The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1479543
B-4 Wednesday, September 21, 2022 The Press-Dispatch The Chargers backed the Hatchets up on a bad snap and shor t r un, setting up a third-and-16 for the Hatch- ets who nearly conver ted the first down with a 13- yard pass. Washington was called for holding on the play, backing the of fense up with a third-and-30. The Hatchets hit a bubble screen for 20 yards, leaving a four th and 10 and forcing a punt. Pike Central got the ball back at their own 25. On the ensuing drive, the Chargers could not get go- ing. After a r un for negative yardage and a fumbled ex- change, PC faced third and 14. Meadows' pass was in- complete and Charger punt- er Peyton Howald kicked the ball 46 yards to give the ball back to Washington at their own 39. At this point, Stowers and the Hatchet passing game were showing signs of life, but Hatchet penalties kept the Chargers in the game early. The Hatchets were called for holding on first down, forcing a 1st and 20. A 9-yard r un made it 2nd and 11, but once again the of fense was penalized for holding. Washington kept putting the ball in the air, and the Charger defense had no answer. Stowers completed three passes in a row for 11, 8 and 5 yards giving the Hatchets the first down. He would complete his next two passes, pushing the ball near the Charger red zone, and once again the Hatch- ets backed themselves up with a penalty. This time, a chop block pushed the of fense back 15 yards and set up a 1st and 25 from the Charger 33 with the first quar ter coming to a close. After one quar ter the game was scoreless with the Hatchets moving the ball. The second quar ter opened with a Stowers in- completion and yet another Hatchet holding penalty, forcing a 3rd and 29 from the Charger 39. It appeared the Charger defense would hold, as PC nar rowly missed a sack forcing Stowers from the pocket, but receiver Nathaniel Aldrich slipped open in the middle of the field, snatched the pass and weaved his way into the end zone for the game's first score. The kick was good and at the 11:45 mark of the second quar ter it was Wash- ington 7 PC 0. On the ensuing drive, Meadows hit Jagar Dent for an 8-yard completion setting up 3rd and shor t, but the Chargers tur ned the ball over with a fumble on the next play giving the Hatchets the ball at the PC 35. Stowers hit Aldrich for a 20-yard touchdown three plays later, the extra point was good and Washington led 14-0 with 8:40 to go in the half. The Chargers of fense sparked on the next drive with a 19-yard Meadows- to-Dent completion, only to be stalled by a Hatchet interception which gave Washington the ball at PC's 43. Stowers immediately connected with Cordell T ur ner for a 43-yard score. The PC of fense went 3-and- out on the next drive, and Washington took over at the Charger 36. The Hatchets would face a third and 24 after a pen- alty and a shor t r un, but Stowers once again hit Al- drich for a 50-yard touch- down pass. The kick failed and the Hatchets led 27-0 with just under four min- utes left in the first half. With 1:19 to go in the first half, Stowers capped a five touchdown night, this time r unning it in for the score from two yards out giving the Hatchets a 34-0 lead at the half. Washington added a an- other score in second half for the 41-0 final. After the game, Coach Brashear expressed his sur- prise and disappointment, "It was not a great night. We had a solid week of prac- tice. Our of fensive scheme and defensive scheme was good. We just came out to- night and laid an egg." However, he did note one player who really stepped up, "I thought Braden Schultheis played a super game tonight. He just man- handled his opponent all night, and, we've been wait- ing for that." Coach Brashear empha- sized the impor tance of put- ting this game in the rear- view mir ror and preparing for Nor th Knox. "Although it did not go the way that we wanted it to, we have to tur n around tomor row and star t getting ready for Nor th Knox, an- other winnable game," said Brashear. The Chargers play Nor th Knox at Bicknell next Fri- day night at 7 p.m. COSTLY Continued from page 1 Charger quarterback Matthew Meadows looks for running room in a crowded backfield. Matthew Meadows and Trinten Richardson tackle a Washington runner during Friday night's game.