The Chaparrals defeated Community Christian 50-0 on Sept. 14 after a superior defensive performance. The Chap’s offensive unit set the tone early after scoring on their first two drives of the game and their momentum would not slow down for the entirety of the game. Despite the large margin win, the Chaps were only held to 14 points in the first half and would put on a scoring clinic in the second half.
The tone of the game was set early after one of CC’s defensive players put a late hit on COD’s quarterback Justin Bland as he was sliding down during their first drive of the game. The CC player was ejected for targeting the quarterback.
“I’m happy with how our guys played, but [Community Christian] was a little bit chippy and undisciplined,” said head football coach Matthew Rahn. “Our guys did not react to their late shots and them running their mouths and we just played football for four quarters, so as long as we continue to do that, that’s what the outcome will look like. It’s a team game and we only had four drives in the first half, so there’s only so much we could do at that point. All three phases of the game, special teams, offense, and defense all played great.”
Bland finished the game with 179 passing yards along with a throwing and rushing touchdown.
“Today we had a great game, but I thought we could do a lot better, so next week we will bounce back,” said Bland. “As a leader and quarterback, I have to make sure to keep my head up and focus on the next play. I could’ve played a lot better but every play I bounce back and wasn’t stuck on the play before to keep the train rolling.”
Wide receiver Michael Cervantes finished the game with 37 rushing yards,15 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Cervantes was pleased with the team’s performance and strives to continue to produce for the team as a big-play maker.
“I think it was a great team victory offensively and defensively and they played their [butts] off,” said Cervantes. “All my offensive line and receivers block for me and the coaches draw up the schemes so it has nothing to do with me. The defense always shows up and we trust them to get a stop and give our offense the ball.”
COD’s defensive unit made their presence felt early in the game after cornerback Tyrese Buffkin recovered a fumble in the endzone to force a turnover to disallow CC from scoring in the first quarter. In the third quarter, defensive lineman Darion Johnson blocked a punt for a two-point safety when CC attempted to punt the ball on their own 8-yard line, which ended up bouncing out of bounds. COD linebacker BJ Mayes secured a 17-yard interception towards the end of the third to maintain the defensive momentum.
“We played as a group, kept our composure, and we played our hearts out,” said Johnson. “We knew [CC] was a little light inside, so the coaches switched my [line position] to inside to go after them. So, just having the coaches telling us what to do and us executing it ultimately let us come out with the victory.”
COD’s offense worked hard to capitalize off of the defense’s impenetrable plays. Running back Ernest Temple finished the game with three rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, and a rushing touchdown. Freshman running back Haiden Janke was given a few touches in the game and managed to score a 5-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
“It was a pretty slow game at first, but we picked it up in the second half with some of the adjustments we made, so that’s why you see that score,” said Temple. “Just because we started off slow does not mean that’s how the game is going to go.”
The Chaparrals (4-0) will take on North Dakota State College of Science on Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. at COD.
