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Sports
Photo courtesy of Dede Long, South Dakota School of Mines
Looking like Randy Moss, Jahani Wright, freshman of Miami, catches a 39-yard pass over defender Josh Johnston, junior of Snohomish, Washington, Saturday in Rapid City, South Dakota.
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Eagles prepare for clash with Kearney
u By Mackenzie Dahlberg Staff Editor
Despite both teams going scoreless in the first quarter, Chadron State scored 28 second half points to defeat South Dakota School of Mines 37-22, Saturday, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
CSC gained 160 yards, and four touchdowns on the ground. Jalen Starks, junior of Van Nuys, California, and Christopher Busby, sophomore of Scottsbluff, each scored two touchdowns.
Leading by a touchdown midway through third quarter, Jahani Wright, freshman of Miami, caught a 39-yard pass over the head of a Hardrocker
Athletes Weekof the Jahani Wright Hometown: Miami Class: Freshman Sport: Football
Wright received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after receiving three catches gaining a total of 88 yards during the Eagles’ 37-22 victory against South Dakota School of Mines, Saturday, in Rapid City, South Dakota. defender. Wright finished the game with three catches, 88 yards and one touchdown en route to earning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. “I’m really proud of him,” Head Football Coach Jay Long said. “He got up there, the arm over the top of him and it was an awesome catch. He had a couple other big catches for us. When they bracketed Cole (Thurness), they double-teamed him, which then puts one-on-one matchups with everybody else. I thought that Jahani was the one that benefited from that and Jahani took advantage of it and had a good game.”
Please see football page 16
Travis Wilson
Wilson snagged his first interception and had a total of six tackles during the Eagles’ 37-22 victory against South Dakota School of Mines, Saturday, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
2020
Football Standings
1. Chadron State 2. Colorado Mesa 3. South Dakota Mines 4. Black Hills State
Offensive Leaders
Passing: Dalton Holst 774 yards, four touchdowns Rushing: Jalen Starks 205 yards, five touchdowns Receiving: Chad Mikelson 248 yards, one touchdown
Defensive Leaders
Tackles: Jeremiah Makahununiu 34 tackles, 14 solo Sacks: Brendan Hopkins one sack, 16 tackles Interceptions: Bobby Peele Three interceptions, four break-ups
Remaining Schedule
Nov. 7 Nov. 14 At Nebraksa-Kearney At Black Hills State
Sports
Norris stands strong against struggles
u By Paige Seidler Reporter
After creating The Eagle Effort Award to influence academic improvement in Chadron’s elementary school, Chadron State’s Jake Norris is one-of-22 student-athletes nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
People can vote at espn.com/allstate to vote with the polls closing Nov. 22.
“I’m proud to do something that’s going to make an impact and do the right thing,” Norris said. “It’s truly something special I couldn’t have done alone.”
According to CSC Head Football Coach Jay Long, Norris, 22, senior of Fort Morgan, Colorado, is the second Eagle to be nominated for this award and the coach said he could not be more proud of Norris.
From an early age, Norris was surrounded by football.
Norris plays right guard at Chadron State College but began his football journey as a running back during his time as a Green Bay Packer in flag football at age 5.
Norris’s first touchdown came on a 35-yard run during a flag football game which he celebrated with a spike of the football. The big moment was short lived though, as his father looked at him and said, “act like you’ve been there before,” Norris said.
Norris played tackle football from second to sixth grade but spent his final season on the bench after he developed a fear of hitting. Norris was an aggressive player whose style was viewed as too rough by his father who thought it could lead to injuries.
By middle school, Norris debuted as an offensive lineman, but had carried his fear of hitting into high school. He was smaller than most players which added to his troubles. His sophomore year Norris hit a small growth spurt, boosting his confidence and he finally started for the team as a senior.
When Norris arrived at Chadron State, it was a hard adjustment. Prior to students arriving for classes, he was the only football player to live in Edna Hall freshman year.
Norris said it was the hardest point of college and that if it wasn’t for Coach Long, teammate Sam McKinley, senior of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and his family he would not still be playing. McKinley
Photo by Brandon Davenport Jake Norris, senior of Fort Morgan, Colorado, holds the Eagle Rock trophy after the Eagles secured the award for the fifth consecutive year, Oct. 17. said that Norris was there for him and helped him just as much.
According to McKinley, Norris is an exceptional leader. “He always tries to lead by example in everything we do,” he said. “He goes out of his way to help people.”
Norris’s freshman year was a time of growth for him as a football player, he said, which he credits to CSC’s strength and conditioning program along with the tough practices held by the Eagles’ football team.
Of many CSC traditions, Norris derives the most pleasure from hosting the Eagle-Rock trophy after victories against South Dakota School of Mines.
Two weeks ago, Norris got to hold it once again.
“It’s our expectation to have that trophy and it’s a good feeling to show it,” He said. “Not everyone sees the hard work that goes into our practices, film study and preparation every week to earn those victories.” football, from page 15
Dalton Holst, senior of Gillette, Wyoming. finished the game passing for 162 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Baylor Hayes, senior of Cheyenne, Wyoming, received three passes for 60 yards, and Cole Thurness, senior of Rapid City, South Dakota, also received three passes for 28 yards. Starks rushed for 60 yards, and Busby rushed for 28 yards. Rushing for 81 yards, Jeydon Cox, freshman of Jackson, Wyoming, led the team Saturday with the most rushing yards.
Jeremiah Makahununiu, junior of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, led CSC’s defense with nine tackles, followed close behind by Noah Kerchal, junior of Benkelman, with a total of eight tackles. Jeremiah Gutierrez, senior of Long Beach, California, had seven tackles, he had one sack and a tackle for a loss of two yards.
“I think that more than anything I was just proud of the team,” Long said. “In the first half, our offense was struggling, and we had to lean on our defense, and our defense rose to the challenge. The second half, South Dakota School of Mines got a couple drives going and offense answered it. I thought we did a really good job on special teams, improvised some plays that changed the game. So that made it just a total team win.”
Chadron State will play University of Nebraska Kearney for the first time since 2011, at 2 p.m. Mountain Time, Saturday, at Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field, Kearney.
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