Longhorns lose soggy battle to Red Raiders

    The Longhorns had the chances they needed for a win Friday at Sidney, but the young Chase County football team couldn’t take advantage in the 6-8 loss.
    CCS took the opening kickoff in the rain and marched down the field in a 14-play drive that stalled on fourth and 12 on Sidney’s 16-yard line.
    The Longhorns had four penalties in the game, three of which came on their first drive.
    When the Red Raiders got their hands on the ball, they made CCS pay.
    Sidney capped an 11-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion.
    A 29-yard run on third and 17 followed by a 34-yard run kept Sidney moving down the field and accounted for a big chunk of the Red Raiders 214-offensive yards on the night.
    CCS showed flashes of being able to move the ball, including a 23-yard run on the first play of its second series.
    That drive ended in a punt, however, and the Longhorns’ third drive ended with a turnover on Sidney’s 28-yard line.
    Chase County’s defense was able to keep the Red Raiders stymied and the teams headed into halftime with only Sidney’s eight points on the board.
    After Sidney went backwards in its opening drive of the half, CCS advanced into Red Raider territory before an incomplete pass on fourth and 15 ended the drive.
    Still, the Longhorns’ defense stayed solid.
    CCS forced a three and out and took over possession on its own 39-yard line after a punt.
    On a drive highlighted by Dawson Mollendor’s leaping 37-yard run, CCS scored a five-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter.
    The Longhorns’ two-point conversion failed, however, leaving CCS trailing 6-8.
    Ryan Bernhardt kept the momentum going with a interception two plays later.
    Despite not being able to move the ball on offense, CCS still found itself on Sidney’s five-yard line after a muffed punt by the Red Raiders.
    The Longhorns were unable to punch the ball into the end zone.
    On a dry field, CCS Head Coach Nathan Gaswick said he likes the Longhorns’ chance with a field goal, but handling the snap and hold in wet conditions left coaches feeling that running the ball would be better.
    Taking over, Sidney was able to sustain a drive long enough to end the game.
    Bernhardt led CCS in rushing with 145 yards.
    “We struggled with inconsistent snaps throughout the game and many plays that were suppose to go to other players ended up having to be carried by Ryan simply because we couldn’t handle the snap or the snap was in the grass,” Gaswick said.
    Mollendor had 116 yards on six rushes.
    Gaswick said the weather definitely effected the game.
    “The rain definitely limited play calling to basic concepts. We did take a shot or two early just to see what our kids could handle; however, it became apparent that grip on the ball was definitely a factor,” he said.
    Despite the rain, CCS won the turnover battle.
    Bernhardt handled low snaps well and the Longhorns only had one fumble in the game, while forcing two turnovers.
    Under the conditions, Gaswick was pleased with low turnovers and few penalties, but said, when they did happen, both came at inopportune times.
    “This is often a characteristic of a young team and is something that we will need to continue improving and working towards eliminating,” he added.
    The coach was pleased with how his young team kept their composure.
    “I am very proud of our team with regards to not retaliating towards some of the actions their players chose to take throughout the game,” Gaswick said.
Up next
    CCS will travel to Ogallala Friday.
    The Indians opened the season with a 6-30 loss to Broken Bow then evened its record Friday with a 30-0 win over Holdrege.
    Gaswick said Ogallala is always a tough opponent.
    With a skilled senior quarterback, Gaswick expects the Indians to have a balanced offensive attack.
    Its defense will try to force CCS to throw, Gaswick said, adding the Indians want to ensure they stop an opponent’s run game and try to force them into the air.
    “Energy and effort levels will be high as our kids treat this very much like a rivalry game,” Gaswick said.

Stats at a glance
    CCHS    SHS
Total Plays    53    56
Total Yds    285    214
Rushing Yards    271    214
Passing Yards    14    0
1st Downs    13    13
3rd Downs    2-8    4-10
4rd Downs    1-4    2-3
Turnovers    1    2
Fumbles Lost    1    1
Interceptions Thrown    0    1
Penalties/Yds    4-33    8-42
Tackles (total-assists-TFL)—Zach Herbert, 4-6-0; Ryan Bernhardt, 2-6-1; Dawson Mollendor, 2-10-1; Kade Anderson, 2-4-0; Luis Co, 2-4-1; Easton Fries, 2-3-0; Cooper Dillan, 2-7-0; Morel Jurado, 1-4-1; J. Peterson, 0-6-0; Juan Ruiz, 0-3-0; Zach Tarin, 0-2-0; Isaac Stretesky, 0-1-0;.
Rushing (attempts-yards-TD)— Bernhardt, 31-145-0; Mollendor, 8-116-1; Anderson, 1-10-0, Co, 1-0-0.
Passing (completions-attempts-yards-TD-INT)—Bernhardt, 2-7-14-0-0.
Receiving (receptions-yards-TD)—Fries, 1-8-0; Mollendor, 1-6-0.
Scoring
First Quarter
SHS: 3-Yd run (run good)
Fourth Quarter
CCS: Mollendor 5-Yd run (run failed)

Score by quarters:
CCS    0    0    0    6—6
SHS    8    0    0    0—8