By Thomas Grant Jr.
After a 4-1 start, Chapin High football has experienced back-to-back home losses in Region 4-5A ranging from lopsided to heartbreaking.
The former was a 63-10 loss to defending Class 5A champion Dutch Fork. The Eagles fell behind 35-0 in the first quarter before finally getting on the board.
This past weekend saw the latter take place against Lexington. Quarterback Brady Albro threw three first half touchdowns to help give the Eagles a 17-point lead.
A touchdown pass by Brennon Carter before the half brought the Wildcats within 23-13. Lexington rallied to tie the game at 26-26 in the fourth quarter before a touchdown run by Cole Martin reclaimed the lead for the Eagles.
However, a missed PAT opened the door for Lexington to retake the lead after Carter’s touchdown pass to Nigel Lewis with 49 seconds left. The Wildcats converted the PAT before a stunned Cecil Woolbright Field crowd and Chapin’s Hail Mary was unsuccessful in the 33-32 loss.
“I think both losses were equally as bad,” head coach Ryan Cole said. “We lost both games because our players were not being disciplined. They are not trusting the process that is in place to move the program forward. We will get back to the drawing board. These young men are tough and have great spirits. We will get back to work and fix our mistakes.”
Things do not get any easier for Chapin (4-3, 0-2) as it heads to The Swamp to face River Bluff. The Gators (6-1, 1-1) suffered its first loss of the season 35-14 to undefeated Irmo as they played without starting quarterback Parker Murray.
“ We need to take it one game at a time,” Cole said. “River Bluff is a good football team. We are as well. Trusting the process will help carry us a long way.”
Despite the losses, the Eagles are ranked second behind fellow Lexington/Richland District Five school Irmo in the latest Maxpreps.com RPI Rankings for Class 5A Division II for the Lower State. Its strength of schedule, early wins and losses to three teams (Summerville, Dutch Fork and Lexington) with a combined record of 18-2 have put them in position to possibly have a first-round bye based on the criteria used with the RPI rankings to determine seeding.
For that to happen, Chapin will need to adjust its style of play over the final three games.
“The biggest correction is not letting our opponents dictate how we act and play,” Cole said. “We need to play our game and follow what we need to do. If we take care of ourselves, we will be successful.”
CLASS 5A DIVISION II
(Upper State)
1.Northwestern, 8-0, 0.73955; 2. Gaffney, 5-0, 0.71490; 3. Greenwood, 4-1, 0.67240; 4. TL Hanna, 2-2, 0.64492; 5. Hillcrest, 4-1, 0.61308; 6. Riverside, 4-1, 0.57130; 7. Catawba Ridge, 5-2, 0.56098 8. Eastside, 3-2, 0.49932; 9. Indian Land, 4-3, 0.49706; 10. Greenville, 1-4, 0.48987; 11. Woodmont, 1-3, 0.47488; 12. Nation Ford, 1-6, 0.45571; 13. Fort Mill, 1-6, 0.40441; 14. Easley, 1-4, 0.36080
(Lower State)
1. Irmo, 7-0, 0.74761; Chapin, 4-3, 0.62899; 3. White Knoll, 4-3, 0.59500; 4. West Florence, 5-2, 0.59031; 5. Goose Creek, 4-3, 0.53019; 6. Myrtle Beach, 4-3, 0.52481; 7. Westwood, 4-3, 0.52014 8, Berkeley, 3-4, 0.49769; 9. Lugoff-Elgin, 3-5, 0.49284; 10. Lucy Beckham, 4-3, 0.47946; 11. Socastee, 2-5, 0.43439; 12. North Myrtle Beach, 2-5, 0.43021; 13. Conway, 1-6, 0.38819 14. St. James, 0-7, 0.32154
Photo by Edward Walker
