Chester Coach Victor Floyd said a football team should make their biggest improvement from game one to game two. That should be a terrifying prospect for any future opponents watching game film of the Cyclones from last week.
Chester opened the year with a dominating 42-6 victory over Lancaster in which the Cyclones dominated in all phases and played with a running clock in the fourth quarter. This week’s opponent will be Fort Mill, which lost to Catawba Ridge to open the season 35-14.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a winless 0-10 season, but that doesn’t mean the team was a pushover. Fort Mill was competitive with Chester last year before falling 22-17 and played within two scores of Lugoff-Elgin, Rock Hill, Spring Valley and Clover. Floyd said the offense the Yellow Jackets bring to the field is tough to prepare for because you don’t see it very often.
“They run the triple option, so your defense has to be very disciplined,” Floyd said.
Floyd said Fort Mill looks improved over last year and said they have a couple of players that stand out, including linebacker Josh Welch and a couple of athletic players on offense. He also noted that the Yellow Jackets are often a tough out for Chester. On top of last year, Chester only beat Fort Mill by a touchdown and had to rally from a 14-point deficit to do so during the 2018 state championship season.
The numbers from Chester’s win over Lancaster are a bit deceptive. The Cyclones had less than 300 yards of total offense, but the defense scored once and set up the offense on a short field once. The special teams scored a touchdown and set up another by recovering a muffed punt. Offensively, the pass was there when Chester chose to air it out, but they primarily kept it on the ground, eating the clock. The game was also shortened when the Cyclones went up 42, triggering an automatic running clock in the fourth quarter. The defense made plays in the backfield all night. The Bruins had just two first downs in the first half and scored their one touchdown late in the game when Chester had cycled in many of its backups.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t areas in which Chester could improve. The Cyclones put the ball on the ground a few times and though they recovered their fumbles (one was recovered by lineman Travanti Weldon in the end zone for a score), Floyd said that represents living dangerously.
“You lose those and suddenly it’s a different game,” he said.
This week will be a special one, with Chester High School honoring the state championship teams of 2018 and 1963. They do so as Chester tries to put together a run at another title. Kickoff at Chester is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
August 22, 2023 | Chester News & Reporter (SC)
Author/Byline: TRAVIS JENKINS TJENKINS@ONLINECHESTER.COM | Section: News