By Jim Beers
CHESTER – The Chester High School Football YellowJacket’s phenomenal 2024 season came to an unfortunate end Saturday November 9 in Round 2 of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs.
The No. 7 YellowJackets traveled to No. 2 Maroa-Forsyth to take on the Trojans in a 2:30 matchup.
After a hearty game-day breakfast at Reid’s Harvest House and a grand send-off complete with a Chester Police and Randolph County Sheriff’s Office escort through town with sirens blaring, the team bus traveled north on Rt. 3 past the Chester Dairy Queen where Scott Rust and Jacket fans had gathered to see the hometown boys off on their 3-hour-plus drive to the contest site.
Kickoff was at 2:30 p.m. The Trojans scored two touchdowns in the first quarter to lead, 13-0 after one quarter of play. Khanton Wilson scored on a 12-yard run and Logan Cline kicked the extra-point to lead, 7-0. Ryne Sheppard then threw a 67-yard pass to give the Trojans a 13-0 lead. The two-point conversion failed and Maroa Forsyth closed the first quarter with a 13-0 lead.
The Jacket defense went to work in the second quarter and held the Trojans to just one score. Grant Smith scored a touchdown on a 32-yard pass from Ryne Sheppard to extend the Trojan lead to 19-0. Logan Cline kicked the extra-point to give the Trojans a 20-0 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was a lockdown as the YellowJackets and Trojans battled defensively throughout the 12-minutes to hold each other scoreless. The score remained 20-0 after three periods.
Down the stretch, Grant Smith, from Maroa-Forsyth, caught his second touchdown pass of the game from Ryne Sheppard to extend the Trojan lead to 26-0. The two-point conversion was successful this time to give Maroa-Forsyth a 28-0 lead.
To close out the game, Chester’s Kolton Jany scored on a touchdown pass from Chester quarterback Zain Al-Jassim. Karim Landeros kicked the extra-point and the YellowJackets broke the shut out to trail 28-7. That score would remain until the final buzzer with Maroa-Forsyth winning the second round game, 28-7, to advance to the “Elite Eight” of the 2024 Class 2A IHSA State Football layoffs.
The game was certainly NOT indicative of the score. The YellowJackets were deep into the Trojan’s territory at least four times but as senior Jack Heffernan, a 5-9”, 155 Lb. wide receiver said, “We just were not able to finish the last five yards of our drives in those situations!”
The Jackets also had a pair of touchdowns called back due to penalties. Those two TD’s, had they counted, would have definitely changed the momentum for both teams, positively on the Jacket’s side and negatively on the Trojan’s side.
In the loss, the YellowJackets ran a total of 56 plays. The Trojan’s ran 34. The Jackets accumulated 304 yards vs 227 for the Trojans. Chester had 202 passing yards. Maroa-Forsyth had only 160 air yards. The YellowJackets recorded 102 yards on the ground. The Trojans had just 67 yards rushing. CHS had eight first downs vs the Trojan’s six. On paper, Chester should have won the game.
Each team had two turnovers. CHS had two interceptions and Maroa-Forsyth had 1 interception and one fumble. Chester was called for seven penalties for a total of 38 yards while Maroa-Forsyth was called for only three penalties for a total of 28 yards.
In the passing category, Chester’s Zain Al-Jassim connected 18 times out of 37 attempts (49%) for a total of 202 yards, 1 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Maroa-Forsyth’s Ryne Sheppard completed 10-of-17 passes (59%) for a total of 160 yards, 3 TD’s, and 1 interception.
Key receivers for Chester included Kolton Jany (7 receptions for 107 yards and 1 touchdown); Devante Palacio (4 receptions for 37 yards); Tray Peters (1 reception for 8 yards); and Ethan Colvis (1 reception for 6 yards). Maroa-Forsyth had one key receiver, Grant Smith (3 receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns).
The YellowJackets ran the ball 37 times accumulating 102 yards rushing. Kolton Jany ran 21 times for 73 yards and one touchdown. Ethan Colvis ran eight times for 17 yards. Tray Peters ran twice for seven yards. Justin Hayman ran once for 4 yards, and Zain Al-Jassim ran five times for 1 yard. Khanton Wilson was the Trojan’s key runner with five carries for a total of 41 yards and their only rushing touchdown.
