Football ends season with cancellation
A condensed season that became even shorter.
Chadron State College football was supposed to finish their season with a game against Black Hills State University, Saturday. Like their first game against the Yellow Jackets, the Eagles’ final game was canceled due to rising COVID-19 cases in the community of Spearfish, South Dakota.
Head Football Coach Jay Long said not being able to play Black Hills was just disappointing but it didn’t come as a surprise. With COVID-19, game cancellations were happening at all levels across the nation. It was just fortunate that they got the opportunity to play games and improve from them.
CSC finished their season 2-2, and 1-0 at home. The team scored 120 points throughout their season. They had 1,736 total yards, 1,060 passing yards and 676 rushing yards. The Eagles are currently sitting first in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and five players received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week.
Quarterback Dalton Holst, senior of Gillette, Wyoming, threw 77 completed passes and seven touchdowns.
“Something that I was really happy with is that Dalton got to learn a new offense and was able to use it in games,” Long said. “These four games gave him more confidence in the scheme and then our receivers took that next step.”
Chad Mikelson, junior of Julesburg, Colorado, received 20 of those passes and scored two touchdowns, and Cole Thurness, senior of Rapid City, South Dakota, received 15 passes and had two touchdowns.
Montel Gladney, junior of Flowood, Mississippi, caught six passes and one touchdown. Gladney received the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week in the fifth week of the season after receiving five passes, with a 74-yard catch and run against the University of Nebraska Kearney.
Jahani Wright, freshman of Miami, caught eight passes, earning one touchdown. In the third week, Wright received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leaping over a defender to score the game winning touchdown in the third quarter against South Dakota School of Mines.
“We had about a dozen freshman that were able to play this fall that would’ve normally played because we would’ve redshirted them,” Long said.
Jalen Starks, junior of Van Nuys, California, leads rushing yards with 330 yards and seven touchdowns. In the second week, Starks received Rocky Mountain Offensive Player of the Week with 116 rushing yards and three touchdowns against South Dakota School of Mines. Jeydon Cox, freshman of Jackson, Wyoming, follows with 242 rushing yards.
Jeremiah Makahununiu, junior of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, had 37 total tackles, 16 solo and 21 assists and one break up. Travis Wilson, senior of Fresno, California, had 30 tackles, 9 solo and 21 assists. Wilson finished the season with two tackles for loss and an interception.
Bobby Peele, junior of Fresno, California, finished the season with 22 tackles, 14 solo and eight assists. Peele had three interceptions and five break ups.
Jeremiah Gutierrez, senior of Long Beach, California, had 21 tackles, 12 solo and 9 assists. 3 tackles for loss and one sack. Gutierrez received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week in the third week of the season with seven tackles, two for a loss, a solo sack, and two pass breakups against South Dakota School of Mines.
Drake Holdren, freshman of Greeley, Colorado, made one field goal kick out of four attempts. Holdren received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week in the fifth week of the season going five-five points after touchdown against University of Nebraska Kearney.
“I’m really proud of our players for making the commitment to have a safe season,” Long said. “Our players took it seriously. They were daily screened for symptoms. We weekly tested. I want to make sure that I thank the team for taking it serious.”