Jackets will travel to Maroa-Forsyth this Saturday November 9 to face the Trojans at 2:30 p.m.
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – The Chester High School YellowJacket Football Team outlasted a very good Westville Tiger Football Team last Saturday November 2 to advance to the “Sweet-16” of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs.
When the payoffs started Friday November 1, there were 32 teams that made it to the 2024 State Playoffs in Class 2A. After the first round of games Friday and Saturday November 1st and 2nd, only 16 teams survived to vie for the title of 2024 Class 2A Champions.
To get to the “Sweet-16” the YellowJackets had to eliminate Westville in a 3:00 p.m. standoff at Chester High School’s W.O. Smith Field. The game was very close and competitive, but No. 7 Chester defeated No. 10 Westville, 40-35, to advance to Round No. 2.
The game saw a total of 11 touchdowns, six for Chester and five for Westville. The Tigers scored first to enjoy a 7-0 lead after just one minute of play. The Jackets scored 3-of-the-next-4 touchdowns to take a 28-14 lead at the 7:22 mark of the second quarter. There would be two more touchdowns before the end of the second quarter, one for the Tigers and one for the Jackets. Chester led, 34-21 at halftime.
Chester opened the second half with its 6th and final touchdown of the game to lead by 19 points, 40-21. Just when it looked as if CHS was going to run away with the game, Westville scored back-to-back touchdowns to finish the 3rd quarter and cut Chester’s lead to only five points, 40-35.
The final quarter was a defensive battle with lots of close calls and near misses on offense, neither team able to score. At the final buzzer, Chester had the win, 40-35.
Westville won the coin toss and elected to receive to start the game (10:56). Their decision paid off as they scored just over one minute into the game with a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Easton Bolin to his “cracker-Jack” running back, Ja’Den Whorral. Kicker Elijah Jones made the extra-point and the Tigers led, 7-0.
Eight plays and one first down later, Chester answered with a touchdown of its own on a 5-yard touchdown run by Kolton Jany. Karim Landeros missed his extra-point attempt and the Jackets trailed by just one point, 7-6 (7:20).
Chester’s defense held Westville to four-and-out one the Tiger’s next possession and forced a punt (5:35).
Chester returned the punt to their own 41 yard line to start the next possession. Four plays later, the YellowJackets stung the Tigers again for their second touchdown on a 56-yard pass from quarterback Zain Al-Jassim to Ethan Colvis. Karim Landeros drained his extra-point attempt and the Jackets took a 13-7 lead (4:16).
With that TD pass, Al-Jassim broke the CHS single-season touchdown record completing his 24th touchdown pass of 2024. The previous record was set by Nick Meyer in 2018 with 22 single-season touchdown passes. Zain further set another single-season passing yardage record. He set a career-high 1,825 yards last season in 2023 and now has 1,964 career passing yards.
On Westville’s next possession, the Jacket defense, led by Ethan Colvis (huge tackle), Devante Palacio (huge tackle), and a quarterback rush/tackle by Colvis, caused Tiger coach, Guy Goodlove, to call a time out to re-group with the Tigers facing 3-and-9. On the next play following the time out, Tiger, Lincoln Cravens, caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Easton Bolin and Elijah Jones kicked the extra-point. Westville re-took the lead, 14-13 (29.2 seconds).
To end the 1st quarter, the YellowJackets achieved back-to-back first downs on great runs by Kolton Jany and a good run by Tray Peters. As the buzzer sounded to end the 1st period, Westville had a very slim 1-point lead, 14-13 over Chester.
Chester had the ball to start the second quarter facing 2-and-goal. On the first play from scrimmage Devante Palacio caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Zain Al-Jassim and Kolton Jany ran for a successful 2-point conversion. Chester re-took the lead, 21-14 in just 7 seconds time (11:53).
Westville began its next possession at their own 29 yard line. The Jacket defensive unit fought hard and made great plays by Nate Maes, Jack Heffernan, Alex Williams, and Lannin Caron. The Tigers managed to work the ball to the Chester 38 yard line when the Jacket defense sacked quarterback Easton Bolin for an 11-yard loss taking the ball back to the Chester 49 yard line. Facing 3-and-27, Coach Goodlove called another time out.
Following the time out (7:44), Chester’s Ethan Colvis intercepted an Easton Bolin pass and ran 55 yards for Chester’s 4th touchdown on a “pick-6”. Karim Landeros kicked his second extra-point of the game and the YellowJackets extended their lead to 14 points, 28-14 (7:22).
