Chester improves to 5-0, 5-3 to secure IHSA Class 2A Football Playoff bid
By Jim Beers, Contributing Writer
CHESTER – Friday October 14 was Chester’s final regular-season home football game and what a game it was! The Yellow Jackets beat Red Bud in a knock-down-drag-out game that was decided in the final 3:28 of the 4th quarter when Chester’s Nate Heuer recovered a Musketeer fumble and ran it back for a touchdown to give Chester the lead.
It was also “Senior Night” at W.O. Smith Field at CHS and during pre-game festivities, all fall sports athletes were honored in a special ceremony.
The Jackets were able to hold on to a 12-7 lead until the final buzzer when W.O. Smith Field erupted into a wholesome celebration to praise the YellowJackets for a game well played. Fans from both Chester and Red Bud praised both teams for demonstrating good sportsmanship and competing right up till the end.
With the win, Chester improved to an overall record of 5-3. After losing the first three games of the season to three really good teams, the Jackets have won 5-in-a-row and have finished the 2022 Cahokia Conference season undefeated with a 5-0 record.
Both Red Bud and Chester came into this final Cahokia Conference contest of the year with identical 4-0 records. This matchup was a tie-breaker and a conference championship determiner. With the win, Chester claimed the Cahokia Conference Championship for the second year-in-a-row, and earned them a spot in the 2022 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs.
Chester 12-Red Bud 7
The YellowJackets and Musketeers had a defensive stalemate in the first quarter with neither team scoring in the opening period. Chester 0-Red Bud 0.
In the second quarter Chester scored the first touchdown of the game when sophomore quarterback Zain Al-Jassim found sophomore receiver Davante Palacio open for a 10-yard touchdown pass at the 4:34 mark to give Chester 6 points.
As has been the common occurrence as of late, the Jackets failed to successfully complete the 2-point conversion. That could have come back to haunt Chester in the end, but fortunately it didn’t! The Jackets lead Red Bud, 6-0.
The remainder of the second quarter was a lock with both defenses holding strong to keep the other from scoring. At halftime, Chester lead, 6-0.
The 3rd Quarter continued to be a defensive battle with both teams holding the other scoreless until the 7:59 mark when Red Bud managed to run it in from the 1-yard line. The extra point kick was good and the Musketeers took their first and only lead of the game, 7-6.
The rest of the third quarter was a deadlock with neither the YellowJackets nor the Musketeers able to score. Red Bud held the slim 1-point lead, 7-6, heading into the final period.
The final 12:00 was exciting and thrilling. Red Bud was able to defend its slim lead right up to the end of the 4th quarter and appeared as if they might even extend the lead with just 3:28 remaining in the game.
The Musketeers orchestrated a very nice and effective drive all the way to the 8-yard line and many fans on both sides of the field thought that Red Bud was going to score to extend its lead another six points.
The YellowJacket defense had other ideas, however, as on the next play, they forced a fumble and Chester’s Nate Heuer, a 6’0”, 200 lb. junior defensive lineman, recovered the fumble and returned it 92 yards for a Chester touchdown with 3:20 to play. Guess what, the 2-point conversion failed, but the YellowJackets regained their lead, 12-7 and vowed to hold the Musketeers the rest of the game!
With 3:20 to play in the game, the Jackets kicked off to the Musketeers and on the play, the Musketeers bobbled the ball and Chester’s Nate Maes recovered the fumble to regain possession.
On Chester’s first series of plays the Jackets earned a 1st-and-ten and were able to run the clock out for the win! Final score, Chester 12-Red Bud 7.
In the victory the YellowJackets ran 60 plays and Red Bud ran 53. CHS recorded 204 yards, 92 yards in the air and 112 on the ground. The Musketeers had 169 yards, 98 passing and 71 rushing.
Chester recorded 12 first downs and Red Bud had 11 first downs. The Jackets were 4-of-13 on 3rd down efficiency (31%) and The Musketeers were 3-of-11 (27%). On 4th downs CHS was 2-of-6 (33%) while Red Bud was 2-of-5 (40%).
In the win a potential key to the YellowJacket’s victory was the fact that they did not have any turnovers! On the other hand, a key factor in the Red Bud loss was the fact that the Musketeers DID commit two major turnovers, both in the final 3:20 of the game. Both were fumbles.
The first fumble lead to Chester’s Nate Heuer recovery and his subsequent 92-yard return for the touchdown that gave Chester the 12-7 lead. The second fumble was just seconds later, on the Chester kickoff. Red Bud couldn’t handle the ball and fumbled. Chester sophomore Nate Maes recovered the ball, ending Red Bud’s hopes of another score.