For the day, the YellowJackets recorded 23 solo tackles, eight tackle assists, and four tackles for a loss. Kolton Jany led the way with eight solos, 1 assist, and 1q Tackle for a loss (TFL). Other contributors included Ethan Colvis (4 solos and 1 TFL); Alex Williamson (3 solos and 1 TFL).; Alex Blechle (2 solos and 2 assists); Denis Vasquez (1 solo, 1 assist, and 1 TFL); Zain Eggemeyer (1 sols and 1 assist); Brenden Malley (1 solo and 1 assist); and Tray Peters, Devante Palacio, and Cayden Brunkhorst with 1 solo apiece. Tino Rafael, and TaShawn Palacio each had assists.
Maroa Forsyth was led by K. Mann who had eight solo tackles and 1 Tackle for a loss. G. Smith added 3 solos, and T, Jacobs had 2 solos and 2 assists.
Chester’s Brenden Malley and Nate Maes each had one interception apiece. CHS kicker Karim Landeros was perfect for the game with 1-for-1 kicking extra-points.
Coach Billy Belton said, “What a great season! I’m so proud of the boys and the way they played all season. I want to thank everyone for the awesome send-off this morning. The players loved it!”
“I also want to thank the entire community for all of their support throughout the 2024 season. They packed W.O. Smith Field for all home games. They created such a great atmosphere for all of the players. I always say that I get to coach in such a great football town.
”Finally, I want to thank the senior football players for such a great season. They did an amazing job and provided wonderful leadership. There are some special athletes in this class, but all of the seniors are great players, and most importantly they are fantastic teammates. I am very lucky to get to coach such great Kids!”
Chester finishes a great 2024 season with an overall 9-2 record. They were 8-1 in the regular season standings and were 5-0 in the Cahokia Conference Illinois Division. They won the Cahokia Conference Championship. In addition, the YellowJackets won the Randolph County Championship.
The Jackets made it to the Round 2, “Sweet-16” in 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs with a win over Westfield, 40-35, in Round 1 before falling to Maroa-Forsyth, 28-7 in Round 2.
2024 was a special year for YellowJacket Football!
YellowJacket fans await the arrival of the CHS football caravan to pass by the Chester Dairy Queen Saturday November 9. The team was on their way to Maroa-Forsyth for Round 2 of the 2024 IHSA State Football Playoffs. Jackets fans cheered and waved to the bus as it passed the Daury Queen with a police escort. Jim Beers Photo
The CHS YellowJacket Football Team received a police escort from the high school, through town, and past the Chester Dairy Queen Saturday November 9. The team and fans were on their way to Maroa-Forsyth to face the Trojans Round 2 of the IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs. Jim Beers Photo
Scott Rust, Owner and Manager of the Chester Dairy Queen, invited YellowJacket fans to line up in front of his Dairy Queen Saturday November 9 to give the team a great send-off as they passed by. The Jackets had a police escort out of town as they made the trip up Rt. 3 traveling to Marpa-Forsyth for the “Sweet-16” Round 2 football game. Rust offered FREE biscuits and gravy to all football fans until 9 a.m. following the send-off. Jim Beers Photo
Chester High School Secretary, Crystal Tindall, and her son Jase anxiously await the YellowJacket Football Team to pass by at the great Round 2 Playoff send-off at the Chester Dairy Queen Saturday November 9. The early morning send-off was arranged by Scott Rust at his Chester Dairy Queen. All Jacket fans in YellowJacket gear received FREE biscuits and gravy following the send-off. Jim Beers Photo
Chester High School senior, Kolton Jany (8) a 5’11”, 185 Lb., running back was the only YellowJacket player to score in the Round 2 IHSA State Class 2A Playoff game at Maroa-Forsyth. Jany scored in the 4th quarter on a pass from Zain Al-Jassim to give Chester its first six points. Karim Landeros kicked the extra-point, and the Jackets had seven points. In the 28-7 loss Jany ran 21 times for 73 yards. He also caught seven passes for 107 yards and 1 touchdown. Finally, he recorded 8 solo tackles, 1 tackle assist and 1 tackle for a loss. Jim Beers Photo
After eating a great breakfast at Reid’s Harvest House, the Chester High School Football YellowJacket loaded the charter bus for the more than 3-hour trip to Maroa-Forsyth. Chester played the Trojans in Round 2 of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs at 2:30 p.m. Jim Beers Photo