The defending NJCAA DIII champions defeated No. 3 North Dakota State College of Science 48-14 on Sept. 21 after scoring on all six drives in the first half. The Chaparrals defense shut down NDSCS the entire first half to allow the offense to put together a 38-0 margin going into halftime.
“I’m happy with our kids, and they played a complete game,” said head football coach Matthew Rahn. “Our guys know that as long as we don’t let outside influences like the other team, pushes after whistles and their trash talk, and things we can’t control, this is what we are capable of doing and I’m just very proud. We know we are capable of doing this against anyone we are lined up against as long as we are playing DuPage football.”
The Chaps’ starting quarterback Justin Bland finished the game with 324 passing yards and four touchdown passes. He displayed great strength by throwing a 31-yard and 42-yard touchdown. Throughout the game, Bland endured several uncalled late hits and appeared banged up after certain plays.
“We started off strong, and our operations were good,” said Bland. “We leave no doubt, and that’s the COD standard. We took care of the ball and had the right plays, and executed very well. I wasn’t too worried about the [late] hits because I’m expecting them to do stuff like that since we have a target on our back. I’m expecting those cheap shots, so I just get up and go to the next play.”
The Chaparrals offense kept their foot on the gas pedal early in the game to put together 321 yards of total offense in the first half. The Wildcats struggled to find an offensive rhythm, eventually scoring a touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 10:45 left in the third quarter.
COD wide receiver Willie Feagin finished the game with 65 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Feagin’s speed and agility were on full display, constantly breaking tackles and keeping up the energy after scoring their first two touchdowns of the game.
“We started off with a great week of practice and brought energy, effort and finish to this game,” said Feagin. “We weren’t going against North Dakota; we were going against ourselves and going out and executing. It felt good [to score] because this is what we’ve worked for every day. The touchdowns I had today were reps during practice over and over. Once the moment came, it felt normal and fun.”
The Chaps defense shut out the Wildcats for the entire first half of the game. COD’s special team unit allowed the team to maintain momentum with the help of defensive lineman Darion Johnson’s two blocked punts and a blocked field goal in the third quarter by a pair of Chaps linemen.
COD wide receiver Clayton Bone finished the game with 91 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Bone continued to serve as a deep threat option for Bland after securing a 42-yard touchdown and a 17-yard touchdown, both in the second quarter.
“Early on [in the game] it was quiet, so I tried to bring the energy and stayed positive,” he said. “I have to thank the coaches calling the plays, the quarterback throwing the ball, and the offensive line blocking. Without them, there isn’t any touchdowns from me, so I have to give them some love, too.”
COD running back Haiden Janke finished the game with 52 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, sophomore Ernest Temple was unable to play because of an injury, so the freshman running back out of Huntley had to step up for the team and put on an impressive performance.
“We performed really well, and our offense is unstoppable when we are all clicking together,” said Janke. “[Temple] is a big part of our offense, so when he goes down, all the running backs have to step up. I did my part by getting those [touchdowns].”
The Chaparrals (5-0) will take on Minnesota State Community & Technical College (1-3) at 1 p.m. on Sept. 28 at COD.
