Chester County’s Angel Ortega (0) and Blake Haltom (11) bring down a North Side ball carrier during Friday night’s season finale in Jackson. The Eagles held the Indians scoreless in the second half but fell 42-13. Photo by Brittany Lewis
Chester County’s season came to an end Friday night with a 42-13 region loss at Jackson North Side.
The Eagles entered the regular-season finale needing a victory, along with help elsewhere in the region, to earn a possible playoff berth. North Side quickly took control, scoring on its first offensive play with a 50-yard jet sweep.
The Indians added two more touchdowns to build a 20-0 lead with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter.
Chester County put together its best drive of the opening half and moved inside the North Side red zone, but a costly turnover ended the possession. Quarterback Grayson Stewart was hit from behind and lost the football. North Side recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
Stewart was injured on the play and left the game. Sophomore Cayden Crabb took over at quarterback for the remainder of the night.
North Side added two touchdowns in the second quarter and carried a 42-0 advantage into halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter as the game continued with a running clock.
The Eagles broke through early in the fourth quarter after recovering a North Side fumble at the Indians’ 19-yard line. Izaiah Armstrong carried the ball inside the 5 before scoring on a short touchdown run. The extra-point attempt was ruled unsuccessful, leaving the score at 42-6.
Chester County’s defense produced another score later in the quarter. Blake Haltom picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Brayden Harrison added the extra point to make the final score 42-13.
Despite the first-half struggles, the Eagles held North Side scoreless after halftime and scored the final 13 points of the game.
Chester County finished the season 4-6 overall and 2-5 in region play. The Eagles doubled their win total from the previous season but fell short of earning one of the region’s four playoff berths.
