Con Marshall-CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – Hopes were high at halftime that something special was brewing for the Chadron State College football team, but the No. 7-ranked CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves defeated the Eagles 38-21 Saturday at Elliott Field.
The Eagles scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 21-7 halftime lead, much to the satisfaction of the large Senior Day’s windswept and chilly crowd, but the ThunderWolves grabbed the momentum and turned the tide in the third period, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal to go ahead 31-21 then adding another TD in the fourth for good measure.
The outcome improved Pueblo’s season record to 10-1, clinched the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 9-0 mark and landed the ThunderWolves home-field advantage for the playoffs next Saturday.
Chadron State ends the 2024 season at 3-8, but that total for the Eagles includes five one-score losses. Over the course of the entire season, Chadron State scored more points (248) than they allowed (212), for a +36 point differential.
The day’s festivities included a pregame ceremony honoring 21 Chadron State seniors. One of those seniors, defensive end Hunter O’Connor, earned special recognition for breaking the program’s all-time career sack record with 35.5 sacks. O’Connor finished Saturday’s game with four tackles.
A strong west wind was a factor in the game. Pueblo had the wind at its back in the first quarter and ran eight plays like clockwork to go 68 yards for the opening touchdown. Running back Emanuel Fincher went the final yard and Jacob Willig kicked the PAT, making the score 7-0 at the end of the opening period.
The Eagles launched their spectacular second quarter by successfully unveiling one of the most creative plays in Elliott Field’s 110-year history.
Quarterback Preston Pearson initially threw a screen pass to wide receiver Grant Swenson, who after taking a few strides, threw it back across the field. Pearson caught it along the north sideline in front of the Pueblo bench and raced 49 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the visitors’ two. Freshman running back Isaac Jean-Pierre scored two plays later and Wilson Yee kicked the PAT to tie the score at 7-7 with just under 10 minutes left in the quarter.
Following two sacks of Pueblo quarterback Roman Fuller and a short punt into the wind, the Eagles were soon back in business at midfield. On the fifth play of the drive, Pearson hit Chase Nelson coming out of the backfield with a 16-yard strike at the goal line to put Chadron State ahead 14-7.
The Eagles were forced to punt on their next possession, but before long, a Fuller pass was tipped by linebacker Xavier Harrell and grabbed by safety Tucker Peterson, who returned the ball 33 yards to the CSUP eight-yard line.
More good fortune for the Eagles followed. A snap from center went between Pearson’s legs, but Jean-Pierre picked the ball up off the ground and dashed into the end zone with 68 seconds left in the opening half. Jean-Pierre finished the game with 26 yards on 10 carries while scoring his first two career collegiate touchdowns.
At halftime, the Eagles not only led 21-7, they also had 198 yards of total offense, compared to Pueblo’s 152. Unfortunately for CSC, the pendulum swung the other way in the third stanza.
With the wind at their backs again, the ThunderWolves tallied 24 points. They methodically drove 68 yards in eight plays for their first touchdown, which Fincher scored on a five-yard run. Their next touchdown was set up when Fuller hooked up with wide receiver Zack Rakowsky on a 45-yard pass that carried to the Eagles’ 10. Fincher burst into the end zone on the next play for his third TD of the day. Willig’s PAT tied the score with 8:53 left in the third.
Things went farther downhill for the Eagles later in the period. With about two minutes left, CSC tried to punt out of its end zone, but it was blocked by linebacker Shallum Peter, giving the Pack possession at the Eagles’ two. The ThunderWolves inserted linebacker Noa Purcell as a fullback, and Purcell punched it in for a one-yard TD on his only carry of the game. With the PAT, the score was 28-21 in the visitors’ favor.
The Eagles’ misfortune continued when they lost a fumble that was recovered by Pueblo defensive lineman Makeah Scippo at the CSC 20, which led to Willig’s 32-yard field goal that made the score 31-21 as the fourth quarter got underway.
The Eagles now had the wind at their backs again. Pearson immediately connected for passes of 25 yards to Simeon Marton and 22 yards to Tommy Thomas that carried to the Pueblo eight. However, the ThunderWolves defense forced the Eagles to settle for a Wilson Yee 22-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by CSUP defensive back Keith McKaney.
Yee also tried a 60-yard field goal midway in the fourth quarter, but it veered off to the right. Pueblo took possession at its own 43 and scored on a 31-yard pass from Fuller to Taylor Tosches with 3:37 left to play, the only points posted by either team going into the wind.
Safety Sutton Pohlman led the Eagles with eight tackles and broke up a pass. Cornerback Jadon Bowen had seven stops and an interception, his second straight game with a pick after recording a pick-six against Western Colorado last weekend.
Primarily because of the exotic play that CSC Offensive Coordinator Micah Smith was credited with designing and led to the Eagles’ first touchdown, Pearson led CSC in yards passing, (62), rushing (44) and receiving (49) at halftime. He finished the game with 16 of 25 pass completions for 130 yards, and 18 rushes for 30 yards. Overall, Pueblo had 389 total yards and the Eagles 254.
For Pueblo, Fuller completed 20 of 30 passes for 245 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Tosches caught eight of the tosses for 86 yards. Fincher was the game’s leading rusher with 21 carries for 140 yards and three TDs. He was replacing the RMAC’s leading rusher, Russell Howard, who has 1,118 yards this fall but did not make the trip because of what was described as a minor knee injury in practice last week.
The win clinched the ThunderWolves’ 10th RMAC championship since they re-established football in 2008. It’s the fifth time they’ve completed the conference schedule undefeated.