Box score

DURANGO, Colo. — Chadron State (8-2 overall, 7-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) turned three first half turnovers into 17 points to blow open an otherwise close game and defeat a spirited Fort Lewis team (0-9, 0-8) 45-20 today, spoiling Senior Day for 13 Skyhawks who were making their final appearance at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.
 
“You've got a true freshman and a sophomore playing tailback in rotation and a true freshman at quarterback and you've got a lot of moving parts,” said an upbeat third-year FLC head coach Cesar Rivas-Sandoval after the game. “They're trying to learn on the fly. The more reps that they have together, the more comfortable they'll get. It's improving, but turnovers need to be nonexistent.”
 
A first quarter interception and16-yard return by Trelan Taylor — the first of two he'd record on the afternoon — gave the Eagles a short field to work with midway through the first quarter. Three plays later, Jonn McLain's four-year run extended CSC's lead to 14-3.
 
Fort Lewis righted its ship and reeled off 10 straight points — a six-yard strike from Jason Fitzpatrick on the first play of the second quarter and a 22-yard Steven Andrews field goal on the next series — to trim the lead to 14-13. The defense recorded a stop on the next series to give the Skyhawks the ball back with a chance to reclaim the lead.
 
Back-to-back fumbles midway through the second proved costly, though. The first, on a bad exchange between Fitzpatrick and tailback Van Gramann, gave the Eagles the ball on the FLC 23. Two plays later, Glen Clinton burst through the Skyhawk defense for a 23-yard run to stretch the lead to 21-13. Gramann was stripped of the ball on FLC's next offensive play to give the Eagles the ball back at the FLC 23, setting up a 36-yard Alex Ferdinand field goal to push the lead to 24-13.
 
The Chadron State defense rose to the occasion on FLC's next possession, as Keifer Burke sacked Fitzpatrick on back-to-back plays to force a punt. McLain marched the Eagles downfield quickly and hooked up with Nathan Ross for a 43-yard touchdown strike to make the score 31-13 at intermission.
 
The offensive miscues overshadowed an otherwise solid offensive performance by the Skyhawks. Freshman running back Josh Beacham notched his first career 100-yard day with 13 carries for 111 yards. Jonathan Price — one of 13 Skyhawks playing in their final home game — caught nine passes for 62 yards. Fitzpatrick logged his first career passing and rushing touchdowns and completed 15 of 25 passes for 99 yards.
 
“What was nice to watch was the receiving crew never got on Jason once,” said Rivas-Sandoval. “He was really nervous on the first two drives and the balls were either low or high. And he didn't get on his receivers when they had drops. It was good to see them working together like that. With patience, it will get better.”
 
The success of the running game was also a bright spot. The Skyhawks tallied a season-high 194 rushing yards and actually outgained the Eagles 194-178 on the ground. Gramann gained 68 yards on 14 carries to complement Beacham's 100-yard day.
 
“It was promising to see the running game against a very good Chadron defense,” said Rivas-Sandoval. “Zach Moisey (another one of FLC's 13 seniors) was the lead blocker and did a phenomenal job.”
 
Rivas-Sandoval was equally proud of the effort of the Skyhawk defense. “The game plan coming in on defense was awesome,” he said. “Coach Rif (defensive coordinator Ed Rifilato) and his defensive staff did a great job getting us ready. Our players played their tails off and our coaches put us in a position to be successful against a very good offense. Our defense really held their own for the majority of the game. My hat goes off to the front seven. Even when our really young kids went in to get some meaningful snaps, those kids showed promise.”
 
Senior linebacker Phil Odell was a monster on defense, notching 16 tackles (four solo), including 1.5 for losses. He came into the game needing 20 tackles to tie FLC Athletic Hall of Famer Shane Voss (356, 1990-93) for first place on the Skyhawks' career tackling list.
 
“All he needs is five to break it,” said Rivas-Sandoval. “You've got to like that. I don't care what team he would have played on — Fort Lewis, Colorado State-Pueblo, Northern Arizona — that kid's going to make plays. He's a testament to hard work, effort and leadership.”
 
Junior defensive back Mike Campbell added five tackles for the Skyhawks, broke up one pass and returned an interception 23 yards to set up FLC's first field goal that gave them an early, 3-0 lead.
 
Chadron State proved its versatility and strength on offense in a balanced, 419-yard effort. McLain was efficient, completing 11 of 15 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. Clinton rushed for 109 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Chapman Ham completed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Nathan Ross on an end-around pass that gave Chadron a 7-3 lead. Ross caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Shea Koch led CSC's defense with 11 tackles (five solo) and a quarterback sack —one of four that the Eagles would record on the day.
 
In addition to Moisey, Odell and Price, 10 other Skyhawks also wore their navy jerseys for the final time: offensive linemen Joe Abeln, Antonio Alicea and Estevan Lucero, defensive backs Terry Begaye, A.J. Miko and Tim Muhovich, defensive linemen Eric Hurd and Arturo Mata all played in the game. Quarterback Tim Jenkins and defensive end Cary Purchase were injured and didn't suit up.
 
Jenkins, who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury, is hopeful he'll see the field in FLC's season finale at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Black Hills State (2-7, 2-6). Purchase, who had knee surgery earlier in the week, is out.
 
“You feel for guys like Cary who won't get to finish out the season due to injury,” said Rivas-Sandoval. “He's had a very solid playing career. They're doing a great job in difficult times as far as wins and losses but still leading this team to where it needs to get to. A lot of guys don't have that kind of maturity in today's society.”
 
Chadron State improved to 25-3 in the all-time series with Fort Lewis and has won the past seven meetings.
 
Next week's matchup with the Yellow Jackets is the first-ever between Fort Lewis and Black Hills State on the gridiron. The newest RMAC members, Black Hills State upset Western New Mexico 36-24 today in Silver City, N.M.