By Caneisha Turner, CCI Sports Writer
For the first time in a decade the Chester County Eagles are once again Region champions. Friday night’s resounding 49-20 win over North Side High School solidified the Eagles place in the state playoffs. In what can be described as a Cinderella season, the Eagles finished the regular season 8-2, much better than predicted when the season began. Their fate will be tested Friday night when they host Creek Wood High School, the fourth placeholder in Region 6. The winner will move on to round two of the playoff bracket. Senior football players, cheerleaders and band members were recognized before the game on Senior Night. Chester County began the game, receiving the kickoff, and moved the ball with runs by Jayden Williams, Peyton Barham, Colton Trice and Ethan Burks. With it first and goal, Barham crossed the goal line with nine minutes to go in the first quarter. A North Side touchdown and two-point conversion put 8 points on the board. Chester County answered with a Barham touchdown, his second of the night. North Side answered with a score. The extra point failed knotting the score at 14. As the second quarter began, North Side turned the ball over on downs, Eagles ball.
A touchdown 48-yard pass from Burks to Braylin Robinson put the Eagles on top, 21-14.
Barham found the endzone again, increasing the score to 28-14. With less than a minute before halftime Trice found the endzone adding to the score, 35-14. An interception by Blake Thompson late in the second led to a touchdown pass from Burks to Williams. The score was 42-14 at the end of the half. Barham could not be stopped and scored again on a pass from Burks, his fourth of the night. The score at the end of the third quarter was 49-14. North Side got on the board again in the fourth, bringing the score to 49-20. The extra-point attempt failed. Barham put up 178 yards on the ground on 18 attempts with four touchdowns. Burks found receivers in the endzone twice and gained another 18 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, the defense was strong with 19 tackles, 12 solo tackles, seven assists and one sack. Williams and Jaden Weaver led the defense with 4.5 tackles. Chase Crouse had one sack. Thompson had an interception. Head Coach Dewond Johnson said after the game, “The guys were unreal tonight. The guys played their hearts off. We talked about being a champion before the game tonight. They went out and proved it from the first snap to the last snap. I’m so happy for our guys. This is the first time Chester County has been to the region championship since 2014, and I just thank the Lord that I’m part of it.” The Eagles play Friday night at home against Creek Wood from Charlotte, Tennessee. They are the fourth-place team in Region 5. The game begins at 7 p.m.
The boys cross country team of Silas McManus, Brooks Johnson, Cooper Thompson, Ian Hall, Frankie Rich, Ben Hodges and Kaden Carson qualified to compete for the state championship next Thursday in Hendersonville. Silas McManus and Brooks Johnson won top 20 medals.
The girls cross country team of Bella Lamb, Hanna Cherry, Eden Burleson, Camyrn Connor, and Jaylyn Yelverton made it to the state championship for the first time in school history. Bella Lamb won the regional championship and Hanna Cherry won a top 20 medal.
All photos by: Caneisha Turner, CCI Sports Writer/Photographer