On the ensuing kickoff, Westville’s Jack Ister returned the ball to Chester’s 43 yard line. A good run by Easton Barney and a Chester face mask penalty put the Tigers on Chester’s 7 yard line. On the next play, Westville’s work horse running back, Ja’Den Whorral, scored on a 7-yard touchdown run. Elijah Jones kicked the extra-point and the Tigers were within seven points of catching the YellowJackets, 28-21 (6:10).
The afternoon of big plays continued on Chester’s next possession when Tray Peters returned the kickoff to the Chester 38 yard line. Two plays later Peters ran the ball 61 yards for Chester’s 5th touchdown of the day. The extra-point kick failed, but the YellowJackets extended their lead to 13 points, 34-21 (5:23).
Good defensive plays by Alex Williams, Devante Palacio, and Zane Eggemeyer forced Westville Head Coach, Guy Goodlove to call yet another time out with 2:14 to play in the 1st half. Facing 3-and-14, Chester’s Denis Vasquez, Ethan Colvis, and Kolton Jany made a huge stop putting the Tigers at their own 40 yard line facing 4-and-14.
Coach Goodlove took a huge risk and went for it on 4-and-14. On the play, Chester’s Devante Palacio intercepted an Easton Bolin pass with just 1:57 remaining in the 1st half.
Chester took over for the final 1:57. On the first play from scrimmage, the Jackets were thrown for a 4-yard loss. Facing 2-and-14, the Jackets lost six more yards and faced 3-and-20 with 1:13 to play. An unsuccessful pass to Kolton Jany put CHS at 4-and-20 (1:07), however an off-sides Tiger penalty gave the Jackets 5 yards and they then faced 4-and 15.
Westville coach, Guy Goodlove, came onto the field to argue the previous call with the referee and got out of control. He was called for an additional 15-yard unsportsman-like penalty with 1:02 left in the half. Five plays later the clock ran out and Chester took a 34-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Chester received the opening kickoff to start the second half. Five plays later, Tray Peters scored the YellowJacket’s 6th and final touchdown of the game on a 15-yard run. The 2-point conversion failed, but CHS made quick work of extending its lead to the biggest of the entire game at 19 points, 40-21. (10:18).
Westville also came into the second half with a vengeance. They began at the 10:00 mark at their own 10 yard line. They then used the next six minutes to achieve four first downs and move the ball all the way to Chester’s 12 yards line.
On the 13th play of the possession the Tigers scored their 4th touchdown of the game on a 12-yard pass from Easton Bolin to Lincoln Cravens. It was their 7th possession of the game. Elijah Jones stayed perfect with his kicking skills as he drained his 4th extra-point of the game. Westville was then within 12 points of catching Chester, 40-28 (3:29).
The Tiger defense held Chester to 4-and-out on its next possession forcing a YellowJacket punt (2:36). Westville saw the light at the end of the tunnel and appeared to have new hope, and a sense of confidence seemed to take over the Tiger demeanor.
Westville began its next possession with 2:29 left in the 3rd quarter with a kickoff return to the 50 yard line. Seven plays and two first downs later, the Tiger star running back, Ja’Den Whorral, (their most dangerous weapon), scored his third touchdown of the game to get the Tigers within six points of CHS, 40-34. Elijah Jones kicked his 5th extra-point of the game to stay perfect and Westville trailed by only five points, 40-35, with just 14-seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter.
On the kickoff the Tigers kicked into the end zone. Chester began their possession at the 20-yard line and ran one play before the horn sounded to end the 3rd quarter leading by just five points, 40-35.
To start the 4th and final quarter, Chester picked up where they left off at the end of the 3rd quarter. Ethan Colvis took the ball to the 35 yard line. Kolton Jany ran for yardage and Tray Peters took the Jackets to the CHS 47 yard line for a first down (10:19).
Justin Hayman caught a pass for 5-yards and it seemed as if the Jackets might orchestrate another TD. The drive stalled at the Westville 49 yard line after Chester a false-start penalty. Facing 4-and 6, the Tigers forced the Jackets to punt (8:32).
Westville took over at their own 15 yard line. A good Ja’Den Whorral run, a Lincoln Craven’s pass play, and a Landon Coon run, gave the Tigers three first downs and a trip to their 40 yard line (7:09).
Chester’s defense then kicked in and began the” huge” defensive stands that kept them in the lead to finish then game. After quarterback Easton Bolin ran a QB Keeper for a first down, Chester’s Kolton Jany, and Ethan Colvis put a stop to the Tiger advancement.
