CHERRYVALE – “INAM” is the motto you will see frequently with Cherryvale coach Harry Hester’s Charger football team. The motto stands for “It’s Not About Me”. Hester credited his kid’s efforts of playing by that motto in route to a 28-12 victory over league rival Neodesha Friday night.
“We have a motto of INAM ‘It’s Not About Me’ and our kids played that way tonight doing what they had to to get the win.” said Hester.
The Chargers started their scoring with a 35 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cade Addis to Zaine Lotz. The 2 point conversion would fail, but it wouldn’t be long before the Chargers offense would strike again.
In the final minutes of the 1st quarter Cherryvale would get on the board again thanks to the work horse legs of Garrett Novotny, who ran for a 21 yard touchdown. Lotz would convert on the 2 point play and lift Cherryvale to a 14-0 lead to end the 1st quarter over Neodesha.
The 2nd quarter saw a back and forth battle between both teams and Neodesha would not be shut out as quarterback Mason Ellis connected with Toby Curtis for a 28 yard touchdown pass. The 2 point conversion was no good and put the Bluestreaks within one score going into the 2nd half 14-6.
“They scored right before half to cut it to 14-6 and I thought our kids responded well, in the second half and had a defensive score.” said Hester.
Both teams battled for field position and neither team scored in the 3rd quarter. It was Cherryvale who broke the stalemate when Novotny would once again find the endzone on a 9 yard run. Addis’s pass to Wyatt Gillman connected and put Cherryvale up 22-6.
Trying to lead his team back late, Ellis would throw a costly interception early in the 4th quarter that was returned for 6 points by Cherryvale’s Lucas McPherson. The 2 point conversion was no good and the Chargers led 26-6 in the early 4th quarter.
Neodesha would get on the board one final time to draw closer when Blaze Grimes ran into the endzone from the 5 yard line. The Bluestreaks 2 point attempt would fall short for the final score of 28-12.
“A couple of turnovers cost us, but proud of our resiliency. Great team win for us.” noted Hester
Cherryvale quarterback Cade Addis was 5 of 7 in throwing with 109 yards passing, 22 yards rushing and 1 touchdown. Running back Garrett Novotny was held to 72 yards rushing, but recorded 72 yards passing and 2 touchdowns.
Neodesha quarterback Mason Ellis was 12 of 26 with 160 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Running back Randall Mckinnis led the Bluestreaks with 16 yards rushing. Toby Curtis shined for Neodesha with 107 yards receiving.
Cherryvale snapped a 3 game losing streak to improve to 3-4 overall, 1-3 in district play and 3-2 in league action. They will host Eureka on Friday night, a game that was supposed to be played in Eureka.
Neodesha falls to 0-7 overall, 0-4 in district play and are eliminated from the playoffs. The will host longtime rival Fredonia on Friday night.
District 5 Standings
| Team | Overall Record | League Record |
|---|---|---|
| Riverton | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| Frontenac | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Baxter Springs | 4-1 | 0-0 |
| Girard | 3-1 | 0-0 |
| St. Mary's Colgan | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Galena | 1-4 | 0-0 |
| Columbus | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Stats
Neodesha Cherryvale
Total Offense 194 317
Number of Plays 46 49
Yards per Play 4.2 6.5
Passing 160 109
Completions – Attempts 12 – 26 5 – 7
Yards per Pass 13.3 21.8
Touchdowns – Interceptions 1 – 3 1 – 0
Rushing 34 208
Rushing Attempts 20 42
Yards per Rush 1.7 5.0
Receiving 160 109
Receiving Completions 12 5
Yards per Catch 13.3 21.8
Penalties – Yards 2 – 15 6 – 60
Turnovers 3 2
Fumbles – Lost 0 – 0 2 – 2
Interceptions Thrown 3 0
Punting Attempts – Average Distance 5 – 23.8 3 – 23.7
Defensive Sacks – Yards 0 – 0 0 – 0
Time of Possession 00:27:48 00:20:12