After scoring just seven points in their previous two games combined, the Chester offense provided plenty of offensive fireworks Friday night in a 42-0 beating of Pinckneyville.
“It was a great game for us,” said Chester coach Bryan Lee. “We were able to get our offense back on track and our defense kept doing what they have been doing all year long.”
The Yellow Jackets finished with 307 rushing yards while holding Pinckneyville to under 150 yards of total offense.
“Our defense has been consistently good all season long,” said Lee. “We are statistically the best defense in southern Illinois by a lot. They are playing lights out football right now. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit also in this win. They played stellar and did an excellent job of clearing lanes for us all night. Once this team got rolling, we all just fed off of that.”
Senior fullback Tim Sullins had a huge night for the Jackets as he ran the ball 21 times for 166 yards and four touchdowns.
“Sullins did a nice job running the football all game long,” said Lee. “He was able to hit the holes quickly, and once he gets going he is hard to take down.”
Chester set the tone for the game with their first drive of the game. The Jackets marched down the field 83 yards on 14 plays that used up over eight minutes of the clock, as Sullins scored from six yards out. Dan Adams added the extra point, and with 1:27 left in the first quarter, Chester led 7-0.
Chester jumped on Pinckneyville in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 21-0 for a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime.
“After the loss to Anna-Jonesboro, we were able to notice some of our tendencies that other teams may have been picking up on,” said Lee. “We put in a new series of plays and showed Pinckneyville something they have never seen before. We were able to befuddle their defense all night.”
Isaac McMullin’s nine-yard run finished off a 72 yard 10-play drive to give his squad a 14-0 advantage with 7:35 left in the second quarter.
Chester struck again just over three minutes later as Sullins added his second rushing touchdown of the game, this time a three-yard dash to give his team a 20-0 lead with 4:18 left in the half.
After a Pinckneyville fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Sullins, with a one-yard touchdown run, gave his team complete control of the game. Chester was successful on the two-point conversion and went into the intermission up 28-0.
Any hopes for a second half comeback by the Panthers were dashed on the opening kickoff as John Baughman returned the kick 76 yards for a touchdown as the Yellow Jackets went up 35-0.
Sullins wrapped up the game’s scoring with a 13-yard touchdown with 9:00 left on the clock in the third quarter.
Chester finished with 329 yards of total offense. Sullins had 166 yards rushing, and McMullin added 55. Zach Lochhead completed one-of-two passes for 22 yards.
Pinckneyville’s offense was led by Bryant Shute who finished the game with 47 yards rushing and was two-of-nine passing for 35 yards with two interceptions. Ben Harris added 22 yards on the ground, while Tyler Rice had 20.
Baughman led the Chester defense with seven solo tackles and one assist, while Sullins added five solo tackles, and McMullin had two solo tackles and two assists.
With the win, Chester improved to 6-2 on the season, finished 3-2 in conference play, and clinched a spot in the state playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Chester will host Dupo (3-5) in the regular season finale.