Chandler’s defense made stops when it needed to Friday night as the Lions rang up a 34-27 win over Dickson in their district opener.
The win lifts the Lions’ season record to 3-1 and leaves them as one of four district teams with a 1-0 league record. Next up for Chandler is the Homecoming match on Friday with Little Axe, which is 0-4 on the season and has scored only one touchdown in four games.
Although the Lions led Dickson by three touchdowns at one point, the Comets got back within seven points and tried to set up a potential game winning possession by going with an onside kick with 1:32 left in the game. Jordan Denson recovered the kick and Chandler was able to run out the clock.
“It was a shootout,” Chandler coach Jack Gray said. “We score, they score, we score, they score.
“We had a nice long drive in the third quarter that took some of the air out of them, and our defense made some stands. We knocked the ball down, got a pick when we needed to, covered up well.”
Chandler moved the ball most of the night, but the Comets had fast skill players that made the Lions’ lead feel tenuous. Quarterback Baylor Bond, running back Easton Peoples and wideout D’Eric Drain were tough to contain and Drain, who wore jersey No. 3, figured into some second half Chandler decisions.
The Lions faced a fourth-and-4 near mid-field, but decided to go for it instead of punting because Drain was the Comets’ return man.
“We didn’t want to punt the ball to No. 3 out in the open field,” Gray said. “If we don’t make it, we give them the ball at the 50 and make them go make a drive.
“It was a time factor plus keeping the ball out of No. 3’s hands. We don’t ever want him touching the ball in the open field. He almost ran a kick back on us twice.
“I’d rather give them the ball at the 40 or 50 and then let’s play defense.”
The Lions didn’t convert the fourth down, but the overall strategy worked.
Chandler opened the scoring on the first possession when Clayton Ritchie hit Jordan Denson with a 9-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead.
Dickson was in the end zone less than a minute later when quarterback Bond went in from three yards out. The Comets couldn’t convert the extra point, leaving the Lions with a lead they never relinquished.
Chandler scored again when Darius Wade completed a 52yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run. Levi Becktol’s extra point kick made it 14-6.
Dickson returned the following kickoff to the Chandler 11 and scored moments later on a six-yard pass from Bond to Drain.
Peyton Arms returned Dickson’s kick to the Comets’ 48yard line and Wade capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Becktol’s kick made it 21-12 with 1:12 left in the first quarter.
Denson made it 27-12 with 19 seconds left in the second quarter with a one-handed pass reception and Zaedyn Hankins pushed it to 34-12 late in the third when he got behind the Dickson secondary for a touchdown reception.
The Comets cut it to 34-20 when Drain ran tree yards for a score on the first play of the fourth quarter and Peoples made it a one-touchdown game when he scored from three yards out with 1:32 left to play.
“We were moving the ball fine all night and started having some mishaps right before halftime,” Gray said. “A couple of times we needed another first down and we would shoot ourselves in the foot.
“We started a couple of times at first-and-20, so were starting behind the sticks.”