Yellow Jackets come up short against Eldorado
EDITOR'S NOTE: See more photos of the game in our photos section.
<span>ELDORADO -- What's past is now present for the Eldorado football team.</span>
<span>Trey Vessel ran for 103 yards and four touchdowns, and Payton Price added 161 yards and a score to help give the No. 10 Eagles a 40-36 win over No. 9 Chester on Friday at Boz Adams Field.</span>
<span>"We came out ready to play football, that's a fact," said Chester coach Jeremy Blechle. "We scored a lot of points and unfortunately - I'm taking this one on my shoulders - we couldn't stop them defensively.</span>
<span>"I'm the D-coordinator, I'm the head coach, it's my job and I feel I failed that (Friday)."</span>
<span>The victory capped Eldorado's first undefeated regular season since 1957 and only the third in program history. The Eagles also won their first conference title since 1974.</span>
<span>"It just means a ton for everybody that's involved," said Eldorado coach Brandon Hampton. "Credit goes to your seniors because you win with seniors.</span>
<span>"I had a very good coach tell me that a long time ago and he's right. Our seniors stepped up and got the job done (Friday), but this was a history-making night for us."</span>
<span>Chester had the ball at the Eldorado 17 with 14.4 seconds left. With Hampton screaming at his defense for somebody to be a hero, Eldorado got one.</span>
<span>With 6-foot-6 Yellow Jacket standout Jordan Berner on the sideline after being shaken up on Chester's previous play, Chester sophomore quarterback Curt Meyer dropped back to pass looking for junior receiver Savion Smith.</span>
<span>But Eldorado's Tyler Gass snuck in from the blind side and flushed Meyer from the pocket, stripping the ball for a game-clinching fumble that was recovered by Eagle Logan Bowen.</span>
<span>"Logan Bowen made a tremendous play, Tyler Gass got pressure (and) we caught a break with the big man being out," Hampton said. "Tyler Gass got the ball on the ground, Bowen jumped on it and the rest is history."</span>
<span>The game resembled a heavyweight fight, with each team responding to the offense of the other. The lead changed seven times, with Eldorado getting the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run by Vessel with 1:58 remaining.</span>
<span>Vessel also had touchdown runs of 2, 1 and 4 yards for the Eagles, who trailed 22-20 at halftime, and 28-26 after three quarters.</span>
<span>Chester took its final lead of the game, 36-34, on a 23-yard touchdown run by Demontae Martin - with Berner adding the conversion - with 7:49 left.</span>
<span>"There are no shortcuts," Hampton said. "We won this football game because we blocked and tackled better and I'm extremely happy for our community.</span>
<span>"It was a total team effort between our administration, our community and our players and coaches. I'm happy for all those people."</span>
<span>Adam Ninness went 3-for-6 for 105 yards and a 60-yard touchdown to Drew Woolcott that accounted for Eldorado's first score of the game. The Eagles compiled 471 yards of offense, while Chester finished with 413.</span>
<span>The Yellow Jacket defense has now given up 914 yards of offense the past two weeks, both against opponents ranked by The Associated Press. Chester finishes the regular season 7-2 and is hoping to catch a break by the IHSA on its playoff scheduling.</span>
<span>"Up front, we need to get back to the drawing board and figure some things out," Blechle said.</span>
<span>Hampton said his team would not have a "watch party" tonight.</span>
<span>"What we'll do is we'll get together on Sunday," he said. "We'll get together as a staff (today) and when that announcement comes out, we'll quickly get to work on the opponent.</span>
<span>"We'll present the plan to our kids on Sunday at 4 p.m. and I feel like our best football is ahead of us."</span>
<span>Blechle is also giving his team the night off.</span>
<span>"We had a lot of kids with other obligations and I kinda put it in their court and mine," Blechle said. "I know it's a big thing at some schools, but I don't a chance to see my family very much and I feel like I owe them a little bit of time and that's the message I gave (the players) in 'Go home and spend some time with family and loved ones.'"</span>
<span>Offensively for Chester, Blake Eggemeyer finished with 43 yards on 12 carries with two touchdowns.</span>
<span>Chris Lang added 54 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving, hauling in a 51-yard pass from Meyer to give the Yellow Jackets their two-point halftime advantage.</span>
<span>Berner had 91 yards receiving and 47 yards rushing to go along with 19 tackles on defense.</span>