Box Score CHADRON – The Chadron State College football team kept its postseason hopes alive with an impressive 34-10 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Fort Lewis Saturday at Elliott Field.
 
Chadron State never trailed in the contest and its defense shut Fort Lewis out of the red zone three times, including two interceptions in the end zone, en route to its win.
 
The CSC defense also had five sacks, eight tackles for loss, allowed just 316 total yards, stopped Fort Lewis on fourth down three times and didn't allow an offensive TD.
 
More importantly, the Eagles, now 8-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference, kept their playoff chances alive. CSC entered Saturday's game ranked seventh in the NCAA Division II Super Region Four rankings and the top six teams in each of the four regions will advance to the playoffs. The Eagles will close out their regular season Saturday against Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.
 
The Eagles didn't start out hot on their first drive, punting after five plays. However, Fort Lewis, now 4-6 overall and 3-5 in the RMAC, did and it drove 52 yards to reach the 15-yardline before Chadron State safety Ryan Wood intercepted a tipped pass in the end zone.
 
Following Wood's interception, Chadron State marched 80 yards in only six plays. Quarterback Jonn McLain, who completed 20 of 25 passes for 292 yards, completed four straight passes that covered 76 yards, including a 38-yard connection with Danny O'Boyle, before Michael Madkins' 3-yard TD scamper gave the Eagles their early lead.
 
Fort Lewis responded with a 40-yard drive of its own following the score, but the Chadron State defense rose to the occasion again and forced the Skyhawks to turn the ball over on downs.
 
The Eagles' took over at the 32-yard line and after a couple plays, McLain converted a flea flicker pass to Cody Roes for a 45-yard touchdown. Roes, who had a game-high eight receptions for 101 yards, has now caught 10 touchdowns this season.
 
Fort Lewis got on the board midway through the second quarter when Joey Alvarez scooped up a CSC fumble and sprinted 70 yards into the end zone but the Eagles answered on their final two drives of the second half to go into the locker room with a comfortable lead.
 
Randy Wentz booted a 29-yard field goal and Jonn McLain scored on a 30-yard run, the longest of his career, to give the Eagles a 24-7 advantage at halftime.
 
The Eagles scored the only points of the third quarter when McLain hit Glen Clinton for a 13-yard TD pass that wrapped up a seven play, 76-yard drive.
 
The scoring rounded out when the two teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter. Kipp Castanha kicked a 43-yarder and Wentz nailed converted a 32-yard attempt.
 
Chadron State's defense was balanced. Trelan Taylor finished with 11 tackles, including an interception near the goal line to halt a Fort Lewis drive, and Kyle McCarthy and Bryant Miller each had 10 tackles. McCarthy also had 2.5 sacks.
 
The defensive line also received solid play from Olufemi Aaron and Zach Sandstrom. Aaron had seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, and Sandstrom added six tackles and half a sack.
 
FLC         0 7 0 3 – 10
CSC        14 10 7 3 – 34
 
First Quarter
CSC – Michael Madkins 3 run (Randy Wentz kick)
CSC – Cody Roes 45 pass from Jonn McLain (Wentz kick)
Second Quarter
FLC – Joey Alvarez 70 fumble recovery (Kipp Castanha kick)
CSC – Randy Wentz 29 field goal
CSC – Jonn McLain 30 run (Wentz kick)
Third Quarter
CSC – Glen Clinton 13 pass from McLain (Wentz kick)
Fourth Quarter
FLC – Castanha 43 field goal
CSC – Wentz 32 field goal