By Rob Everingham
They met in the state Class C final last year in eight-man football, and again last night with the same result; Chester won. The Coyotes used a strong defense to hold the Power Pirates scoreless in all but the first quarter as Chester rolled to the 20-8 victory.
Power found the end zone only once and it came in the first quarter as they jumped to an early 8-0 lead. Chester answered in the first as Brian Schlepp caught a two-yard pass from Jeff Graham for the score. Schlepp also caught the two-point conversion pass thrown by Brad Oraw. At the end of one, the game was knotted-up at eight.
In the second, Chester scored once. Again it was the connection of Schlepp and Oraw for the score. The point after was no good, leaving Chester on top 14-8 at the half.
The Coyotes final score came in the third quarter as Graham kept the ball and ran it in from just a yard out. Chester failed on their two-point conversion and led 20-8, where the game would stay.
Chesters Sean Weinert rushed for 105 yards.
It was the other Class C State football champ from last year, Blue Sky (4-0) playing host to close rival J-I (2-2). It was the Eagles escaping with a 18-18 win.
The Eagles did their damage in the first quarter as they scored twice. The first was a 14-yard run by back Dain Petersen and the second a three-yard run by Eric Marshall. The Eagles missed both a two-point kick and a conversion to leave them up 12-0.
It was the Rams who got on the board first in the second quarter as Eric Sundgren rumbled five yards for the score. Blue Sky answered as Marshall again found the end zone, this time on a two-yard running play. At the half it was the Eagles on top 18-6.
J-I scored twice in the third quarter as Jeremy May returned a punt 55 yards for a score and Sundgren caught a seven-yard pass from Jeremiah Johnson to tie the game at 18-18 in the third quarter. Blue Sky answered in the third as Marshall got the hat trick by running the ball in from the five-yard line.
In the fourth it was all Eagles as Petersen also scored his second and third touchdowns of the game on two three-yard runs.
J-I has a bye this weekend but then face Rocky Boy, Geraldine, Highwood and Brady in the second half of the season.
Rocky Boy got their first win of the 1999 season as they beat Geyser 68-38.
The Stars got on the board first on a 10-yard Brian Lamere run. Darrell Sunhchild scored the next Rocky Boy touchdown as he ran in from seven yards out. This was the first of five touchdowns by Sunchild in the game. Also scoring for the Stars was Bobby Capleyye and Carlos Sutherland both on the ground. Nate Meysers and Virgil Bigknife also scored running touchdowns to lift Rocky Boy to their first win of the season.
The Thunderbirds of Hays-Lodgepole got slammed by Belt, 56-6 on Saturday.
Hays-Lodgepoles only touchdown came in the first quarter as Casey Martin caught a 42-yard pass from Lance Brockie.