Neither team had any interceptions. Chester did commit 4 penalties for a total of 36 yards and Red Bud committed 5 penalties for a total of 40 yards.
In the win, Chester’s Zain Al-Jassim completed 8-of-14 passes for a total of 92 yards and 1 touchdown. Red Bud threw 7 passes and completed 15 for 98 yards and no touchdowns.
Chester rushed for 112 yards led by Kolton Jany, a sophomore, who ran 13 times for 58 yards and senior Will Schuwerk ran 19 times for 53 yards.
Red Bud was paced by L. Schwartzkopf who ran 7 times for 40 yards and N. Gantner who ran 12 times for 28 yards.
The Jackets’ quarterback, Zain Al-Jassim, completed 8 of 14 passes (57.1%) for a total of 92 yards. On the receiving end of those passes Davante Palacio caught 5 passes for a total of 59 yards and 1 of Chester’s two touchdowns. Korbin Jany caught 1 pass for 18 yards and Gage Hopkins caught 1 pass for 11 yards.
The Musketeers completed 7-of-15 passes (46.6%) for a total of 98 yards lead by L. Schwartzkopf who had 1 catch for 27 yards. N. Gantner had 1 catch for 17 yards.
CHS senior, Shane Bicket (72) has been a key element in the YellowJacket defense all season long. The 6’1″, 245 lb. defensive lineman played a key role in the win against Red Bud with 3 solo tackles, 2 tackle assists, 1 sack of the Red Bud quarterback and 2 tackles for a loss. His defensive efforts helped the Jacket defense hold the Musketeers to just 7 points. CHS won the game, 12-7, and earned the title of Cahokia Conference Champion for the second year-on-a-row. Jim Beers Photo
The Orange Crush defense was tough all night with 21 solo tackles, 40 tackle assists, two sacks, and 7 tackles for a loss. Shane Bicket recorded 3 solo tackles, 2 tackle assists, 1 sack and 1 tackle for a loss. Will Schuwerk had 2 solos, and 3 assists.
Gage Hopkins recorded 2 solos and 7 assists. Matt James had 2 solos, 3 assists, and 2 tackles for a loss. Garret Hopkins recorded 2 solos, 3 assists, and 1 tackle for a loss. Trent Eggemeyer had 2 solo tackles, 2 tackle assists, 1 sack and 1 tackle for a loss.
The Musketeers recorded 26 solo tackles, 24 tackle assists, no sacks and just 3 tackles for a loss. C. Lucht led with 4 solo tackles and 1 tackle assist. Nate Gantner had 2 solos, 5 assists, and 1 tackle for a loss. T. Wagner contributed 2 solos and 2 assists.
Chester’s Nate Heuer had a key fumble recovery and 1 touchdown. Nate Maes had another key fumble recovery.
With the win, Chester improves to 5-3 overall and undefeated in the Cahokia Conference at 5-0. That record earned them the title of Cahokia Conference Champions in back-to-back years, 2021 and 2022. The conference championship also earned the Jackets an automatic bid in the 2022 IHSA State Football Playoffs.
The YellowJackets will close out the 2022 regular season this Saturday October 22 when they travel all the way to Tremont, Illinois to play the Pearl City High School Wolves. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. at the Tremont neutral site.
Pearl City is in the northern part of the state located in Stephenson County. They have a population of 838 which is up from 780 in the year 2000. Their location is near Rockford, Illinois, almost 6-and-a-half hours away from Chester.
Due to the great distance from Chester both teams are traveling halfway to Tremont, Illinois which is approximately 180 miles from Chester. The drive is about halfway for both teams. It will take the Jackets approximately 3-and-a-half hours.
Pearl City High School is a Consolidated School District # 200. The Wolves will be playing their final regular season game of 2022 against Chester. They currently have an overall record of 2-6. They are 1-1 at home and 1-5 on the road.
They lost at Lena-Winslow, 60-6; lost to Stockton, 26-6 at home; lost 34-21 at Forreston; lost, 43-0 at Durand; won, 40-36 at home against Dakota; lost at Galena, 7-6; won 61-0 at West Carroll (Savanna); and lost at Fulton 35-14.
CHS Head Coach, Billy Belton said, “Our boys played with passion. This us a great team! I am very proud of these boys. They play with heath and good character. The senior leadership on this team had been fantastic. Both Chester and Red Bud have rather young teams. They are both talented and will create a healthy rivalry in years to come!”