Football wraps spring practice

Chadron State’s football team kicked off its spring game at 10:30 a.m., Saturday at Elliott Field. The graduate assistant coaches split the squad into two separate teams, Cardinal and White. Head Coach Jay Long invited RMAC officials to referee the game, which helped the incoming players’ to play under real game conditions, Long said.

Cardinal left the field with a 20-10 victory over White.

The game started with the White team on offense. Quarterback Jon McLain, sophomore of Chadron, recovering from last year’s wrist injury, cracked open the game with an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nathan Ross, sophomore of San Diego.

Junior quarterback Brandon Gorsuch, of Rapid City, S.D., did not let the White team go into half time without a fight. He got his team into field-goal range with less than a minute to go. The two teams were tied 10-10 at halftime.

Defensive back Tyler Wright, sophomore of Arvada, Colo., stood out for his numerous tackles and an interception that he returned to the one-yard line. Sophomore tight end Chapman Ham of Rapid City, fought hard for the Cardinal team scoring two touchdowns. Running back Michael Madkins, sophomore of Elk Grove, Calif., ran hard behind his offensive line, gaining a number of first downs.

The Cardinal team celebrated its victory by pouring water on graduate assistant defensive coach Jeff Lyster.