from the four to make the score 20-32.
    CCS struggled to move the ball in the fourth quarter, but its final possession was especially disastrous.
    Bernhardt was hit as he let go of a pass and injured. The senior was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
    Leibbrandt stepped in at quarterback, but was injured on his first play as signal caller.
    Freshman Malachi Christensen took the Longhorns’ final offensive snap of the game.
    “I felt the second half just came down to execution. We knew how they were going to adjust and we adjusted accordingly; however, poor execution and untimely penalties became consistent issues throughout the second half,” Gaswick said.
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    Gaswick said he doesn’t know what the Longhorns’ quarterback situation looks like going into this week at district foe 0-3 Valentine.
    He said the team has adopted the “Next Man In” mentality and will have two young freshmen, Christensen and Tristan Jablonski, competing for time this week.
    Both are capable of doing what CCS needs them to do and both possess different skill sets that make them unique, Gaswick said, adding, that the Longhorns may use a rotation of these two players until one of them separates themselves from the other.
    Gaswick said Valentine is a young football team and will bring an offense that closely resembles Chase County’s.
    “I believe our athletes match up very well to theirs,” he added.