Chandler clinched second place in the district and a home game in the first round of the playoffs by outlasting Star-Spencer Friday night.
It was a slowed-down game laden with penalties, but the Lions eventually battered the Bobcats with Carson Clagg, who carried the ball 31 times for 260 yards and all three Chandler touchdowns.
The win puts Chandler at 5-1 in district and gets the Lions back on a winning track after falling to Jones the previous week.
“I was glad to get the win, but it was about as sloppy a win as you can get,” said Chandler coach Jack Gray.
“They have a lot of good athletes on both sides of the ball and they’ve been giving everyone problems this year.
“It was a flat night. We had some guys who took a long time waking up.”
Star-Spencer scored first, getting a 37-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-25 in the first quarter.
The try for point failed and Chandler tied the score on its next possession. Ty Garver set the Lions up with good field position with a kickoff return to the Bobcats’ 41. On the next play, he caught a pass and carried it to the 18.
Clagg ran for the touchdown from the 7 to make it 6-6, but the Lions’ try for point failed as well.
“We were doing a lot of stupid stuff. We were off-sides a lot, had some holding penalties. Missed alignments. It was just allaround where our heads were tonight.”
Quarterback Braxton Estes completed five of 11 passes for 73 yards. It was his first start after replacing the injured Alec Jackson against Jones.
“He has the ability to do everything,” Gray said. “It’s just a matter of getting him the reps.
“He’s only had three practices since the last time we played. They’re a tough defense to figure out - they move around a lot on defense. He did a good job tonight and he’s going to keep getting better..”
The Lions took the lead in the second quarter when the Bobcats were flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety and an 8-6 Lion lead.
The Lions extended the lead late in the third quarter when Clagg ran over for defenders on his way to the end zone. Quarterback Braxton Estes ran for the conversion, making it 16-6.
Star-Spencer scored early in the fourth quarter to make it 16-14, but Clagg registered his third touchdown midway through the period, accounting for the final score of 23-14.
The Lions would have added a score on a 33-yard pass to Caleb Sawatski, but it was called back for a holding penalty.