Chester’s magical run ends against Daniel in 3A Upper State Championship game

Chester lost a wild, double-overtime game at Lower Richland on Sept. 16, and the defeat dropped the Cyclones’ record to 2-3. It would have been easy to wonder what would happen to the Cyclones this season — after all, Victor Floyd’s club sported just 10 seniors on its roster.

The question was quickly answered. Chester rolled off a seven-game win streak, including road playoff wins at 3A power Chapman and undefeated Powdersville. The magical run earned the Cyclones a spot in the Upper State Championship, facing off against the defending 3A state champion Daniel Lions.

The Cyclones put their seven in a row up against Daniel’s 21 straight victories at Singleton Field on Friday night. Unfortunately for the visitors, Daniel’s streak continued. Despite a valiant effort, the Cyclones could not overcome several costly miscues and the powerful Lion offense. Daniel took home a 41-20 victory and a trip to the 3A title game rematch against Camden at Benedict College Friday afternoon.

“We just made too many mistakes to win it,” Floyd said after the game. “We had opportunities. Kids played hard. We just made too many mistakes. You cannot win when you’re turning the ball over.”

Daniel (13-0) received the opening kickoff and quickly marched down the field. Once the Lions entered the red zone, however, Chester’s defense clamped down and compelled a 31-yard field goal from Shane Forrester that put Daniel ahead 3-0.

Chester (9-4) then unfurled a methodical drive that consumed 57 yards and just shy of five minutes on 12 plays. Zan Dunham hit Andre Evans from 9 yards away to cap the drive, giving Chester a 7-3 advantage.

The Cyclones then forced a quick Daniel fumble on the next drive, recovering the loose ball at their 40. The visitors went for a deep, sudden-change throw on first down, but were intercepted on a diving grab by a Daniel defender at the 3. Following a possible tackle for safety on first down, the Lions pounced. Daniel took the ball 97 yards, finishing the drive with a 9-yard Misun Kelley run to retake the lead 10-7.

Chester punted on three consecutive drives, while Daniel quarterback Trent Pearman took over on the ground. Pearman plowed to the paint on runs of 10 and 4 yards on back-to-back drives, extending the lead to 24-7.

The Cyclones had a chance to slice the lead heading into the interval, but a pass play was ruled a fumble. Daniel recovered the loose ball on its 24, then drove 73 yards in under a minute. Shane Forrester knocked home a 20-yard field goal at the horn to put the Lions ahead 27-7.

Chester seized an opportunity halfway through the third. A Cyclone punt bounced off a Daniel player, who was engaged with a Chester blocker. Chester recovered, then found pay dirt on a 36-yard wheel route from Dunham to Shydem McCullough that cut the margin to two touchdowns at the 7:30 mark.

Daniel scored the essential dagger three minutes later. The Lions blocked a Cyclone pitch, which Jaheim Lawson recovered and took 16 yards to the house to extend the advantage to 34-13. Dunham found McCullough again on a 2-yard score to again reduce the difference to two touchdowns, but the Cyclones could draw no closer. Daniel scored once more with 4:02 to play to provide the final margin.

Floyd paused for a moment after the game to reflect on the impact made by his group of seniors, many of whom leave the school having been a part of the Cyclones’ 2018 state title victory.

“They’ve been a really good group. They’ve had a good four-year run. They probably would have gotten the most (total) wins if we hadn’t had a COVID season,” Floyd said. “That group’s been a hard-working group. They’ve fought through a lot of stuff and a lot of adversity. They’ve stuck together through some things.”

That class also set the foundation for a young Chester club, with many of its future stars part of this year’s season-defining run.

“There was a lot of growth. The good part is that, out of the kids we started tonight, we return 15. We lose three on defense and four on offense,” Floyd said. “We’re excited about these guys. They got a lot of valuable experience. They got taught a lot of hard lessons this year and, hopefully, they’ll pay off in the future.”

This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 11:08 PM.