... - Sports - Preps - Chester

Friday, Sep. 19, 2008

Northwestern 45, Chester 22

It took a quarter for Northwestern to find the right combination to unlock the Chester Cyclones’ defense. Once the Trojans did, the “Air Raid” took flight. Northwestern (4-0) scored three touchdowns in the second quarter and went on to a 45-22 win.

Justin Worley, the Trojans’ 6-5 sophomore quarterback, went over the 1,000-yard mark through the air. He finished with a career-best 381 yards passing and six touchdowns. He has thrown for 1,216 yards and 17 TD’s so far this season.

Jarrett Neely caught seven passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns. The senior added a third score on a 63-yard punt return in the second half. “I told the coaches they could go to me. I wanted the ball in my hands,” Neely said.

Northwestern coach Jimmy “Moose” Wallace gushed over Neely after the game. “I have coached for 36 years and have had a lot of great players. He’s at the top of the list. I love this kid. He is something special,” Wallace said wrapping the 5-10, 170-pound Neely under one arm.

Neely and Cardarrelle Patterson showed off their athleticism in the first half.

Patterson got the Trojans on the board early in the second quarter. He ran a post route on a second down play from the Cyclones 27. Worley’s pass forced Patterson to adjust and catch it over his inside shoulder.

No problem.

Patterson hauled it in, avoided a defender and ran the final 8 yards into the end zone for his fifth touchdown of the season.

Leading 13-0 after a 51-yard pass play to Neely, Northwestern took over at the Chester 20 yard line after Kentrell Hines recovered a fumbled kickoff return.

Worley went right back to Neely. The senior running back lined up as a wideout on the right side and cut across the middle. Worley’s pass was tipped at about the 10 but Neely was able to reach out and make the catch in stride to score his second touchdown in a 15-second span.

In 1995, the last time Northwestern and Chester met, Wallace was trying to decide between Chris Craig or Kenny Dixon at the quarterback position. Wallace knew Worley was to be his guy last year. He was groomed to run the “Air Raid” offense while watching Will King from the sidelines.

Chester’s Tony McNeal is also a sophomore quarterback. He threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns to pad his season totals to a gaudy 1,443 and 18 scores.

The game was billed as a throw-until-you-can’t-throw-no-more contest. In that regard it didn’t disappoint. In all, a combined 96 passes were thrown. The game lasted a bit more than three hours. Some games in the central time zone ended earlier than this one at District Three Stadium.

Chester (2-3) surprised everyone with it’s running attack. Julius Pendergrass ran for 107 yards on 22 carries.

“We knew the running game was going to be important. We let our offensive line dig in early,” Chester coach Maurice Flowers said.

Flowers wasn’t satisfied with everything on offense though.

“We didn’t execute the way we needed to. They did and we didn’t,” Flowers said. “Northwestern forced a lot of our lack of execution. All the credit goes to them.”

Fred Lee caught eight passes for 110 yards and a score. Devin Jackson had six catches for 107 and a touchdown for the Cyclones.

NORTHWESTERN 45, CHESTER 22

Chester.....0.....0.....7.....15.....—.....22

Northwestern.....0.....19.....12.....14.....—.....45

SCORING SUMMARY

N — Cordarrelle Patterson 27 pass from Justin Worley (Shawn Ferguson kick)

N — Jarrett Neely 51 pass from Worley (kick failed)

N — Neely 20 pass from Worley (pass failed)

C — Fred Lee 5 pass from Tony McNeal (Austin Kerr kick)

N — Patterson 5 pass from Worley (pass failed)

N — Neely 63 punt return (kick failed)

N — Labris Adams 11 pass from Worley (Ferguson kick)

C — Devin Jackson 23 pass from McNeal (Kerr kick)

C — Brent Minter run (Lee pass from McNeal)

N — Labris Adams 5 pass from Worley (Ferguson kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

.....CHS.....NHS

First downs.....24.....19

Rushes-yards.....33-134.....10-(-5)

Comp-Att-Int .....24-47-3.....33-49-1

Passing yards.....329.....416

Fumbles-lost.....2-1.....2-0

Penalties-yards.....10-42.....5-37

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Julius Pendergrass 22-107, Tony McNeal 10-20, Brent Minter 1-7. NHS: Jarrett Neely 2-7, Sanbobis McCleod 5-1, Justin Worley 3-(-13).

PASSING — McNeal 24-47-329-3. NHS: Justin Worley 31-46-381-1, Stewart Hunt 2-3-35-1.

RECEIVING — Jeremy Hughes 2-37, Fred Lee 8-110, Bobby Kelly 5-64, Devin Jackson 6-107, Pendergrass 2-11. NHS: Cordarelle Patterson 7-71, Julian Patton 6-49, Labris Adams 8-64, Neely 7-183, Marquez Robinson 1-4, McCleod 5-15, Brandon Lewis 1-30.

RECORDS — Northwestern 4-0, Chester 2-3