CHANEY CHARGES INTO POSTSEASON
YOUNGSTOWN OH- The final week of the regular season saw a lot of great rivalry matchups across the network. The Steel Valley Conference didn’t skip out on that either as all four teams were in action against one another. Mooney and Ursuline fought tooth and nail in the Holy War and Chaney and East met in the Youngstown City Classic at Rayen Field. The Cowboys came in with a near perfect season and a top-four spot in the postseason on the line and the Golden Bears came in with a singular win on the season coming via a Mooney forfeit earlier in the season. The postseason was still in reach if East could pull of the week 10 upset.
That would not be the case as the Chaney Cowboys showed their dominance once again this season over their city rivals. Chaney never blinked and got out to an early 21-0 lead in the game and turned on the cruise control in route to a 34-0 shutout for the Cowboys defense. They were led offensively by backup quarterback No. 16 Drew Gault who was able to control the game both through the air and on the ground against the Golden Bears. He grabbed a handful of yards on the ground but shined through the air as he connected with DJ Waller and Jaquan Johnson on a pair of 25-plus yard touchdown throws. Future Bearcat Jason Hewlett also pulled in a pick-six on the defensive side of the football field. Justin Amill-Austin and Jawan Freeman both punched in rushing touchdowns as well. The Cowboys won the battle on the scoreboard, but they had their problems holding on to the football as a pair of fumbles both landed in the lap of the Golden Bears.
While East had struggles scoring Friday night, they were able to put together a few nice drives against one of the top defenses in the region. Thomas Davis was a workhorse all night long getting every big play on the ground for the Golden Bears offense. They didn’t have a drive of over twenty yards until the fourth quarter against the Cowboys as they drove down the field before failing to convert on a fourth and long.
East falls to (1-9) in week 10 for the second time in as many years under Head Coach Mark Assion. Their season comes to a close as they needed a win to sneak in as the 16-seed for the postseason. Chaney moves to (9-1) after their rivalry win. This is the first time they’ve had home field advantage in the postseason in over twenty years. Their week 11 matchup will be announced on Sunday.
*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna
