6 turnovers hand Yellow Jackets the win

Six turnovers defined the outcome of CSC’s last home game of the season against Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota. Even with more than 400 yards of total offense, the Eagles failed to outlast the Yellow Jackets, 21-19.
Junior quarterback Matt Vinson, of Box Elder, South Dakota, completed 28 passes for 300 yards and two scores, but also tossed up five interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Despite giving the ball to BHSU multiple times, the Eagles were still in a solid position to take the game. With just under three minutes in the fourth quarter, Keenan Johnson, redshirt freshman of Chadron, picked off Yellow Jacket quarterback Ryan Hommel, sophomore of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, setting up the Eagles in prime scoring position deep in BH territory, at the 38-yard line. However, Vinson and the Eagle offense failed to gain a yard, turning the ball over on downs.
“The defense had a great day,” offensive lineman Travis Romsa, redshirt sophomore of Burns, Wyoming, said. “But the offense couldn’t get anything going. We just made too many mistakes.”
On CSC’s last offensive possession, Vinson completed one of his touchdown passes to Matt Reader, redshirt sophomore of Appleton, Wisconsin, bringing the score to 21-19. It was Reader’s second TD reception, the first coming about midway through the final quarter. On the ensuing onside kick attempt, the Yellow Jackets were able to recover, and seal the victory.
Reader led the Eagle receivers with six catches for 144 yards. Redshirt sophomore Max Gray, of Arlington, Washington, grabbed four passes for 36 yards.
Senior running back Cody Paul, of Seal Beach, California, led the ground attack for CSC with 61 yards.
The Eagle defense played well, keeping the game close despite the offensive struggles, holding the Yellow Jacket offense to just 278 yards. Joey Hopkins, senior of Burien, Washington, led with 14 tackles. Johnson added 13, including a tackle for loss and one of Hommel’s three interceptions. Defensive tackle Ryan Chavez, senior of Thousand Oaks, California, picked one off and junior Steve Allen, of Knoxville, Tennessee, grabbed the other.
Redshirt sophomore Merritt Crabtree, of Newcastle, Wyoming, also hit double-digit tackles with 10, 1.5 for loss.
The Eagles will finish the season in Pueblo, Colorado, taking on the ThunderWolves of CSU-Pueblo, 2 p.m. Saturday.
“They (CSU-P) are a solid team,” Romsa said. “No one on this team has beat them but we have a great game plan to put ourselves in a good situation.”