The final regular season match up between longtime rivals Chester and Sparta didn’t disappoint as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Bulldogs 7-0 in a defensive battle at Pierce Field in Sparta.
John Baughman’s 11 yard touchdown run early in the second quarter was the game’s lone score, while the Chester defense held Sparta to just 33 yards of total offense for their first shutout victory of the season.
“Our defense played great,” said Chester coach Bryan Lee. “It was an ugly win, but it wasn’t a bad game. Sparta came out with a good game plan, and they are a much improved team. We were a little banged up, but you have to give credit to Sparta. They adjusted to our motion and made it tough for us to move the football.”
“I am very pleased with the effort,” said Sparta coach Phil Watson. “Chester has a salty defense, and they frustrated us offensively. Our defense played very well and kept us in the game. I can’t fault the kids’ drive, determination and effort. This team has suffered some catastrophic injuries, and they continue to battle each week. Chester is a very good team. We used some multiple fronts and mixed up our linebacker assignments. We just needed some more big plays on offense.”
The Sparta offense began the game by picking up a first down on just two plays, a three yard rush and a seven yard rush by Zach Ferguson. However, the drive would be short lived, as the Chester defense caused the Sparta offense to lose 10 yards over their next three plays to force a punt.
After a short punt, Chester started their first drive of the game at midfield. Tim Sullins gained 14 yards on their first play from scrimmage. Sullins would go on to pick up nine more yards on the drive before a fumble on third down caused the Jackets to face a fourth down and long. The fourth down pass by Zach Lochhead was dropped, and Chester turned the ball over on downs at the Sparta 35 yard line.
The Dawgs only managed to gain one yard on their next possession, as they were forced to punt after just three plays.
After a good punt return by Isaac McMullen, the Yellow Jackets began their next drive from the Sparta 42 yard line.
However, Chester fumbled the ball on the next play from scrimmage, as they turned the ball back over to Sparta.
A penalty, a dropped pass and a quarterback run that was stopped for a seven yard loss forced the Bulldogs into a three-and-out and punted the ball back to Chester.
Chester’s third possession of the game once again began in good field position, the 50 yard line. However, this time it was the Sparta defense that stepped up, as they allowed Chester to pick up just one yard before punting the ball away.
The Sparta offense still couldn’t find their rhythm, and after a big sack by Jeremy Woodward, the Dawgs punted the ball after just three plays that ended up losing 11 yards.
Chester started their next drive from the Sparta 34 yard line and this time would take advantage of the short field. Sullins piled up 10 yards on two rushes before Clint Cole broke loose with a 16 yard run to give the Jackets a first-and-goal from the seven yard line as the first quarter came to a close.
After a short run by Sullins and a penalty that went against Chester, Baughman scored on a counter run as he raced into the end zone untouched from 11 yards out. Dan Adams added the extra point, and with 10:57 to play in the first half, the Jackets led 7-0.
With the lead, the Chester defense didn’t let up as they held Sparta from pickinmg up another first down until late in the second half.
After another three-and-out by the Sparta offense, Chester put together another nice offensive drive. The Jackets began their next possession from their own 26 yard line. Baughman started the drive with a 28-yard rush to give his team a first down at the Sparta 44. Two plays later, Sullins burst through the middle and sprinted for a 44-yard touchdown run, but the play was called back because of a penalty flag. Chester would pick another first down on the drive, but a sack by Ferguson and a clutch stop on fourth down by the Sparta defense kept the Jackets off the scoreboard.
Unfortunately, the big defensive stand didn’t get the Sparta offense going, as they were forced into another three-and-out.
Another nice punt return by McMullen gave the Chester offense a starting position at the Sparta 43 yard line. Facing a fourth down with three yards to go, Lochhead completed a short pass to Woodward for an apparent first down, but the ball was fumbled and Sparta recovered.
On first down, Darius Jackson completed an 11-yard pass to London Oliver, but the Dawgs ran out of time as the first half ended two plays later with Chester holding the 7-0 lead.
The second half began with the Yellow Jackets marching down the field. Chester put together a nine-play drive that gained 33 yards before the Sparta defense tightened up, setting up a fourth down and one yard to go on the Sparta 39 yard line. Baughman got the call, but Oliver was able to break loose and stop the ball carrier short of the first down marker.
But once again, the Sparta offense couldn’t figure out the Chester defense, and a sack by Sullins on third down forced the Dawgs to punt after just three offensive plays.
Chester’s next drive was once again stopped on fourth down as a swarm of Sparta defenders stopped Dan Roth short.
Sparta began their next possession near midfield with 2:42 left in the third quarter. Jackson picked up five yards on first down and then ran for nine yards and an apparent first down before he fumbled the ball to end the drive.
Chester wouldn’t put up any points on their next drive, but they did run over six minutes off the clock before being forced to punt at the Sparta 46 yard line.
Sparta knew they wouldn’t have many more opportunities to score, as they began their next possession from their own 22 yard line with 7:38 to play in the game. On third down, Jackson connected with David Sams for a 19-yard pass play to give the Bulldogs a first down at their own 46 yard line.
Chester’s Wes Cowan came up big in the next series, as he picked up two sacks for a total loss of 17 yards to force Sparta to punt the ball away with under four minutes to play in the game.
“His play was huge for us late in the game,” said Lee. “He does a great job for us as the center on the offensive line, so we like to save him a little and doesn’t get a lot of chances to play defense. He came in and did some nice things for us tonight.”
Facing a third down with six yards to go, the Chester offensive coordinator called up the perfect play as he caught the Sparta defense looking run, while Lochhead completed a short pass to Woodward for a key first down, which allowed the Jackets to run out the clock for the 7-0.
With the win, Chester improved to 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in the SIRR Mississippi Division. Sparta fell to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the conference.
“A lot was hyped up about this game being the last between these two teams,” said Lee. “But if Sparta continues to improve like they have from last year, we will see the Bulldogs in the playoffs in the near future.”
Chester finished with 216 yards on offense, with 175 of that coming from their rushing attack. Sullins finished with 87 yards to lead the Jackets while Baughman added 54 yards, Cole added 21 yards, and Roth chipped in with 19.
Nance paced the Sparta offense with 15 yards, while Ferguson added nine yards. Jackson completed 2 of 9 passes for 30 yards, while Lochhead finished with 41 yards passing, completing 6 of 12 passes.
Chester travels to face Anna-Jonesboro (4-2) Friday night, while Sparta travels to Pinckneyville (1-5).
