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Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008

Chester 27, Daniel 24

CENTRAL — It was the defining moment in the Chester Cyclones’ football season.

Leading 27-24 with 56 seconds remaining, Chester faced a fourth and 2 at their own 2-yard line.

Daniel had just called its final timeout and only two yards stood between Chester and a return trip to the Class AAA state championship game.

“The coach asked us what we wanted to do and the offensive line chose to go for it,” Chester’s Julius Pendergrass said.

Instead of punting deep in their own territory, the Cyclones ran behind their dominating offensive line and Pendergrass ran for three tough yards for the first down. That triggered the Cyclones celebration with a thrilling 27-24 road victory in the final game at Daniel’s Singleton Stadium.

“I thought our offensive line was dominating,” Chester coach Maurice Flowers said. “They were doing a good job blocking Daniel’s linebackers and defensive linemen. So at that time I believed in our players.”

The decision was made in large part because of Chester’s dominance in the trenches. Noted for its explosive passing attack, Chester did most of its damage on the ground with 251 yards and three touchdowns, all scored by Pendergrass. The sophomore was a workhorse with 156 yards on 22 carries.

“When I ran the ball, the only thing I could think of was getting to Clemson (University, site of next week’s Class AAA state championship game). I just wanted to do this for our seniors,” he said.

Flowers said the Chester offense found its rhythm behind the offensive line.

Chester led 7-3 at the half when quarterback Tony McNeal found Jeremy Hughes for a 11-yard touchdown strike, 9 seconds before halftime.

Daniel regained momentum when Gerrard Williams returned the second-half kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.

Following a McNeal interception at the Chester 12, the Lions took a 10-point lead when Brandon Anderson ran for a 5-yard score with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

However, that is when Pendergrass went to work. He gained 57 yards on five carries to get inside the Lions 10. He then capped the drive with a 5-yard scoring run at the 3:15 mark in the third period.

Chester then forced a Daniel fumble at the Lions’ 20 and Pendergrass broke two tackles on his way to a 15-yard touchdown to give Chester a 20-17 lead.

Daniel bounced back with a 10-play, 67-yard drive which ended with quarterback Justin Walker finding Deandre Hopkins with a 12-yard scoring pass with 9:15 remaining.

Chester took over at its own 14 and went on a nine-play, 86-yard drive. McNeal found Hughes with a 23-yard pass to the Lions’ 19, setting up Pendergrass for his third touchdown run, a 9-yarder for the 27-24 lead.

On Daniel’s final possession, the Lions drove inside the Cyclones’ 30-yard line, but a fourth-down pass was incomplete, giving the ball back to Chester. The Cyclones ran out the clock for the victory.

CHESTER 27, DANIEL 24

Chester.....0.....7.....13.....7.....—.....27

Daniel.....0.....3.....14.....7.....—.....24

SCORING SUMMARY

D — Logan Howard 26 field goal

C — Jeremy Hughes 11 pass from Tony McNeal (Marshall Whitesides kick)

THIRD QUARTER

D — Gerrard Williams 85 kickoff return (Howard kick)

D — Brandon Anderson 5 run (Howard kick)

C — Julius Pendergrass 5 run (Whitesides kick)

C — Pendergrass 15 run (kick failed)

D — Deandre Hopkins 12 pass from Justin Walker (Howard kick)

C — Pendergrass 9 run (Whitesides kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

.....CHS.....DHS

First downs.....22.....14

Rushes-yards.....51-251.....29-153

Comp-Att-Int .....11-23-1.....13-18-0

Passing yards.....125.....129

Fumbles-lost.....1-0.....1-1

Penalties-yards.....8-73.....10-70

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Chester: Brant Minter 11-55, Tony McNeal 3-8, DJ Dixon 5-32, Julius Pendergrass 22-156. Daniel: Michael Wingard 7-86, Justin Walker 9-16, Brandon Anderson 13-51

PASSING — Chester : McNeal 11-23-1-125. Daniel : Walker 13-18-129

RECEIVING — Chester : Deon Strong 3-40, Jeremy Hughes 5-59, Bobby Kelly 3-25. Daniel : Antonio Cannon 2-11, Marcus Greenlee 3-35, Deandre Hopkins 7-65, Frederick Williams 1-7

RECORDS — Chester 11-3; Daniel 13-1