A-J scores rain-drenched 7-0 victory over Chester

Sometimes a coaching decision can be crucial.

The Anna-Jonesboro High School football team won the opening coin toss and opted to receive the football.

The Wildcats followed up by scoring on a lengthy drive on a rain-drenched field and held on to preserve a 7-0 win over visiting Chester in a crucial Southern Illinois River-to-River conference Mississippi Division high school football game Friday, Oct. 9.

“We felt like the second half the field conditions would worsen so we’d take the ball,” A-J head coach Brett Detering said.  “I thought points would be tough to come by. It turned out to be a good choice, it was a huge first quarter score.”

Wildcat fullback Jordan Chamness capped a 11-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Travis Smith’s extra point kick closed out the scoring with 6:40 remaining in the quarter.

The Wildcat defense halted the Yellowjackets opening drive midfield and they were forced to punt. However, the football was touched by a Wildcat receiver and Chester recovered deep in A-J territory.

Gabe Pecord intercepted quarterback Zach Lochhead’s pass to thwart the drive.

The Wildcats were forced to punt again and Dalton Baker’s punt was blocked and Chester took over at A-J’s 9-yard line.

An incomplete pass on fourth down ended the drive.

“Early, we made some mistakes,” Detering said. “We were put in some bad spots in the first quarter. But we kept Chester out of the endzone.”

The Wildcat offense appeared on the move again in the second quarter when Pecord returned a punt deep into Yellowjacket territory.

However, the drive ended on an incomplete pass on fourth down.

Chester moved to near midfield to end the first half.

The Wildcat offense failed to move in the third quarter.

“I thought the third quarter we needed to punch it in,” Detering said. “But Chester played very, very tough defensively.”

A-J’s Pecord opened the final quarter by throwing running back John Baughman for a three yard loss on fourth down.

“Our defense came up big then and got the ball to start the fourth quarter,” Detering said.

The Wildcats began a time-consuming drive that was fueled around a long pass reception to David Frank from quarterback J.R. Woodward.

“That was a good pass to David Frank, he had to reach out and catch it,” Detering said. “It kept the chains moving.”

The Wildcats’ Travis Smith attempted a field goal after A-J moved to the 7-yard line and stalled. The kick was off the mark with 1:58 remaining in the game.

“That field goal was just a little off,” Detering said. “But we knew they had to go 80 yards to score then.”

On the ensuing play, with 1:52 remaining, Pecord intercepted Lochhead’s pass for the second time in the game to preserve the win. It was the only possession for Chester in the final quarter.

The Yellowjackets had no time outs remaining and A-J quarterback Woodward dropped to his knee several times to let the clock run out and conclude the game.

Pecord led A-J’s 219 yard rushing attack with 137 yards in 17 carries. Chamness had 54 yards in 21 carries and Woodward, who has been injured the last several games, picked up 28 yards in 7 carries. The Yellowjackets entered the game as the area’s top defensive team.

“We tried to minimize the number of times J.R. carried the football,” Detering said. “ Chamness and Pecord really carried the offense, And, the offensive line did a good job getting a little crease for them. It was very, very tough yards out there.”

The A-J defense limited the Yellowjackets to 88 yards rushing and 15 yards passing.

“The weather conditions made it very challenging,” Detering said. “But I thought our kids played very, very well. It was tough out there with the amount of rain we got.”

For the first time in several games the Wildcats came out injury free.

“The most important thing is we came out healthy and not banged up,” Detering said. “Hopefully, we can get healthy and make a run in the playoffs.”

With the win the Wildcats are 5-2 overall and not officially in the playoff hunt until logging six wins. Five wins puts A-J on the bubble and playoff hopes rest on an accumulation of points earned from defeated opponents.