The Chiefs started off the season with a shut out win, 56-0, against the Fayette County Tigers at Tiger Stadium. But the following week, on August 23, the Chiefs fell to Sandy Creek in a loss 54-22 for McIntosh.
Head football coach Derek Smith saw the game from a different perspective.
“One of the things we did is we made crucial mistakes three times in a row. Coming out the second half, we had a bad snap, we had a fumble and then we had two 10-yard penalties that all happened back-to-back, which gave them 21 points in three-and-a-half minutes. You take those 21 points back in those three-and-a-half minutes, that three-and-a-half was the difference in the football game. And to me, it was like a lack of focus,” Smith said.
In the following weeks Smith will be making sure everyone puts in the work to get better.
“We just have to be consistent in our play. Make sure that you know the basic, fundamental mistakes don’t get done. I mean, it’s going to happen once or twice, but you can’t do that multiple times in a game. And the other part is, make sure that we rely on the team and not individualism.”
The game started off as Caleb Hill passed the football to Dalen Penson for a 63-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead for the patriots. A defensive linemen then sacked the Quarterback for a 9-yard loss then recovered the fumble for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Chiefs, later in the quarter, hit the Patriots with a 72-yard run from Brandan Ridley. He then scored another two points after the touchdown for a 14-8 score.
As the scores were getting closer, the Patriots began picking up the pace and focusing. The Patriots QB passed Rich VanZant with a 20-yard rushing touchdown and a field goal. In the second quarter, the Chiefs’ QB Chase Cromartie relied on his legs to keep his team standing with multiple scrambles to Yuri Ajie and Hollis Davidson to get inside the 10. Ridley then shot it and made the score 27-14. Sandy Creek came out of halftime locked in on the win as Hill and VanZant scored touchdowns to make the score 41-14 in under two minutes. A missed snap gave the Patriots possession again with Latimer’s one-yard touchdown to make the score 47-14.
The Patriots opened up the fourth quarter with an explosion as Chase McDowell smashed his way through tacklers and into the endzone for a 68-yard touchdown. The Chiefs had one final touchdown from Ridley with a 22-yard run. David Kienast then switched to a 2 point conversion to end the night 56-22 with Patriots for the win.
The Chiefs lost to Hillcrest on the road Aug. 30, 38-0, and after a bye week,, this Friday the Chiefs play at home this Friday, Sept. 13 against Morrow.