A false start penalty and key defensive plays by Justin Hayman and Cayden Brunkhorst had the Tigers on the ropes. Facing 4-and-19, Coach Guy Goodlove tried another desperate attempt to gain a first down. Chester’s Brenden Malley said “NO WAY” and broke up the pass play forcing a Westville turnover on downs (3:59).
The Jackets had the ball for the final 3:55 and managed to orchestrate three-first-downs that burned clock and took the ball to the Westville 12 yard line.
Chester left the field with quarterback Zain Al-Jassim taking a knee and allowing the clock to run out. Both teams were already forming the post-game congratulations line as the final seconds clicked off of the clock. Chester won a hard-fought game, 40-35, to advance to Round 2 of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs.
In the win, Chester ran 54 plays. Westville ran 72. CHS racked-up 400 total yards, 203 passing and 197 on the ground. Westville had 408 total yards, 252 passing and 156 rushing. The Jackets had 17 first downs. The Tigers had 24 first downs.
Chester was 5-8 on 3rd downs (63%) and 0-0 on 4th down (0%). Westville was 5-10 on third downs (50%) and 1-3 on 4th downs (33%). The YellowJackets committed 1 turnover (interception) and The Tigers turned the ball over twice, both interceptions. Both teams committed 11 penalties (Chester for 102 yards) and (Westville for 73 yards).
Chester’s Zain Al-Jassim connected on 12-of-20 passing attempts for 199 yards (60%) while Easton Bolin of Westville connected for 12-of-21 passes for 252 yards (57%).
The YellowJackets ran 26 times for a total of 197 yards and three touchdowns led by Tray Peters with 6 attempts for 91 yards and 2 touchdowns. Other Chester runners include Kolton Jany (12-for-59 and 1 TD); Ethan Colvis (5-for-57); and Zain Al-Jassim (2-for -10).
Westville ran for a total of 156 yards on 38 attempts led by Ja’Den Whorral who ran 15 times for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Chester’s Devante Palacio led the YellowJackets in receiving with four receptions for 75 yards and 1 touchdown. Ethan Colvis caught two passes for 58 yards and 1 TD. Kolton Jany had 1 pass for 37 yards. Tray Peters had 43 receptions for 22 yards. Justin Hayman had 2 receptions for 8 yards, and Zain Al-Jassim caught 1 pass for 3 yards. CHS recorded 13 receptions for a total of 203 yards.
The Tigers were led in receiving by Lincoln Cravens who caught 5 passes for 129 yards. Easton Barney had 3 receptions for 44 yards and Landon Coon had 2 receptions for 16 yards. The rest of the team had 2 catches for 63 yards. In the loss, Westville had 12 receptions for 252 yards and 3 TD’s.
Defense played a huge part in the Chester victory. For the day, the YellowJackets had 50 solo tackles, 30 assists, and 3 tackles for a loss (TFL).Ethan Colvis and Cayden Brunkhorst led with 7 solos apiece. Colvis also had 5 assists. Brunkhorst had 3 assists. Tino Rafael was huge with 6 solos and 1 assist and Zane Eggemeyer added 5 solos, 3 assists and 1 tackle for a loss.
Kolton Jany and Lannin Caron each contributed 4 solos apiece. Jany added 3 assists and Caron added 3 assists. Alex Williamson had 3 solos, 2 assists and 1 TFL. Denis Vasquez had 3 solos, 1 assist and 1 TFL. Devante Palacio recorded 3 solo tackles and 1 assist, and Gene Bicket recorded 3 solos and 4 assists.
Ethan Colvis recorded an interception which turned into a “Pick-6” and Devante Palacio had 1 interception.
Chester Head Coach, Billy Belton said, “This was a huge win for our football program! I am so proud of the boys! They played hard all four quarters. The great thing about todays’ win is that everyone stepped up!”
Our big guys did what they always do. Zain and Devante had big games. But then we had Ethan Colvis, Tray Peters, Alex Blechle, and Zain Eggemeyer all step up and play really well. Ethan Colvis and Tray Peters had great games. Both scored two touchdowns apiece. Tray had two big TD’s on the offensive side of the ball. Ethan had two TD’s as well. His pick six was at a crucial time.”
“I felt like the offensive line did a great job of finishing the job at the end of the game. The defense did a great job of stopping Westville at the end of the game to help keep our lead. I am so proud of our boys.”
“Zain broke a couple of his own records that he set last year. He is a very special player. We are lucky to have him on our team. Devante broke his previous receiving record of 111 receptions. He now has 114 receptions”.
