Red Bud gained over 500 yards of total offense as their passing game lit up the Chester defense for 40 points and 375 yards in a 40-16 victory Saturday in the first round of the 2A state football playoffs at W.O. Smith Field.
Jake Hoffman completed 13-of-16 passes for 375 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
“We never expected to put up 40 points against Chester,” said Red Bud coach Dave Lucht. “Some things fell into place offensively for us and the team responded. We were prepared for a grueling game, but the team came out with fire and really took it to Chester. This team feeds off Jake. They know that when he is on, he can lead them down the field for scores. And Jake was on today. He is the catalyst for us and he is the silent leader for this team.”
“It was no big secret that Red Bud can score at anytime on offense,” said Chester coach Bryan Lee. “Red Bud is a very good team and they have multiple weapons. Their quarterback can move and throw well and his play was really the difference in the game.”
Going into the game, Chester wanted to control the ball and the clock with their running game and more importantly, keep the ball out of the hands of the Red Bud offense.
While the Chester offense was productive at times, three turnovers and numerous dropped passes kept the team out of rhythm.
“The dropped passes and the two fumbles were huge,” said Lee. “You can’t give a team this good extra chances. You have to give them credit, they made the big plays and got the win.”
Red Bud’s quick strike offense was in full display Saturday as the Musketeers scored four touchdowns on plays more than 40 yards, including three scoring plays of more than 60 yards.
It was evident early that Red Bud wanted to use their potent passing game to attack the tough and physical Chester defense.
On the first play from scrimmage, Hoffman connected with Mitchel Cleveland for a 27-yard pass play. On the next play, Hoffman called his own number and ran for 29 yards to give his team a first-and-goal from the Chester seven yard line.
Hoffman would take it himself two plays later for a five yard touchdown run to give his team the early lead. Stefan Gregson added the extra point and with 10:15 to play in the first quarter, the Musketeers led 7-0.
The quick start didn’t seem to have any affect on Chester. After a good kickoff return by Chasten Hecht, the Yellow Jackets began their first drive of the game at the Red Bud 38 yard line.
The opening drive turned out to be the best possession of the day for Chester as they put together an eight-play drive that mixed their potent running game with two good play-action passes.
Senior Tim Sullins played a big part in the first drive as he ran the ball six times for 19 yards. Zach Lochhead went 2-for-2 in the drive for 19 yards including an eight-yard fourth down touchdown pass to Justin Eggemeyer. John Baughman ran in the two-point conversion and with 5:59 left in the opening quarter, Chester had the lead 8-7.
Red Bud picked up a first down on their next drive thanks to a face mask penalty, but they couldn’t get things rolling past that and after a good defensive stand and a bad snap on third down, the Musketeers were forced to punt.
Chester began their next possession from their own 17 yard line. The Jackets, after runs of eight and six yards by Sullins and Baughman respectively, were able to move the ball to their own 31 to end the first quarter.
However, on third down, a clutch sack by Tyler Henry forced the Jackets to punt the ball away.
The Red Bud passing attack got back in sync for their third possession of the game. Hoffman completed passes of 28-yards and a 15-yards to Cleveland, before breaking a run of 12 yards to give his team a first-and-goal from the four yard line.
Tyler Hubert ran the ball in for the score on the next play. Gregson’s extra point kick hit the goal post and bounced out. With 9:04 to play in the first half, Red Bud led 13-8.
After a good kickoff return by Baughman, Chester began another drive within Red Bud territory—this time from the 49 yard line.
Eggemeyer got the drive started well with an 11-yard dash, but the Chester offense stalled after that. A second down sack by Cleveland put the Jackets in a deep hole, and two plays later they were forced to punt. A good punt by Dan Adams forced Red Bud to start their next drive from their own nine yard line.
However, by this time the Red Bud offense was hitting on all cylinders. After an incomplete pass, a 13-yard run by Hubert and a four-yard pass play from Hoffman to Tyler Magruder, the Musketeer’s quick strike offense hit a home run as Hoffman connected perfectly with Alex Phegley. Phegley then dodged a couple of tackles and raced to the end zone for a 74-yard touchdown. The extra point kick was blocked and with 4:39 left in the first half, Red Bud’s lead was up to 19-8.
Chester was able to move the ball back into Musketeer territory on their next drive, but a fumble put the scoring chance to an end and gave the ball back to Red Bud with 1:47 left in the first half.
Hoffman ran for 15 yards on first down, but the drive would be short lived as he threw an interception to Adams just two plays later.
Penalties would damper Chester’s next possession as they were forced to punt after just three plays.
The Musketeers took over from the Chester 48 yard line with 8.3 seconds remaining. Hoffman completed a 28-yard pass to Hubert on first down. The Red Bud coaching staff frantically called a time out with what appeared to be two seconds left on the clock, but the clock would expire and the officials signaled the end of the half.
Chester looked to gain some momentum with their first drive of the second half. The Red Bud defense got a heavy dose of Sullins running the ball as the senior carried the ball five times for 29 yards. The Jackets moved the ball all the way to the Red Bud 27 yard line, but a fumble once again ended the drive.
It took Red Bud just one play to take advantage of the turnover. On first down, Hoffman tossed a 69-yard touchdown pass to Cleveland. Gregson added the extra point, and with 7:34 to go in the third quarter, Red Bud was up 26-8.
Chester’s next possession was stopped on third down with a dropped pass as the Yellow Jackets were again forced to punt.
Chester’s defense got to Hoffman for a sack on first down and a penalty against the Musketeers on second down short lived the possession. Red Bud was forced to punt after just three plays.
Chester, however, could not get things going and another dropped pass—this time on fourth down—ended a drive that started at the Red Bud 18 yard line.
The missed opportunity was made worse as the Red Bud offense needed just two plays to get back into the end zone and add to their lead.
Hoffman was able to burn the Chester defense with a 24-yard run and on the next play, Cleveland made a circus catch along the sideline and outran the defense for a 62-yard score. Gregson added the extra point and with 1:12 left in the third quarter, Red Bud led 33-8.
Chester’s next possession ended in another turnover as Magruder was able to pick off Lochhead’s pass and return the ball to the Chester 31 yard line.
Red Bud looked poised to score again, but a third down pass caught by Gregson was fumbled and the Jackets recovered the ball.
Chester took over from their own five yard line and were forced into another three-and-out.
