Gates opens the way as Chester runs past Oxford
CHESTER – When the ball came to rest on several of the biggest plays Saturday afternoon, Jerimiah Gates was nowhere near it. But the Chester defensive lineman’s fingerprints were all over the moments that changed the game in the Clippers’ favor.
Four times Saturday, Chester picked off Oxford quarterback Dustin Long. Twice, Long delivered the ball with Gates clutching a fistful of his jersey. Rarely was Gates far from Long when he dropped back, yielding two pass deflections, two tackles for loss and a slew of hurries.
One of those deflections helped put Chester up for good, Gates causing the havoc that led to Noble Thompson’s 15-yard interception return, sending the Clippers toward a 38-21 nonleague win.
Gates was in the backfield all day. Midway through the second quarter, he got two hands up on Long like he was trying to block a kick. Instead, he blew up an attempted screen, popping the ball into the air for Thompson to corral and rumble untouched into the end zone to make it 14-7.
“I didn’t know he still had the ball,” Gates said. “I just tipped it; I didn’t know Noble was going to catch it. He came out of nowhere. I saw him catch it and just blocked the quarterback.”
Jerimiah Gates the pressure again. John Gates (no relation) the pick. Chester in business pic.twitter.com/5Q5EuqXUYu
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) September 25, 2021
The score turned around a sluggish start for Chester’s defense, from a 7-0 deficit after one quarter to a 20-7 halftime lead. It also sent the Clippers (5-0) on the way to a fifth straight victory.
While the 21 points is more than a Chester unit would ordinarily be happy with at home, it’s par for the course against an occasionally explosive Oxford attack. The Hornets (3-2) established their up-tempo offense on the first series, a 13-play march capped by Long’s one-yard sneak and highlighted by Ryan Evans outjumping two Chester defensive backs for a 29-yard gain to the 1 on fourth and 22.
But everything about that drive would prove to be an outlier in the first half. After four first downs on the first drive, Oxford had just one the rest of the half, on the final snap, against three turnovers. The Chester defensive backs wouldn’t look quite so naïve in coverage again.
That inability to string together positive plays meant Oxford couldn’t push the pace.
“Our whole offense is run off of tempo,” running back Dominic Pantalone said. “Coach (Mike) Means does a great job of getting us conditioned, getting everything fast-paced. But once we’re off track, I feel like all we need is another big gain, or even a short gain, and we’re right back at it.”
That gave Chester, and Thompson in particular, room to operate. Isaiah Freeman got Chester on the board by bulling into the end zone from the 4 on fourth and goal. Following Thompson’s return score, the Clippers ended the next series with John Gates picking off a pass and returning it 24 yards. A 26-yard hookup between Freeman and Chris Thompson pushed the ball to the 1 for Noble Thompson to plunge over.
Isaiah Freeman hits Kylie Harper for 48 yards to the 3. Then he high steps into the end zone.
Run fails 3 flags later.
Chester 26, Oxford 7. 99 seconds (but what feels like an hour) into the 3Q pic.twitter.com/vHqlUVjHml— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) September 25, 2021
He added a 16-yard score in the third quarter, then waltzed into the end zone with a 12-yard pass from Freeman in the fourth when Oxford had crept to within 11 points.
“Noble is different,” Jerimiah Gates said. “He’s different. He’s a great captain, great running back, great teammate. He’s just different.”
Chester had plenty of contributors on defense, a unit missing last year’s best player, Darron Miller, to injury all season. Cymeer Brown nabbed two interceptions and got his hands on a half-dozen other passes. LaFennis Mays deflected a pass and had two tackles for loss, as did Colin Ferrell.
Oxford found some rhythm in the second half. Pantalone, who carried 21 times for 96 yards, was the workhorse, scoring on a six-yard run. Long, who finished 10-for-23 with 102 yards, found Evans on a 13-yard inside slant in the fourth.
Chester overcame 16 penalties for 153 yards in a saucy affair that ended with the coaches jawing at each other and the referees angry at the chain gang, as the time of game oozed over the three-hour mark. It needed 363 yards of offense to do so.
Noble Thompson with a 16 yard TD.
32-14 Chester. Still third quarter pic.twitter.com/wwFLdTFGk4— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) September 25, 2021
Freeman provided the calming plays to keep Chester in front, carrying six times for 60 yards and going 11-for-23 for 183 through the air. He found Will Smith six times for 68 yards and hit Kylie Harper for a 48-yard pitch-and-catch that set up Freeman’s second TD run 1:39 into the second half.
“He’s always the type that makes something out of nothing,” Noble Thompson said of his QB. “I like that about him.”
For a Chester defense that has grown to expect shutouts, 21 points doesn’t sit well. But it got the job done.
“We’ve got room for improvement and stopping the run,” Jerimiah Gates said. “Our defense is better than that. We should’ve never let up 21 points, but a lot of room for improvement.”
