In Week 1, Al-Jassim passed for 275 yards against DuQuoin
STORY AND PHOTO BY JIM BEERS
CHESTER – According “Southern Illinois Sports with Chris Dexter”, Chester High School Football quarterback, Zain Al-Jassim is ranked 5th in the State of Illinois in passing yards in games during the opening Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Zain Al-Jassim, a junior starting quarterback for the Chester High School YellowJacket Football Team, earned Top-5 Honors for his Week 1 passing accomplishments. Against DuQuoin Saturday August 26 Al-Jassim completed 17-of-31 passes (55%) which ranked him 5th in the State of Illinois in passing yardage with a total of 275 yards. Al-Jassim is 6’1″ 220 lb. and is in his second year at the helm of the YellowJackets. Jim Beers Photo
Al-Jassim, a junior, threw for 275 yards Saturday August 26 when the YellowJackets hosted the DuQuoin Indians in the season opener.
For the night Al-Jassim, a 6’1” 220 lb. quarterback and defensive end, completed 17 of 31 passes (55%) which was good enough for 275 yards for the YellowJackets.
The young men who caught those 17 passes included Devante Palacio, Kolton Jany, Gage Hopkins, and Korbin Jany.
Devante Palacio, 6’2” 200 lb. wide receiver and defensive back, caught 7 passes for a total of 103 yards.
Junior Kolton Jany and senior Gage Hopkins each caught 4 passes apiece. Jany, a 5’11” 180 lb. running back and line-backer, had 79 yards while Hopkins, a senior 5’10” 170 lb. wide receiver and linebacker, had 59 yards.
Rounding out the 175 yard receiving effort was senior Korbin Jany. Jany a 5’11” 195 lb. tight end and linebacker recorded a total of 34 yards on two caught passes.
The Chester YellowJacket passing and receiving corps earned a 5th place ranking in the State of Illinois in Week 1 prep performances. The illustrious Top-5 included the following:
Armon Vinson of BEHS Belleville: 413 yards (20-of-36 completed for 55%)
Ethan Plumb of SCNHS St. Charles: 332 yards (34-of-45 for 75%)
Ryan Boe of Batavia: 307 yards (21-of-35 for 60%)
Dane Eisenmenger of Tolono Unity: 288 yards (19-of-25 for 76%)
Zain Al-Jassim of Chester: 275 yards (17-of-31 for 55%)
In addition to their passing and receiving accolades, these five YellowJacket players had other accomplishments against the Indians.
Al-Jassim had 1 touchdown, and ran the ball 4 times in the game. Kolton Jany recorded 63 yards rushing with 1 touchdown on 11 attempts and had 2 solo tackles and 3 tackle assists on defense.
Gage Hopkins had 3 yards rushing on seven attempts along with 1 touchdown. He added 4 solo tackles and 2 tackle assists on defense. Devante Palacio had 1 tackle assist as well as 5 kick-off returns. Korbin Jany recorded 4 solo tackles and 1 tackle assist on defense.
Next up for the YellowJackets will be a trip to Benton Friday September 1 to challenge the Rangers. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m.