Longhorns heading to Ord for playoff

    Although last Friday’s game against Valentine could have went better, the Chase County football team is in the Class C2 playoffs.
    CCS is the 15th seed and will travel to second-seeded Ord  (8-1) this Friday. Friday’s game is slated for a 6 p.m. MT start.
    CCS Head Coach Nathan Gaswick said Ord possesses a well balanced team in all three phases.
    “Their offensive and defensive line are one of their greatest strengths and all of their skill positions are quality players. This will require a tremendous effort from our players and we are excited to get the opportunity to play in Week 10,” he said.
    Ord’s only loss on the season was a 14-35 loss to third seeded Norfolk Catholic Sept. 2.
    Teams on Chase County’s schedule that also made the playoffs are Mitchell, the fifth seed, Gordon-Rushville, the eighth seed, and Valentine, the 16th seed. Amherst and Wood River finished 17th and 18th, respectively. Sidney was 17th in Class C1.
    CCS headed into last week’s homecoming game against Valentine knowing the Badgers would play tough and the Longhorns were going to get everything they had, Gaswick said.
    “They had playoff hopes on the line and because of the win on Friday they were able to get in as the #16 seed. We had to have some things go our way including Sidney and Amherst winning which gave us a big boost in points to jump into the #15 seed,” Gaswick said, adding he finds it interesting that Chase County’s C2-7 district composes 25% of the Class C2 playoff field.
    “I believe this just demonstrates the strength of the district and the quality of opponents that we get to see during district play. Personally, I will be cheering for all our district opponents to do well and to represent the western side of the state,” Gaswick said.
    The Longhorns lost their homecoming game against Valentine 0-20.
    Neither team found much success moving the ball in the first quarter. CCS had a drive stall at the Valentine 22-yard line early in the second quarter. The Badgers took over after a Longhorn pass fell incomplete on fourth down and drove down the field for a touchdown. Gaswick said a critical play in the game was Valentine’s conversion of fourth and 17.
    CCS fell behind 0-14 when Valentine scored on its first possession of the second half.
    The Longhorns had their chances in the third quarter, but two turnovers, one at the Badgers’ two yard line and one at Valentine’s 28 yard line, stalled promising drives.
    All in all, each of Chase County’s four second half possessions ended in turnovers.
    “As we have experienced multiple times throughout the season, we often were our own worst enemy on Friday night. We struggled to move the ball consistently and simply could not get into a rhythm. When we were able to find success offensively it often ended with penalties, dropped balls, or turnovers,” Gaswick said.
    Valentine brought 22 players into the contest. Gaswick said, with 10-11 seniors on the field almost every snap, you could sense Valentine’s poise and experience as they slowly and methodically put sustained drives together late in the game.
    “They found success on the ground late in the game and our defense struggled to win the battle in the box,” Gaswick added.