Box Score CHADRON – Chadron State's Glen Clinton scored late in the fourth quarter on a 58-yard touchdown run and the Eagles' defense came up with two vital stops to seal their 31-24 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over New Mexico Highlands Saturday at Elliott Field.
 
Clinton, who rushed for 157 yards and scored two TDs, came up with one of the biggest plays of the game late in the fourth quarter when the Eagles (6-2, 5-1 RMAC) needed it the most. Highlands, now 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the conference, came back from a 17-0 deficit and had forced the Eagles into two straight three and outs on offense before Clinton's TD run with 4:40 to play.
 
Following the long touchdown run, New Mexico Highlands marched to the Chadron State 48-yardline before the Eagles' defense stopped the Cowboys twice. Safety Ryan Wood brought down running back Brandon Johnson for no gain on third and one and Lane Haller and Jordan Jones tackled Dominique Ferrell, a bruising 5-foot-10, 220-pound running back who rushed for 168 yards on 29 carries, at the line of scrimmage on fourth down to halt the drive.
 
The Eagles weren't out of the woods yet and following another three and out, the Cowboys' offense received the ball with 41 seconds to play. Quarterback Emmanuel Lewis, who  the completed 22 of 38 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns, found Alex Gaines for back-to-back receptions to advance to the 48-yard line.
 
Lewis, who also rushed for 33 yards, then hit Ricky Marvray for a 15-yard gain to the Eagles' 37-yard line with nine seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, Lewis threw a long pass to the end zone but Jimmie Roberts caught the ball out of bounds.
 
While there were plenty of defensive fireworks late in the game for Chadron State, the offense stole the show in the first half as the Eagles scored on their first three possessions.
 
Randy Wentz booted a 40-yard field goal following a Bryant Miller interception return and Travis Reeves caught a 6-yard pass from quarterback Jonn McLain a few minutes later to put the Eagles up 10-0.
 
On the Eagles' next drive, Clinton burst through the middle of the line and scampered in for a 23-yard TD run and it appeared Chadron State would cruise to its win.
 
However, Highlands, which outgained Chadron State 466 to 342 yards, scored twice late in the half to make things interesting.
 
McLain completed 20 of 30 passes for 155 yards and two TDs to lead the Eagles' offense. Cody Roes had a game-high nine receptions for 89 yards and a score and Reeves had four receptions for 14 yards.
 
Shea Koch led the Eagles' defense with 13 total tackles, including a sack. Miller added 12 more, a sack and two tackles for loss and Cole Montgomery and Trelan Taylor each had nine more.

The Eagles will play at Western New Mexico Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon.
 
NMH     0 14 7 3 – 24
CSC        10 7 7 7 – 31
 
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
CSC – Randy Wentz 40 field goal
CSC – Travis Reeves 6 pass from Jonn McLain (Wentz kick)
Second Quarter
CSC – Glen Clinton 23 run (Wentz kick)
NMH – Ray Henley 1 pass from Emmanuel Lewis (Zach Tapia kick)
NMH – Alex Gaines 20 pass from Emmanuel Lewis (Tapia kick)
Third Quarter
CSC – Cody Roes 10 pass from McLain (Wentz kick)
NMH – Dominique Ferrell 3 run (Tapia kick)
Fourth Quarter
NMH – Tapia 24 field goal
CSC – Clinton 58 run (Wentz kick)