Chester County quarterback Grayson Stewart follows his blockers during Friday night’s 34-6 region victory over South Side. Stewart ran for two touchdowns and threw another as the Eagles ended a four-game losing streak. Photo by Brittany Lewis
Chester County scored twice in the opening six minutes and never looked back Friday night, ending a four-game losing streak with a 34-6 region victory over South Side.
Grayson Stewart, returning at quarterback after missing the previous game, capped Chester County’s opening possession with a 7-yard touchdown run. The extra point was unsuccessful, giving the Eagles a 6-0 lead with 9:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Chester County quickly added to its advantage. Stewart connected with Jordan Hunt for a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the extra point extended the lead to 13-0 with 5:58 left in the opening quarter.
Stewart scored again in the second quarter, finding the end zone on a 2-yard run. The Eagles took a 20-0 lead into halftime.
The defense added to the scoring just 28 seconds into the second half. Jaden Weaver intercepted a South Side pass and returned it for a touchdown, pushing Chester County’s lead to 27-0.
Sophomore quarterback Cayden Crabb completed the Eagles’ scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:55 remaining in the game. South Side avoided the shutout with a late touchdown, but Chester County closed out the 34-6 victory.
The Eagles finished with 330 yards of offense, including 224 on the ground. Stewart completed 9 of 14 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown while also scoring twice on the ground. Izaiah Armstrong led Chester County’s rushing attack with 61 yards on seven carries.
After four straight losses, head coach Dewond Johnson said he was pleased to see his team continue fighting.
“I liked the fight,” Johnson said. “We fought, and we’re still fighting to win. That’s all I can ask from my kids right now.”
Johnson said the victory was important for a team that had been working through a difficult stretch.
“Our kids just needed to get that feeling of winning,” he said. “When you win, you carry yourself a lot better.”
Chester County improved to 4-4 and will enter its bye week before returning for the final stretch of the regular season.
“We’re going to take a break, mentally reset and physically reset, and get ready to go at it again,” Johnson said. “Last year we won two games. We’ve doubled it up, so we have to keep improving.”
