On Friday October 12th the CVCS Chargers played their final home game against the league leading New Plymouth Pilgrims. In a battle of two very scrappy teams with low numbers, it was a game of two halves. Unfortunately the Chargers half to dominate came after New Plymouth’s and the Chargers fell to the Pilgrims 22-10.
New Plymouth came out and set the tone from the opening kickoff. Their grind it out offense featured a tough running back and a very mobile quarterback. They went on two long drives that found the end zone in the first quarter. The Chargers avoided big plays, but were unable to stop the visitors march to pay dirt. The Chargers were successful in moving the ball on offense, but a stalled drive in the red zone and an untimely turnover, stopped the Chargers from scoring . The first quarter ended with the visitors ahead 14-0.
In the second quarter, the Chargers were able to put the clamps on the Pilgrim run game. The Charger offense, under the direction of #14 Roman Conder(Sr) was again able to move the ball on the defense, but ultimately unable to score. Near the end of the first half, the visitors used a play action pass to bait the defense into an unfortunate position. The mobile Pilgrims quarterback then lofted a nice pass over the defense into the waiting arms of his receiver and the visitors were able to take a 22-0 lead into the locker room at half time.
Following halftime, the Chargers came out inspired, unwilling to accept defeat and determined to keep the gap in the score from widening. Both teams came out playing inspired defense, but the Chargers offense went on a sustained drive, getting down inside the Pilgrim five yard line but were unable to punch it in. On the following defensive stand, the Chargers were gifted two points when the Pilgrims long snapper sailed an errant snap over the head of the punter and out of the end zone for a safety. This closed the gap to 2-22.
The ensuing drive saw the Pilgrims methodically drive deep into Charger territory until a costly penalty dug them too deep of a hole to dig out of. The defense was unwilling to give up the big play to let the Pilgrims escape, forcing a punt.
The Charger offense was pinned deep in their own territory, but the Pilgrims were unable to keep them there. Relying on the nimble legs and passing arm of Conder, the offense was able to advance to their own forty yard line where #33 Obi Gee(Jr) took a handoff up the middle, spun out of a tackle and took off down the home sideline for a sixty yard scoring strike. On the PAT, Conder faked a handoff to Gee and carried the ball into the end zone, bringing the score to 10-22, which would be the final tally.
The closing scenes of this game saw the New Plymouth unable to grind out the clock. They punted to the Chargers, giving the hometown team hope of an amazing comeback. An efficient short passing game drove CVCS to the five yard line, giving them a first and goal situation. But alas, the miraculous comeback wasn’t meant to be and the Pilgrims forced a turnover on downs, effectively ending the game.
This game was a huge challenge for CVCS. Going into the game, I counted twenty players dressed for the game. All season long, they’ve played ironman football due to low numbers due to a low starting number and compounded by injury and illness. My hat is off to the players and coaches for what has been a very memorable season. I just wish there were more student athletes making and sharing those memories! But by my count, the Chargers were inside the ten yard line three times and came away with no points, thus the difference in a very evenly matched game. Perhaps with some fresh legs, those efforts would have been rewarded with points on the score board.
Highlighting the evening offensively for me was the play of quarterback Roman Conder. Throughout the season, Conder has been a leader and difference maker on offense. His decision making has been correct far more often than not and he’s bailed his team out time and again with his quick thinking and athleticism. And Obi Gee will always, always find a way to impact a game with his tough running coupled with blazing speed.
Defensively, the Chargers gave up three scores in the first half and then buckled down, keeping the Pilgrims out of the end zone completely. In what has become characteristic of this team, it’s very tough to single out players for their efforts.#13 Ben Arthur(Sr), #14 Roman Conder(Sr), #50 Noah Corder(Sr), #51 Francisco Castro(Sr), #20 Dylan Krogh(Sr), and #32 Josh Ritchie(Sr) all played standout football on this night and pretty much every night of the season. That group of seniors will be dearly missed.
The Chargers have no time to spend wondering what might have been as their arch rivals(and brothers in Christ), the Nampa Christian Trojans await them next Friday night, October 19th at 7:00 pm at Nampa Christian. The Trojans are fresh off a 41-16 dismantling of Marsing. This game will likely have playoff implications, so be sure to travel the short distance to root on the Chargers to victory!