Yellow Jackets hitting stride with third straight win, 49-7 over Trenton-Wesclin
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Chester Yellow Jackets maintained their undefeated season Friday evening, kicking off the 30th annual Popeye Picnic weekend with a non-stop display of offensive and defensive skill over the Wesclin Warriors. The pieces seem to be falling into place for the varsity squad as Head Coach Bryan Lee attributes the teamís success to ìbetter positioning, making minor adjustments,î and the utilization of his players. Coach Lee also acknowledged that ìthere were fewer turnovers in tonightís game and ball security was much improved. The boys are definitely a little bruised, but I donít think we set up for a single third down in the first half of the game.î
Indeed, the opening half of Fridayís game was a sight to see. With 8:35 in the first quarter, the Yellow Jackets were making their first touchdown drive into Warrior territory. Junior Justin Eggemeyer quickly recovered a Chester fumble in the end zone, and after a wide kick, led the Warriors 6-0. As Wesclin took over possession, a missed snap had them retreating from the Jacket defense lead by senior Tim Sullins, who made the tackle on the play. As the Yellow Jackets took over, junior Danny Roth sped into the end zone on the first play for a 22-yard touchdown run. After a second missed kick, the Jackets lead 12-0 with 5:50 left in the first quarter.
Seconds later, on Wesclinís kick return, a fumble would put Chester right back in reach of the Warrior end zone starting their drive at the 27 yard line. A first down would put the Jackets at the 14 yard line before Sullins fought his way into the end zone for the Yellow Jackets third touchdown of the first quarter. Chester would opt for the two-point conversion as senior quarterback Aaron Grah connected with fellow senior Carlo Marconi, closing out the first quarter with a 20-0 lead over the Wesclin Warriors.
As the second quarter began, the Warriors had moved into Jacket territory with the help of a face masking call and encroachment penalty. After a 1st and 10 measurement at the 27 yard line, the Warriors found room for a 21-yard run to bring up first and goal at the 4 yard line. Wesclin scored their only touchdown of the evening, followed by a successful extra point kick to bring the score to 20-7 with 11:19 left in the second quarter.
McMullin received the kick for the Yellow Jackets, bouncing off tackles to start 1st and 10 at the 30 yard line. Chester quickly fumbled for their second and final time of the evening to give possession to the Warriors. However, on Wesclinís 2nd and 7, with the Jacket defense fired up, McMullin pulled off a diving interception to get the ball right back into the hands of the Jacket offense. What followed was a series of first down rushes into Warrior territory in the hands of juniors Danny Roth and John Baughman. The ground attack ended with a 19-yard, open-range carry by Isaac McMullin to increase the Jacket lead to 26-7.
Surprisingly, after a kickoff and subsequent re-kick, Chester was able to recover the ball at the Wesclin 40 yard line. A holding call on the Yellow Jackets brought up 2nd and 13, but junior quarterback Zach Lochhead connected with sophomore Clint Cole for a 14-yard, first down pass. Junior Justin Eggemeyer and Tim Sullins kept the Warrior defense guessing as they moved down the field with McMullin scoring his second touchdown of the game on a 4-yard carry, putting a stiff arm to the face of the Wesclin defense with 32-7 on the board.
With four minutes left in the first half, the Yellow Jackets were not done setting their mark on the field. After a struggled series for the Wesclin offense, a punt attempt would be blocked by Tim Sullins, who went after the ricochet and recovered the ball for the Jackets on the one yard line. It seemed only fitting that Sullins would also push for the final touchdown of the first half with a 1-yard rush and 39-7 lead over the Warriors.
The Jackets would continue to dominate the second half of the game as well. Only seconds into the third quarter, Clint Cole would manage a 21-yard, first down run followed by a tremendous 62-yard touchdown run. Lochhead would easily hit Marconi for the conversion and bring the lead to 47-7. Chester would manage over 350 total yards offensively with 19 first downs while holding Wesclin to only 72 yards. Coach Lee has regularly commented that the strength of this varsity squad is ìthe chemistry of the players. This group of boys come from all walks of life, but all play as Chester Yellow Jackets.î Clearly the team chemistry has produced an excellent season for the Yellow Jackets so far as they look toward next weekís game against Nashville.
ìYouíre never 100 percent sure if your team is prepared; itís never a masterpiece, but weíre getting to where we need to be,î Coach Lee said about the seasonís progress. As Chester prepares to face the Nashville Hornets, and the start of conference play, Leeís players understand the message that ìnext week will be a statement game.î The Yellow Jackets kept their playoff hopes alive last season, beating the Hornets 26-6 at W.O. Smith Field, but this year will travel to Nashville, who is also coming off a 59-14 win over West Frankfort. Kickoff will be at 7:00pm.