CHADRON, Neb. – After a season-opening setback, the Chadron State football program will have the luxury of playing a second consecutive game at home when the Eagles welcome the University of Jamestown to Elliott Field at Don Beebe Stadium on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Fans can watch the game for free on the RMAC Network and follow along via live stats.

Looking Back
The Eagles lost their opening game of 2024 last Thursday to Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 18-6. The two in-state rivals played for an official trophy, the "Good Life Trophy," for the first time.

Two Wilson Yee field goals, from 38 and 39 yards, provided the points for Chadron State, while Kearney connected on passing touchdowns of 24 and 50 yards. The game turned into a defensive struggle, as neither team put any points on the board in the second half.

Best-Laid Plans
The Chadron State offense was forced to audible immediately after presumptive starting quarterback DJ Ralph and leading receiver Tommy Thomas both exited with first-half injuries against UNK.

Ralph's injury, which came after the San Diego State transfer had thrown just three passes, pressed junior and Victor Valley College transfer Miguel Larios into the starting lineup. Larios didn't allow the shock of entering the game to faze him, as he started off by completing nine of his first 10 pass attempts.

Thomas, a first-team All-RMAC wide receiver a season ago, managed two catches for 25 yards prior to leaving with a lower-body injury. He still finished as CSC's leading receiver for the game. Senior wideouts Grant Swenson (19 yards) and Brodie Roden (17 yards) also had two catches apiece and should be in the starting lineup Thursday.

Redshirt junior Preston Pearson, who played most of last season at quarterback, is listed on the depth chart this year as a wide receiver. Pearson entered the game at QB in the second half after Ralph and Larios were each banged up with injuries, but did not complete a pass in five attempts while rushing four times for 12 yards.

In The Trenches
The defensive line figured to be a strength this season for Chadron State as the Eagles return a pair of First Team All-RMAC D-linemen in senior defensive end Hunter O'Connor and junior defensive tackle Tanner True.

What was thought to be a two-headed monster just might be a three-headed one. Sophomore William Stemler, a transfer from Lindenwood, had a terrific debut in an Eagles uniform. Stemler collected seven tackles (five solo), including two tackles for loss and a sack while frequently finding his way into the backfield even on plays that he didn't get on the stat sheet.

Also on the defensive line, junior Andrew Calderon had four solo tackles and his first career sack while redshirt freshman Griffin Clubb tallied a tackle for loss in his first college game action. O'Connor finished with five tackles. True missed the game against UNK but is expected to play against Jamestown.

Stat Standouts
Several other players turned in good performances during the season-opening weekend.

Sophomore running back Jake Marschall emerged as a workhorse for the Eagles, carrying 18 times for 78 yards with a long of 21 yards. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Reed Henkel was all over the field with 11 tackles, including three solo stops. Fellow linebackers Logan O'Brien and Xavier Harrell had seven tackles apiece.

Special teams was a strength, with Yee hitting two 35-yard-plus field goals. Punter Brodie Eisenbraun was called on frequently but flipped the field when asked, averaging 42.6 yards per punt and dropping two punts inside the opposing 20-yard line. Senior Brodie Roden had 38 kick return yards in addition to his 17 receiving yards.

Opponent Preview
by Con Marshall
Despite being only 500 miles apart, the Chadron State Eagles and the Jamestown Jimmies don't meet on the football field often. Thursday night's game at Elliott Field will be just the sixth-ever meeting between the two schools.

However, they've had some interesting contests through the years. The first time the teams met was in the 1938 season-opener in Chadron.  The other four games were in the 1980s when the teams played home-and-home contests. The Eagles have won four of the five games.

After being an NAIA member for decades, the Jimmies are transitioning to NCAA Division II, just as the Eagles did in the early 1990s when they joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Jamestown is moving to the Northern Sun Conference, made up of about a dozen schools from the Upper Midwest, including Wayne State.

