Small score, big win—CCS beats Valentine

    With the odds stacked against them, the Chase County football team picked up its first win of the season when it traveled to Valentine Friday.
    Playing without senior quarterback Ryan Bernhardt, CCS got off to a slow start offensively.
    Part of that was because of Valentine’s defensive effort.
    CCS Head Coach Nathan Gaswick said coaches knew that Valentine would be smaller and quicker up front and it created a lot of issues for Chase County’s young offensive line.
    “We struggled to lock on and sustain blocks most of the night,” Gaswick said, adding that Valentine capitalized on CCS mistakes.
    The Badgers’ only points of the game came early in the second quarter. CCS punted from deep in its own territory and Valentine took over on the CCS 21-yard line. Six played later Valentine scored on fourth and three, but missed the extra point.
    As the game progressed, Gaswick said the Longhorn defense responded and began to find its rhythm later in the game.
    The game turned the Longhorns’ way in the third quarter. A Valentine drive stalled at the CCS eight-yard line. The Badgers lined up to kick a field goal which the Longhorns blocked. The ball bounced to the left sideline where Luis Co scooped it up and ran it to Valentine’s 20-yard line.
    “You could tell that many players on the field had no clue that this was a live ball; however, lucky for us Luis knew it was and took advantage,” Gaswick said.
    With the short field, CCS tied the game on a seven-yard run by Dawson Mollendor. Like Valentine, CCS missed the extra point.
    “Going into the forth quarter we knew both teams were struggling to move the ball and elected to play field position as much as we could,” Gaswick said.
    On its second drive of the fourth quarter, Chase County’s drive stalled at Valentine’s one-yard line.
     Longhorn coaches decided to kick a field goal. Valentine blocked the kick, but had to bring its offense out with its backs against the goal line.
    A well timed blitz by Isaac Stretesky caught the Badger running back in the end zone for a safety and gave CCS an 8-6 lead.
    Co sealed the win with an interception with time winding down.
    “I find it only fitting that our first win came on the back of our defense. This has been something that Chase County has traditionally hung its hat on and we are starting to see that mentality show up in our players the more games they get,” Gaswick said.
    Freshmen Malachi Christensen and Tristan Jablonski split time at quarterback for CCS.
    “I was proud of these young men as it is a difficult situation to be placed in. You could tell the speed of the game was faster than what they were used to,” Gaswick said.
    Yards were tough to come by. Mollendor led CCS with 26 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving.
    The Longhorn defense showed a bend, but don’t break mentality.
    CCS gave up 216 yards rushing, but only the one score.
Up next
    Next on the Longhorns’ schedule will be 4-1 North Platte St. Pat’s.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. MT.
    Gaswick said the Irish will be one of the toughest opponents that CCS faces in districts.
    “They are always a well coached team and possess a high level of discipline in their schemes,” Gaswick said.

Stats at a glance
Team Totals    CCS    VHS
Total Plays     55     62
Total Yards     72     216
Passing Yards     41     42
Rushing Yards     31     174
First Downs     3     6
Third Down Conv.     1-14    2-15
Fourth Down Conv.     1-3    1-5
Turnovers     1     2
Fumbles Lost     -     -
Interceptions Thrown     1     2
Penalties-Yards    6-28    4-19
Tackles (tkl-assists-sack-TFL)—Dawson Mollendor, 8-9-1-2; Isaac Stretesky, 3-8-0-0; Zach Herbert, 3-10-0-1; Jaret Peterson, 2-4-0-0; Luis Co, 1-2-0-0; James McArthur, 1-1-0-0; Thomas Reeves, 1-5-0-1; Kade Anderson, 0-2-0-0; Cooper Dillan, 0-6-0-0; Jensen Olsen, 0-5-0-0; Easton Fries, 0-3-0-0; Conner Tyerman, 0-1-0-0.
Rushing (attempts-yards-TD)—Mollendor, 12-26-1; Anderson, 2-16-0; Tristan Jablonski, 10-10-0; Stretesky, 1-9-0; McArthur, 4- -4-0; Co, 3- -8-0; Malachi Christensen, 5- -19-0.
Passing (completions-attempts-yards-TD-INT)—Christensen, 2-3-16-0; Co, 1-1-14; Jablonski, 2-8-11.
Receiving (receptions-yards-TD)—Mollendor, 2-15-0; McArthur, 1-14; Co, 1-11-0; Anderson, 1-1-0.
Scoring
Second Quarter
VHS: 3-yard run (Kick no good)
Third Quarter
CCS: Dawson Mollendor 7-yard run (Kick no good)
Fourth Quarter
CCS: Safety
Score by quarters:
CCS    0    0    6    2—8
VHS    0    6    0    0—6