Yellow Jackets fight hard in 48-40 playoff loss to Meridian
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[On Saturday afternoon, the Chester Yellow Jackets fell short of a playoff win against the Meridian Hawks in a 48-40 loss--one of the closest and most high scoring games of the Class 2A first round. The Jacket squad, led by first year head coach Bryan Lee, executed consistently throughout the game, but ultimately, it was a difficult second quarter which allowed Meridian to hold the lead and advance to the second playoff round against Athens.
Alex Lankford rallied the Jackets into the first quarter with the expected, "…are you ready?" just before kickoff, only to see the Hawks reply with a 99 yard kick return by Tony Clifton. Chester, now on the offensive, began their assault with John Baughman, Jordan Jones, and Steven Wallace moving the ball on the ground, but a first down was short- lived as Meridian quarterback Dakota Getz quickly responded with a touchdown pass to Trent Swigert, increasing the Hawks lead to 13-0.
With 8:36 remaining in the first quarter and fans wanting retribution, the Jacket squad began two memorable series and dominated the remainder of the first quarter. In their first drive, the Yellow Jackets moved across the field quickly with the help of a 29 yard Wallace breakaway to the 22 yard line. A crucial 1st down followed, bringing the Jackets within 1 yard and allowing Wallace and his offensive line to drive into the end zone for their first touchdown.
Following the touchdown, Chester's aggression raged on as the Jacket defense shut down the Hawks in three downs, including an incomplete pass. The Chester crowd saw opportunity once again as the Hawk's Cory Burns kicked a short 13 yard punt, starting Chester at Meridian's 36. 1:09 now left in the first quarter, the Hawks are called on an offside penalty and moved the Yellow Jackets from 4th and 9 to 4th and 4. John Baughman took a shovel pass down the right side for a powerful 1st down, once again leaving Wallace close enough to drive in a touchdown to bring the score to 13-13 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Hawks pulled out all the stops, first connecting to Casey Dodson, who only needed to break one tackle to reach the end zone and take a 20-13 lead. With 10:42 still to go in the half, a holding penalty brought the Jackets to 2nd and 16, 3rd and 6 from a solid rush, then 4th and 7 from a 1 yard loss before punting the Hawks back to their own 28 yard line; however, Getz passed deep for 45 yards, which was followed by a 23 yard touchdown run by the Hawks' Logan Ashburn. With the intentions of extending their lead, the Hawks pulled off the swinging gate conversion play successfully, bringing the score to 28-13.
In the following series, the Yellow Jackets attempt two passes before being forced once again to punt--this time to the Hawks' 47. 6:37 on the clock only seemed to allow Meridian more opportunity to score as they completed another one-two punch series: an outside run bringing them to the 29 yard line, then a touchdown pass to Swigert. The score was 35-13.
At a moment when all seemed lost, the Chester offense found focus as Wallace and company moved across the field completing four 1st downs on their drive to the end zone. With the extra point blocked, the Yellow Jackets narrowed the gap to 35-19 and followed up with some added strength on defense. With pressure on Hawk quarterback, Getz, the Jackets nearly forced an interception. With 1:15 left in the first quarter, Chester took over on a turnover only to lose a fumble to Getz one play later. In Meridian's final drive of the half, Shane Lawrence made a great effort, stopping two touchdown passes, but Getz took things into his own hands, rushing 34 yards for another touchdown. The Hawks missed their third extra point of the game, leaving the halftime score of 41-19.
A much needed halftime talk in the Yellow Jacket locker-room made a world of difference for the struggling team. The Jackets started off the second half unstoppable with Wallace and Baughman completing 1st downs, Winters passing to Roth, and finally handing off the ball to Jordan Jones for the touchdown. A missed rush conversion brought the Jackets one step closer with the score at 41-25. With 3:47 left in the third quarter the Hawks took over, held at their own 23 yard line. Aaron Grah came through with a much needed interception against the Meridian offense and the Yellow Jackets moved the ball quickly across the field for another touchdown. As the third quarter came to a close, Chester was looking in great shape as the gap narrowed to 41-33.
Into the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets were picking it up on defense, but Meridian found other ways to strike. With the Jackets on a 4th and 6, punting was the only option. As the ball landed, seeming to come to a stop near the 35 yard line, the Hawks' Cory Burns made a quick pick up and ran the ball over 60 yards for a punt return.
With the score now at 48-33 and 7 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets fought on with Wallace, Baughman, and Roth forcing the ball down the field. A favorable pass interference call helped Chester to the end zone, but their time was running out and the Hawks knew it was time to run out the clock. After completing two 1st downs and depleting the Yellow Jackets of time outs, a pass interference call against the Jackets ensured Meridian the win as they knelt out the remaining seconds of the game.
The Chester Yellow Jackets left Macon, IL with a difficult 48-40 loss.
Chester finished the game with 352 total rushing yards, nearly double that of Meridian, though outdone in pass yardage, 52 to Meridian's 210. Defensively, Jayson Stevens led the Jackets with five tackles and three assists, followed by John Baughman and Matt Roth, each with four tackles and one assist.
Although the Jackets finish the season with a 5-5 record, Saturday's loss marks the end of a tremendous season for the players and fans.