By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
DURANGO, Colo. – Aidan Thompson threw five touchdown passes, Tommy Thomas set an all-time program record and the Eagle defense pitched a shutout as Chadron State football won its sixth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference game with a 41-0 victory over Fort Lewis.
With three receiving touchdowns on the day, Thomas became the Chadron State career touchdown receptions leader with 27. He was the primary target throughout the day for Thompson, who completed 25 of 35 passes for 237 yards and threw for all five of the touchdowns that were scored with no interceptions. The offense finished with 25 first downs and 450 total yards.
The Eagles' strong defense certainly did its share, limiting Fort Lewis to seven first downs and 128 total net yards plus recovering three Skyhawk fumbles that the offense turned into touchdowns.
After five consecutive victories where the Chadron State offense scored on its first possession, the Eagles came up empty initially against the Skyhawks. CSC received the opening kickoff and drove 55 yards in 10 plays to the hosts' 20-yard line, but were stopped on a fourth and one situation, giving up the ball on downs.
That didn't spell doom for the Eagles, however. They drove 98 yards and scored on their second possession, capped by the day's longest pass, a 63-yard connection that junior Devon Sundgren took down the middle of the field with three minutes remaining in the opening period as the Eagles led 7-0 after 15 minutes.
Chadron State also scored twice in the second quarter when Thompson connected both times with senior receiver Tommy Thomas, who finished with 12 catches for 100 yards, his third 100-yard receiving game of the year.
Thompson and Thomas initially hooked up on a 10-yard strike to cap a 63-yard drive with four minutes remaining before halftime. Just two-and-a-half minutes later, Thomas scored again on a five-yard toss shortly after Eagles' defensive end William Stemler forced Fort Lewis quarterback Jake Jones to fumble and CSC linebacker Reese Jacobs pounced on the ball at the Skyhawks' 25.
It initially appeared that the Eagles had lost that scoring opportunity when Fort Lewis intercepted a CSC pass. But the pick was nullified by a pass interference call against the Skyhawks, and two plays later, the Eagles were in the end zone and led 21-0 at halftime.
The Eagles cashed in on another Fort Lewis turnover early in the second half. A Skyhawk muffed Brodie Eisenbraun's 53-yard punt and the loose ball was claimed by one of the CSC special teams hustlers, Rylan Wehr, at the Fort Lewis eight-yard line.
The Thompson and Thomas combo immediately connected for their third touchdown of the day. It was Tommy Tom's, as he's popularly known on the Chadron State campus, 11th touchdown catch this season and the 27th of his career, making him the Eagles' all-time leader in TD receptions. The old mark of 26 was shared by Tevon Wright, a native of Florida who graduated in 2019, and Cole Thurness of Rapid City, S.D., who concluded his career in 2021.
That wasn't the end of the Eagles' remarkable success in turning Fort Lewis misfortune into points. Midway in the third period, Skyhawks running back KB Broadus gained 15 yards for his team's longest play of the game, but lost the ball when he was tackled by safety Sutton Pohlman, which was recovered by defensive end Andrew Calderon at the Fort Lewis 43. Chadron State went ahead 35-0 on another eight-yard scoring pass thrown by Thompson, this time to sophomore Garet Schlabs. Thompson's 25-yard pass to Deon Metezier preceded the TD toss.
Chadron State also added Wilson Yee field goals of 20 and 36 yards, the first late in the third period and the second early in the fourth. Yee also kicked three extra points before turning those duties over to redshirt freshman Shay Prichard following the two third period TDs.
While the CSC ground game didn't get in on the scoring, it also was effective, gaining 164 yards on 39 carries. Daytuawn Pearson was the leader with 14 rushes for 98 yards, including a 54-yard romp that set up the Eagles' first field goal. The Eagles made the trip without redshirt freshman Quincey Ryker, who rushed for 220 yards and scored three touchdowns the previous Saturday during the 37-20 win over New Mexico Highlands.
The Eagles defensive statistics were balanced with 18 players recording tackles. Linebacker Logan O'Brien, a three-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week this season, led CSC in tackles with six and forced a fumble.
Pohlman, Ryder True and Cooper Walton each participated in five stops. All together, the Eagles had eight tackles for losses and broke up five passes to go with the three fumble recoveries that were converted into points.
The Eagles are idle this coming Saturday before meeting South Dakota Mines in Rapid City on November 1. Chadron State (6-2, 6-0 RMAC), CSU Pueblo (7-1, 6-0 RMAC) and Western Colorado (7-0, 5-0 RMAC) all remain unbeaten in conference play after this week's games.