by TYLER HATHAWAY
GATES , N.Y– Churchville-Chili (4-0) outscored rival Gates Chili (1-3) 28-7 over the final three quarters while forcing three turnovers as the Saints remained unbeaten with a 35-14 win at Gates Chili High School on Friday night.
The Saints’ offense sputtered out of the gate, punting on each of their first two drives. But a pick six by Kaysean Hines got Churchville-Chili on the board before two solid touchdown drives in the second quarter helped the Saints build a 21-7 halftime lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
“They see adversity and they don’t quit,” said Saints head coach Dennis Pynn. “I’ve been impressed with this group in terms of when things don’t go the way they plan, that they keep pushing through. They’ve really been mentally tough and we’ve gotten some really great effort out of them. They play a full 48 minutes, which is awesome to see.”
“We’re just hungry,” said running back Jayden Jager. We always like to say we’re the underdogs, and we want to show people that we shouldn’t be underdogs, because we are a good team that plays good.”
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It’s the second straight double digit win for a Saints team that opened the year with a come-from-behind win over Greece Athena and a last-second win over Webster Thomas.
“Once you have games like that, that belief is always there,” Pynn said of how the tight wins gave his team more confidence. “No matter what the scoreboard says, you’re always in the game. They haven’t quit and they have that belief now that no matter what they can still win.”
“Just the hard work we put in in practice every day,” Jager said of what has caused the success. “It’s what really leads into it. We’re all hungry, we want to win. We’ve been doubted a lot, and we just want to show out and do our best.”
Jager was a pivotal piece of Churchville-Chili’s offense, and outright took over drives at points in the game. He finished with 115 yards on the ground and scored twice. He ran for 33 of 42 total yards on the Saints’ first touchdown drive and scored to make it 14-7.
“He’s just an unbelievable guy,” said Pynn. “His personality is amazing, he wants to win, and he does everything. We’ve had games this year with Ocean Minor in at tailback who makes a big play because Jayden is out there making blocks in front of him. He’s a really selfless kid, and just an unbelievably athletic kid. His movement abilities are second to none.”
Churchville-Chili scored their final touchdown of the first half after a four-minute drive that ended in a one-yard run from Ocean Minor. Gates Chili put together a methodical 65-yard drive to open the second half to make it a one-score game before Saints’ quarterback Michael McKeiver connected with Zyon Beachum on a deep ball that restored Churchville-Chili’s lead to 14 points.
Then it was the defense’s turn to make plays. Gates Chili’s next two possessions saw them reach deep into Churchville-Chili territory, but two stops on fourth down helped the Saints protect their lead. They also recovered a fumble, and Hines added another interception on the Spartans’ last drive that iced the game.
“There’s no quit in this group,” Pynn said of his defense. “They do an amazing job. I really felt like Mike McKeiver was making plays all over the place, Hines had some interceptions there. I’m proud with all the guys because they rotate through. We got defensive lineman coming and going getting in there. They did an amazing job.”
Jager would once again dominate a drive halfway through the fourth quarter to clinch the win. He opened the drive with a 25-yard run before ripping a 45-yarder that involved multiple broken tackles to set up first and goal. He found paydirt from three yards out the next play for Churchville-Chili’s final touchdown.
“When I get the ball, every time I’m trying to score,” said the senior. “And as soon as I think I can’t score, I just try and pick up as many yards as I can. I do whatever I got to do.”
Ocean Minor ran seven times for 20 yards. Michael McKeiver tallied 35 yards on eight carriess and threw for 113 yards. Malik Abdullah had three carries for 27 yards Jager added four grabs for 13 yards. Michael Bekridakis caught three passes for 38 yards. Braden Smith ran once for three yards. McKeiver led the defense with 10 tackles. Quintyn Whipple had three tackles and made a sack.
Trevion Talbert ran 14 times for 73 yards and caught three passes for 18 yards for Gates Chili. Nathaniel McKinley ran for 56 yards and threw for 124 yards and a touchdown. Ty Emanuele caught six passes for 85 yards. Eddie Jackson IV had two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown. Alex Yohance led the defense with eight tackles. Ray Jones had six tackles and forced a fumble.
Churchville-Chili will take on fellow unbeaten Brighton at home next Friday.
“I think their commitment in the offseason, weight room, and beyond that, the relationships these guys have,” Pynn said of what has driven his group’s success. “They’re really a fun group of athletes to work with. They have great personalities, but they show up to work every day and get better all the time. A lot of this work that they did in the offseason and in the summer to get ready for this has been coming to fruition.”
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