Like the Eagles, the Jimmies opened their season last Thursday night. They played the University of Mary in Bismarck.  Although Jamestown out-gained the Marauders 317 yards to 246, Mary won 23-6, primarily because Justus Breston returned interceptions 25 and 47 yards for touchdowns.

Neither team ran the ball well. Jamestown rushed for just 75 yards and Mary for only 68. However, Marauders quarterback Sofian Massoud completed 21 of 25 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown to go with the two TDs on the interception returns. Jimmies' quarterbacks Johnny Grann and Nick Martinez completed 20 of 43 passes for 241 yards. Jamestown scored in the fourth quarter by capping an 85-yard drive with a five-yard run.

The Eagles won the 1938 season-opener in Chadron 27-6. Wilmar Planansky of Hemingford ran 40 yards for a TD and Wood McGinnis of Mitchell scored on what the Chadron Record called "a 34-yard fake reverse."

The 1982 game played in Jamestown matched two defensive juggernauts. The Eagles won 14-0, but still tallied the most points scored against the Jimmies all season. CSC posted its first touchdown with just 28 seconds left in the first half when J.J. McKay caught a nine-yard pass from quarterback Scott Wickard to cap a 61-yard drive in 10 plays. A 29-yard pass from Wickard to Rocco Rotello, who made a diving catch, and a 15-yard ramble by fullback Willy Long, who finished with 147 yards rushing, were the big gainers.

The Eagles scored again when Andy Callahan took the second half kickoff 97 yards.  It was the first time Callahan had returned a kickoff and the first touchdown scored against the Jimmies in the second half that season.

The shutout was the sixth for the Eagles, who finished with a 6-2 record. Jamestown was 6-3. Both teams ended the game with exactly 260 total net yards. Chadron State was presented the Sunflower Trophy following the game, a trophy that Sunflower growers in the Jamestown area presented to the winning team during the season finale.  CSC was ranked No. 18 in NAIA Division II at the end of the 1982 season.
The next year, Jamestown turned the tables on the Eagles while playing in Chadron, winning 14-7. The Jimmies scored touchdowns in both the first and second quarters, going 46 yards in 11 plays and 79 yards in 15 plays.

Chadron State managed just 147 total net yards and didn't score until the final minute while capping a 69-yard drive in 12 plays.  A 27-yard pass interference penalty against the North Dakota visitors preceded Jeff Roggasch's one-yard plunge into the end zone.  The win was the Jimmies' seventh in a row after two narrow losses to open the season. CSC finished 4-6.

The teams also met on the gridiron the last two years of the 1980s. Playing at home, the Eagles won the 1988 game 14-12, even though Jamestown out-gained CSC 344-193 and had 17 first downs to the Eagles' eight.
The Eagles initially scored when Dave Motisi blocked a Jamestown punt and teammate Dave Landon took the loose pigskin 36 yards to the end zone in the second quarter.  CSC went ahead 14-0 in the third frame when Steward Perez threw 30-yard pass to Don Beebe to complete a 69-yard drive while overcoming two major penalties. Jay Masek kicked both extra points.

The Jimmies scored both of their TDs in the fourth quarter. They initially drove 85 yards in 15 plays with Troy Hudson racing the final 17 yards. On their next possession, the visitors' Dan Haugan hauled in a 32-yard pass from quarterback Kelly Charon to complete a 58-yard drive.

Chadron State hung on for the victory by stopping both of the Jimmies' conversion tries. Defensive end Mark Wyman blocked the PAT kick after the first TD and freshman Denis Leman tackled Jamestown's leading rusher, Tony Cannon, shy of the goal line after the second score.
 
The Eagles won the 1989 game played in Jamestown 34-21 by scoring 17 points in each half.  CSC rolled up 506 yards, more than double the Jimmies' total. A 60-yard punt return by Jerome Hyatt and a 45-yard run by Lee Crawford were the Eagles' big plays.