The Mighty Lions of Chandler (2-3, 1-1) got off to a slow start before outscoring district foe, Kellyville, 33-6 in the second half to defeat the Ponies 47-13 on Friday, October 4, at the Joe Telford Field.
Both teams were held scoreless in the opening quarter before Chandler junior Spencer Clagg found the end zone early in the second quarter to give the Lions a 7-0 lead. The Ponies would respond after a 39-yard strike from Kellyville quarterback Colton Ayres set up the Ponies with a first-and-goal at the Chandler one-yard line. Kellyville (0-6, 0-2) eventually capped off the drive to tie the game at seven apiece with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.
Spencer Clagg led the Lions downfield after three-straight runs of 10 yards or more, which eventually set up a play-action opportunity for Chandler. Sophomore quarterback Kaden Jones threw a perfect ball down the middle of the field that only his 6-foot-5 target, Dylan Mahan, could reach. The senior tight end secured the 15-yard touchdown catch to retake the lead for Chandler, 14-7. A seven-point lead for Chandler going into halftime that the Lions would hold onto the rest of the evening.
All five of the Lions’ second-half touchdowns came on the ground; with a majority of Chandler’s rushing total of 516 yards coming in the second half as well. Senior Dylan McKinney led the Chandler rushing attack with eight carries for 127 yards (15.5 per rush) and one touchdown. Junior Spencer Clagg finished second on the team with nine carries for 120 yards
(13.3 per rush) and two scores.
A trio of freshman was a significant part of the success on the ground for Chandler led by starting running back Casmen Hill. Hill finished with a team-high 14 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown, giving the Lions three running backs to exceed 100 yards on the night. Freshmen Blake Rickner and Kobe Smith combined for 108 yards on the ground and a touchdown apiece. Rickner’s score came on an 80-yard run in the fourth quarter. Both Rickner and Smith recorded their first touchdowns of the season against Kellyville.
Defensively, the Lions were led by senior linebacker Taylor Clagg, who finished with 16 tackles with four of those tackles coming for a loss. Junior defensive lineman Traydon Richardson finished second on the team with eight tackles against the Ponies.
Senior Dylan Mahan finished with a team-high one sack and caused a fumble against Kellyville, which was recovered by junior defensive end Spencer Clagg.
In their next game, the Lions hit the road to clash with the Meeker Bulldogs (2-3, 1-1) in a district matchup on Friday, October 11, at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss to Jones (4-1, 2-0), 41-14, as both Chandler and Meeker share multiple common opponents this season. This matchup will have huge playoff implications for District 2A-2 as both teams enter the matchup even in district play.