With the win Chester will advance to play Maroa-Forsyth next Saturday November 9 at 2:30 p.m. on the road. The Trojans are seeded No. 2 in the South Bracket while the YellowJackets are seeded No. 7 in the South Bracket. This will be the “Sweet-16” round of the 32 team playoff tournament. Just 16 teams are still standing after Week 1 of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs.
CHS Junior Tray Peters (16) a 6-0, 155 Lb. YellowJacket running back breaks away for a 61-yard touchdown at the 5:23 mark of the 3rd quarter in the first round playoff game vs Westville. It was Peters’ first of two touchdowns in the 40-35 win. The other was a 15-yard TD run to start the 3rd quarter which gave Chester a 40-21 lead. Jim Beers Photo
Kolton Jany (8) a senior, 5’11”, 185 Lb. Chester running back sprints down W.O. Smith Field Saturday November 2 at the IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoff game. No. 7 Chester hosted No. 10 Westville in Round 1 action in the field of 32 teams. In the 40-35 Chester win, Jany scored the YellowJacket’s first touchd0wn on a 5-yard run to give CHS six points. Jim Beers Photo
Devante Palacio (9), Chester’s record-setting 6’3″, 195 lb. senior wide receiver, scored the YellowJacket’s third touchdown of the game Saturday November 2 on the first play from scrimmage to start the second quarter. Palacio took just 7 seconds to accomplish this task on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Zain Al-Jassim to give Chester a 19-14 lead over Westville. Kolton Jany ran for the 2-point conversion and the Jackets led, 21-14. The game was the first round of the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs held at Chester’s W.O. Smith Field. In the win, Devante caught 4 passes for 75 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 3 solo tackles and 1 tackle assist on defense. In the process he further broke a record he previously set for receptions. He had 111 earlier in the season and now has 114 receptions for the year. Former CHS player, Jim Howie had the previous record f 96 receptions. Jim Beers Photo
YellowJacket junior, 6’1″, 195 Lb. Running Back, Ethan Colvis (25) scored two touchdowns in the first round win over Westville. The No. 7 Jackets won, 40-35, over the No. 10 Westville Tigers Saturday November 2. The occasion was the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs. Colvis scored his first TD at the 4:16 mark of the first quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass to give CHS a 12-7 lead Karim Landeros kicked the extra points and the Jackets led, 13-7. Ethan’s second touchdown came in the 2nd quarter as Colvis had a 55-yard interception return for the score. Landeros kicked the extra-point and the YellowJackets led, 28-14, with 7:22 remaining in the first half. Colvis also ran five times for 57 yards, and caught 2 passes for 58 yards and 1 TD. On defense, he led the team with 7 solo tackles, and 5 tackle assists. Jim Beers Photo
Colvis and Maes celebrate
Chester’s Ethan Colvis (25) and Nate Maes (55) celebrate in the end zone after Colvis scored one of his two touchdowns in the first round IHSA Class 2A State Playoff game. The Jackets won, 40-35, to advance to Round 2 Saturday November 9 at Maroa-Forsyth at 2:30 p.m. Jim Beers Photo
YellowJacket seniors meet in the center of W.O. Smith Field for the pre-game coin toss with members of the Westville Tigers. Westville won the toss and elected to receive to start the game. Jim Beers Photo]
Chester High School Cheerleaders, under the direction of Karson Colvis and Cassy Helmers, perform during pre-game festivities Saturday November 2 at the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs. he event was hosted by CHS at W.O. Smith Field. No. 7 Chester hosted No. 10 Westville in a close and exciting game that featured a total of 11 touchdowns, six for Chester and five for Westville. CHS won, 40-35, to advance to the 2024 “Sweeet-16”. Chester will travel to No. 2 Maroa-Forsyth Saturday November 9 to take on the Trojans at 2:30 p.m. Jim Beers Photo
Marching YellowJackets
The 2024 Chester High School Marching YellowJackets perform the National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner” at the 2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football Playoffs Saturday November 2 at Chester’s W.O. Smith Field. The Marching YellowJackets are under the direction of Steve Colonel and Drum Majors Will Welge, Jaden Lopez, and Addy Gottschammer. Jim Beers Photo
YellowJackets take the field
The Chester High School Football YellowJackets take the field prior to the start of ther2024 IHSA Class 2A State Football First Round game between No. 7 Chester and No. 10 Westville. Leading the charge carrying the orange and black YellowJacket flags are seniors Alex Williamson (66) and Nate Maes (55). The No. 7 Jackets won the contest, 40-35. and will advance to Round 2, “The Sweet-16”, to face the No. 2 Maroa-Forsyth Trojans Saturday November 9 on the road at 2:30 p.m. Jim Beers Photo.