Chester frosh/soph get first win
CHRISTOPHER -- Christopher-Zeigler-Royalton freshman quarterback Bryce Pratt is probably tired of hearing Ian Reith's name.
Reith picked off three Pratt passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, and Tristin Hobeck made the game-saving play on a two-point conversion to give the Chester frosh/soph a 28-26 win over C-Z-R on Monday at Spann Field.
Combined with the Yellow Jacket frosh's loss to the Bearcats last Thursday, Reith has four interceptions and three pick-sixes in his past two games. He also intercepted a Pratt pass during an earlier two-point conversion attempt, but individual statistics are not counted in those situations.
Monday's contest began eerily similar to the freshman game too, with the Yellow Jackets getting an early 14-6 lead thanks to a 36-yard interception return by Reith and a 43-yard touchdown run by Hobeck.
Hobeck finished with a career-high 121 yards and two touchdowns, and broke up Pratt's two-point conversion pass attempt after C-Z-R scored with 1:57 remaining to pull within two.
The sophomore tailback's 9-yard run with 1:03 left before halftime gave the Yellow Jackets a 20-14 advantage at the break after the conversion failed.
Reith's third interception of the game, and the team's fourth overall, went for a 35-yard touchdown that increased Chester's lead to 28-14 after quarterback Erik Cowell ran in the conversion.
But C-Z-R would not go away. The Bearcats pulled within eight, 28-20, when Noah Hervey hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Pratt with six minutes remaining.
Getting the ball back after an Eathan Thompson fumble at the C-Z-R 44, the Bearcats marched down the field and scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Motsinger.
On the ensuing conversion attempt, Hobeck swatted away Pratt's pass intended for a C-Z-R receiver at the right corner of the end zone.
After Chester recovered C-Z-R's onside kick attempt, the Yellow Jackets advanced to the Bearcats 11, where they took the final knee to run out the clock to preserve their first win of the season.
Thompson finished with 61 yards rushing for Chester, while Ethen Eggemeyer added 10 yards on four carries. Cowell was 0-for-3 passing with no interceptions.
Defensively, Thompson led the Yellow Jackets with eight tackles, including one for loss. Eggemeyer had six, while Hobeck and Cowell had five each.
Ethan Rayburn had Chester's other interception, which he returned for 11 yards. Up next for the Yellow Jackets (1-5) is their final game of the season on Monday against Edwards County at W.O. Smith Field.
Kickoff is set for 6:15 p.m.